Donkey Kong Bananza was made by the team behind Super Mario Odyssey

Nintendo has confirmed that the top-notch development team behind Super Mario Odyssey, one of the best games for the Switch, has also developed Donkey Kong Bananza for the Switch 2, according to reporting by Eurogamer. The highly anticipated platformer starring Nintendo's iconic ape will be the first 3D Donkey Kong game since 1999's Donkey Kong 64.

We got a chance to go hands-on with Donkey Kong Bananza earlier this year, and we loved the fresh look on the timeless character. DK and his supporting cast were sporting an almost cel-shaded look, reminiscent of the art style seen in recent Zelda games.

Donkey Kong also gained some new skills since we last saw him, including the ability to punch, dig and butt-stomp his way below, into and through much of the terrain around him. It seems that tunneling and shaping the world to your needs will be key to navigating and adventuring in Bananza.

After spending time with the game, we noted, "thanks to all of its new traversal mechanics, in a lot of ways, Bananza reminds me more of Mario Galaxy than Odyssey. It just swapped out the gravity-bending physics for bombastic spelunking."

Donkey Kong Bananza arrives on July 17 for the Nintendo Switch 2.

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