I admit I have a soft spot for this game, with it being the very first title I experienced.

Biases aside, the design philosophy of this game is rather inconsistent. Most of the worlds are designed to focus on one central area. This can create scenarios where you are often repeating a similar task to get a golden banana. Another issue in this matter is that the colored bananas are placed in areas that require some backtracking. I personally do not mind inspecting every nook & cranny, but I do know this isn't everyone's cup of tea. One exception is the level Creepy Castle, which has good flow & good placement of every item you can collect. If every other level followed its method, this game would be rated more highly.

Some of the golden bananas are frustrating to obtain due to buggy mini games or bad camera angles. A product of its time.

Focusing on the positives: The boss battles in this game are great, the music is good, the levels are distinct and memorable in their own right, and the cutscenes are classic cartoon style humor. You also have five distinct characters to rotate from, all with their own perks and abilities.

Any collect-a-thon aficionado should give this game a whirl.