A few days ago, the Donkey Kong Island + Emerald Rush DLC was released for Donkey Kong Bananza. Adding a revamped version of the Donkey Kong 64 hub as a new level as well as a roguelite mode involving Void Kong, the DLC got some mixed reactions in the Nintendo Direct, and online in general.

But after much consideration, we’ve now gone and bought the DLC for ourselves. So, does it live up to the hype? Is there more to this DLC than meets the eye?

Is it actually worth the money Nintendo are charging for it?

Well to be honest, the answer is “yes” and “it depends”.

Since the Donkey Kong Island portion of the DLC is very much a “what you see is what you get” kinda deal. There’s nothing there that wasn’t featured in the trailer, to the point that even basic elements of the core game are missing entirety in this level.

Seriously, there’s not much to it here. There are no Banandium Gems to collect, despite locations clearly being present in Emerald Rush. There are no fossils or clothing to get, despite the potential for both. Heck, there aren’t even any challenge rooms, missions or even enemies to fight!

So, the area feels like a huge waste of space in general. It’s very pretty to look at, and it works great in Emerald Rush itself, but there’s barely a reason to visit in the main game at all.

At the same time though, it’s hard to deny the nostalgia appeal here. You get a modernised version of the Donkey Kong 64 map screen, with the classic music playing throughout. Your favourite characters return in at least some capacity, including Squawks and the Kongs. And heck, there’s even the remains of the Gangplank Galleon nearby. It’s an unabashed nostalgia fest, and one which is sure to appeal to the folks at places like DK Vine.

Hence as far as the new location goes, we’ve got an empty but nostalgic area that was clearly cut from the main game for DLC purposes and hosts absolutely no meaningful gameplay for anyone that isn’t immediately bowled over by all the references.

But here’s the thing. DK Island isn’t really the main attraction here. Emerald Rush is.

And that’s the interesting part. Since well, Emerald Rush actually has a decent amount of depth to it, and a metric ton of unlockables to earn.

Basically, the goal is to get as many emeralds as possible, by smashing objects in levels and completing tasks given to you by Void Kong. That’s because in this mode, you’re now a VoidCo employee, and you’re collecting emeralds for the game’s main antagonist for no real reason other than smashing stuff is fun.

Regardless, the core gameplay loop is pretty damn fun. You see, unlike in the rest of the game, you don’t start off with all your abilities here. No, you start out with no skills at all (with even Bananzas missing on higher difficulty levels!), and have to get them back by smashing Banandium Gems and collecting fossils along the way. It’s basically a mini roguelike in Donkey Kong form, and an excellent way to test your navigation skills.

And well, you’re need those skills, since every round has an emerald quota. If you hit the quota, you move onto the next round when the timer runs out, and if you don’t, the game ends there. It’s very much a ‘keep the momentum up’ kind of experience, where careful play and clever trickery can get you oversized rewards, and stupidity or carelessness can end your run in an instant. In other words… you’d better have those hideaways and levels memorised, because you’ll damn well need it.

Which brings us to difficulty settings. You see, while the easier difficulties in Emerald Rush are easy to the point of absurdity (level 1 can probably be cleared in the first round if you know what you’re doing, and level 2 isn’t far behind), the later difficulties ramp up very quickly. Levels 3 and 4 are surprisingly tough, levels 5 and 6 are a real challenge…

And beyond that, good luck. You’ll basically need to play like a speedrunner beyond level 4 or so, since the level design and limited movement options make any and other attempts to trivialise the mode a nightmare for inexperienced players. It’s brutal really, and some of the most hectic gameplay we’ve ever experienced in a 3D platformer.

Yet that’s also what makes it so fun. Bananza is a fun game by default, but it’s an easy one that’ll give you no trouble at all if you know what you’re doing. Movement is easy and fluid, your health bar is enormous, enemies and bosses go down in seconds and progress is made at a blistering rate. It’s a great experience, but as a more experienced gamer, one you’ll probably not think twice about.

Emerald Rush on its higher difficulties changes that. Suddenly, you’re rewarded for playing well, and it’s all the more satisfying because of it.

Especially when Void’s missions enter the mix. These involve you doing a simple task (like smashing rocks, defeating enemies or high-fiving NPCs) for a Banandium Gem and Banandium Chip reward. They’re a quick way to get emeralds, especially early in the game, and one of the most fun parts of the mode overall.

But here’s the thing. They’re split across the whole level, with many missions popping up miles from each other in the least convenient locations possible.

So, you’ll need to learn the levels like the back of your hand, figure out the quickest routes between landmarks, and try to keep your warping to a minimum if you don’t want to get screwed over later. It’s one hell of a rush, and perhaps the most hectic experience we’ve ever seen in a 3D platformer to date.

What’s more, things don’t end there. Oh no, while the mode is already pretty fun in a Luigi’s Balloon World like way, there’s actually a surprising amount of depth and unlockable content here that you’d never expect from a mode like this.

Since there are at least 4 big unlockables to speak of:

1. VoidCo achievements
2. Difficulty levels
3. Skills and perks
4. And DK Island collectable statues

The former is the main one, and the unlockable that the story is tied to. Every time you beat a game of Emerald Rush you get a certain number of points, and every few points unlocks something in game. It could be the ability to play Emerald Rush on a new layer, it could be a few skills that show up at random in Emerald Rush, or it could be clothing for either Donkey Kong or Pauline.

And filling out this list will take a lot of time. Oh sure, the initial credits sequence isn’t that far in, being obtained after 2,000 or so points…

But the game throws you for a curveball right afterwards with a whole new set of achievements to fill out for a true ending.

The difference between the length of these sections is vast. The former? Probably doable in about 5-8 hours, depending on how obsessed you are and how good at the mode you happen to be.

The latter? Yeah, it’ll take at least 4-5 times longer than that, since you need 10,000 points to max out the card instead, and the gap between unlockables goes up tenfold every now and again.

So, there’s definitely some replay value to be had here, especially for the completionists reading this.

With the skills list being its own unlockable of a sort too. Put simply, the abilities you get via fossils and gems in-game aren’t preset, and are randomly chosen from a list.

This list expands after every few achievements, and has its own tracker in the menu that you fill out by using every skill at least once in-game. So, there’s another collectible to find in this form too, with even more unlockable rewards being gained if you can use all 200 odd skills at one point or another.

There are also the difficulty levels mentioned, where every layer can be played on up to 7 different difficulty levels with their own quotas and goals, and a better ranking if you do well on the toughest one…

Plus statues you can buy from Squawks for Bananadium Chips. These basically play the same role as the Nintendo Gallery statues in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker or the Monster Gallery ones for Tears of the Kingdom, and can be bought at random for prices starting at 100 chips apiece.

Add this to the events Nintendo says they’ll be holding for the mode down the line, and the statues you’ll get from participating there, and there’s definitely a lot of fun to be had in Emerald Rush. It may not be much story wise, but damn well it’s there, and it’s enough to last you a good 20-30+ hours if you’re interested in its mechanics.

But that’s the thing. It’s all relative to whether you’re interested in the mechanics.

Because Emerald Rush isn’t for everyone. Some people get bored of it quickly, some get addicted to it and play it for hours on end. Speedrunners tend to fall into the second category, but it’s a matter of luck whether some random player will get the same level of fun out of the whole deal.

So, whether you find Bananza’s DLC worth it depends on the category you fall into. If you like Emerald Rush, it’s a bit overpriced, but otherwise decent value for money. If you don’t, you’re basically paying 20 bucks for an empty location you’ll see in 5 minutes and a mode you’ll play once or twice in your entire life.

But there’s no real way to tell without playing the game. The demo doesn’t have Emerald Rush or DK Island available, there are no other Donkey Kong games with similar mechanics, and there’s no way to try out the mode prior to getting the DLC if you own the base game already. You just have to wing it and hope you enjoy the experience.

So we’re not going to give a single review score or verdict this time around. The Donkey Kong Bananza DLC is too polarising for that, and its value for money depends entirely on your opinion of the new side mode after playing it. If you enjoy the mode it’s an easy 7-8/10, while if you don’t like it the rating goes down to a 3 or 4. Hold off buying it unless you’ve either got an extra 20 bucks burning a hole in your pocket, you’re enough of a Bananza fan you need even more of an already good thing, or the price goes down significantly.

3-8/10