Last Thursday I had a crazy idea — What if I try to complete all 39 DK Challenges before they go away next week. I had a couple of the Donkey Kong Bananza challenges finished just from playing some of the game. So, I started that afternoon by knocking out the classic Donkey Kong challenges in a little over an hour — that was the easy part. Over the weekend I reached the end of the story in Donkey Kong Bananza and I continued to clear the remaining challenges.
In the end, I failed to complete all 39 DK Challenges — with just three left to clear. This was due to a time miscalculation by me. I thought I had until midnight on September 1st, but it actually ended mid-day September 1st.
I also woke up Monday morning thinking it was September 1st, but there are 31 days in August, so that gave me a full extra day. After lunch on Tuesday, I completed one of the last three challenges, but there was no Nintendo Switch Online notification. I went into the Nintendo Switch Online homepage and was devastated to learn that the DK Challenge had disappeared — what a sad day.
It wasn’t until about two weeks ago that Nintendo announced they would be sending out physical sets of the DK Challenge cards to anyone who completed all challenges before the deadline. This was a huge announcement, because no one is ever sending out physical prizes for in-game challenges.
*SideQuest
PlayStation has their digital trophies and the big one is the Platinum — but still, nothing ever shows up in the mail. They offered the opportunity to purchase special rewards to players who had achieved the Platinum Trophy in Ghost of Tsushima (a pin and shirt).
Any time you use your My Nintendo Points for My Nintendo Rewards, you still have to pay for the shipping. This is just a way to get us to purchase more items from the Nintendo Store. If I have to pay shipping for a free item, I am also going to order some extra stuff — maybe enough extra stuff to get free shipping.
When I visited the Nintendo Store in New York earlier this summer, I asked if they had any My Nintendo Rewards in-store since I have some points saved up to use. They did not, but that would have been a nice way to get my free items without having to pay for shipping.
Back to the DK Challenge and Donkey Kong Bananza!
Even though I failed to complete all 39 challenges, this experience got me to finish the main storyline in Donkey Kong Bananza. I also doubled my playtime over the weekend from 20 to 40 hours — I’m now at 50+ hours.
I did miss many banana gems, fossils, and some hidden areas, but I plan to continue working through this game. Nintendo doesn’t have any gameplay trophies like PlayStation, but I will complete Donkey Kong Bananza over the next couple of weeks — to redeem myself.
Prior to this weekend I was playing Donkey Kong Bananza in small chunks. I’d dive in one night, then take a break and focus on some other games, then come back a few nights (or weeks) later. This weekend the game finally clicked with me. Previously each layer felt like walking into a new theme park for the first time. Now, I actually know how to get around many of them as I continue to explore and destroy them bit-by-bit.
LAYER DESIGN
The Level Design (or Layer Design) in Donkey Kong Bananza is on ANOTHER LEVEL! It’s almost like the team had to double design each layer. Were there two separate teams working on each passthrough? Probably not, but it feels like there could have been.
I have zero intel on how this process went down, but I will make some educated guesses. First, the design team had to create the bones for each layer. Start off with the indestructible parts. Some solid steel platforms and beams. It’s almost like laying down the foundation on a full-on construction project.
Next comes the actual level layered on top of the unbreakable skeleton. This is all done using different types of breakable materials — rock, dirt, grass, metals. Each section must be created using the proper materials. DK shouldn’t be able to reach specific zones until he gains enough strength and certain Bananza abilities. The Elephant Bananza with its inhale ability is what really got me to notice this insane level/layer design, as I would undress each layer.
Finally, as they fill out each layer the team must also hide banana gems and fossils throughout the world. There are secret levels and challenges. Surprise nooks contain NPCs and items to find. There are also so many treasure chests stuffed within the ground, walls, and anywhere else they can fit.
Smashing through each layer in Donkey Kong Bananza is so rewarding, because you always end up finding secrets — even if it’s just more gold. I can feel the Super Mario Odyssey inspiration (since it’s created by the same team), but there are some additions that really make this into a DK game — like Smashing!
NINTENDO MAGIC
I’m currently reading Keza MacDonald’s book SUPER NINTENDO: The Game-Changing Company that Unlocked the Power of Play and in each chapter Keza focuses on a different big Nintendo series or franchise. Reading through each chapter I started to think of the similarities between many different Nintendo series.
First, there’s the main core element which is “games need to be FUN.” Smashing everything in Donkey Kong Bananza is pure fun. Also, since DK has been around for some time and there have been many games, there are plenty of easter eggs and nods to the games of the past. There’s some 2D platforming, barrel launching, minecarts, and so many great DK moments.
Something that Nintendo has always done so well is have a correct way to solve a puzzle, but also give the player plenty of options. Once DK has all of his Bananza abilities, you are able to find new ways to solve puzzles even faster. The DK Challenges showed me new ways to think outside the box and create shortcuts to beat challenges in record-breaking time.
I’m sure there are even more ways players have learned to solve puzzles that the developers never even thought of. It’s like in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom how players get to build machines with the tools they are given. I’ve seen some wild contraptions online. I’m sure many of these weren’t even considered when making the game. It’s great that Nintendo gives us the tools to explore for ourselves in many games.
REAL WORLD SMASHING
There have been many times where a game I’m playing has infiltrated my dream world. Other times they enter our real world.
I played so much Donkey Kong Bananza over the weekend that on Monday I began studying different real world structures while driving and which Bananza ability it would take to smash them. I was looking at big trees, houses, the roads, cars, and landscaping.
I’ve never bought the theories of video games making people violent, but I do think that video games may help us think differently about the world around us. After playing GTA, I may see a cop car and think — What if I got in there and drove off? That doesn’t mean I’m going to do it!
Playing a game with heavy parkour may leave me looking at buildings and rooftops in a different respect. I’m still not going to start climbing buildings and jumping from rooftop-to-rooftop. After playing Undisputed, I did get back into heavy bag workouts.
So, I guess video games aren’t a waste of time, parents!
DK DEDICATION
I’m now dedicated to completing my own DK Challenge — after failing Nintendo’s. My new challenge is to find all of the Banana Gems in Donkey Kong Bananza and make DK all-powerful!!!
Also, I guess I will pick up the DLC DK Island and Emerald Rush once I’m done. So, there is still so much left to do in Donkey Kong Bananza! Thanks Nintendo for bringing back Donkey Kong in this all-new way — with Pauline!
VIDEO GAME BOOK CLUB 