Donkey Kong Bananza looks great. From the moment it was revealed at Nintendo's Switch 2 showcase earlier this year, it was the game I was most excited to get my monkey paws on. A new open-world Mario Kart game is great and all, but give me an ambitious new 3D platformer over a kart racer any day.

Players who bought the Nintendo Switch 2 with the laser focus of playing Nintendo’s exclusive titles may have been disappointed that the sole first-party experience available at launch was Mario Kart World.

After playing Donkey Kong Bananza, it sure seems like the game is a prequel to Super Mario Odyssey, and the DK series as a whole.