You have to go all the way back to the Nintendo 64 to play the most recent 3D Donkey Kong game. But without a new mainline Zelda or Mario title (Mario Kart World doesn't quite count) queued up for the Switch 2's launch in June,

Donkey Kong Bananza is my personal game of the show. In Bananza, the Kong Kingdom has been hit by a gold rush. Everyone is obsessed with digging in the ground to unearth precious metals and gems, including diamonds suspiciously shaped like bananas.

Namely, the two most notable games I played were Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong: Bananza. The latter isn't a launch game, but they both made strong first impressions – not only as games themselves, but also as demonstrations of what the Switch 2 can do. Let's dig in.

There’s something joyful about the smash and jump movement of Donkey Kong, and that’s why Donkey Kong Bananza is likely to be a big hit on the Switch 2. The game is a 3D platforming action adventure that will be available exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.

Nintendo has announced Donkey Kong Bananza, a Switch 2 outing that will serve as DK's first 3D platformer in over 25 years.

I wouldn’t have to wait long for that. Shortly following the presentation, I went hands on with th Switch 2 and several games coming for it. Donkey Kong Bananza was, surprisingly, on that list. In a 20-minute demo,