All articles tagged with #donkey kong bananza
Donkey Kong Bananza’s development team hints that concepts from Bananza may inform Nintendo’s next major project, suggesting a pattern where ideas from Bananza foreshadow future titles after Super Mario Odyssey.
Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Bananza is intentionally different from the movie version: in Bananza DK is a silent, player-like double who does not speak, while the film’s DK is voiced by Seth Rogen. Producer Kenta Motokura explains that in the game the DK’s “speech” comes from the player’s perspective and choices, and Pauline in Bananza does speak to deliver hints, highlighting the contrast with the movie DK.
Donkey Kong Bananza’s Elephant Bananza is the series’ most destructive transformation, capable of inhaling nearby terrain, lava, and more. While some see it going too far, the developers say the power is intentional to enable playful destruction, and DK can transform anytime. The game is now available on Nintendo Switch 2.
Emerald Rush is Donkey Kong Bananza's roguelike, multi-difficulty mode that reshapes DK's moves into key tools, adds a resource-management loop across seven difficulties and many layers, and offers 50+ hours of content with new gear and events. Despite backlash over the $20 price on launch, it delivers substantial replay value and stands as one of Nintendo's stronger DLCs, even if it doesn't eclipse Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed or Octo Expansion.
Donkey Kong Bananza 3.1.0 for Switch 2 adds Polish as a supported language (Polish/English toggle switches text to Polish; audio remains English) and includes general gameplay improvements. The patch notes also note updates to Mario Kart World and Pokemon Legends Z-A.
The next Emerald Rush event, exclusive to the Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush DLC, runs Jan 20 12:00 AM PT through Jan 26 11:59 PM PT with predetermined rewards (statues of Tucks and Lord Fredrik) instead of random Banandium gem skills; a full game is required, and pricing shows the base game at $19.99 or the DK Bananza DLC bundle at $89.98 on Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo Life reports that the first in-game event of 2026 for Donkey Kong Bananza, 'Freeze Break', is live from January 20–27. The challenge tasks players with completing the Emerald Rush roguelike in the Freezer Layer using a limited set of perks, with Tucks and Lord Fredrik statues as rewards.
The latest EDGE magazine awards 2025 highlight top games including Hades 2 as Nintendo's best, with other notable titles like Donkey Kong Bananza, Two Point Museum, and Absolum making the top 10 list, alongside various category winners across platforms.
Nintendo released version 3.0.0 of Donkey Kong Bananza, adding Thai language support, adjustable camera tracking, and various gameplay improvements.
Nintendo released a major update for Donkey Kong Bananza on Switch 2, adding Thai language support, adjustable camera tracking, and other gameplay improvements in version 3.0.0, along with a demo and new DLC.
Nintendo has released version 3.0.0 of Donkey Kong Bananza, adding Thai language support, an automatic camera tracking feature, and various gameplay improvements on Nintendo Switch 2.
In 2025, Nintendo launched the Switch 2 with a strong lineup of first-party and third-party games, including the standout Donkey Kong Bananza, which IGN named the best Nintendo game of the year, alongside other notable titles like Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Nintendo announced the first in-game event for the Donkey Kong Bananza DLC, called 'Chip Fever,' starting October 28th and running until November 4th. The event focuses on collecting Ore using Chip-based Perks, with high scores earning players two new figures for DK Island. This event aims to add more excitement to the DLC experience, which has been well-received but felt somewhat incomplete.
Nintendo explained that Donkey Kong Bananza was initially developed for Switch 1 but was moved to Switch 2 due to hardware limitations, particularly in achieving stable performance and higher frame rates, which would have been difficult on the older console.
Nintendo has released version 2.0.1 of Donkey Kong Bananza on Switch 2, fixing issues from the previous update, including reward and voice playback bugs, and improving overall gameplay experience following the recent DLC release.