Donkey Kong Bananza Launches DK on a Golden Underground Adventure

Donkey Kong Bananza sends Donkey Kong and Pauline on a subterranean quest for golden bananas in a fully destructible world.

A new chapter in the Donkey Kong saga has begun with Donkey Kong Bananza, which just launched on Nintendo Switch 2. The game's story kicks off on Ingot Isle, where an incredible discovery of golden bananas is made – a dream come true for Donkey Kong, the world's biggest banana aficionado. However, things quickly go awry when a sudden storm (courtesy of some nefarious villains) sweeps DK away into a deep underground world, separating him from the prized bananas. To make matters more interesting, DK isn't exploring the depths alone. He's joined by an unlikely new partner: Pauline, a 13-year-old girl with a voice powerful enough to literally move mountains (or at least shatter rocks). Together, this dynamic duo embarks on a strange subterranean adventure to reclaim the golden bananas and help Pauline find her way back home.

Carve Your Own Path (Literally)

Donkey Kong Bananza puts a fresh twist on 3D platforming by letting players carve their own path through the environment. Virtually everything in the underground layers is made of destructible voxels (3D pixels), meaning DK can smash, punch, and burrow through terrain at will. Armed with Donkey Kong's mighty fists and Pauline's sonic singing abilities, you'll crash through walls, dig tunnels, punch straight down through floors, and even tear off chunks of the landscape to use as weapons or tools. The more you smash, the more new areas you open up to explore – Bananza actively rewards creative destruction and exploration.

Nintendo's developers specifically built the game around this "smash anything" concept, choosing voxel technology so that "the terrain and enemies…can be destroyed on a voxel-by-voxel basis," enabling gameplay where you can destroy virtually everything in sight. In practice, this means if you see a solid wall blocking your way, you might not need to find a key or switch – you can usually just bust through it with DK's brute strength! The freedom to forge your own route through each level makes every player's experience feel a bit different.

Pauline's Powerful Voice

Joining DK on this expedition is Pauline, a teenager with an earth-shaking singing voice. Pauline isn't just along for the ride; her musical talent plays a key role in gameplay. When DK and Pauline make music together, the sound waves can reveal hidden paths and even break magical seals blocking their progress. Pauline's vocals are so powerful that under the right conditions they can literally blast apart rocks – useful for clearing obstacles that brute force alone can't handle. In fact, Pauline's singing is the trigger for Bananza's most extraordinary ability upgrades: the Bananza Transformations.

Bananza Transformations Unleash New Abilities

Scattered throughout the underground world are ancient Elders who teach DK and Pauline special transformation powers. These Bananza Transformations temporarily turn Donkey Kong into different forms, each with unique abilities. For example, the Kong Bananza form supercharges DK's strength and destructive capabilities – even the hardest terrain becomes smashable when DK hulks out in this mode. There's also the whimsical Zebra Bananza, which – yes – turns DK into a zebra, granting him the speed and agility to sprint across water or unstable ground. And if you've ever wondered whether gorillas can fly, the Ostrich Bananza answers that question: DK sprouts ostrich-like features that let him glide through the air and drop explosive egg bombs from above.

You can swap between transformations freely once unlocked, and finding the right form for the right job is part of the fun. Just keep an eye on your "Bananergy" gauge – transforming uses energy, so you'll need to smash objects and collect items to refuel this meter. These transformations add a satisfying layer of strategy and spectacle to the gameplay, letting you tackle challenges in multiple ways.

Dangers and Villains in the Deep

The underground isn't just rocks and bananas – it has its own threats and antagonists. As DK and Pauline venture deeper toward the mythical Planet Core (a place said to grant wishes to those who reach it), they encounter the forces of Void Co. leading the opposition. At the helm is Void Kong, a greedy industrialist Kong who wants all the world's riches for himself. Void Kong and his henchmen – including a pair named Poppy and Grumpy – are responsible for the banana-stealing maelstrom that kicked off the whole adventure.

They're racing to the Planet Core to claim its power first, and they're none too happy about DK and Pauline smashing their carefully laid plans (and infrastructure) to bits. Players will face off against these villains in bombastic boss battles that test your mastery of Bananza's mechanics. Each layer of the underground world introduces its own boss encounter and unique hazards, so be prepared for anything – from inventive mining machines gone rogue to familiar foes with new tricks.

Co-Op Play and Accessibility

Donkey Kong Bananza offers a variety of ways to play. If you're new to platformers or just looking for a more relaxed experience, the game includes an Assist Mode that provides helpful features like aim assist, path guidance, reduced damage taken, and even regenerating health. This mode makes the adventure approachable for younger gamers or those who want to focus on the story and exploration without too much frustration.

Bananza also supports two-player co-op, so you can team up with a friend to tackle the adventure together. One player controls Donkey Kong while the other controls Pauline – who can even ride on DK's shoulder for some piggyback platforming fun. Pauline's vocal abilities become a co-op asset, as the second player can aim and blast away terrain or enemies with her singing while player one brawls as DK. Co-op is available locally by sharing a Joy-Con 2 controller, and even online via the new GameShare feature for Switch 2.

Working together, DK and Pauline make a formidable pair; some puzzles and combat encounters become easier (or at least more entertaining) when two players coordinate punches and high notes in harmony.

Overall, Donkey Kong Bananza arrives as a fresh and smashingly fun 3D platformer that brings Donkey Kong back into the spotlight. With its mix of classic DK charm and innovative destruction-driven gameplay, this underground odyssey is poised to delight long-time fans and newcomers alike. Time to grab your tie, warm up those vocal cords, and dive into the depths – there are bananas to save and a world to smash!