Donkey Kong Bananza

This article is about the Nintendo Switch 2 game. For the digital soundtrack album on the Nintendo Music app, see Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo Music). For the theme for Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo, see Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo).

"DKB" redirects here. For the Adobe Flash game with the same abbreviation, see Donkey Konga Beat.

Not to be confused with Kong Bananza.

Donkey Kong Bananza
American box art For alternate box art, see the related gallery.
Developers	Nintendo EPD Tokyo 1-UP Studio tri-Crescendo
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform	Nintendo Switch 2
Release dates	July 17, 2025 September 17, 2025 December 10, 2026
Languages	English Japanese Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Dutch French (Canada) French (Europe) German Italian Korean Polish Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Europe) Thai
Genres	Platformer, action-adventure
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone 10+ CERO: - All ages PEGI: - Seven years and older USK: - Six years and older ClassInd: - General audience SMECCV: - Twelve years and older Gmedia: - Seven years and older GRAC: - All ages GSRR: - Six years and older UAEMC: - Seven years and older ACB: - Parental guidance FPB: - Seven to nine years
Modes	Single player Multiplayer (2 players) Local GameShare (2 players) Online GameShare (2 players)
Format	Nintendo Switch 2: Game Card Digital download
Input	Nintendo Switch 2: Joy-Con 2 Joy-Con Joy-Con 2 (horizontal) Joy-Con (horizontal) Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

Donkey Kong Bananza is a 3D action-adventure platformer released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17, 2025 (except for the United Arabian Emirates, where it was released on September 17). First announced during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct presentation, it is the second 3D platformer in the Donkey Kong franchise following 1999's Donkey Kong 64, 25½ years prior, and the first original game in the franchise since 2014's Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, 11½ years prior. In this game, Donkey Kong and a young Pauline explore and traverse increasingly deeper layers of the Underground World in pursuit of Void Company, a villainous group of primates who have stolen the Banandium Gems. The game places much emphasis on Donkey Kong's raw strength, enabling him to perform a variety of moves to smash through obstacles, tear off hard objects, and even excavate the level terrain itself. On the other hand, Pauline exhibits musical powers that can bolster DK's abilities, primarily by turning him into beastly forms called Bananzas, each with unique strengths. The game centers thematically on rocks, minerals, and the concept of mining, introducing a host of sentient stony creatures. Despite the game taking place underground, many places seem to have an open sky, adding to the setting's fantastical nature. The game takes structural inspiration from Super Mario Odyssey; like this game, it was developed by Nintendo EPD Tokyo, which previously developed Donkey Kong Jungle Beat when it was under the "EAD" name. Kenta Motokura, director of Super Mario Odyssey, also returns as a producer.

As with other games following the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, Donkey Kong uses a newer, more expressive design with elements resembling his design prior to Donkey Kong Country, particularly his eyes. The game also features full voice acting, specifically for the Odd Rock / Pauline.

Donkey Kong Bananza was covered during the Nintendo Treehouse: Live events on April 3 and 4, 2025. A dedicated Nintendo Direct for the game titled the "Donkey Kong Bananza Direct" broadcast on June 18, 2025 at 6:00 am PT / 9:00 am ET.

A paid DLC expansion titled Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush was released on September 12, 2025 with additional content. A limited soundtrack release, [Special Release] Donkey Kong Bananza, was released on Nintendo Music on September 18, 2025, featuring nine tracks from the game (including one from the DLC).

Donkey Kong Bananza is the first Nintendo-published game to be localized into Thai, with support added in the version 3.0.0 update released on December 22, 2025. It is also one of the first two Nintendo-published games to be localized into Polish (the other being Mario Kart World), with support added in version 3.1.0 on January 21, 2026.

Story

Ingot Isle as seen during the game's intro

The following text is taken directly from the official European website.

Ingot Isle was buzzing with excitement over the discovery of the century: golden bananas...

...until Void Company swooped in and swiped the whole bunch!

Caught amid the chaos of this banana banditry, Donkey Kong is swept up by a vortex that sends him deep underground.

As his adventure begins, DK encounters a girl called Pauline. Together, they set a course for the Planet Core, which legends say will grant them their greatest wishes.

Prologue

After a rumor spreads about a material known as Banandium appearing on Ingot Isle, an island far off the shores of DK Island, Donkey Kong and a crew of Prospector Monkeys explore the island's mines to search for it. During their expedition, a group of primates known as Void Company arrives on a giant, planet-like boulder machine known as the Pay-Dirt Piledriver and steals the Golden Bananas known as Banandium Gems. The boulder then pushes Ingot Isle further into the ground, with the resulting storm sending Donkey Kong and the Prospector Monkeys into the depths along with it. After regaining consciousness, Donkey Kong surveys the scene of Ingot Isle's cave-in, when a purple rock entity falls from the sky. Upon investigating, Donkey Kong discovers that the entity is called the Odd Rock, who decides to join him. Together, Donkey Kong and Odd Rock make their way up to the summit of Ingot Isle, where they find a mysterious stake plugging a hole. They are then ambushed by a rock monster, who drops a key after being defeated. The key then opens up a sinkhole leading deeper underground, into which Donkey Kong and the Odd Rock dive in to pursue VoidCo and recover the Banandium Gems.

Main story

Odd Rock reverting to its true form: Pauline

Pauline's performance granting Donkey Kong his Kong Bananza form

Donkey Kong and Odd Rock fall into the Lagoon Layer, sublayer 100, where they learn from the resident fisher monkeys that VoidCo has blocked the region's water reservoir. After destroying the stake that caused the block, they come across the following sublayer's residents, who tell the heroes about the water shortage in the region. While unblocking the water flow, they meet the Kong Elder, and are tasked by him with retrieving the Ancient Record.

With that done, the Elder manifests a concert stage with the residents as an audience. The Elder's power alongside Donkey Kong's chest-pounding beat breaks the Odd Rock free, revealing it to be a young girl named Pauline. Although experiencing stage fright, Pauline sings, granting Donkey Kong his Kong Bananza form. Pauline thanks Donkey Kong for his help and suggests that both of them look for the surface together. As Pauline wishes to return home, and Donkey Kong wishes for bananas, the Kong Elder suggests they descend to the planet's core, since they hold it that achieving that grants them any wish, a quest they accept. While this happens, they are observed by Poppy Kong. She sets off to tell her boss about the duo's goal.

Donkey Kong and Pauline confront Void Company

Donkey Kong and Pauline eventually reach the sinkhole that leads deeper into the planet, but find VoidCo, whom Pauline recognizes as those who transformed her into Odd Rock. Their president, Void Kong, demands that Pauline return to him, but she refuses. The heroes learn from them at this point that they, too, plan to reach the planet's core. VoidCo leaves for the next layer, leaving Peekabruiser behind to fight Donkey Kong and Pauline. Peekabruiser is defeated, and the heroes proceed.

In the Hilltop Layer, sublayer 200, Donkey Kong and Pauline meet the Fractones, a civilization of crystalline creatures found throughout the Underground World. With their help, yet another sinkhole is opened, leading to the Canyon Layer, sublayer 300. There, the resident Fractones express their worry regarding VoidCo's presence and Banandium Gem theft, and mention they are headed to the Banandium Refinery. Along the way, Donkey Kong and Pauline fight Grumpy Kong and win, being then given the key to the Refinery sublayer by him as an acknowledgement of defeat. At the Refinery itself, they defeat the Mad Mixer and reach Mechaneck Isle. A Fractone informs them that a "monster" left by VoidCo stole their bananas and headed to Click-Clack Smokestack. Upon getting there, that monster is revealed as a Stompenclomper and is defeated as well. Another sinkhole is then reached, and Donkey Kong and Pauline descend to the next layer. Pauline mentions that a Fractone told her VoidCo is using bananas to generate energy for their terrain-piercing machine.

The heroes reach the Divide, sublayer 400. From this point, they can reach both the Freezer and Forest Layer.

In the Freezer Layer, the resident zebras, who work in ice cream production, face problems due to the excessively cold weather. Donkey Kong and Pauline soon meet the Zebra Elder. He tells them Poppy Kong stole their bananas, and tasks them with retrieving another Ancient Record, enabling them to use Donkey Kong's Zebra Bananza transformation. They reach the Cooling Tower and defeat Poppy, who gives them the key to the next sublayer. In Hot-Hoof Heater, sublayer 502, they solve the location's excessive heat by defeating the Inflammonite in the Compressor. A sinkhole is opened.

In the Forest Layer, the resident ostriches, who work in the lodging business, are concerned with Void's arrival, which was followed by the location's healthy, safe forest being affected with poison floods and thorny bushes. They are directed to seek the Ostrich Elder's help in the Eggshell Hotel. The Elder worries the problems brought by VoidCo will affect the quality of their services, and helps the heroes by directing them to retrieve an Ancient Record, enabling Pauline to trigger Donkey Kong's Ostrich Bananza transformation. In the next sublayer, 602, Donkey Kong and Pauline destroy the poisonous plants affecting the location. They eventually get to a much larger mass of thorns, and find out it is Abracajabya, a giant, magic plant grown by Grumpy. A sinkhole is opened after it is defeated.

Void Company in The Junction

Pauline unsure about her "special power"

Upon leaving the Freezer Layer or the Forest Layer, Donkey Kong and Pauline reach The Junction, sublayer 700, a location highly affected by VoidCo's metal, and find out they must clear the metal coming from both sides of the split path. They can return to the Divide with the Eelevator's help and reach the other side of the Junction, clearing both sides of the metal. They cross paths with VoidCo working on their machine, with Void Kong leaving for the upper layers to gather more Banandium Gems to fuel the machine. Donkey Kong and Pauline go after him and find him aggressively demanding Banandium Gems from the residents of Hilltop Layer. The heroes fight the VoidCo leader in the Hilltop Layer, then the Lagoon Layer, and finally defeat him in the Junction. With enough fuel, Void Kong and his employees descend further into the terrain, not before Void once again expressing his wish for Pauline to return to their side, mentioning her special powers and that she will not get her wish granted even if they reach the core, causing Pauline to wonder what he is planning to do.

The heroes reach the Resort Layer, sublayer 800, and from there they get to the Tempest Layer, sublayer 900, a stormy location home to elephants keen on meteorology. Their elder, the Elephant Elder, tasks them with retrieving an Ancient Record. While doing so, they meet the Sinister Blusterwing, who broke the record in half. Upon retrieving the pieces, Pauline is taught to enable Donkey Kong's Elephant Bananza transformation. The Elder then tells them about the Banandium Root, the powerful entity residing in the planet's core, able to grant wishes, and "forecasts" their success in finding it. Donkey Kong and Pauline progress deeper into the layer, eventually finding and defeating the Sinister Blusterwing in the Stormy Station, revealing it to be a crystal bird affected by a VoidCo-developed mask, and opening another sinkhole.

Pauline just before being taken by the Great Harmoneel

Donkey Kong and Pauline arrive in the Landfill Layer, sublayer 1000, where they fight Grumpy Kong's Re-Peekabruiser, followed by the Racing Layer, sublayer 1100, where they compete in Rambi Rumble, a Rambi race against Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong. They then reach the Radiance Layer, sublayer 1200, home to snakes with an inclination to art. They learn from a resident that Void Kong stole their light source. After meeting the Snake Elder in sublayer 1201 and retrieving the Ancient Record pieces from the surrounding art exhibits, Pauline learns to transform Donkey Kong into his Snake Bananza form. The Snake Elder further tells them the gold roots they have seen throughout the Underground World are derived from the Banandium Root, and that he has noticed no new roots have appeared for some time. In sublayer 1202, they reactivate the Synthetic Sun in the Solar Control Tower and fight Poppy Kong once more. Upon being defeated again, Poppy resigns from her position, deeming the operation to be worthless. Finally, in sublayer 1203, Donkey Kong and Pauline fight Grumpy Kong and defeat him as well. Pauline is then suddenly kidnapped by the Great Harmoneel, and Donkey Kong is left distraught and falls unconscious.

Donkey Kong wakes up alone in a prison cell, guarded by Fractones who tell him he was arrested on the grounds of destroying their disco. He breaks out of the cell by digging out from below. Exploring the prison, he finds a jailed Poppy Kong as well and helps her break out. It is revealed they are in the Groove Layer, sublayer 1300. A music hall, it had its three sound sources blocked by Terravoiders. Donkey Kong proceeds to fix the issue, destroying the obstructing equipment and digging tunnels for the sound to reach the Disco Hall—the main room, home to a giant speaker. While Donkey Kong works on that task, Poppy mentions the Great Harmoneel was wearing a Mind-Bender Mask, developed by VoidCo for brainwashing, a similar device to the one worn by Sinister Blusterwing earlier. She also mentions Grumpy Kong lost his motivation after his last defeat and has resigned as well.

Pauline expressing her love of singing to Donkey Kong

As the music returns, the Great Harmoneel breaks free from his brainwashing, eager to sing. Donkey Kong can jump into his mouth and rescue Pauline, who is back in Odd Rock form and stuck to VoidCo pieces. Upon rescue, Pauline returns to her normal form and tells Donkey Kong about her dream of becoming a singer.

Donkey Kong and Pauline reach the Feast Layer, sublayer 1400, a food processing plant and fast-food and lion-themed amusement park that is infected with muck. There, they help build the giant Banana Burger, while Void Kong learns of the failure of his employees. Donkey Kong and Pauline descend to sublayer 1401, where the Cat-Scratch Kitchen is highly muck-infected. They find and defeat Muckety-Muck, the source of the muck, and open another sinkhole.

Pauline singing to save Donkey Kong from his Odd Rock form

King K. Rool with the Banandium Root in New Donk City

Through the sinkhole, the heroes reach the Forbidden Layer, sublayer 1500, where the Banandium Root supposedly resides. They eventually reach a golden dome, which Void Kong presents as the Banandium Root. He tells them the Root is dormant, and Pauline's singing has the power to awaken it. Pauline refuses to sing, and Donkey Kong fights Void, this time unable to use any Bananza powers. Void Kong, then defeated, uses his All-Mine Remote to turn Donkey Kong into an Odd Rock form, rendering him immobile to force Pauline to sing to save him. Donkey Kong can generate a beat through the rock, and Pauline sings, freeing Donkey Kong and also stimulating the golden dome. As Void Kong reaches for the dome, it is revealed to be King K. Rool, who punches Void Kong away into his Pay-Dirt Piledriver and takes his All-Mine Remote. K. Rool explains he got trapped down there while looking for the Banandium Root with the Kremling Krew, and jumps into the sinkhole he was stuck to, going after the real Root.

Donkey Kong returning underground

Donkey Kong and Pauline chase K. Rool and reach the Planet Core. They eventually reach the Golden Core and fight King K. Rool, now powered up into Core King K. Rool by the real Banandium Root. K. Rool is defeated, and Donkey Kong and Pauline make their wishes to the Root. It manifests as a giant pillar made of bananas that proceeds to push the heroes out of the planet core. As they celebrate their victory while returning to the surface, King K. Rool regains consciousness and flies after them with his Propellerpack on the way up, attempting to stop them in the process. They eventually resurface in New Donk City, Pauline's home. King K. Rool, still in possession of the Banandium Root, decides to transform all of it into rotten banana mush and feed on it. He causes the city to be taken over by his Kremlings and lethal Banandium Mush. Donkey Kong and Pauline climb the city and eventually reach K. Rool on a floating ring arena in front of the city hall, where the Kremling King finally becomes K. Rool, King of Rot for a last battle, but is defeated and flies off into the sky.

The Banandium Mush and gold covering the city disappear. Pauline reiterates her wish to become a singer and to sing for all the townsfolk, but understands Donkey Kong must follow his dream as well. They part ways, with Donkey Kong returning through the shaft created by the Banandium Root. After the credits, Pauline is shown to have become a street performer.

Postgame

If the player has not learned all Bananzas during the game's main story, they are automatically unlocked after the game is beaten. Special dialogue explains that one month later, Donkey Kong and Pauline traveled through the Underground World again and learned all of the missing Bananzas.

Three months later, Donkey Kong returns to Ingot Isle. There, he finds the now friendly Grumpy and Poppy Kong. Grumpy directs Donkey Kong to try a Warp Gong he has built in the area, and doing so reveals the Eelevator has brought Pauline, who tells Donkey Kong she must create a new song for a live show at city hall. She asks for Donkey Kong's help in meeting the music expert elders again. After rehearsing and completing the elders' challenges, Pauline has come up with a new song, and the two of them head back to the surface, where Donkey Kong watches Pauline successfully perform for a large audience.

Gameplay

Overview

Sped up gameplay footage of Donkey Kong gradually destroying a portion of the environment in the Lagoon Layer. Video has no sound.

In Donkey Kong Bananza, players control Donkey Kong as they navigate expansive three-dimensional environments filled with collectibles, enemies, and non-playable characters. The stages in the game are highly destructible, with Donkey Kong being able to use his sheer strength in a variety of moves, such as punching and throwing, to practically reshape the stage. In effect, a large number of collectables in the game are etched or buried in terrain, and can only be revealed by foraging through it. This destruction-based mechanic also encourages the player to experiment with different strategies for navigating or escaping certain areas, adding layers of discovery that set it apart from other platform games.

The general objective of the game is to find and collect as many Banandium Gems as the player can. Similar to the Power Moons of Super Mario Odyssey, these are plot-relevant items scattered across the map in varying locations, often obtainable by completing puzzles, quests, and challenges. The game also provides missions which the player must complete in order to advance through the game, with Bandandium Gems further acting as the end goal of these missions. For every five Banandium Gems collected, the player earns a Skill Point, employed in a skill tree system which allows the player to unlock new moves and enhance those already in their repertoire. For example, the player may use Skill Points to increase the damage dealt with punches, the range of their Hand Slap sonar, or their health meter.

The world in the game is also profuse with gold, a basic collectible item similar to coins from the Super Mario franchise that occurs in most destructible structures. It is a versatile item that acts as currency, as well as energy for the player's special powers. Gold, alongside other currencies such as Banandium Chips and fossils, can be exchanged with certain NPCs to acquire new power-enhancing clothing and additional Banandium Gems, as well as building resting spots and shortcuts. Fossils, in particular, are analogous to Super Mario Odyssey's regional coins in that they can only be exchanged in the layer they are found in and contribute to full completion when collected.

Donkey Kong's abilities

Much like Mario in Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong is highly mobile and nimble. His basic moveset includes running, jumping, and rolling, the last two of which can be joined together to perform the Roll Jump previously seen in the Donkey Kong Country games. Adding to his versatility, DK can also quickly climb most vertical surfaces. Donkey Kong's signature Hand Slap returns from previous Donkey Kong platform games, being retooled and improved in several ways: in this game, DK can perform it to pick up surrounding collectibles (much like the clap in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat) and emit a wave that makes objects such as Banandium Gems detectable through walls in a sonar-like fashion.

Punching is DK's primary form of attack, allowing him to gradually smash through walls, dig through the ground, and defeat enemies. A particular move that involves his fist is the Dive Punch, an attack wherein he comes crashing down from mid-air. As the terrain breaks apart, large chunks often come off, which DK can pick up, swing, or throw to inflict further damage. He can likewise directly dislodge chunks himself. Chunks may vary in size, giving DK a potentially broader range of destruction when wielded; they can additionally be used as part of the "chunk jump", where DK vigorously tosses one downward while in mid-air to gain a bit more height, and the "Turf Surf", where he mounts a chunk and rides it along the ground while it spins. Enemies, even those within a particular type or species, are built from various materials found in the environment, potentially demanding different approaches to attack. For instance, Donkey Kong cannot fight enemies with a sturdy or prickly coating at close quarters and may need to damage them from a distance using a chunk. Against larger enemies, such as Crockoids, he may cling to them and tear chunks off their bodies where possible.

Donkey Kong can make use of devices scattered on the overworld. Two such devices are Barrel Cannons, which launch him to distant areas, and metallic arrow-shaped switches, which are activated with a Dive Punch to obliterate a portion of the environment.

The player can freely rotate the in-game camera around DK, which generally follows him at ground level. When Donkey Kong is in a tightly-enclosed underground space, the camera may render the surrounding expanses of rock or dirt transparent to make that space discernible to the player.

Terrain

Main article: Terrain

Terrain is the term used to describe any material in the game which makes up the environment of each layer, whether destructible or not. The terrain in a layer has different levels of durability, which dictate how effective it can be when extracted and employed as a weapon. Soft terrain, such as mud and dirt, is easily excavated and manipulated, but quickly breaks apart when used as a weapon and is completely ineffective when thrown into harder surfaces; conversely, they stick to surfaces when thrown, allowing DK to stack them consecutively and form a projecting platform. Hard terrain, such as stone, can be used to inflict a lot of damage, but is more difficult to pull out or break and is not malleable. Certain materials, such as metal, are indestructible and cannot be manipulated. By aiming an object at a terrain type, such as a chunk, the player can see what that terrain type is called, along with a descriptor of its strength type if applicable; for instance, "Soft" for mud and dirt, and "Sturdy" for stone.

The amount of terrain Donkey Kong has destroyed throughout the course of the game is recorded in the Smashin' Stats menu. By reaching certain milestones, Donkey Kong can earn rewards such as gold and Banandium Gems. The player can view their Smashin' Stats from the Collection screen or by talking to Smashintone. Certain types of terrain, such as completely indestructible terrain (e.g. Neptunite), or specific minor background objects (e.g. a wooden wheelbarrow or a small fence), are not being accounted for.

Pauline and Bananza powers

Donkey Kong teams up with aspiring singer Pauline, initially encountered as the Odd Rock, whose musical powers have a tangible impact on gameplay. DK can make music by whistling, which Pauline magically enhances to create a musical path that guides them to their next objective in a stage. Her voice can also break seals left by Void Company, which block entryways into bonus stages and cover important objects. The Underground World is home to the elders, who possess "ancient Bananza powers" that amplify Pauline's singing prowess, making her capable of temporarily shape-shifting DK into stronger, beastly forms. Each form has its own advantages: for instance, Donkey Kong can take on a zebra-like form that increases his speed and lightness, allowing him to run on water or feeble platforms; another ostrich-like form can fly and drop large eggs on enemies.

The game also supports two-player co-op, with the second player controlling Pauline, allowing her to fire explosive projectiles of any material, depending on the material that is picked from the terrain.

Skills

The "Skills" screen

Main article: Skill Point

When Donkey Kong collects enough Banandium Gems, he earns Skill Points, which are spent towards upgrading various attributes, such as his maximum health and punching strength, on the "Skills" menu. Many skills have multiple strength levels, with higher levels requiring more Skill Points to unlock. More skills become available as Donkey Kong gains Bananza forms; each Bananza has a secret "golden" skill that is only available after completing their respective Bananza Rehearsal during post-game and requires mastering all preceding skills involving that Bananza to learn. A total of 200 Skill Points are required to fully master every skill, which equates to 1,000 Banandium Gems.

DK Artist

Main article: DK Artist

Separate from the main story mode is a side mode called DK Artist. Using the Joy-Con 2's mouse controls, players can paint, carve, and add materials to create their own sculptures.

Controls

A single horizontal Joy-Con can only be used during Co-op Play by sharing controllers. The actions for and can be switched in settings; the same goes for assigning what and do.

Action	Input
	Joy-Con 2 / Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller		Joy-Con 2 L (horizontal)	Joy-Con 2 R (horizontal)
Basic controls
Move
Look around			Hold then use	Hold then use
Reset camera	/ (disabled by default)
Jump Talk Advance text	(or )		(or )
Punch	or Shake horizontally
Punch upward
Punch downward	(or )		(or )
Dive Punch	Hold (or ) then release in midair		Hold (or ) then release in midair
Hand Slap
Roll forward
Pick up
Tear off	Hold		Hold
Jump backward	Tilt and press while moving		Tilt and press while moving
Water-skip jump	(or ) while rolling into water		(or ) while rolling into water
Make music	Hold		Hold then hold	Hold then hold
Drumbeat	Hold + or Shake vertically or in a chest-beating motion	Hold + or Shake	Shake
Switch Bananza	/ /		Hold then press	Hold then press
Skills Menu			Hold then press	Hold then press
Photo Mode	(disabled during Co-op Play)
Map				Hold then press
Pause Menu			Hold then press
Holding chunk
Swing