Donkey Kong Bananza has been released and quickly gained popularity on Nintendo Switch 2. However, devoted fans of Nintendo platformers, such as Mario Odyssey, might have felt a certain discomfort. Something seemed unfamiliar, out of place, and as it turned out, it was the jump button.
By default, in DK Bananza, the jump button on Switch 2 is assigned to the A button, which differs from the usual B button. Developers did this so that the face buttons correspond to Donkey Kong`s attack directions: X for an upward punch, Y for a forward punch, and B for a downward punch. This makes sense, but traditionally for Nintendo (since the Super Nintendo era), the jump button has always been located at the bottom of the diamond-shaped button layout. If you prefer the familiar jump control, there`s a simple solution.
To change the settings, go to the main menu, select the fourth item — “Options” (marked with a gear icon). Scroll down to the “DK’s Action Buttons” subsection. Here you will find an option to swap the functions of the B and A buttons, changing them from “Punch downward / Jump” to “Jump / Punch downward.” While this isn`t full button customization, it shows that Nintendo acknowledges players who are used to the standard jump button placement. However, keep in mind that after this change, the punch directions will no longer align with their visual positions on the gamepad.
This control peculiarity sparked active discussions within the GameSpot editorial team: some unreservedly embraced the default scheme, while others found it too unusual to get accustomed to. Since tastes are individual, we won`t impose our opinion. As a reviewer, I spent almost 20 hours using the standard layout, and it became quite natural for me. However, other players noted that they quickly switched to the alternative scheme and easily adapted to the punch directions no longer coinciding with the button locations.
In any case, Donkey Kong Bananza offers a multitude of vibrant experiences. As I noted in my GameSpot review: “As part of the Switch 2 launch lineup, this game perfectly fills the niche for significant single-player adventures from Nintendo. But more importantly, it stands as an outstanding game in its own right and rightfully deserves to be placed alongside masterpieces like Mario Odyssey among Nintendo`s best recent works.”