Donkey Kong Bananza, a new entry in the series starring one of Nintendo’s most iconic characters besides Mario, is launching in a few months on Nintendo Switch 2.
The new 3D platformer will be released on July 17th, a little over a month after the next-generation Nintendo console debuts worldwide on June 5th. While not a lot of information is currently available on the game, the trailer shown during today’s Nintendo Direct provided a decent overview of what to expect, including a new design for Donkey Kong clearly inspired by the successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a colorful and lively experience that looks heavily inspired by Super Mario Odyssey.
With the announcement of Donkey Kong Bananza, 2025 is looking increasingly like the year of Donkey Kong. Back in January, Nintendo brought one of the best entries in the series, Donkey Kong Country Returns, to Nintendo Switch, complete with improved visuals that make it a worthwhile purchase for those who have never experienced the game before, as highlighted by Nathan in his review.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD still delivers its share of scintillating simian escapades, but aside from a visual spit shine, not much has been added to the game to keep it competitive with the many excellent 2D platformers that have hit the scene since 2010, including its own sequel. DK completionists and newbies looking for a surprisingly stiff “Nintendo hard” challenge will be happy with this package, but others might want to wait until the big ape has something truly new to beat his chest about.
Donkey Kong Bananza launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17th worldwide.
