I’m a few worlds into Donkey Kong Bananza, and I’m absolutely loving it. It captures a primal feeling of exhilaration as I smash anything in front of me, whether that be to forge a new path toward a banana or just for fun.
It’s everything I wanted and, honestly, expected it to be. What was more unexpected was how the game reminded me of Super Mario Sunshine.
That GameCube classic recently celebrated the 23rd anniversary of its Japanese release, so it has been top of mind as I played Nintendo EPD’s latest.
While Super Mario Sunshine and Donkey Kong Bananza differ in some fundamental ways, they are similar in their willingness to innovate and experiment with how players can interact with their environment in a 3D platformer, even if that leads to some imperfections.
Why Super Mario Sunshine is an absolute classic
The 2002 GameCube game still holds up despite some jank
Growing up, Super Mario Sunshine always fascinated me. I didn’t own a GameCube, but played it a lot at friends’ houses and became enamored with some early YouTube playthroughs of the game.
I was entranced by how it looked a bit like the 3D Mario game I played the most, Super Mario 64 DS, but also greatly expanded Mario’s moveset and how he could interact with the world with FLUDD.
In addition to running and jumping, players could hover, rocket up, and spray things with this lovable companion that chatted with Mario.
The game forced players to do that too, as much of the game is about clearing away gooey paint, and platforming is a lot easier if players embrace features like hovering.
When I finally beat the whole game myself when I was older, I truly came to appreciate it on a deeper level.
There’s some jankiness around its edges, but I appreciated how FLUDD let me approach completing levels in different ways, and how there was always a clear visual representation of my progression with how I sprayed.
Although I really enjoy Bowser’s Fury and Super Mario Galaxy, it might just be my favorite 3D Mario platformer.
Yes, its camera could be a bit finicky, and its controls were less refined and precise than those of Super Mario 64. But the ways I could move around, interact with the world, and grow to care about the characters I was playing charmed me in a way I’ve never forgotten.
Unfortunately, it’s not available to play on Switch 2’s GameCube catalog for Switch Online, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars is no longer available for purchase digitally. If you want to feel that vibe again, though, you should pick up Donkey Kong Bananza.
How Donkey Kong Bananza reminds me of Super Mario Sunshine
All about player impact
Donkey Kong Bananza shares many of its strengths with Super Mario Sunshine.
Just as I found Mario and FLUDD’s friendship charming, so do I with Donkey Kong and Pauline’s more fleshed-out friendship in Bananza.
Then, from a gameplay perspective, I feel like I’m leaving a similar impact. Rather than removing a layer of paint, I’m punching through some mud to search for gold and bananas, becoming intimately familiar with the level and world design as I do so.
Sometimes the connective tissue between the two games can be felt more literally.
Fairly early on in Donkey Kong Bananza, an area called the Banandium Refinery had me riding around on roller coaster-like mine cart tracks, picking up explosives I could throw at different surfaces and enemies.
From the controls and perspective, it reminded me of some of Super Mario Sunshine’s more infamous levels in Pinna Park, where players are destroying balloons (and later a mechanized version of Bowser) with rockets.
Seeing Nintendo revisit that gameplay idea showed that it hadn’t forgotten about that GameCube game, and also cemented my feelings about the connection between the two games.
Like Super Mario Sunshine, Donkey Kong Bananza is doing something that has never been done quite this way in a 3D platformer before and exploring the concept to its fullest.
Each pushed their own system’s power to its limits, to the point where Donkey Kong Bananza has some performance problems on Switch 2, unlike Mario Kart World.
It doesn’t always work; both games have equally terrible cameras. But those imperfections are also part of the games’ beauty.
Donkey Kong Bananza and Super Mario Sunshine are Nintendo at its best
Creativity over all
Ultimately, I think I see the connection between these two games because they’re both the type of title I like best from Nintendo.
When the storied Japanese studio rests on its laurels and creates what feels like just another game in one of its series, it’s never as exciting to me.
Super Mario Sunshine may be the black sheep in the 3D Mario platformer series because of FLUDD, but its brand of experimental Nintendo quirk is exactly what I like so much about it.
Donkey Kong Bananza similarly subverts expectations. People were expecting the 3D Mario team to create a new game starring Mario for the Switch 2’s launch, but instead, we got this.
And it features all the same high-effort and creativity that each mainline Mario game receives, but channels it to create something that feels wholly unique and fitting for Donkey Kong.
As Super Mario Sunshine turns 23, I am happy that a new game has highlighted its lasting legacy and impact on Nintendo.
