DK Artist, Cranky, and Much More Coming to Donkey Kong Bananza

Donkey Kong Bananza is shaping up to be one of the biggest games of the summer, if yesterday’s Direct broadcast is anything to go off of. Besides Pauline being confirmed as his partner in the adventure, a bunch of other tantalizing tidbits were shown off—let’s get right into the details:

• DK Artist: This new mode gives players the chance to create 3D sculptures using the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse controls. Carve into rock and even add banana-themed flourishes, as well as change the lighting in pursuit of the perfect creation. There’s also a Photo Mode for those who want to snap pics of DK mid-motion.
• Fast Travel: The game refers to its fast travel as Eelevators (yes, an actual eel), which transport DK between the different levels of the vasy, subterranean world he’s exploring. He can also carve into the environment to create something called Getaways where he can recuperate health and even listen to some music.
• Friends & Foes: A bunch of familiar and not-so-familiar faces were featured in the broadcast. Cranky Kong and Rambi were specifically featured, but two big ones—Diddy and Dixie Kong—were only spotted in the background and not discussed. The spotlight seems to be on DK and Pauline for this 3D outing, but we’ll see if any other favorites factor into gameplay. On the enemy front, the villains of VoidCo. got some attention, including Grumpy Kong, Poppy Kong, and Void Kong (the leader).
• Bananza Transformation: As discussed in our Pauline article, the little singer can power up DK and even help him take on new forms with new abilities. Three that we know of are Kong Bananza, Zebra Bananza, and Ostrich Bananza. Players will need Bananergy to power up.

• Skill Tree: In a first for the character, DK will have a Skill Tree that players can customize to power up the big gorilla as they see fit. Using Skill Points, you can not only beef up certain aspects of DK, you can also unlock new Skills. You earn Skill Points by collecting Banandium Gems. Those aren’t the only collectibles: there are also Banandium Chips and gold nuggets called Banandium Gold. Trade Chips for Gems, and Gold for various “useful items.”
• Get Fitted: DK can customize his look in this game, too. In another connection to Super Mario Odyssey (whose devs are rumored to be the ones behind this adventure), DK, like Mario, can outfit himself with a number of different articles of clothing (Pauline, too). These threads are unlocked by finding Fossils while out adventuring and can grant different benefits. DK can even change his fur color in this game—one colorway makes the character look much like he did in his arcade debut.

DK also has a number of new attacks and abilities that players can utilize out in the game world, including Dive Punch (to drill deep into the earth and roll yourself over obstacles), Hand Slap (to help locate hidden items), Turf Surfing (tear off chunks of the ground to surf around on), and more. It’s a whole lot to look forward to when Donkey Kong Bananza hits store shelves on 07.25.25.

Source: Donkey Kong Bananza Direct 06.18.25