Donkey Kong Bananza[a] is an upcoming platform game published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch 2. The player controls the gorilla Donkey Kong as he seeks to recover stolen banana-shaped diamonds from a group of villainous apes. They explore sandbox-like levels while completing objectives, battling enemies, and collecting objects. Bananza features destructible environments; the player can destroy most terrain to create paths and find items.
Donkey Kong Bananza is a 3D platformer and action-adventure game that emphasizes destruction and open-world exploration.[1][2] The story begins when VoidCo.,[3] a gang of villainous apes,[4] steals Golden Bananas,[5] banana-shaped diamonds, amidst a gold rush.[6] The gorilla Donkey Kong, the player character, travels underground to recover them.[3] He is accompanied by Odd Rock, an anthropomorphic purple stone who directs him towards objectives.[1][7]
The player explores sandbox-like levels in the underground world.[5][8] Donkey Kong can roll,[9] punch, slap the terrain, pick up and throw objects, and climb most surfaces.[2][10] Journalists have compared Bananza to Super Mario Odyssey (2017),[6][10][4] some describing it as a successor.[5][11] The player completes missions, solves puzzles, and fights enemies to collect Golden Bananas.[5][10] Golden Bananas function similarly to Odyssey's Power Moons and are obtained by progressing through the story or found through exploration.[5] The player can receive advice from, assist, and obtain Golden Bananas from non-player characters (NPCs), including other Donkey Kong characters such as Cranky Kong.[12][13]
Bananza is distinguished by its destructible environments:[14] Donkey Kong can smash almost every surface and destroy terrain.[6][7] He can rip pieces of the environment from the ground or walls and throw them to uncover items or destroy enemies,[5][11] or use them as snowboards.[9] Destroying environments allows for varied traversal;[7] for instance, Donkey Kong can dig underground and create a path to another area of the world.[11] He can also uncover Golden Bananas by digging.[6] The extent to which the player can destroy the environment is limited by a layer of unbreakable bedrock at the bottom of each level.[13] The player keeps track of their progress in a 3D world map.[5]
Other collectibles include Banandium,[2] a gold-like material that serves as currency,[5] and fossils,[10] which the player can trade.[4] While exploring, the player discovers secluded areas where they must complete challenges including platforming, solving puzzles, defeating enemies within a time limit, and mining for Banandium.[5][15] They are rewarded Golden Bananas or Banandium upon completion.[5] Some areas contain side-scrolling sections, similar to the Donkey Kong Country games,[14][16] and minecarts.[8]
Bananza is the first 3D Donkey Kong platformer since Donkey Kong 64 (1999).[21] It is the first Donkey Kong game to use a redesigned Donkey Kong since Rare's Donkey Kong Country (1994),[22] similar to his appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).[23] Kouichi Kawamoto, who led the Nintendo Switch 2's development, cited Bananza's destructible environments as an example of gameplay made possible by the improved processing speed over the original Switch.[24]
Release
Nintendo announced Donkey Kong Bananza in a Nintendo Direct presentation on April 2, 2025. It is scheduled for release for the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17.[25] It will be the first major Donkey Kong game since Tropical Freeze.[17]
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