Donkey Kong is shaping up to be Super Mario Odyssey's spiritual successor.
It seems like Donkey Kong Bananza for Nintendo Switch 2 is actually the spiritual successor of Super Mario Odyssey. Just recently, Nintendo confirmed in a preview event, first reported by Eurogamer, that the stellar team behind one of the most successful games for the Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Odyssey, is the same team that worked on Donkey Kong Bananza.
This places the game in the hands of Nintendo’s Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD) division, the team responsible for crafting the Switch’s premier 3D Mario adventure.
Donkey Kong Bananza was first announced in April during the first Nintendo Direct for the Nintendo Switch 2. This was a notable announcement, especially since it’s the first 3D Donkey Kong platformer since Donkey Kong 64 was released in 1999.
Super Mario Odyssey’s legacy swings into Donkey Kong Bananza’s underground world
While Super Mario Odyssey whisked players across kingdoms with whimsical themes and cap-powered mechanics, Donkey Kong Bananza trades globe-trotting for tunnelling. The adventure takes Donkey Kong underground after a freak storm, where he and a young Pauline must recover Banandium Gems from VoidCo., a gang of villainous apes trying to reach the planet’s core.
Both games feature large sandbox-style levels, but where Odyssey leaned into acrobatics and exploration via Cappy, Bananza emphasises brute force and environmental destruction. Players can destroy most terrain to forge paths and uncover secrets, which was not possible in Mario’s world-hopping journey.
Like Odyssey’s Power Moons, the Verge reports in their preview that Banandium Gems are key to progression, but in Bananza, they also unlock new abilities through a skill tree. Rather than capturing enemies, Donkey Kong gains animal-themed transformations, such as a speed-boosting zebra, a gliding ostrich, and strength-enhancing forms. These transformations offer varied traversal options, albeit time-limited by an energy meter.
Both games encourage exploration and experimentation, but the tone and tools differ: Odyssey was about precision and creativity, while Bananza leans into raw power, chaotic terrain-breaking, and momentum-based movement.
The involvement of the Super Mario Odyssey team sets clear expectations for what Donkey Kong Bananza can deliver on the Nintendo Switch 2. Fans won’t have to wait long to see how it all comes together when the game launches on 17 July, 2025.
