When I rolled the credits on Donkey Kong Bananza, I genuinely could not believe what I had just witnessed. Much like its plumber-based spiritual predecessor, this was a game filled with creativity, enjoyable gameplay and a seemingly unending range of mechanics to keep the player engaged. There was so much content here, players could be feasting on bananas for months, so the last thing I expected from Nintendo was downloadable content for the game.
Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island + Emerald Rush downloadable content is a conflicting experience. On one hand, it shows Nintendo still makes some of the most genuinely fun games in the industry. On the other, it stands as proof the company has fully embraced the kind of unabashed greed that is widespread in the industry.
For this review, I’m gonna focus primarily on the two separate contents within the DLC itself. Rest assured that CGM’s Zubi Kahn did a phenomenal job in critiquing the base game. Also, I may get into so mild spoiler territory, but considering this DLC can only be accessed after you beat the game, I think it’s fair enough.
DK Island is definitely the most shallow piece of content within the bundle. A single small island that has a few small nostalgic nods to the Donkey Kong series and little else. Players can take in the sights and listen to the soothing tones of the DK Island theme from Donkey Kong 64, but there are no sub-levels, challenge layers or Banadium Gems to get. There are five gold bonus challenge areas, but that’s it—it’s a nostalgic place to farm for gold chips.
And it was incredibly disappointing because, much like with the Mushroom Kingdom at the end of Super Mario Odyssey, this could have been Donkey Kong Bananza’s opportunity for a post-game layer that not only paid homage to the series, but also provided fun and interesting challenges that leaned into that homage. There could have been a few more challenge levels based on Donkey Kong Country stages, or some actual Kremlings walking around without all the gunk on them. Heck, there could have just been more characters. How is Funky Kong not just hanging out around here?
Emerald Rush fares a bit better insofar as it actually adds something to the overall experience. As was shown during the Aug. 12, 2025, Nintendo Direct, Emerald Rush adds a fast-paced, chaotic “roguelike” mode to Donkey Kong Bananza, where players are stripped of all their abilities and required to gather a set amount of emerald bits for a total of six rounds. As players smash through levels, collecting emerald bits, they also find fossils that grant perks and Banadium gems that unlock Bananza abilities as well as reward perks.
“And while there isn’t a ton of depth to it, it ends up capturing Donkey Kong Bananza’s core gameplay of destructive chaos to a genuinely fun degree. “
And while there is not a ton of depth to it, the mode captures Donkey Kong Bananza’s core gameplay of destructive chaos to a genuinely fun degree. Because of how well-designed the game is, the perks sometimes feel like they add less than DK’s fists, but if you are starting to get the feel for the boundary-breaking, then trying to smash as much as possible in a time limit does add a decent challenge to the movement and platforming.
As players progress through the Emerald Rush mode, they gain access to deeper layers of the game, providing new and interesting ways to explore familiar areas. It is a good way to learn new exploration methods if you are still banana hunting, or an excuse to keep playing if you are done.
But the biggest issue I have with Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island + Emerald Rush DLC is the price tag. Simply put, $19.99 (29.99 CAD) for what is essentially an empty map and a game mode is UNACCEPTABLE. This is the sort of thing that you would expect to just unlock in previous Nintendo games. At MOST, this should’ve cost $5, but even then, for what’s actually on offer here, that would still feel too much.
Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island + Emerald Rush feels like if Nintendo took the Mushroom Kingdom and Balloon World from Super Mario Odyssey and charged $19.99 for it. It’s an absurdly overpriced add-on to an already expensive game that was not hurting for content. Do yourself a favour and take that $19.99 and buy Hollow Knight: Silksong instead. Heck, if you’re willing to spend five more dollars, you can get UFO 50 and not need another video game for at least a year.
