Donkey Kong Bananza Could Set Up Nintendo's Next Reboot

Donkey Kong Bananza is the titular ape’s first 3D outing since Donkey Kong 64, and while the game does take inspiration from the series’ past, it offers a fresh take on the franchise by reinventing itself. Donkey Kong Bananza takes the Donkey Kong formula in a completely different direction, with innovative gameplay that is only made possible by the power of the Nintendo Switch 2.

From Donkey Kong’s new look to his canon-twisting partnership with Pauline, Donkey Kong Bananza serves as a soft reboot for the franchise, giving the character a fresh start while still honoring the series’ roots. This game could set the Donkey Kong games on a new path moving forward, but could also be the catalyst for another series reboot.

Donkey Kong Bananza Wears Its Super Mario Odyssey Influences On Its Sleeve

The recent trailer and gameplay showcase for Donkey Kong Bananza can’t seem to help but highlight how similar it could be to Super Mario Odyssey.

Yoshi Deserves the Donkey Kong Bananza Treatment

There Still Isn’t a True 3D Yoshi Game

While Yoshi has appeared in some 3D titles, the character has yet to have an adventure of his own in the third dimension. A 3D reboot of the Yoshi games wouldn’t be the first time the character is playable in 3D, but it would be the first with him at the center. In Super Mario 64 DS, he was upgraded from a cameo in the Nintendo 64 original to a fully playable character, retaining his unique moves that he is known for. This was also the case with Super Mario Odyssey, having players capture Yoshi with Cappy to access his abilities. Though these gave players a taste of what a 3D playable Yoshi could be like, the games themselves were still centered around Mario, not giving Yoshi much time to shine.

Super Mario Sunshine and the Super Mario Galaxy games are more examples of a 3D Yoshi, but once again, the stories are still Mario’s. Yoshi’s role in these games is much more similar to his appearance in Super Mario World, being a tool to assist Mario rather than a fully-fledged character. Players can use Yoshi’s abilities in Mario-style levels, still not feeling like a true 3D Yoshi experience. A reboot could solve this problem, giving players a world to explore built specifically for Yoshi’s unique moveset.

A Reboot Could Hone In on Yoshi’s Core Elements

It’s always special when Nintendo refreshes one of its existing properties. The aspects of the games that are key to the experience remain intact, but everything else beyond that is primed for experimentation, often with fantastic results. Donkey Kong Bananza is the latest of these, but games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom changed the Zelda formula on a fundamental level without losing the series’ distinct charm. If Yoshi is next in line for its own 3D reboot, players should expect a similar level of care and attention to detail as Nintendo’s other titles.

Donkey Kong Bananza includes plenty of bananas to collect, as many players would expect, but other fruits also appear. Apples are the player’s primary way to regain health, and the Resort Layer is brimming with strawberries and melons to smash through. Eating fruit is core to Yoshi’s character, resulting in some potential crossover. It’s possible that the Resort Layer could bridge the gap between the titles, featuring in both Donkey Kong Bananza and a potential Yoshi game.

The Yoshi’s Island Series Should Get Its Own ‘Metroid Dread’

Nintendo has two Metroid games coming to Switch, one continuing an older series; the developer should consider the same idea for Yoshi’s Island.

What a Yoshi Reboot Could Look Like

Though Yoshi first appeared in Super Mario World, the character evolved into something greater in the game’s prequel, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. His Yoshi’s Island incarnation remains one of the character’s best iterations, and is foundational to what makes a Yoshi game work. The duo of Donkey Kong and Pauline in Donkey Kong Bananza works well, and Yoshi already has its own answer to this with Baby Mario. The two have paired up in each of the Yoshi’s Island games and Yoshi Touch & Go, so it would not be out of the question for the two to travel together again. Using Donkey Kong Bananza multiplayer functionality as a base, Baby Mario could also be playable much like Pauline, giving a second player some agency in the world around them as Yoshi takes the lead.

Though he doesn’t have a prominent role in the game, Yoshi’s moveset in Super Mario Odyssey was adapted slightly. His tongue can still be used to collect out-of-reach items, but it is also used to give players a little extra mobility. Donkey Kong Bananza and Super Mario Odyssey both give players more platforming tools, allowing players to more creatively navigate around the open levels. A Yoshi reboot would likely expand on this further, letting players cling onto the environment and propel themselves higher and further than before.

The Yoshi games have toyed with different aesthetics, each providing a fresh look for the character and world, but they all share one core element: they all feel handcrafted. The pencil and crayon-like drawings of the Yoshi’s Island series gave the games a distinct flair, and the later Yoshi’s Woolly World and Yoshi’s Crafted World gave the 2.5D style more depth with their craft themes. The next Yoshi game is likely to stay true to this, making use of a different visual medium to start a new era of Yoshi games without leaving its foundational aspects behind.

Donkey Kong Bananza showed that the Donkey Kong franchise can go beyond what the series was capable of before. It reinvented Donkey Kong and his moveset without losing the unique spark of what makes a game feel like Donkey Kong. Since Yoshi has yet to receive a 3D game of his own, the success of Donkey Kong Bananza presents a prime opportunity for the beloved dinosaur to be rebooted for the next generation. Yoshi is overdue a new game as there hasn’t been a new installment in the series for over six years, so a reboot with the same quality and love as Donkey Kong Bananza could be the perfect reward for patient fans.