Topic: Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush (Switch 2) Review

[JusDBerube]

Justin dives deep into the Bananza expansion that’s looking to dig up more gold for the critically acclaimed base game.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/73358/donkey-kong-bananza-dk-island-n-emerald-rush-switch-2-review

Donkey Kong Bananza has returned with DLC that, minorly, continues the story from the base game. The expansion consists of two separate but connected elements for players to dig into. The first of which is DK Island.

DK Island is its own layer on the very surface that is filled with many references to past Donkey Kong games. I won’t spoil them here for you, but the developers really packed it with cool stuff that will fill fans of the series with nostalgia. Those looking for more traditional challenges here will be disappointed as there are no Banandium Gems or Fossils to collect. There are several Bonus Stages scattered about that will be helpful if you need to grind out more Gold.

The other main thing to do on DK Island is a set of obscure puzzles given out by a Fractone that looks like a banana named Banandiumtone. There are eight puzzles to solve in all, but I had to look up the solution to two of them. One of which I actually locked myself out of solving which required me to leave the layer and come back which isn’t a glitch, just due to something I unknowingly did. Seriously, these can get a bit confusing and complex but there is a minor reward for completing them all.

The main crux of the game is the Emerald Rush Mode. Void Kong is back but is no longer interested in the Banandium Root and has discovered an unripened form of Banandium Gold that looks like Emeralds. His plan is to mine this rare resource and to have a monopoly on it to get rich. To do so he recruits DK and Pauline (Teen) to get the job done.

Emerald Rush is a Roguelike High Score challenge that eventually takes place on up to 11 of the game’s layers including DK Island. While playing Emerald Rush on DK Island, Bananadium Gems and Fossils appear as they are pivotal to how the mode functions.

The goal of Emerald Rush is to have enough Emeralds at the end of each 99 second round to meet Void Kong’s ever rising demands. At first you may think the best strategy is to smash any Emerald Roots and enemies to quickly get a decent score, but this is really a bad way to play. The better plan is to find as many Fossils as possible because each one will give DK a Perk. Perks include ways to increase or multiply Emeralds collected, grant special abilities, increase Emerald Chips in various ways, give access to a Fossil Map, and many more things.

It’s also wise to collect Banandium Gems that have Skills attached to them because in Emerald Rush all your Skills are set back to zero at the start of each run. Which Banandium Gems have Skills, and what those Skills are on each Banandium Gem can change at a few predetermined times each round and are never the same between runs. Collecting Banandium Gems with Skills also grants a Perk like Fossils.

Part way into the first round of each run Void Goals also become available. These are challenges that will grant a set amount of Emeralds for completing and Perk. Challenges can include things like defeating newly spawned enemies at a certain location, going for a swim, high fiving specific characters, destroying a specific type of terrain, and many more.

Each time a Perk is unlocked the player has the choice between three randomly selected from the full list. It’s also possible to re-roll these selected for a rising cost of Emeralds and eventually possible to lock ones out you don’t like each run for an ever increasing cost of Emerald Chips. Players can also choose to forgo a Perk to refill DK’s health or to change the current Void Goal to something else.

Emerald Chips, while not the main resource typically aimed for, are still valuable as you can buy your Skills back with them. Additionally some Perks can multiply Emeralds Collected if you hoard your Chips.

This may seem like a lot to take in but it becomes ever more strategic as you become familiar with the game. Additionally, each Layer has certain strategies that may work better there than on others, though there are some general ones that seem to do a passable job on most Layers. The random elements also force players to make strategic choices, some of which can be risky, in an attempt to build up the best long-term scoring multipliers.

Each playable Layer has seven different difficulty levels. As the difficulty increases so do Void's Emerald demands at the end of each Round. Additionally, the number of rounds also increases from six on the easier difficulties up to 15 on the harder ones. On the easier difficulties you will start with all your Bananzas as well as a limited number of Warp Barrels. Warp Barrels are an important resource in Emerald Rush that allow players to travel to unlocked Warp Points on each Map found in the main game. This is critical for getting around for completing Void Goals quickly. Later difficulty settings start players with no unlocked Bananza’s and zero Warp Barrels. You can get the Bananaza back from some Banandium Gems and Warp Barrels can be found in the Perks list.

Because of how these difficulties ramp up I found just playing the easier modes and working my way up to the harder ones to be a great tool that eventually prepares you for the hardest challenges in the game. Memorizing where Fossils are hidden is a key skill for later difficulties. At first I thought this was going to make Emerald Rush annoying, but really practicing to make myself better paid off and I felt like a pro by the time I was tackling the game’s hardest stages.

At the end of each run your score is tallied up and you are given Points that increases your Job Title within Void Co. and also acts as a way to unlock more Layers to play on, exclusive costumes, CDs, and more potential Perks to get. Eventually there is an End Credits if you do well enough over various runs.

You’re also awarded with a bunch of Banandium Chips that can be used in the main game, but also on DK Island. Squawks, who fans will know from the Donkey Kong Country games, will allow players to spend Banandium Chips on DK Island to randomly give players giant statues of various characters from throughout the Donkey Kong Bananza game.

There are also limited time Events that just started to take place in Emerald Rush that have a special specific set of rules associated with them. The first limits the perks to have a lot of Banandium Chip related perks on DK Island. If you score high enough you can earn some exclusive Statues that will decorate your DK Island permanently.

I wasn’t sure if I’d personally get sucked into the Emerald Rush mode but it took over my gaming time for at least a month. It’s very addictive especially once you start developing strategies. The mode is very dynamic and requires planning, luck, platforming skill, level knowledge, and more. The more I played and unlocked the more ideas I had on what I wanted to attempt. There were several times that by the end of a run my multipliers were so insane that I was doing things that were incredibly satisfying and seemed like they were borderline breaking the game. This is the type of thing that isn’t possible in the main game and it feels insanely good to pull off. It’s an amazing compliment to the base game and fans looking for more Bananza may get a kick out of it if they manage to pull some of these insane combos off.

I should also mention that some of the new music that plays during Emerald Rush is really great. If you don’t believe me you can hear one of the tracks, Emerald Rush #1, on Nintendo Music right now.

That said, I do have a few complaints. Each time you get Perks, which is frequently if you’re playing well, the game will stop to let you decide on what you want. You’ll also be checking the map a lot too to find out the exact spot Void Goals are at and to warp places. While the racing against the clock action is frantic there are many, many stops in between. This isn’t that bad, but on later difficulty levels a full run can take about an hour to complete. I found this to be a bit too long, but those looking to complete each difficulty on every layer, which isn’t required to see the ending, will definitely get their money’s worth as it will take a while to fully complete.

One more feature I wish was in the game is a high score friend leaderboard. This feature was seen throughout Super Mario Odyssey so it’s a bit disappointing that I can’t see how I did against my friends on a Layer/Difficulty list. Maybe it’s something that will be added in the future, but after winning a full run there is little reason for me to attempt a higher score other than my own personal satisfaction.

Ultimately, the DK Island & Emerald Rush DLC is a ton of fun and took me a lot of time to fully complete. DK Island may be lacking in substance but is filled with nostalgic bliss. I also found myself quickly addicted to the Emerald Rush mode and had a blast learning and strategizing along the way. While there are a few minor issues I still think it’s a solid addition to the base Bananza game and I highly recommend it to people that are in love with the mechanics Bananza and are looking for a new way to enjoy them within the same world.