During yesterday’s Nintendo Treehouse Live, gameplay from a number of upcoming titles were highlighted, including the upcoming Metroid Prime game and Donkey Kong Bananza.
Like many, I’ve been buzzing about the Nintendo Switch 2 ever since the full details were revealed during the Nintendo Direct earlier this week. When I saw there was a Nintendo Treehouse Live yesterday (and today in fact) to highlight gameplay from games that are receiving Nintendo Switch 2 editions, well I had to check it out.
There were many games highlighted but the two that caught my attention the most were gameplay highlights from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Donkey Kong Bananza. For Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, the hosts took us through the first mission in the game and the first boss fight. They were specifically playing the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game and playing with 4K picture quality.
Words can barely express how amazing this game looks. Considering it’s been 18 years since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption came out, I could understand why some were leery about how this game might look, if it came out at all. But the gameplay looks incredibly smooth, and the host made sure to show off the different ways the Nintendo Switch 2 controllers could be manipulated during gameplay. One feature I really liked is that the controllers can be switched to “mouse mode” on the fly to allow for better aiming precision with Samus’ cannon.
Then there was the first boss battle. I am so glad they showed this battle off during the demo. If you didn’t have a clear idea of what Metroid Prime 4 would be like, this battle makes it abundantly clear what the player is in for. As is to be expected from Metroid games, this boss fight is tough, but, as the hosts made clear, with patience and timing, everything is surmountable.
I really like how the hosts took the time to demonstrate everything Samus can do in the game, from the different scanning modes to how the Morph Ball form can be utilized to navigate certain areas. It’s certainly whetted my appetite for the full game, hopefully a release date will be coming soon!
Then there was the gameplay demo for Donkey Kong Bananza. I am ashamed to admit that I have never played a Donkey Kong game in my life (a travesty I know), but let me tell you this game almost immediately grabbed my undivided attention. Watching the gameplay, it struck me that Donkey Kong Bananza will be an excellent jumping on point for gamers like me who might not have gotten to experience a Donkey Kong game yet.
As for the game itself, oh my goodness it looks like a blast! Seriously, if Donkey Kong Bananza isn’t a contender for Game of The Year I’ll eat my hat, it looks that good. In fact I got so sucked into the gameplay that when the hosts decided they’d gone far enough I audibly groaned as I wanted to see what happened next.
The hosts played through the opening portion of the game, which you can check out below:
As with the Metroid Prime 4 demo, I deeply appreciated how the host player demonstrated much of what the player can do as Donkey Kong in the game. It looks like players will have a lot of fun pounding their way through rock and dirt and whatever else Donkey Kong can destroy in his path. The story hinted at in the gameplay looks to be interesting too.
Both of these games look incredible, I can’t wait for the chance to try both games for myself. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond does not have a release date at the moment while Donkey Kong Bananza is due to be released on July 17, 2025.
