Learn how to make the most of Donkey Kong’s powerful mitts!
Oh, bananas! Donkey Kong and Pauline are ready to take their show on the road to the Planet Core and stop the greedy Void Company. But to do that, they’ll need to harness DK’s brute force and Pauline’s special singing abilities—and that’s where you come in! We’re here to give you a few tips on how to become a wreckin’ wiz in the Donkey Kong™ Bananza game.
How to use your mitts
To start, you’ll need to learn some basic actions:
Punch → Y Button
Punch upward → X Button
Punch downward → B Button
Jump → A Button
Pick up/grab → ZR Button
Now, something to help remember which button does what is by its location on the Joy-Con™ 2 controller. The X Button sits towards the top of the controller, so hitting it will cause DK to double-barrel an upward smash. Meanwhile, the B Button sits below the X Button, so hitting it will cause DK to make smashies downward.
You can use a combination of these actions to help explore the subterranean world.
Get a lay of the land
As you punch your way around each layer, you’ll notice that you can also grab some of the terrain around you. If you press the ZR Button, DK will grab and carry the surface he’s standing on…most of the time. The harder the terrain, the more difficult it is to tear a piece off. While a quick tap of the ZR Button can pick up softer materials, like mud, harder (sturdy) materials may take holding down the ZR Button a little longer. If it’s too sturdy, DK may not be able to pick it up at all!
Once DK is holding a chunk of terrain, you can:
Swing it! Press the Y Button to swing the chunk around and smash things—the stronger the terrain, the more damage you can cause.
Throw it! By pressing the ZR Button again, you can throw chunks of terrain at the landscape, enemies, Fractones—anything you can point at. Just know that each may respond differently. You may find that while you can use a stone chunk to break through mud, the same doesn’t happen if you throw mud at stone. Instead, the mud may just stick there! Hmm…that could come in handy…
Turf Surf! Hit the ZL Button to make DK jump up and ride the terrain. This is a great way to quickly get around or over dangerous obstacles, like thorny vines. Keep in mind that softer material might break down much faster than sturdier material.
If you’re ever curious to find out what material something is, use the ZR Button to pick up a piece of terrain, then hit the same button again, but this time hold it down. You’ll notice the camera zoom in and name whatever terrain you’re pointing at.
Learning and increasing Skills
Word is Donkey Kong LOVES bananas (as long as they’re not rotten or mushy, that is). Sure, ‘nanas are tasty, but DK can also collect Banandium Gems to learn and upgrade his Skills!
Once DK has gathered five Banandium Gems, you’ll earn a Skill Point which can be used for different Skills. For example, increasing your Punch Power will reduce the number of punches needed to smash through tougher terrain. Likewise, you’ll also be able to quickly tear off chunks of some heartier materials.
There are even more Skills you’ll be able to unlock and upgrade as the game progresses. Some will help you get around and others will increase the amount of hits you can take. You can check out the Skill Menu at any time by pressing the Up Directional Button on the Left Joy-Con 2 controller.
Time to put it into practice
Now that you’re ready to tear through just about anything, it’s time to explore…but where should you go? Other than the fact that carving your way through the world can be a blast, there are plenty of hidden places to find!
…But why should you? Well, you can find all kinds of stuff diggin’ around!
There be treasure ‘round!
We’ve covered crashin’ and bashin’, but how about slappin’? Let’s chat about Donkey Kong’s Hand Slap!
You can try using Donkey Kong’s Hand Slap skill to get an idea of which direction to dig. By pressing the R Button, you’ll be able to see points of interest using sonar. You can upgrade this skill to increase the distance that you can detect things.
If you use DK’s sonar, you might see the outline of secret Courses, a Banandium Gem, or even a treasure chest.
Treasure chests can have in-game gold, Red Balloons (helpful if you fall from high up) and maps to Banandium Gems and Fossils!
How about a little music, DK?
Okay, so you’ve been diggin’ and found all kinds of maps—now it’s time to hunt some treasure! You may want to try whistling.
By holding down the L Button, DK and Pauline will start whistling and humming a little tune. You’ll notice musical notes drifting away from them. These notes will show the way to the next story quest or the location of treasure you have a map for.
Treasure maps and whistling can be especially useful to find hidden areas or caves. Oh, and if you want to mark your target, you can always open your map by hitting the – Button to select and pin your destination.
If you ever want to see how many collectibles you’ve gotten, you can go to your map and press the Y Button. Here, you’ll see the stats for Banandium Gems and Fossils found, along with all your Smashin’ Stats!
“Uh…I’m lost. What do I do?”
We’ve talked a lot about how to wreck up the place, but not a lot about how you get out of a hole you’ve (quite literally) dug. You can always open your map and select any blue Checkpoint, Warp Gong, or Getaway icon to fast travel. Once you’ve selected where you want to go, you can hit the A Button and call your ride—an Eelavator that will scoop you up and take you to your destination.
Warp Gongs are a bit different, though. Here, you can call a massive Eelavator! This sur-eel creature can take you to previous layers that you’ve already visited.
“I fell through a hole I made…again.”
Makin’ Swiss cheese, huh? If you like digging as much as DK and Pauline seem to, you may start getting snagged on potholes you’ve dug. That’s okay! You can reset the terrain of your current layer by going to your map and pressing the + Button. This will fill in those pesky holes and plop you back at your last save point.
As you tear your way towards the Planet Core, we hope you feel free to explore and face whatever challenges DK and Pauline face.
If you’d like to learn more about the game, please check out the link below.