Compare Donkey Kong Bananza vs The Last of Us Part II Remastered

Accessibility options were positively framed through Assist Mode and guidance that help younger or less experienced players finish the story.

Accessibility options were strongly praised, with reviewers calling the expanded descriptive audio, speech-to-vibration, and broader tools meaningful additions.

Age appropriateness was considered strong because one reviewer framed it as a kids game that remains accessible while ramping up later.

Age appropriateness was limited by the game’s mature themes, violence, and emotional weight, with one reviewer saying younger players may not appreciate it.

AI behavior was praised in combat-focused reviews for swarming, faction pressure, and strong arena behavior.

Aiming precision received specific praise on PC, where mouse input gave reviewers strong control for headshots.

Animation quality was consistently strong, especially DK's expressiveness, body language, and character reactions.

Art direction was praised as fresh, stylized, and charming, though Digital Foundry noted some visual presentation weaknesses.

Art direction was praised as visually striking, though one review also noted the remaster could look too dark in places.

Atmosphere was praised for odd, colorful, claustrophobic, charming, and joyful underground spaces.

Atmosphere was praised as masterful, especially for its oppressive tension and survival-horror mood.

Boss design was divisive: some praised creative boss concepts, while others criticized repetition, ease, and mash-heavy fights.

Boss design stood out in one PC review, which highlighted major fights as some of Naughty Dog’s best.

Bug frequency was mixed: some PC reviewers reported minor UI or texture glitches, while others found the port clean.

Camera behavior was a recurring caveat, especially when digging through terrain or moving quickly, though not usually a dealbreaker.

Character development centered on Pauline's confidence and her bond with DK, which several reviewers found heartwarming and defining.

Character development was praised for its heavy character work and risky perspective structure.

Character roster was mixed: reviewers enjoyed returning or new characters, but some lamented missing iconic Kongs such as Funky.

The character roster in No Return was praised for bringing secondary characters forward with different loadouts, traits, and playstyles.

Co-op experience was framed as a light helper-style mode, strongest for a parent and child rather than equal adult play.

Combat was viewed positively when material properties affected enemy encounters and made fights more strategic than simple punching.

Combat was one of the strongest areas overall, with reviewers praising its brutal feel, polish, resource pressure, and ability to shine in No Return despite a few dissenting takes.

Content variety was widely praised across worlds, challenges, transformations, collectibles, and activities, though some ideas were seen as underused.

Content variety was broadly praised, especially No Return, Lost Levels, commentary, guitar free play, skins, speedrun tools, and modifiers, though some extras were called short or uneven.

Controls were broadly praised as polished and flowing, with only light caveats when complex terrain and movement options interact.

Controls were usually described as smooth, responsive, and solid, with PC mouse-and-keyboard support adding precision for some players.

The core loop of breaking terrain, collecting rewards, using Bananza forms, and returning to challenges was strongly positive, though one review warned powers can reduce challenge.

The No Return loop was praised as a high-stakes, rewarding way to experience the game’s encounters repeatedly.

Couch co-op was seen as best for parent-child or younger-player support rather than a full equal co-op mode.

Crafting was praised as part of the game’s excellent survival-combat foundation.

Dialogue and side chatter were warmly received for making Pauline and DK's bond feel charming and personal.

Difficulty balance was mostly approachable, with stronger late-game or optional challenges, but several reviewers thought the main path and bosses were easy.

Difficulty was usually viewed positively as tense and intentional, with challenge options and survival pressure fitting the game’s design.

DLC value was mixed: Emerald Rush was considered fun and worth the price by one reviewer, while another cautioned against expecting full new worlds.

Economy balance was criticized because gold and chips became so abundant that they weakened resource pressure.

Resource balance was praised for keeping ammo and materials scarce enough to make survival tense.

Emotional impact was unexpectedly strong, with multiple reviewers citing the DK-Pauline relationship, heartfelt scenes, or moving moments.

Emotional impact was extremely strong, with reviewers repeatedly describing the story as gutting, heartbreaking, or emotionally shattering.

Endgame content drew strong praise for finales and postgame challenges, though one review found the postgame barebones.

Enemy variety was a weak point in one review, which said enemies improve later but never become a strength.

Enemy variety was mixed: No Return adds faction variety and AI pressure, but one reviewer criticized the limited number of new enemies.

Environmental detail supported the destructible world, with reviewers praising detailed feedback and wild creatures.

Environmental detail drew strong praise for scenery, foliage, world texture, and dense visual craftsmanship.

Exploration was a major strength, with reviewers enjoying open-ended movement, dense secrets, and constant reasons to poke through each layer.

Exploration was generally valued for scavenging, optional environmental stories, and player choice, though one reviewer found it sometimes too guided.

Facial animations were highlighted for giving DK strong personality and expressiveness.

Facial animation was praised as industry-leading and central to the emotional performances.

Faithfulness to franchise was praised through DK history, nostalgia, fan service, and appeal to both longtime fans and new players.

Family friendliness was praised through all-ages appeal and playing with kids.

Family friendliness scored low because one reviewer explicitly described the game as gritty, intense, and extremely violent.

Fast travel was viewed positively because Eelevators helped players revisit missed content conveniently.

Frame rate stability was the most repeated technical caveat, with drops during heavy destruction, maps, bosses, or chaotic scenes.

Frame rate stability was mostly praised, especially in performance mode, with some caveats around 30fps fidelity mode and certain PC scenes.

Fun factor was overwhelmingly positive across reviews, with many calling it a blast, joyful, special, or among the year's best games.

Fun factor was strongest in No Return and combat-focused extras, though the main story’s grim tone made it less relaxing for some reviewers.

Reviewers repeatedly praised the destructive mechanics and ability-driven play as the main hook, calling the smashing, digging, and new gameplay loop highly enjoyable.

Gameplay mechanics drew mixed responses: several reviewers liked the remastered combat tools, but one felt the core stealth-loot-shoot loop had aged poorly.

Graphics were largely praised as colorful and impressive for Switch 2, with minor technical caveats in some visual details.

Graphics were widely praised as excellent or stunning, but reviewers often stressed that the jump over the PS4/PS5-patched version is modest.

Grind level was framed positively by one reviewer who kept unlocking and collecting instead of wanting to finish.

Handheld suitability was positive, with one reviewer saying the game looks great both handheld and docked.

Handheld suitability was praised in one PC review because the Steam Deck version ran well enough to deserve verification.

Haptic and force-feedback-style integration was praised for making terrain destruction tactile and satisfying.

Haptic feedback integration was strongly praised for bows, weapons, bandaging, traversal, and added immersion, though one reviewer found extended use tiring.

Horror tension was praised for causing anxiety, dread, and memorable scare sequences.

Immersion was the one area a reviewer explicitly disliked, saying they played through environments rather than feeling immersed.

Innovation was a major strength, with reviewers emphasizing technical ambition, reinvention, and fresh mechanics.

Innovation was limited in one review, which found No Return fun but not especially unique as a mode.

The learning curve was mostly manageable, though some reviewers noted disorientation or clunky single-solution moments before the systems click.

Level design was widely admired for dense, layered spaces, fresh ideas, and challenge variety, especially once the game opens up.

Level design received strong praise from one reviewer for making linear spaces feel flexible and meaningful.

Load times were praised as very short, supporting quick play and smooth traversal between moments.

Load times were consistently praised as much faster and a clear quality-of-life upgrade.

The reward and loot loop was a highlight for many, though costume perks and extra currencies were sometimes less compelling.

Map and navigation design was praised for objective guidance, clear 3D mapping, and helping players avoid getting lost.

Map and navigation design drew one notable complaint about unclear progression paths in naturalistic environments.

Mission design was praised where routes to hidden goals encouraged planning rather than simple objective chasing.

Mission variety was positive where side quests and mini-challenges kept layers active and occasionally demanding.

Mission variety in No Return was praised for randomized objectives and encounter types, with some caveats about uneven encounters.

Movement was one of the strongest points, with reviewers emphasizing fluid momentum, climbing, rolling, and expressive control, though one found the options initially messy.

Multiplayer design appears intentionally support-oriented, with the available two-player mode fitting parent-child play best.

Narrative quality was more positive than expected for a platformer, especially around DK and Pauline, though one reviewer found the setting unengaging.

Narrative quality remained divisive but mostly positive, with many reviewers calling it profound or masterful while others criticized its structure, bleakness, and execution.

The open-ended structure was praised for feeling more exploratory than a typical curated 3D platformer.

The limited semi-open Seattle section stood out positively to one reviewer, who wished more of the game pursued that feeling.

Originality was strongly praised, with reviewers calling it unique, special, and full of ideas not seen in other 3D platformers.

Originality was mixed, with one review finding No Return strange and unusual but artistically awkward.

Pacing was mixed: reviewers liked fast clips and breather layers, but several flagged uneven layers, early sluggishness, or filler.

Pacing was the most consistent structural complaint, with multiple reviewers saying the campaign felt long, bloated, or uneven despite strong moments.

Performance optimization was mixed: some reviewers said it ran well overall, while others noted visible technical or performance issues.

Performance optimization was generally strong on PS5 and many PC setups, though one PC review reported stutter and texture issues.

Platform-specific support was praised because the game feels like a Switch 2 showcase and beyond original Switch capability.

Platform-specific support was praised for PS5-native upgrades such as load times, DualSense features, and 3D audio.

Platforming precision drew mixed reactions: some praised focused platforming, while others felt precision was secondary, wonky, or occasionally a chore.

Polish was broadly positive, with several reviewers calling the game cohesive, refined, or masterpiece-level despite imperfections.

Polish was a consistent strength, with reviewers describing the package, presentation, and bonus modes as well-crafted.

Progression received mixed-to-positive notes: skill points gave short-term goals, though some reviewers questioned whether the systems were necessary or evenly useful.

Progression in No Return was praised for unlocks, challenges, and longer-term rewards that kept runs moving.

Protagonist appeal was high, with DK described as endearing, expressive, goofy, and personality-rich.

Protagonist appeal was mixed: Ellie was praised as carrying the sequel by some, while one reviewer found her harder to relate to.

Puzzle design was often praised for clever material interactions and challenge rooms, but several reviewers felt some puzzles were too easy, bypassable, or constrained.

Puzzle design was a weak point in one review, which complained that environmental puzzles were too few and underdeveloped.

Quest design was praised where side quests kept layers busy and consistently rewarded players.

Remaster quality was generally praised as a definitive or worthwhile edition, though the visual upgrade was often called modest and content-focused.

Replay value was strong, driven by collectibles, post-credits cleanup, hidden areas, and reviewers wanting to keep playing.

Replay value was one of the strongest remaster arguments, driven mainly by No Return, daily/custom runs, unlocks, and added extras.

Sandbox freedom was strongly praised because the game lets players solve problems, dig, and play around with unusually few limits.

No Return’s sandbox-like setup was praised as a fun way to experiment outside the campaign’s narrative constraints.

Side character depth was strong around Pauline and the DK-Pauline duo, even when legacy characters were less emphasized.

Skill tree depth was useful and sometimes surprisingly thoughtful, but at least one reviewer found several Bananza-form upgrades weak.

Skill systems were split: one reviewer liked the upgrade satisfaction, while another felt No Return upgrades did not meaningfully change play enough.

Sound design was a standout, with material-specific impacts, rumble-like feedback, voice, and destruction audio repeatedly praised.

Sound design was praised for 3D audio, directionality, anxiety, and stealth-tension cues.

Soundtrack quality was mostly positive, especially Pauline songs and classic arrangements, though a few reviewers found the broader score less memorable.

The soundtrack was praised as atmospheric and emotionally effective.

Stealth mechanics were widely praised as tense, flexible, and improved, especially when No Return encouraged new approaches.

Upgrade systems were praised when ability unlocks felt impactful, while costume boosts were seen as more situational.

User interface design was praised for the helpful layer checklist that makes collectible tracking easier.

User interface design had one PC-specific criticism, where mouse-related UI elements could hurt frame rate.

Value for money was positive overall but price-sensitive, with some calling it worth the premium and others noting it is not huge like Zelda.

Value for money was strongly positive for the $10 upgrade, with more mixed views for first-time or double-dip buyers at full price.

Visual effects were positively noted through crisp lighting and strong color use, despite broader performance caveats.

Visual effects were mostly strong, but one PC review noted distracting upscaling artifacts around transparencies.

Voice acting was praised, particularly Pauline's performance and singing, which reviewers found charming and expressive.

Voice acting earned unanimous praise from scored reviews, especially for the main cast’s performances.

World-building earned praise for strange underground societies, internal logic, and franchise-aware details.

World-building was praised for Seattle’s detail, environmental storytelling, and the way the sequel frames grief and factions.

World interactivity was the clearest consensus highlight, with reviewers repeatedly praising the destructible terrain and freedom to reshape spaces.

Writing quality was praised for restraint, purpose, and finesse in character handling and overall presentation.

Writing quality was polarized: several reviewers praised the ambitious, intentional storytelling, while one criticized the script as unsubtle.