Support NeoGAF

[Imtjnotu]

Some thoughts after the first 3 hours

Graphics aren't that great at all. I don't care how destructive it is.

..image quality certainly looks alot better than oddessey did on my TV.

The camera control is absolutely shit.

Damn it's fun to go level whole areas at time. The mechanics in this game are so smooth.


Frame drops are atrocious

 

[Gambit2483]

Some thoughts after the first 3 hours

Graphics aren't that great at all. I don't care how destructive it is.

..image quality certainly looks alot better than oddessey did on my TV.

The camera control is absolutely shit.

Damn it's fun to go level whole areas at time. The mechanics in this game are so smooth.


Frame drops are atrocious

But how much Fun are you having with it?

At the end of the day that's all that really matters when playing a game.

 

[sainraja]

How do I see how long I've played a game on Switch?

Your profile on the Switch. The Nintendo Switch app and I am guessing, as I haven't checked, likely on the web when logged into your Nintendo account as well.

EDIT
Wanted to add one clarification. In your profile, and I don't think you can control what you see, it will depend on when it updated, you might see "...played X hours ago..." first.

 

[Arsic]

Just finished it. 467 bananas. I was never 100% or trying to in any area.

Think I played 25-30 hours total?

Game is a 9.5/10. It's just those performance drops could've been ironed out.

The final boss is eveeeeerything and more!!!!

 

[Danjin44]

Yeah it's DK lol. I guess going down at the speed of a bullet/meteor!

DK has Saitama level punch.

 

[thatJohann]

Is there New Game + ?

 

[Arsic]

Is there New Game + ?

Nope. Game just continues. You can go back anywhere

 

[Steve Holt]

I'm playing docked and - I don't think I'm being ignorant - but haven't noticed too many drops on frame rate. Played for about 4 hours in total.

Certainly expected a lot worse.

 

[Danjin44]

I'm playing docked and - I don't think I'm being ignorant - but haven't noticed too many drops on frame rate. Played for about 4 hours in total.

Certainly expected a lot worse.

GAF loves to exaggerate.

 

[Deerock71]

I'm playing docked and - I don't think I'm being ignorant - but haven't noticed too many drops on frame rate. Played for about 4 hours in total.

Certainly expected a lot worse.

The h8rs are full of the hyperboles (AKA- SHIT) about how how bad the performance is.

 

[Buggy Loop]

GAF loves to exaggerate.

Just a tad

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

I'm playing docked and - I don't think I'm being ignorant - but haven't noticed too many drops on frame rate. Played for about 4 hours in total.

Certainly expected a lot worse.

It's at 60 FPS 99% of the time for me

 

[STARSBarry]

Well Im near done, what a ride. Dunno if im missing a secret or something, but thats ever banana in the game you can find. Still farming chips though because there's still a few missing skills not maxed out.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Well Im near done, what a ride. Dunno if im missing a secret or something, but thats ever banana in the game you can find. Still farming chips though because there's still a few missing skills not maxed out.

Holy shit, so with all bananas you can't max out skills? I thought that buying bananas with chips would mean I max out skills way before I find all bananas, guess not

 

[Spukc]

I've been missing it actually a little playing DKB so much. They definitely put more effort into the open world sandbox exploration in DKB.

I'm having more fun with DKB but Astrobot is great fun too.

Aye mario kart world is absolutely dead and boring.

 

[Luipadre]

What a fucking joke mario kart world turned out to be.

This game is amazing.
Not as good as astrobot but certainly good

MK is pretty disappointing. It has a fun core, but incredibly barebones game. Needs tons of updates, but we yet to get any

 

[Aldric]

I'm playing docked and - I don't think I'm being ignorant - but haven't noticed too many drops on frame rate. Played for about 4 hours in total.

Certainly expected a lot worse.

The framedrops I saw were weird, like after you pop out of a teleporter eel or when you end a conversation with a NPC, the framerate tanks for a few frames. I never got any serious issues during gameplay otherwise even when using a mechanic I expected to destroy the game but no, it holds up remarkably well.

Then of course there's THAT boss... And it's hard to deny the framerate is atrocious here.

 

[STARSBarry]

Holy shit, so with all bananas you can't max out skills? I thought that buying bananas with chips would mean I max out skills way before I find all bananas, guess not

Early on you get a Tie that when maxed gives you 40% chance to get 2 chips instead of 1, I would recommend wearing that ASAP if you dont want to grind at the end, I never did until after the credits rolled. I now have 1 skills left that needs 5 points, so thats 2500 chips I need to grind now.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Early on you get a Tie that when maxed gives you 40% chance to get 2 chips instead of 1, I would recommend wearing that ASAP if you dont want to grind at the end, I never did until after the credits rolled. I now have 1 skills left that needs 5 points, so thats 2500 chips I need to grind now.

ive wore the treasure chest tie the entire game since i plan on 100% it but that tie also seems great and i was eyeing it

 

[Imtjnotu]

But how much Fun are you having with it?

At the end of the day that's all that really matters when playing a game.

I'm running around digging for gold....


It's fun...

But not as fun as say play Helldivers 2 on level 10

 

[STARSBarry]

ive wore the treasure chest tie the entire game since i plan on 100% it but that tie also seems great and i was eyeing it

This is literally what I did, but it seems you get so much treasure normally versus chips that its really unbalanced at the end of the game, you also yet some unlocks post credits that double your gold collection, you dont get anything like that for chips sadly...

Honestly I dont understand why the tie caps out at 40% it should be 25% 50% and 100% to double given how many you need.

 

[Danjin44]

But not as fun as say play Helldivers 2 on level 10

Maybe for people who are in to MP games, for me absolulty not.

 

[darth.shrimp]

I am once again asking for help

I'm trying to do everything in the Freezer Layer, but I'm missing two bananas and one fossil... main issue being, I know where they are, but I'm not sure I'm supposed to be able to reach them.
The fossil and one banana are under the frozen lake on the highest layer. I thought beating the boss would make the water less cold and I could actually go there, but apparently not; and I haven't found a way from the layer right underneath. Not sure if I'm supposed to come back later after acquiring some other power?
Second banana is on a floating island. Unless there's some weird movement tech I don't know about, I don' think you can reach it without the flying transformation? There's a regenerating... stone dude (forgot their name) next to it that happens to be made of exploding material so I tried blowing up the entire island but the banana doesn't give a care lol

 

[Robb]

Almost completely finished (all fossils & bananas) with the Forrest layer. Only a few more bananas to go.

I really like that you can complete each layer as is without needing any powers etc. from forthcoming layers. Really makes you able to go at your own pace.

Really cool boss in this layer as well, even if it was over too quickly/too easy. Definitely my favorite boss so far.

 

[STARSBarry]

OK I am now finally done.

It takes exactly 1000 bananas to max everything. The stars seem to be.

1 Star first credit roll
2 Star complete the additional story mode, 2nd credit roll.
3 Star get every banana in the game including a large quantity of chip trades.

 

[Robb]

Second banana is on a floating island.

Spoiler: Island

Stand on the edge of the mountain that's nearby and throw snow towards the island to create a bridge for you to just walk over. That's how I did it at least. But I guess you can also use the Ostrich once you get it.

The fossil and one banana are under the frozen lake on the highest layer.

Not sure about this one. What number is it?

 

[STARSBarry]

I am once again asking for help

I'm trying to do everything in the Freezer Layer, but I'm missing two bananas and one fossil... main issue being, I know where they are, but I'm not sure I'm supposed to be able to reach them.
The fossil and one banana are under the frozen lake on the highest layer. I thought beating the boss would make the water less cold and I could actually go there, but apparently not; and I haven't found a way from the layer right underneath. Not sure if I'm supposed to come back later after acquiring some other power?
Second banana is on a floating island. Unless there's some weird movement tech I don't know about, I don' think you can reach it without the flying transformation? There's a regenerating... stone dude (forgot their name) next to it that happens to be made of exploding material so I tried blowing up the entire island but the banana doesn't give a care lol

You need to go to the other layer, by returning to the prior split path layer and unlock the other form down the other route.

 

[JusticeForAll]

Currently on vacation with the family, but took the switch2 with me and wow, this game is FUN. Even for short bursts, which is all i can sneak in now. Probably my goty. Didn't expect that all, after initially being underwhelmed after the reveal.

 

[darth.shrimp]

Spoiler: Island

Stand on the edge of the mountain that's nearby and throw snow towards the island to create a bridge for you to just walk over. That's how I did it at least. But I guess you can also use the Ostrich once you get it.

Not sure about this one. What number is it?

See, that's what I meant by "something I don't know about"; I had no idea snow would stick to other surfaces like that, unlike other materials, so thanks a lot.

The other one would be number 10, then.

 

[Robb]

The other one would be number 10, then.

Oh, ok. There should be a waterfall in the lake and it's hidden in a tube behind it.

 

[darth.shrimp]

Yeah I just found it right after typing my previous message, I forgot video games always have treasure hidden behind waterfalls. It was actually pretty obvious just by looking at the map under various angles...

 

[CuteFaceJay]

This new DK may have won Game of the year. Not joking!

 

[FoxMcChief]

After I beat Expedition 33, if you had told me that DKB would be my Game of the Year, I'd have called you a no good lying son of a bitch.

Now, I'd say, what are next week's lottery numbers?

 

[Ogbert]

Frame drops are atrocious

No they're not.

If you're only three hours in, what frame drops have you experienced?

I'm about 20 hours in and only a single boss battle has consistently dropped frames.

 

[Josemayuste]

This new DK may have won Game of the year. Not joking!

Yeah, I'm on the same boat, it's that good.

 

[ADiTAR]

Yeah, I'm on the same boat, it's that good.

The game actually gets better the more you play it.

 

[STARSBarry]

Well I made this using the photo mode to celebrate 100%ing the game. I have finally figured out how to upload from my switch 2 to phone... no more photos using my phone camera now, only took me an entire console generation.

 

[Ogbert]

I'm playing docked and - I don't think I'm being ignorant - but haven't noticed too many drops on frame rate. Played for about 4 hours in total.

Certainly expected a lot worse.

Likewise.

It's a solid 60 apart from:

1) One boss battle
2) Significant gold rush moments
3) The map.

Just absurd internet hysteria. Par for the course.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Well I made this using the photo mode to celebrate 100%ing the game. I have finally figured out how to upload from my switch 2 to phone... no more photos using my phone camera now, only took me an entire console generation.

Did you 100% everything? Did you find every single banana in the game or just hit the 1000 using chips? What about records and all fossils?

 

[STARSBarry]

Did you 100% everything? Did you find every single banana in the game or just hit the 1000 using chips? What about records and all fossils?

I got all 777 banana pick ups (bunches of 3 or 5 only count as 1 for this table) before grinding the chips, so the fact it let me buy exactly to the correct amount to max all skills makes me assume you can only buy a specific amount and it will stop you buying anymore.

Fossils you actually need to get 100% to get a banana for, not just collect 100% either, but trade em all in, this confused me because the game locks an outfit to buy post credits, even if you collect all fossils prior, you cant buy it until after.

So yeah 100%

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

I got all 777 banana pick ups (bunches of 3 or 5 only count as 1 for this table) before grinding the chips, so the fact it let me buy exactly to the correct amount to max all skills makes me assume you can only buy a specific amount and it will stop you buying anymore.

Fossils you actually need to get 100% to get a banana for, not just collect 100% either, but trade em all in, this confused me because the game locks an outfit to buy post credits, even if you collect all fossils prior, you cant buy it until after.

So yeah 100%

I was curious how the chip exchange works and whether there's a cap. So you believe that you can only trade in a certain amount of chips and once you redeem that amount of bananas, you can no longer trade them in?

Records it's just rng from enemy drops?

 

[STARSBarry]

I was curious how the chip exchange works and whether there's a cap. So you believe that you can only trade in a certain amount of chips and once you redeem that amount of bananas, you can no longer trade them in?

Records it's just rng from enemy drops?

Yeah and there's an outfit post credits to double the drop chance (or use the stupidly expensive banaza amiibo for early unlock) which helps out.

Fortunately the game gives you both that dress and a enemy battle arena around the same time I farmed all my records in there, prior to that I only had like 20.

I cant help but feel that this percentage was artificially decreased to create a solution that the amiibo can solve... its not as blatant as locking fast travel behind one, but it certainly feels the regular drop chance is pathetically low.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Yeah and there's an outfit post credits to double the drop chance (or use the stupidly expensive banaza amiibo for early unlock) which helps out.

Fortunately the game gives you both that dress and a enemy battle arena around the same time I farmed all my records in there, prior to that I only had like 20.

I cant help but feel that this percentage was artificially decreased to create a solution that the amiibo can solve... its not as blatant as locking fast travel behind one, but it certainly feels the regular drop chance is pathetically low.

Even if I had an outfit that doubled records early on, I still wouldn't have likely used it

She has really good other options

It sounds like something better post game anyways just to grind out achievements

 

[STARSBarry]

Even if I had an outfit that doubled records early on, I still wouldn't have likely used it

She has really good other options

It sounds like something better post game anyways just to grind out achievements

Na dude they have Stickerbrush symphony



I wanted that track for the rest areas the moment I heard it in the bonus stage early on. It was like the 3rd last record I unlocked LOL.

 

[Kabelly]

No they're not.

If you're only three hours in, what frame drops have you experienced?

I'm about 20 hours in and only a single boss battle has consistently dropped frames.

lies. i'm only like 5 hours in and there's framedrops everywhere. actually it was one of the first things i noticed.

there's drops when you destroy things which is the whole damn game. smash some rocks that have lots of gold? game poops itself.
when i collect the mega bananas i've noticed drops when he's swallowing the banana shards.

For a Switch 2 launch showcase, it's a disappointment. When it runs well it looks really good, but there is consistent frame drops.

 

[Revolutionary]

This new DK may have won Game of the year. Not joking!

I'm near the end of the game and had a great time, but Expedition 33 will probably still trounce GOTY conversations. That game was something that turn-based RPG fans have wanted for over a decade.

I'm sure some DK64 fans have been begging for a follow up for a long time as well, but a 3D platformer literally just won GOTY last year. Sure, it wasn't a Nintendo platformer but ya know... them's the breaks.

Likewise.

It's a solid 60 apart from:

1) One boss battle
2) Significant gold rush moments
3) The map.

Just absurd internet hysteria. Par for the course.

Not arguing against your last sentence (internet hysteria is a hell of a thing), but your post basically just says "It's a solid 60 except for when it's not", and listed two situations that happen frequently enough (opening the map and collecting gold). It also drops to 30fps for a moment nearly every time you pick up a banana but I'm assuming you never noticed since you didn't list it.

Listen, I'm not trying to argue and I'm not saying these frame drops are a deal breaker or ruin the game by any means, but it's a brand new 2025 console. Surely you can understand why some people feel the way they do about the performance instead of sweeping any and all complaints under the rug?

 

[Hookshot]

"Completed" it. Now to get all bananas, fossils and records.

I really enjoyed it, played for hours since release. Bit too much of a reliance on non gorilla powers but it wouldn't be as vaired without them.

On a proper 10 point scale of 5 being average I'd give it an 8. I would have liked some trickier stuff. Think only twice was I stumped enough on some challenge rooms to cheese it with the ostrich, but that might be the intended way?

 

[Buggy Loop]

This new DK may have won Game of the year. Not joking!

Naw

Geoff awards will put narrative and feel good story of a small studio braving odds before it. Expedition fits both.

Geoff awards are easy to predict, it's not always the better game, it's the one they think will make the show get more recognition, get bigger, the feeling of being better than Hollywood.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Naw

Geoff awards will put narrative and feel good story of a small studio braving odds before it. Expedition fits both.

Geoff awards are easy to predict, it's not always the better game, it's the one they think will make the show get more recognition, get bigger, the feeling of being better than Hollywood.

Yeah, well that's just one places game of the year. No different than IGN or Gamespot.

I bet we see this game win more awards, overall.

 

[Dr Bass]

I'm near the end of the game and had a great time, but Expedition 33 will probably still trounce GOTY conversations. That game was something that turn-based RPG fans have wanted for over a decade.

I'm sure some DK64 fans have been begging for a follow up for a long time as well, but a 3D platformer literally just won GOTY last year. Sure, it wasn't a Nintendo platformer but ya know... them's the breaks.


Not arguing against your last sentence (internet hysteria is a hell of a thing), but your post basically just says "It's a solid 60 except for when it's not", and listed two situations that happen frequently enough (opening the map and collecting gold). It also drops to 30fps for a moment nearly every time you pick up a banana but I'm assuming you never noticed since you didn't list it.

Listen, I'm not trying to argue and I'm not saying these frame drops are a deal breaker or ruin the game by any means, but it's a brand new 2025 console. Surely you can understand why some people feel the way they do about the performance instead of sweeping any and all complaints under the rug?

I certainly don't understand it because the times you describe constitute far less than 1% of the game, and I play games for fun, not nitpicking technical details.

Programming games is hard and expecting perfection is for fools. I don't think I can think of a single game that's ever truly hit that mark.