Donkey Kong Bananza – Everything You Need to Know

Mario Kart World – and maybe the excellent Fast Fusion – notwithstanding, the Nintendo Switch 2 is crying out for more big, meaty platform exclusives. Enter everyone’s favourite primate protagonist, Donkey Kong and his latest adventure: Donkey Kong Bananza. With enough ideas, mechanics, and collectables to make Astro Bot jealous, Donkey Kong Bananza looks destined to be as enjoyably surprising a 3D platformer as Sony’s own Nintendo-like mascot’s. Here’re 15 things to know before you buy.

DK takes a trip to the planet’s core

The skies may be bright but Donkey Kong Bananza is a subterranean adventure. Following the discovery of golden bananas nestled in the depths of Ingot Isle, DK is swiftly on the scene to gobble as many as he can find. However, he’s flanked by nefarious mining corporation Void Company who’s destructive efforts to steal all the buried bananas hurtles Kong beneath the crust. It’s there he meets a strange rock who transforms into Pauline, who debuted back in 1981. Together the pair race VoidCo to the planet’s core.

DK has a bunch of new ways to smash

Running, rolling, climbing, and jumping aside, Donkey Kong has a newfound ability to smash, crash, and bash through almost anything he finds in Bananza’s underground world. He can punch through walls, he can dive punch through the ground – with softer terrain tunneling him the deepest. He can also tear up chunks of the ground to smash through tough rock, or smash through his enemies. The fantastically named chunk jump is ostensibly a double jump whereby DK uses his torn up chunk of Earth to scale higher places.

Lots of things can be thrown

As we’ve seen, DK Bananza’s gameplay is built around destruction, but there are practical uses behind all the satisfying smashing too. For instance, chunks of rock can be thrown, freehand or aimed, at enemies. Softer materials can be chucked at harder surfaces, stuck together to form crude structures which presumably leads to some nifty environmental puzzle solving, with hard-to-reach areas made accessible via slabbing piles of Earth together. Furthermore, gold and boom rock – clues in the name – are throwable materials with explosive properties, blasting holes in hillsides to reveal hidden treasures and throughways.

Hand slap, and it’s sonar possibility

Another new technique is DK’s hand slap, whereby he can powerfully strike his palms into the ground to raise scattered items for instant collection. From gameplay seen thus far, Donkey Kong Bananza’s action fosters momentum as well as destruction. Enabling players to quickly gather items by slapping the ground maintains this moment-to-moment flow. There’s a not-so-hidden benefit to slapping the ground too; the noise elicited functions as sonar, revealing items buried in the ground. This skill is something that can be upgraded too, a point we’ll expand upon next.

There’s an RPG-like skill tree

Throughout the underground world, DK and Pauline will find golden bananas which can be smashed into collectable Banandium gems. As Banadium gems are collected, skills points are earned which can be spent increasing stats or unlocking new capabilities altogether. Maximum health can increase, punches can become more powerful, or the aforementioned hand slap can have its sonar range extended which, whilst increasing the efficiency of collecting items, allows DK to detect buried treasure from further afield too.

Pauline’s singing can transform Donkey Kong

Dwelling within the underground world are giant elders who, aside from sleepily occupying equally giant thrones, possess ancient Bananza powers. By learning their Bananza powers, Pauline – who’s a singer by the way – can use her voice to transform DK into a couple of different animals, including a larger, stronger version of himself.

Bananza transformations

Banana headdress wearing Kong Bananza is DK’s toughest transformed self, capable of ripping apart even the sturdiest terrain with ease. Kong can also transform into a zebra because, why not. Zebra Bananza isn’t just about stripes though; DK in zebra form is a sprinter, so quick he can dash over water or crumbling pathways. Another is Ostrich Bananza, capable of flying through the sky and dropping egg bombs on bad guys. Each transformation can be freely switched between during a time-limited window which, by the way, is triggered by harvesting collected gold into Bananergy.

Bosses guard portals to the planet’s lower levels

Each subterranean level is a unique biome in itself, but to advance deeper DK must brawl against some large scale bosses. They’re somehow in cahoots with VoidCo who, alongside barricading the routes down, installed these monolithic guardians to fight anyone who tries to get through. The boss fights in Bananza appear on the fun rather than tough side, and could provide memorable highlights in which DK can unleash all his smash-loving tendencies.

There’ll be side-scrolling

Yes, unlockable challenge courses hidden within ancient ruins are fun, little side activities for DK and Pauline to quickly harvest a ton of Banandium gems. These time-based battles and assault courses mix up the gameplay nicely, but the return of side-scrolling is surely the main draw here. Callbacks to Donkey Kong Country’s runaway mine carts or the OG pink platforms and blue ladders of DK’s arcade game heyday feature.

You can buy stuff

Collectable Banandium chips – shaped like slices of banana – can be exchanged for Banandium gems, but this point is about all the gold that’s lying around which DK can spend at the Stuff Shop. Powerup items like balloons to eliminate fall damage or melon juice which can activate DK’s Bananza transformation without full Bananergy meter. Elsewhere, there’re discoverable fossils which can be traded for clothing items, with each addition to DK and Pauline’s outfits providing useful buffs: faster running, more efficient Bananergy harvesting, Bananza transformation time extensions, and so on.

There’re hidden treasure chests

Hidden treasure chests can be discovered by, how else, blasting holes in the ground. Breaking a chest open yields a treasure map leading to a bounty of Banadium gems or fossils, with their locations marked on the map for later. A helpful compendium listing all the fossils collected so far will prove useful for those who’re keen to collect everything Donkey Kong Bananza has to offer.

Eels provide fast travel

Those desperate to collect everything needn’t worry as DK and Pauline can fast-travel across levels via ever-helping subterranean eels. From gameplay provided it seems as though the pair can teeleport from any location they wish, but the places they can teeleport to are specific. These eels function as eelevators too, giving Donkey Kong and Pauline chance to transport between levels already visited too.

If it all gets too much, build a Getaway

Yep, when the time is right to pause the action DK and Pauline can carve out a place to chill. These Getaways come at a cost of gold, but they’re the perfect place to rest in bed, change outfits, and listen to music. The music player presents yet another collectable – music discs! – which are found throughout Bananza’s underground world.

Yes, there is co-operative play

Sharing a Joy-Con 2 controller or using another controller altogether gives a second player an opportunity to control Pauline in local co-op play. But what can your buddy do as Pauline? Well, using the Joy-Con 2’s mouse control, Pauline can aim vocal blasts. These blasts take the form of materials copied from the world, with the effects of rock, grass, et cetera being distinct from each other. The option to control Pauline is sure to be a welcome one for parents playing with their little ones, giving them a helpful hand should any boss give them trouble.

Take photos and be an artist

DK Bananza also ships with a couple of options to unleash your inner creative. Bananza’s photo mode is a comprehensive opportunity to freeze the action and tweak with filters, frames, focal lengths, and so on. Lastly, DK Artist is a mode away from the main game. Using mouse controls, characters can be painted, embellished, decorated with funky lighting, and seasoned with delectable banana effects..