Donkey Kong Bananza review published in Famitsu, issuing top marks

The Switch 2 platformer is set to release on Thursday; First review praises destruction gameplay

Donkey Kong Bananza review published in Famitsu, issuing top marks

The first Donkey Kong Bananza review has been published in the Japanese magazine Famitsu.

According to Ryokutya2089, a site which regularly obtains Famitsu earlier than most, the magazine’s four reviewers gave Bananza scores of 9, 10, 10, and 9, for a combined review score of 38/40.

For comparison, Famitsu gave Super Mario Odyssey 39/40, Super Mario 3D World 38/40 (10/10/9/9), Super Mario Galaxy 38/40 (10/10/9/9), and Super Mario Galaxy 2 37/40 (10/9/9/9).

According to a summary of Famitsu’s Donkey Kong Bananza review, its reviewers praise the destruction gameplay and platforming movement of DK, but call its story weak and overall difficulty relatively low.

Donkey Kong Bananza will be released on Nintendo Switch 2 on Thursday, July 17. Recently, Nintendo showcased new details and info on the Nintendo Switch 2 game, including the reveal of long-time series character Pauline, who will join DK on his adventure.

VGC published a hands-on preview with Donkey Kong Bananza earlier this month. We wrote: “Like Mario’s recent 3D outings, Donkey Kong Bananza will likely be greater than the sum of its parts – a cavalcade of ideas and mechanics that might not seem like much on their own, but together form a consistently entertaining adventure.”

Last week, Nintendo revealed more of the staff behind Bananza, including the news that Super Mario Odyssey’s director is serving as a producer on the game.

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