Donkey Kong Bananza was a huge hit with every player, combining wanton destruction with fantastic environments and varied conditions. It put DK firmly in pole position on the pantheon of Nintendo mascots just behind Luigi, and far, far ahead of Mario, a plumber resting on his laurels. Universally loved (with the exception of this reviewer who saw it as fantastically fun platformer with at least a few chinks in the armour), excitement for DLC content was huge, especially considering how long Nintendo holds off on additional content. Now that Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush is here, a mere two months after the main game’s release, is this a worthy expansion or an unripened fruit?
Nostalgia plays the biggest part in an initial purchase of this DLC, providing the original DK Island to fully explore, harnessing the power of the Switch 2, and again utilising the gorgeous visual aesthetic of the base game. It does, in all respects, look absolutely fantastic – exactly as the brain of a younger soul would have imagined it in its Donkey Kong Country days. Filled to the brim with nooks and crannies to explore, and littered with references to keep a novice all the way up to a DK lore expert happy. The island is also filled with the expected inhabitants (even Dixie if for some reason you liked her), making this feel like a real throwback to the original Donkey Kong titles on the 16- and 64-bit systems. The issue, however, is for this beautifully realised island, there isn’t actually a lot to do once you are there.
The main objective of the base game was to crush as much as possible, being rewarded for the chaos with a hidden banana or fossil. The DLC has no such reward. Sure, Banandiums are aplenty, but outside of the initial 777 bananas, no additional collectibles are available. One fun aspect, however, is that chips can be exchanged for statues of classic characters, not limited to their initial positions. As with everything else, they can be picked up and thrown at will, with a quick chat at the main shop returning them to their original positions. As for the first half of the bundle, that really is about it – a beautiful looking location once again with very little reason to explore it. The tin foil hat brigade would argue that this was already created long before release and was meant to be in the base game from the outset, especially with how quickly after release the DLC came. That, though, can neither be confirmed or denied.
Emerald Rush is a completely different animal, providing a new way to make full use of all the skills developed in the main adventure and presented in a unique game mode. Essentially, all chips are changed to green emeralds and it’s up to DK and Pauline to collect their quota before the time limit ends. The catch: any skills found in bananas and fossils around the area are reset at the end of each time trial. These can range from increased gem output when defeating certain enemies to an increase of items on the playing field. Emerald Rush presents the roguelite genre perfectly, encouraging careful builds in order to progress. All trials are Donkey Kong Bananza at its best – senseless destruction repairing rewards with the added excitement of a time limit. At times this mode can become quite challenging, requiring some strategic detours to grab another skill, and careful thought to the initial build. Objectives while attempting the run are also a temptation to increase benefits.
