Face-off
Terraria or Donkey Kong Bananza?
Two games about tearing the ground apart: one costs £8.50, the other £58.99.
Terraria
From £4.59 · 93 h
Donkey Kong Bananza
From £58.99 · 30 h
Terraria and Donkey Kong Bananza share an unusual pleasure: breaking the world open to see what is inside. Terraria has done it in 2D since 2011; Bananza does it in 3D with Nintendo's full polish.
They sit at opposite ends of our price range, which makes them a useful pair for anyone deciding how much a game about digging should cost.
Round by round
The digging
Bananza's destruction is physical, precise and a joy to watch. Terraria's is a means to an end: materials for building and crafting.
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Things to do
Terraria's crafting, building, bosses and Hardmode run to about 93 hours of story and extras, and over 200 for completionists. Bananza's adventure is about 30 hours with extras.
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Playing together
Terraria supports online co-op on every platform. Bananza gives a second player an assist role on the same console.
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Ease
Bananza explains itself and never leaves you stuck. Terraria expects you to experiment or consult its wiki.
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Price
Terraria: from £4.59 on Android, £8.50 on Steam and £24.99 on Switch. Bananza: £58.99 digital, plus £16.99 for its expansion.
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The money, side by side
The gap is enormous. Terraria on Steam costs about 9p per hour of story and extras; Bananza costs about £1.95. Even on Switch, where Terraria is at its most expensive at £24.99, it costs less than half as much as Bananza.
Our call
For value, Terraria, without contest. For polish and pure fun, and for playing alongside a young child on Switch 2, Bananza is worth its price, but skip the expansion.