Bonkers for Bananza, but no Switch 2? Play the dev team’s previous hit instead

Donkey Kong Bananza is a certified Nintendo Switch 2 hit, fully displaying Nintendo’s modern design philosophy and furthering essential discourse around Donkey Kong’s caked-up booty. It’s leapt into the Game of the Year race, something Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World likely won’t be able to. Simply put: Bananza sounds like a dope platformer, and I wanna play. But I can’t yet.

If you were able to successfully fight the FOMO and make peace with waiting to purchase a Nintendo Switch 2, Donkey Kong Bananza might bring that FOMO back in full force (raises hand). Thankfully for OG Switch owners, the original Switch is home to the Bananza team’s previous game, and it’s one of the console’s best.

Super Mario Odyssey launched in 2017 to rave reviews, and, as of this writing, sits as OpenCritic’s highest-rated game of all time. Interestingly, it didn’t win The Game Awards’ GOTY honor, as that honor went to fellow 2017 Switch hit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (perhaps you’ve heard of it?).

I was late acquiring a Switch, and picked up an OLED model in 2022. Prescient timing by me, as I got COVID a few weeks later and was able to spend my isolation playing Pokémon Brilliant Diamond. I should have gotten Super Mario Odyssey too, instead of waiting until just this month to play it, as Mario’s standout 3D adventure more than lives up to the hype.

In Odyssey, Bowser has once again captured Princess Peach (shocker). He plans to marry her (gross) and ventures from kingdom to kingdom, acquiring everything needed for the big day, like a cake and a dress. It’s up to Nintendo’s mustachioed mascot to rescue Peach, but he’s not alone. Mario is joined by Cappy, a Bonneter — beings who look like ghosts wearing various hats — and together they race to save Peach, whose tiara is actually Cappy’s sister, also kidnapped by Bowser.

Cappy possesses Mario’s hat, which also factors into Odyssey’s gameplay. The excellent and classic platforming is still the core experience, and it’s enhanced by Cappy’s possession ability. Mario can toss his Cappy cap at many of Odyssey’s animals and creatures to possess them. The Uproot sprouts up to grab coins the pint-sized Mario can’t. Controlling fish allows Mario to move more quickly underwater while not worrying about pesky air. Just don’t think too hard about the ethics of Mario and Cappy possessing these innocent creatures. Look at those shiny moons to collect!

Mario will have to gather a minimum amount of moons in each kingdom to power up the Odyssey — his and Cappy’s top-hat-shaped ship — and advance to the next area. They’re easily found, and you won’t ever have to “grind” in purposefully finding moons. As with any Mario, coins litter the stages. They’re used to snag snazzy outfits, including hats, for Mario. All in all, each kingdom is filled with various things to collect and secrets to find.

The best secrets might be the 2D levels strewn about Odyssey’s kingdoms. Mario will hop into a pipe and be translated into 2D, harkening back to the character’s early games, like Super Mario Bros. The side-scrolling platforming is tight, and adds a nice and brief change of pace to the game. His outfits all have their own 8-bit sprites, which is pretty swell.

In true Mario fashion, Super Mario Odyssey was something of an instant classic when it launched. Today, it’s well worth revisiting, or playing for the first time, while everyone with their shiny new Switch 2s enjoy Bananza. Its platforming is 3D Mario at its best, mixing levels that are challenging to platforming veterans and accessible to newcomers; you’ll enjoy Odyssey if it’s your first Mario or your twelfth all the same.