Donkey Kong Bananza Says a Lot With Very Little

The gaming industry has come a long way since the days of text-based games like Colossal Cave Adventure. The last two decades have seen a gradual rise in the number of video games that put narrative at the forefront of the experience, and as such, there's also been a greater importance placed on character dialogue. But while a portion of the industry continues to focus on story, Nintendo often lets it take a backseat to gameplay, and that's certainly the case with Donkey Kong Bananza.

Donkey Kong Bananza sees the eponymous gorilla teaming up with a young Pauline to hunt down Void Company, a gang of apes who are trying to drill their way into the planet core. That narrative hook remains largely unchanged for most of Donkey Kong Bananza's 20-hour runtime, and while there's little dialogue to move the story forward, DK Bananza does just fine without it.

Donkey Kong Bananza Channels TOTK Shrines

Donkey Kong Bananza Channels The Best of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Shrines

Donkey Kong Bananza takes some cues from some of Nintendo's best recent outings, and that includes channelling Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Shrines.

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By Cameron Swan

Donkey Kong Bananza Keeps Dialogue To a Minimum

In classic Nintendo fashion, Donkey Kong Bananza keeps its dialogue to a minimum. The only English, voiced dialogue in Bananza comes from Pauline (Jenny Kidd). Each VoidCo boss also has voiced dialogue, but it's spoken in a fake language that's accompanied by text subtitles. Any NPCs that the player meets throughout the game all communicate in whimsical grunts that are subtitled as well. Donkey Kong himself never speaks in DK Bananza, even when players are prompted to choose a dialogue option when talking to NPCs.

Jenny Kidd is a new voice actor for Pauline. Donkey Kong also has a new voice actor in Kôji Takeda.

Donkey Kong Bananza Is Still an Incredibly Expressive Game

Pauline's Quips Come in Handy

Most of Pauline's dialogue occurs during Donkey Kong Bananza's cinematics, but she also makes frequent quips during gameplay. Pauline will point out hidden fossils, comment on DK finding a Banandium Gem, and celebrate when the mighty duo complete a challenge level. These frequent remarks are a nice way to strengthen the bond between DK and Pauline while also cementing her joyful persona to the player.

Donkey Kong Bananza's Animations Do Some Heavy Lifting

Donkey Kong Bananza's very expressive animations also do some heavy lifting when it comes to cementing each character's unique personality. Donkey Kong himself is the best example of the power of these animations. With every punch, jump, victory, and failure, Donkey Kong's face is pulled into an exaggerated expression, with the mascot's wide grin, large eyes, and strong brows contorting in various performative ways that are always a delight to behold.

Though Donkey Kong's prior character designs have had plenty of unique flair, Donkey Kong Bananza's new take on DK gives the mascot more of a clearly defined personality than ever before. And it's these over-the-top expressions that really seal the deal and elevate the mascot to new heights.

Donkey Kong Bananza's Music Sets The Tone

Music plays a surprisingly important role in Donkey Kong Bananza, both in terms of the game's narrative and its tone. As should be expected of any great 3D platformer, music accompanies every second of exploration in Donkey Kong Bananza, with its choice of instruments and its arrangement evoking the essence of the level's distinct environment. Unique tracks also play for each of the game's Bananza Transformations, with the diagetic songs doing a good job of making each power-up feel even more exciting to use.

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