Summary
ThisDonkey Konggame has more RPG elements than any game in the franchise to date. Players can collect five Banandium Gems to level up Donkey Kong inDonkey Kong Bananzaand give him a Skill Point. They can then give him new abilities or boost his stats. That’s the biggest RPG addition, but Donkey Kong andPaulinecan also find and purchase costumes in Style Shops that have bonuses attached.
Even though Pauline isn’t a playable character, unless players jump intoco-op inDonkey Kong Bananza, she can still help Donkey Kong out with her clothing bonuses. Let’s go throughPauline’s best costumes, what bonuses they grant the party, and how hard they are to find.
6Neon/Pastel/Prime Feast Apparel
Recover Health While In A Bananza Form
There are three versions of theFeast Apparel outfit, all of which can heal players if they go into one of theirBananza Power forms inDonkey Kong Bananza. These costumes will make Pauline appear like she jumped out of an Archie comic, and all of them can be bought with Fossils in the Feast Layer.
The Feast Layer is a delicious world filled with salt, fries, cheese, and more lying all over the place. It’s not the hardest Sublayer to traverse, but it will take some time to fully upgrade these Feast Apparel costumes for Pauline by collecting Fossils.
5Berry/Mint/Taffy Freezer Jacket
Extends Zebra Bananza Time
Players can get all three forms of theFreezer Jacket outfitinDonkey Kong Bananza’sFreezer Layer. This cold tundra of a Sublayer is mostly covered in snow, which makes finding things tricky without a map. There are later sections with lava that aren’t much easier to traverse until a certain Bananza Power is unlocked.
Between the frigid lakes and molten lava, it’s a pain to get to the Fossils needed for these outfits. Their base power will extend how long DK can spend in the Zebra Bananza form, which is not the best Bananza power in the game, but it has its uses. It’s recommended to unlock at least one Freezer Jacket quickly to make getting around the Freezer Layer with the Zebra Bananza quicker.
4Black/Blue/Yellow Tempest Coat
Extends Elephant Bananza Time
The Elephant Bananza transformation is a top-tier Bananza Power that unlocks in the Tempest Layer. That said, exploring the Tempest Layer to get Pauline the cute and usefulTempest Coat outfitsis nightmarish. On the top layer, lightning will periodically strike players, similar to how Lightning works on metal weaponry and armor inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Below, there is a golden liquid that can harm players if they touch it, much like lava. Plus, this liquid will rain down on them constantly unless they have a chunk hovering above DK and Pauline. As such, while collecting Fossils for the Tempest Coat collection, which boost the time players can spend in the Elephant Bananza form, is not easy, it is worth it simply because the Elephant Bananza form is fun to use inDonkey Kong Bananza.
3Gold-Mining Gear
Doubles Gold
Gold-Mining Gearcan only be acquired if players beat the game, which is in itself a challenge without a doubt. Once they do, DK will be back in the Ingot Isle Cave-In, mining for Gold and Banandium deposits before meeting up with Pauline again.
Once they reunite, players can put this costume on her, which will boost allGold discovered inDonkey Kong Bananza. The best place to get Gold will be the Planet Core, so if players need to amass a small fortune, head there with Pauline in this outfit.
2Arcade/Family/Lady Dress
Extends Bananza Transformations
There are a lot of things that unlock after completing the game. Banandium Roots will sprout up all overDonkey Kong Bananza’sSublayers, and some stores will even stock new inventory. In the Planet Core, players can buy threeDressesthat put Pauline in old costumes from past games, like the 1981Donkey Kongarcade game, complete with a blonde wig.
Finding Fossils to fully unlock these dresses in the Planet Core is not easy, since the islands are so spread out and small. Plus, beating the game’s final three bosses is quite the accomplishment. All three versions of the dress can be upgraded to boost Bananza Power time, which is undoubtedly useful. Of the three, the Arcade Dress and Lady Dress costumes stand out because of the blonde wig Pauline wears.
1Diva Dress
Finds Records More Easily
Technically, theDiva Dressis one of the easiest costumes to get for Pauline if players are willing to pay money.Donkey Kong Bananza’stie-in Amiibowill unlock the costume automatically, but where’s the fun in that? Non-Amiibo fans will instead have to beat the game and then finish a series of challenges for the five Elders in the post-game to unlock it.
These are some of the toughest levels in the game, but the Diva Dress is a nice callback toSuper Mario Odyssey, and it can make finding records in the ground easier, so there are valid reasons to unlock it.Records can be played inDonkey Kong Bananza’sGetaways, which players can build, and they’re a relaxing way to listen to both new music and classics, like an abridged version of the “DK Rap” fromDonkey Kong 64.
