Donkey Kong Bananza is a 3D action platformer where you can dig holes, build bridges, and experiment in other ways as you burrow through various whimsical worlds on your way toward the planet core. Nintendo was so happy with its deformation tech that it decided to spin it off into an entirely separate artist mode. It’s like Mario Paints with clay, and fans have been having a blast with it.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect the Donkey Kong artist mode to be that big of a deal. You layer up material, paint, it, and that’s about it. But players immediately raced to put their creativity to the test. Many paid homage to Donkey Kong’s previous look and style from the Rare days and CGI-animated cartoon. Others have used Nintendo’s tools to recreate the most deranged memes of the year, like bloated JD Vance complete with his own DK rap intro lyrics.
The DK artist mode is reminiscent of the Super Mario 64 start screen that let you pull and stretch the plumber’s face to show off the smooth movement of the new system’s first analog stick controller. Donkey Kong Bananza takes that idea and turns it into a full-blown creation engine using the Switch 2’s mouse controls, which let you shave off rock or apply colors with much more precision.
It could just be one of those things Nintendo does for fun, or maybe it’s a trial balloon for a true successor to Mario Paint that lets players create entire 3D scenes instead of just 2D murals. I haven’t spent too much time messing around with the DK artist mode myself yet, though. The rest of Donkey Kong Bananza is just too much fun.
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