When you think of Nintendo, it’s almost impossible not to picture Donkey Kong. The ape that started it all, Donkey Kong’s tie-donning, barrel-launching arcade antics introduced Mario to the world and almost bankrupted Nintendo in the process, after a near-miss legal battle over alleged King Kong copyright infringement. Yet despite Donkers’ undeniable place in gaming history – and obligatory appearances in Smash Bros and Mario Kart – for the last few console generations, Donkey Kong platformers have been MIA. Enter DK’s first standalone adventure in 11 years, Donkey Kong Bananza.
While Mario’s recent adventures saw him exploring the reaches of outer space or deftly possessing enemies with an anthropomorphic hat, DK’s grand return is all about primal rage. Employing a similar voxel-based technology to Minecraft, DK’s Switch 2 adventure swaps the former’s thoughtful Lego-esque world-building for gleeful destruction, letting players shatter every colourful level into smithereens.
