Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush DLC review - A familiar adventure with a roguelike twist

Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush was one of the biggest surprises of the latest Nintendo Direct. While Nintendo tends to release massive expansions for a good majority of its first-party exclusives, it usually takes about a year for them to do so. However, in the case of Donkey Kong Bananza, I, along with many other players, was surprised by how quickly we got a DLC announcement.

That said, DK Island & Emerald Rush is easily the best part of the whole DK Bananza package. To me, DK Island & Emerald Rush is akin to a Mario Kart Booster Pack, offering a whole new map and a few modes, but keeping the same "fun" gameplay loop from the base game.

While it might not be the most creative DLC you'll have ever played on the Nintendo Switch, it certainly isn't lacking in the fun department. Furthermore, if you've played any of the past Donkey Kong games, you'll find yourself right at home with the newly imagined DK Island.

All in all, it's a fun DLC. While it's not as groundbreaking as something like Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, it has a lot to offer, granted you're craving more of what you already enjoyed in the base game.

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What is new in Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush?

The gameplay remains the same, albeit with a new roguelike twist (Image via Nintendo)

As the name suggests, Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush is broken into two sections: DK Island, which is a new map added to the game, and Emerald Rush, which is a new mode, and perhaps, the highlight of the entire package.

The Emerald Rush mode is where I spent most of my time with the DLC. It basically adds a "roguelike" spin to the DK Bananza gameplay loop. What's not to like about that?

The DLC starts after you've completed the main story of the base game, i.e., collected all the Bananza transformations for DK. The beginning sees DK and Pauline track down Void Kong on DK Island. In this expansion, you won't be looking for the precious Banadiums. Instead, you will be collecting Emerald Ores.

The gameplay loop is fairly simple; you're given a set quota of Ores to collect by Void Kong. However, as you progress through the levels, the difficulty will ramp up substantially. To help you collect the Ores efficiently, the game will offer randomized perks during your excavation. This is where the roguelike elements kick in.

These randomized perks usually buff DK's Bananza abilities while also granting a boost in Ores collected. Furthermore, there are also mini-boss battles, where you need to manage these perks to stand a chance at victory.

While it's not particularly challenging, Emerald Rush is substantially more difficult than anything in the base game.

Apart from these new modes, there's also a Time Trial, which is meant as endgame content for the DLC. Additionally, there are a few new cosmetics to unlock for both DK and Pauline.

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Is Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush worth the asking price?

Visiting the newest rendition of DK Island is like taking a trip down memory lane (Image via Nintendo)

For the $20 asking price, I've had my fill of fun with DK Island & Emerald Rush. The Emerald Rush and the Time Trial modes alone make the whole package worth it. I've sunk in no less than 70 hours in the base game, and the DLC basically gave me another excuse to jump back into the "paws" of DK.

However, at the same time, I also acknowledge that for what's actually offered, the DLC is a tad overpriced. Furthermore, given the amount of content it adds to the endgame, Emerald Rush very much feels like it should've been part of the base game itself.

As a fan of the roguelike genre, I really liked the implementation of randomized perks into Emerald Rush. It not only makes the game mode feel fresh on every new run, but it also adds a lot to the title's replayability.

That said, I don't think it's something you need to pick up right away, unless you're craving more DK Bananza. The base game already offers plenty of content to keep you busy for more than 50 hours. And you can always pick up the DLC at a later date, perhaps during a sale.

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Few shortcomings

Progression is tied to the roguelike Emerald Rush mode (Image via Nintendo)

Apart from the inflated price, I don't think I have any major complaints about DK Island & Emerald Rush. It's a neat little DLC package that adds more to what we already loved about Donkey Bananza. Much like the base game, the performance can get a little wonky in a few spots. However, it's nothing really egregious.

Moreover, the whole DLC comes in under a gigabyte, which I absolutely appreciate, considering the limited internal storage of the console and the incredibly high prices of MicroSD Express Cards.

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In conclusion

DK Island & Emerald Rush is a good DLC, but not for the current asking price (Image via Nintendo)

Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush is an excellent addition to the base game. With its new "roguelike" spin to the gameplay, as well as the endgame Time Trial modes, the DLC offers hours of fun. Furthermore, DK Island itself is like taking a stroll through memory lane, especially if you're a fan of the classic DK games.

That said, Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush being priced at $20 comes at its own detriment. While it does offer enough to please anyone craving more from DK Bananza, it feels a tad overpriced for the amount of content on offer.

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Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush

The scorecard (Image via Sportskeeda)

Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch 2 (Review code provided by Nintendo)

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch 2

Developer(s): Nintendo

Publisher(s): Nintendo

Release date: September 12, 2025