When Nintendo announced Donkey Kong Bananza for the Switch 2, the first thing a lot of fans wondered was: is this going to be an open world game? It’s a fair question. We’re living in the era of open world everything, from Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to Elden Ring, and it’s been years since Donkey Kong had a major solo outing.
The answer? Sort of. But it’s more complicated than a simple yes or no.
|Not Traditional Open World, But Close
Let’s get this out of the way. Donkey Kong Bananza is not open world in the way that Breath of the Wild or Skyrim is. You won’t be running across one gigantic, fully connected map with villages, forests, and towns. Instead, the game is made up of large, interconnected zones, massive underground areas that feel a lot more open and exploratory than your typical 2D or 3D platformer.
These zones are packed with secrets, branching paths, puzzles, and loads of destructible terrain. And that’s the big twist here. Instead of just walking through these levels, you’re smashing, digging, and punching your way through them.
|A Sandbox Style Playground
One of the standout features in Bananza is how DK interacts with the world. Almost everything can be broken, uprooted, or transformed. You can smash through floors, punch through walls, or tunnel new paths with your abilities. This creates a level of player freedom that feels very sandbox like, even if the zones themselves are technically contained.
In a way, it’s closer to something like Mario Odyssey’s open ended kingdoms than it is to a traditional open world game. You’re given a big area, a lot of tools, and the freedom to figure out how you want to explore it.
|Layered Exploration Over Linear Paths
Instead of linear stages where you move left to right or from A to B, Bananza encourages vertical and lateral exploration. You’ll be backtracking, smashing new paths, unlocking secrets, and revealing entire hidden chambers underground. There’s even an interactive map that tracks not just your progress but also what parts of the environment you’ve altered.
So while it’s not a true open world, it’s definitely designed to feel expansive and player driven.
So, is Donkey Kong Bananza open world?
Not quite. But it offers a much more open, freeform experience than past Donkey Kong games. Think open area levels that reward curiosity, creative destruction, and exploration. It’s a refreshing evolution for the series and one that might surprise fans expecting a traditional platformer.
If you loved the freedom of Mario Odyssey or the layered design of Metroid Dread, Bananza might just be your next favorite adventure.
