Despite DK’s new look, Cranky, Diddy, and Dixie Kong all show up in Bananza, all three looking like they walked straight out of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Diddy and Dixie even recount their experience rescuing DK in DKC 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, directly confirming some kind of… eugh, Donkey Kong timeline. So there’s that to chew on.

In Donkey Kong Bananza, the Tempest Layer is home to elephants who study interesting weather conditions. It's also home to three types of fossils: common frogs, rare anglerfish, and an ultra-rare swordfish.

If all future Nintendo Switch 2 games receive this much time and attention—with such a focus on playing to the dockable handheld’s strengths—then we could be looking at one of the best consoles of all time. Donkey Kong Bananza one of those games that you end up buying an entire console for, and not regretting it one bit.

Super Mario Odyssey turned a Nintendo hero into a fashion icon. The Switch 2 platformer should have done the same.

The Nintendo Switch 2 console only has two high-profile original games that you can get right now: Mario Kart World Tour and Donkey Kong Bananza. Although both are great games, Donkey Kong Bananza has staunchly entrenched itself as one of the best games of the year and an absolute must-buy game for any Switch 2 owner.