Oh boy, that sure was a Direct, wasn’t it? Indeed, with the Mario Kart World Direct revealing so little of the game, we worried the same would be true of the Donkey Kong Bananza one too. That once again, Nintendo would give us as a glorified trailer, and nothing more.

But nope, that’s the opposite of what happened here. Instead, Nintendo blew the lid off the game in every way, revealing all sorts of interesting mechanics and story details in the process.

So, today, we’re gonna go through them all. Look at all the insanity included in this amazing Direct, and how it makes us more excited for the game than ever before.

Characters and Story

Starting with the characters and story, since there are a ton of interesting reveals there. Like say, Pauline being the secondary protagonist.

Yeah, we saw this revealed by the South Korean Nintendo site due to a mistake on their part, but now it’s officially been revealed. Odd Rock is actually Pauline, and she teams up with DK as he tries to explore the underground world.

And this raises a lot of questions. Like, if Pauline was kidnapped by the original Donkey Kong (Cranky Kong in today’s era), how is she a teenager here at the same time the latter’s an old ape?

Honestly, we’re going with time travel or de-aging. After all, VoidCo turned her into Odd Rock here, so it’s probable they did something else too. Probably in aid of their plans to reach the Earth’s core.

Yeah, that’s where the story’s going here. Apparently, there’s a mysterious power/substance called Banandium at the core, and the antagonists want it. To do so, they’ve caused a maelstrom that’s sunk Ingot Isle into the ground, sealed off various levels of the underground world, and gone on a mad hunt to the core.

So the power probably has something to do with Pauline’s status here too.

As for VoidCo themselves? Well, we got names for them! Apparently the short leader figure is called Void Kong, the bigger fighter is called Grumpy Kong, and the female one is called Poppy Kong.

Yeah, more evil Kongs! Seems like the Jungle Beat ones aren’t the only villainous members of the Kong family in this series.

Finally, there are some other pleasant surprises and returns too. Obviously, Rambi appears after being mentioned by Cranky Kong in existing footage, but Diddy and Dixie make an appearance too! Yeah, they’re in the game too, and seem to compete with DK in certain Rambi races and other mini games.

So anyone worried about this game not referencing past titles has nothing to worry about. Loads of characters are returning, both in the form of little cameos and major roles.

Gameplay and Mechanics

But enough about the characters and story here. It’s important, but not the main focus.

No, the mechanics are. And hoo boy, there are plenty in Bananza.

With Donkey Kong’s moveset being bigger and more dynamic than ever. We already knew he could punch through enemies and objects, pick up part of the ground to throw them at enemies, or climb walls…

But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Because our favourite Kong has loads of new abilities in this one.

He can roll, like in the Donkey Kong Country games. He can tear off part of the environment, then use it as a platform for a double jump in mid-air. He can swing objects and throw them around in both first and third person. And things like the hand slap return too.

So, DK’s got a lot of moves in his arsenal this time around. Honestly, it feels a lot like Wario’s moveset in Wario World, and we’re all for that here.

However, he’s not the only one who can attack enemies. No, Pauline can too. By singing.

Yeah, she can sing for an attack, sending out music notes that hit enemies and destroy the environment. What’s more, she can power it up via the environment too, giving her area specific powers too. It’s neat to see, and very reminiscent of Cappy’s setup in Super Mario Odyssey.

And then there are transformations. Yeah, literal transformations. Called Bananzas to boot.

You see, each area of the underground is ruled by a king or ruler. These are giant versions of the sentient species found in the area, and grant DK with a special transformation based on their species.

There’s the Kong Bananza, which turns DK into an (even bigger, more powerful) gorilla, the Zebra Bananza which turns DK into an ape/zebra hybrid that can run at high speed, and the Ostrich Bananza which turns him into an ape/ostrich hybrid that can fly across the land.

And these can all be switched between at any time. So, if you want to run fast, then use the momentum to go gliding across a huge gap, that’s entirely possible here. Just pick the Zebra one, become a zebra ape for a while, then transform to an ostrich ape for the final stretch.

It’s pretty awesome to say the least, that’s for sure.

Unfortunately for DK though, they have their limits. That being, they’re on a timer, and have to be recharged by collecting Bananergy when they run out.

Hence, you’ll need to careful with how often you use them, and careful to keep the energy topped up. They’re useful power and ability boosts, but they’re not infinite, that’s for sure.

There are also skill points and outfits too. The former let you power up DK’s abilities RPG style, while the latter give you Crazy Cap style outfits that have their own abilities, Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom style.

That’s a lot of depth for a game like this. It’s incredibly customisable, and really lets you tackle every challenge in your own way.

Another interesting inclusion are the challenge levels. These act like a hybrid of the DKC bonus levels and Zelda style shrines, and can be found tucked away throughout the world.

And they are a huge mix of crazy references to other games. You’ve got the DKC Jungle Japes style one shown in the last Direct, a Minecart Madness themed 2D level, a bramble level clearly inspired by Bramble Blast and even a throwback to the DK arcade game with its girder filled stages.

It’s incredible to see, and makes us wonder what other random references will return here. Will we see rollercoaster, beehive, treetop or ice cave themed areas? Will places from Returns or Tropical Freeze get referenced? Are there going to be callbacks to Jungle Beat, DK 64, or even the Paon games?

Honestly, it’s all possible. And given that these levels bring back the mechanics found in their inspiration, that gives us a lot more in the way of returning characters and mechanics too. So yeah, kinda awesome, that’s for sure!

Also awesome is the possibility to play the game with another player in co-op mode too. This isn’t a full co-op style experience like the Retro era DKC games, since Pauline still rides on DK’s back when someone else controls her…

But she can shoot music notes at everything on screen nonetheless, sorta like the Co-Star Luma in the Galaxy games. So, if you want a more chill co-op experience perfectly suited for parents and kids, this is probably it. It’s another Galaxy or Odyssey style co-op setup like many before.

There’s also Photo Mode, which is basically the same as in Mario Odyssey, and Assist Mode… which is also basically identical to the version in Super Mario Odyssey. They’re neat enough additions, and good for accessibility and photo sharing purposes, but there’s not really much new to discuss there.

What does leave room for discussion on the other hand… is DK Artist.

This option is utterly bizarre. Basically, it’s a 3D modelling tool for creating sculptures.

Yes really. You can carve out rocks to resemble anything you want, whether that’s DK, his supporting cast, characters from other games or things from other media altogether. It’s a very strange addition, and one which feels like Mario Paint on steroids.

And honestly? We’re all for it. Mario Paint was a neat game back in the 90s, and this promises to be just as interesting here as well. Just don’t expect us to make anything interesting with it, given our total lack of artistic skill.

Conclusion

Either way, that’s all the new stuff reveal in today’s Donkey Kong Bananza Direct. There’s a lot to digest here, from new characters and stories to features and mechanics, and it makes the game one of the deepest, most complex projects Nintendo have ever made. If Mario Kart World showed the Switch 2 era was starting with a bang, then Bananza shows Nintendo is going all out with their other games too. They don’t want to play it safe this generation, they want to shake up every franchise going. It’s awesome to see!

Regardless, what do you think? Are you excited for Donkey Kong Bananza now you’ve seen so much more of the game? What other questions do you have about the big ape’s next adventure?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below, on social media, or on our Discord server today!

Source:

Donkey Kong Bananza Direct 6.18.2025 (YouTube)