Donkey Kong Bananza

Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release Date(s)
Nintendo Switch 2	WW: July 17, 2025
Nintendo Switch 2	WW: July 17, 2025
Platform(s)
Genre(s)	Platformer
Rating(s)
ESRB	04
PEGI	02
CERO	01

Donkey Kong Bananza is the 3D platformer in the Donkey Kong Country series, first announced on April 2, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch 2. It is the first 3D Donkey Kong platformer since Donkey Kong 64 and the first new entry in the series since Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in 2014.

Plot

After a rumor spreads about a material known as Banandium appearing on Ingot Isle, Donkey Kong and a crew of Prospector Monkeys explore the island's mines to search for it. During their expedition, a group of primates called VoidCo arrives on a giant, planet-like boulder and steals the Golden Bananas known as Banandium Gems as the boulder pushes Ingot Isle further into the ground, with the resulting storm sending Donkey Kong into the depths along with it. After regaining consciousness, Donkey Kong discovers and meets the Odd Rock, a rock entity that fell from the sky. Together, they explore the Underground World in pursuit of VoidCo to recover the Banandium Gems.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot of the Lagoon Layer.

The gameplay has an open-world enviornment where players can explore vast underground worlds as Donkey Kong where he can smash, punch, and destroy terrain in his path while collecting Banandium Gems. Along the way, players can collect things like gold, fossils, and Banandium Chips. The theme of this game is underground mining, with a heavy emphasis on destruction.

In this game, Donkey Kong can not only punch through the terrain in all directions, he can also pick up a piece of terrain and use them as rocks to throw or destroy objects with it, depending on their strength. Players can also use Donkey's clapping abilities to collect scattered objects surrounding him.

His companion, Odd Rock, allows him for special whistling abilities, which is useful for finding correct paths and breaking seals.

Unlike most platformers in general, the player cannot simply collect the main collectable - in this case, they must destroy the Banandium Gem for collection.

The gameplay is compared to Super Mario Odyssey.

Levels

• Ingot Isle
• Lagoon Layer

Development

The game was the final announcement in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct presentation on April 2, 2025.

Like with Donkey Kong 64, full voice acting also makes a return. As in Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong uses his design resembling the 2D illustrations drawn by Shigehisa Nakaue.

Donkey Kong Bananza was covered during the Nintendo Treehouse: Live events on April 3 and 4, 2025.

Music

The game appears to be using live-performed orchestra with some rock elements. The game's music composer is currently unknown.

David Wise, the composer of the Donkey Kong Country games, deconfirmed his involvement in Bananza when asked on his Twitter (X).

Trivia

• The name "Bananza" is a pun on the word "banana" and "bonanza".
• List of milestones for Bananza:
  • First mainline Donkey Kong game to use the character's redesign after Mario Kart World and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
  • First 3D entry since Donkey Kong 64.
  • First new entry since Tropical Freeze.
  • First game since Jungle Beat to (seemingly) be developed by Nintendo and to have Donkey Kong as the sole main character.
  • First-ever game in the series to feature a live orchestrated soundtrack.