Summary
Donkey Kong Bananzais Donkey Kong at his most powerful. It’s wild to see him go from theDonkey Kong Countryfranchiseto this, with a power boost as if he drank Captain America’s Super Soldier serum. Beyond his fists, players can also unlock special abilities throughout the story calledBananza Powers.
With Bananergy, Donkey Kong can transform into a few different animals. For players jumping intoDonkey Kong Bananzafor the first time, they may not want to be spoiled on these gifts. There will be a warning, but this will bea ranking of all the Bananza Powers inDonkey Kong Bananzafeaturing how they come into being, how they work, and why they are useful.
5Zebra Bananza
Fleeting Fun
When players make it to theThe Divide inDonkey Kong Bananza, they will have a choice. One path will bring them down to the Freezer Layer where they can get theZebra Bananzaform, and the other path will lead them to the Forest Layer where the Ostrich Bananza form awaits. Players should go to the Forest Layer to get the Ostrich Bananza form first, because the Zebra Bananza form doesn’t have a lot of uses. Once transformed, DK will move faster. Certain platforms will crumble if players move on them too slowly, which is how the Zebra Bananza form will factor into a few puzzle types later on.
The Zebra Bananza has a few upgrades that will add moves to its base form, like a better charge attack and a drift-like attack as well. In certain, more openSublayers ofDonkey Kong Bananza, like the Hilltop Layer, the Zebra Bananza form does have its uses. Most areas are not well-suited for this power though. It’s not bad, but players should not waste too many Skill Points on upgrades, as there are better Bananza Powers for DK to master.
4Snake Bananza
Bounce Up, Super Star
TheSnake Bananzaform will be the final one players unlock, and is located in the Radiance Layer. It’s a fun callback to Rattly the Rattlesnake, one of the mounts players can find inDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest,who excelled at high jumps. The Snake Bananza can give DK a double jump ability, and players can charge up the snake’s coil to bounce even higher. It can slow down time too, which is cool trick and useful for boss fights. Most upgrades will either make charged jumps faster or go higher, so there are not a lot of big extra moves to acquire here.
One upgrade in this form’s Skill Tree can make the downward punches in the Snake Bananza form stronger. Like the Zebra Bananza form, the Snake Bananza transformation has its uses, but they are not as widespread as the other forms. Also, it’s a bit hard to get around in this form unless players just use their double jump constantly. Perhaps if players could use the Snake Bananza form earlier in the game, it would be a better transformation with itsskill upgrades, but it simply comes too late inDonkey Kong Bananza.
3Ostrich Bananza
Fly, You Fool!
TheOstrich Bananzaawaits players in the Forest Layer, as previously mentioned. This form is a game-changer because of its main ability: flight. Once players get the right upgrade, they can fly and glide over large areas. It can kind of break the game if players get to a high enough point, but that’s one of the best things about anopen-world game with a flight mechanic.
Most of the Ostrich Bananza’s upgrades will boost the form’s flight capabilities, but there’s also an odd attack upgrade wherein the form can drop eggs on enemies. It’s funny to use a few times, but it’s not the most useful attack power in the game. Overall, the Ostrich Bananza form is not that strong physically as a Bananza Power, but the ability to fly alone makes it a good middle-of-the-pack unlock. It can definitely help players to hard-to-reach places inDonkey Kong Bananza.
2Elephant Bananza
Suck Till You Drop
TheElephant Bananzaform can be found in the Tempest Layer. When players beginDonkey Kong Bananza, they will be surprised by the impressive physics in thisopen-world game with destructibility. They will be blown away again with the Elephant Bananza form because its main ability lies in its trunk, which can suck up materials in the blink of an eye. Those materials can then become objects that players can launch at enemies.
For example, players can suck up explosive materials like Gold or purple rocks to then launch for a chaotic effect. The ability to suck alone can create endless hours of fun. Most Skill Tree nodes will upgrade the trunk’s power, boosting its range and how fast it can vacuum up materials. The only downside is its flexibility, as it is the slowest Bananza form to move around in.
1Kong Bananza
Going Ape
TheKong Bananzaform will be the first upgrade players get for DK. This is also howPauline gets freed from her Odd Rock form inDonkey Kong Bananza. It may not be as exciting as the ability to fly or suck up objects, but the Kong Bananza transformation is the strongest in the game by far. Some of the hardest rock layers can only be destroyed when DK is in this form.
For a game that’s all about destruction, the Kong Bananza ability will give players exactly what they need. Once unlocked, it’s much more fun to go around destroying walls while looking for treasure. Upgrades aren’t that fantastical in the Kong Bananza’s Skill Tree, but they will make the form better at destroying things, and that’s what counts. There’s also an armor upgrade if players truly want to turn DK into a fuzzier version of The Hulk, which is useful against some of the game’s stronger bosses.
