Nintendo has delivered more than its fair share of iconic enemy designs over the last few decades. The Legend of Zelda's Bokoblins, Mario's Goombas and Koopa Troopas, and even Donkey Kong Country's own Kremlings are all some of the most memorable enemies in gaming history. Naturally, that sets a very high bar for modern Nintendo games. But Donkey Kong Bananza manages to clear it and then some.
Donkey Kong Bananza's core cast of villains is exactly what fans have come to expect from a Nintendo 3D platformer. Each of the VoidCo apes boasts a distinct visual design, and their boss fights are wonderfully creative. But there's one much smaller enemy in Donkey Kong Bananza, one that most players probably won't think twice about, and one that perfectly exemplifies Nintendo's creativity.
Donkey Kong Bananza Should Follow One Type of Challenge Level to its Natural Conclusion
Donkey Kong Bananza is home to some riveting challenge levels, and there's one type of level that Nintendo should follow to its natural conclusion.
Donkey Kong Bananza Is Home to an Ingenious Enemy Design
Donkey Kong Bananza's Resort Layer Sharks Aren't The Most Visually Arresting
About halfway through Donkey Kong Bananza's main story, players find themselves on SL800, the Resort Layer. This level presents players with a series of small tropical islands connected by a large body of gorgeously-rendered water. Taking a page out of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's playbook, this level also features an array of sky-islands that float high above sea-level.
The most prevalent enemy players will face in Donkey Kong Bananza's Resort Layer is a small shark-like creature that charges up and barrels towards the player at high speed. From a visual standpoint, there's nothing that really sets this shark enemy apart from the other animal-themed creatures they've faced before this point. Its dark blue, gold, and white color scheme shines on the Nintendo Switch 2's screen, but that does little to separate it from the rest of Donkey Kong Bananza's equally colorful rogue's gallery.
Donkey Kong Bananza's Resort Layer Sharks Are Much More Than Meets The Eye
But these unassuming shark enemies are hiding a truly brilliant piece of video game design. After avoiding its high-speed charge, players can send these sharks flying with a simple smack. As the enemy tumbles through the sky, they leave a stunning rainbow trail in their wake. This rainbow trail acts as a sort of makeshift bridge that the player can use to reach one of the level's many floating platforms.
On top of using this rainbow-colored material as a bridge, players can grab a chunk from its surface. Doing so will reveal the material to be Liftoff Ore, which sends the player soaring vertically into the sky. This Liftoff Ore is used to reach the Resort Layer's highest sky-islands, which is where many of the level's hidden collectibles can be found.
It may not seem like a groundbreaking bit of gameplay design at first glance, but Donkey Kong Bananza's shark enemies offer a really nice layer of player-freedom that goes hand-in-hand with the game's very unique level design. Rather than present players with a strict, linear path to the main objective, Donkey Kong Bananza's Resort Layer gives players the tools to forge their own path forward and upward, which is arguably much more rewarding and leads to a more memorable experience as players are actively engaging in the game's level design.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 91 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- July 17, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
