Donkey Kong Bananza Details DK’s Abilities

A wealth of new information was just revealed during today’s Donkey Kong Bananza Nintendo Direct, including the many moves and abilities the great ape will use to smash his way through his latest adventure. Donkey Kong Bananza was one of the many first-party Nintendo titles unveiled during the designated Switch 2 livestream back in April, and it will launch on July 17.

Like 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong Bananza will be an open-world game in which players can explore as their favorite barrel-throwing gorilla sets off to retrieve his precious Golden Bananas from the evil VoidCo in an underground world. The previous Donkey Kong Bananza gameplay footage saw DK smashing through the ground with his mighty fists, and now, Nintendo is giving fans a clearer picture of what moves they can unleash when the character swings his way onto the Switch 2 next month.

Donkey Kong Bananza Has Co-Op, But There’s a Catch

The upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive game Donkey Kong Bananza features a co-op mode, but it may not appeal to all fans.

Nintendo held a Donkey Kong Bananza-centric Nintendo Direct on June 18, and it shed further light on the upcoming game’s plot, gameplay, and collectibles. This includes DK’s various moves and abilities, such as the usual running, jumping, and climbing through colorful underground landscapes. Donkey Kong Bananza’s new open-world format lets players explore in any direction, but this only scratches the surface of the new tricks DK has up his sleeve.

Donkey Kong Bananza Lets Players Smash Their Way Through the World at Will

Players can destroy virtually any obstacle in Donkey Kong Banazna, and they have plenty of special attacks to reduce cliffsides to rubble and navigate the world around them. DK’s standard Punches can be used to knock away enemies and tunnel his way through walls, while his Dive Punch allows him to smash directly into the ground. He can also Roll Forward to send enemies and smaller obstacles flying, while his Hand Slap lets him collect scattered items or find hidden treasures by unleashing powerful shockwaves. Players can even use this move while climbing on ceilings by slapping DK’s feet together.

When Donkey Kong needs something to throw at his foes, he can tear off a section of the terrain or even part of a particularly large enemy. This also works on buried Turnips, which can hold hidden items. Once he’s got something in his grasp, DK can swing it at an opponent or a spikey thorn in his path, or use it to propel himself higher in the air with a Chunk Jump. He can also throw any chunks he has at enemies, with softer materials sticking to other surfaces to allow players to build makeshift bridges and other useful structures.

Lastly, DK can use his new Surf Turf move to speed along, knocking away enemies and uncovering more hidden collectibles. Donkey Kong Bananza’s younger version of the returning Pauline has a few skills of her own, namely the Make Music ability that can be used to find the player’s next objective or remove strange seals that have been left behind by a mysterious entity. Players can use all of these new moves and abilities however they see fit in Donkey Kong Bananza, and are encouraged to experiment to find hidden surprises buried in the game’s underground world.