Donkey Kong Bananza has taken the internet by storm thanks to its recent Nintendo Direct that delved deep into all the smashing and punching the titular hero can get up to with his shoulder-bound companion, Pauline. There was a lot of new information teased during the Direct, from revealing the new villains and the vague story to all the impressive powers Donkey Kong can unlock, including my all-time favorite, turning into a giant zebra that walks on its hind legs and can run across water. Basically, Bananza looks absolutely bananas in the best possible way.
Naturally, the Direct, while nearly perfect, did reveal a few wrinkles. Fortunately, Donkey Kong Bananza’s poor performance wasn’t anywhere in sight, hopefully meaning Nintendo has ironed out any stuttering. However, what was highlighted rather prominently is that Donkey Kong Bananza is carrying over a controversial mechanic from Super Mario Odyssey. While some people will undoubtedly enjoy its inclusion, and many will feel it is necessary, as I do, I can’t help but feel that maybe it isn’t the best possible implementation of this idea.
Donkey Kong Bananza Has Co-Op
Player 2 Plays As Pauline
Donkey Kong Bananza has a co-op mode, which, were I to hear that without proper context, would fill me with joy. Unveiled during the surprisingly excellent Donkey Kong Bananza Direct, alongside a slew of other fantastic-looking features, the co-op mode allows player one to control Donkey Kong and player two to take control of Pauline. Again, that sounds like a lot of fun, until one realizes that playing as Pauline doesn’t really give you a lot to do, certainly not enough to sustain playing the entire game co-operatively with a friend, child, or partner.
Essentially, while controlling Pauline, player two can shoot words at nearby terrain and enemies. She can change the texture of these words to match the surrounding environment, and these words can be used in conjunction with Donkey Kong’s attacks and abilities to deal additional damage and make boss fights a little easier. Pauline more or less functions as an on-rails shooter, forcing players to use the Joy-Con’s motion control functionality or the brand-new, controversial Switch 2 mouse controls to aim at nearby targets.
Naturally, this is disappointing for those who were hoping that Donkey Kong Bananza would offer a little more in the way of co-op functionality. Nintendo didn’t outline any other ways players could engage with the co-op features, so it doesn’t seem like there is much else to it beyond what is described in the Donkey Kong Bananza Direct. That is a shame, but crucially, it evokes the same issues that Super Mario Odyssey suffered from, as well as, frankly, a huge swathe of Nintendo games, including another Switch 2 launch title.
Donkey Kong Bananza’s Co-Op Doesn’t Look Great
It Seems As Bare Bones As Super Mario Odyssey
Simply put, Donkey Kong Bananza’s co-op mode doesn’t look great. In fact, it looks downright pointless, in my opinion. Despite Donkey Kong Bananza’s innovative features looking set to both revolutionize the platformer genre and all gaming itself, this seemingly tacked-on co-op mode feels like a regression in many ways. Titles like It Takes Two and Split Fiction have proven that co-op needs to make the experience enjoyable for both or all players, not just the one in the driving seat. Donkey Kong Bananza has evidently forgotten that rule.
It is repeating Super Mario Odyssey’s biggest mistake, as that game had a similarly pointless co-op mode that allowed player two to control Cappy and do very little. You could interact with the environment, give Mario a little boost, and even remove things in player one’s way, but everything felt in service of Mario. You couldn’t go off and explore each map in search of its secrets or solve puzzles together. Player two could vaguely engage with minor systems. Their role was essentially participatory, and, were they to stop playing, the experience wouldn’t change remotely.
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Over 25 Years Later, I’m Ready For Donkey Kong Bananza To Be What Donkey Kong 64 Wasn’t
Donkey Kong Bananza is the first 3D game in the series since Donkey Kong 64 came out 25 years ago, and it looks like it will be a vast improvement.
That’s not what you want from a co-operative experience, and, unfortunately, it seems the same is happening again in Donkey Kong Bananza. Clearly, I’m alone in this frustration, as everyone loved the Bananza Direct, with many rightfully praising the many unique and innovative qualities of the latest Nintendo first-party title. However, I believe that this frustration with Donkey Kong Bananza’s lackluster co-op mode stems from Nintendo’s seeming reticence to implement more fully-fledged co-operative gameplay in its first-party titles.
Nintendo Needs Better Co-Op Modes
It Shouldn’t Feel Tacked On
Nintendo has always felt like a huge proponent of local and online multiplayer, with it publishing two of the most bizarre and brilliant co-operative experiences on the Nintendo Switch, The Stretchers and Good Job! – both of which are games that deserve a sequel on Switch 2, and, at this point, we really need them. However, it feels like that’s no longer the case, as Nintendo has either omitted multiplayer completely, despite fans asking for it, in experiences like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, or half-heartedly added it in certain first-party titles.
Case in point, Mario Kart World’s split-screen is functionally broken thanks to a key missing feature. You can still do all the traditional races with a friend, but the open-world segment, the part that is unique to MK World and feels like it would be incredible to play with a friend by your side, is limited in split-screen. Getting split-screen to work in free roam mode is already a hassle, but once in it, you can’t start any races or complete any of the open-world activities, essentially reducing it to a lifeless sandbox you can explore and take photos in.
To play Mario Kart World’s free roam mode in split-screen, players need to select the two-player Online mode option, then select Friends, and finally hit Create Room. This will put them into an online lobby, which allows you to explore the open world, but not interact with it. Of course, while in it, you’ll constantly get a notification telling you the game is waiting for other players. It is baffling that this is how Nintendo chose to implement split-screen exploration of its titular feature.
I’m not really sure what has happened, as Nintendo was definitely at the height of co-op gameplay, especially during the Wii era. I hope that, for future first-party Switch 2 games, Nintendo considers adding better co-operative modes, one that actually gives the second player something to do, or adds something of substance to the experience. It shouldn’t be a throw-away addition; otherwise, the time spent developing it is for naught. Despite disliking Nintendo’s implementation of it, Donkey Kong Bananza should have a co-op mode, and I’m glad it does, which is ultimately why I’m so conflicted.
