Nintendo aired its dedicated Direct for Donkey Kong Bananza, out on July 17th for Nintendo Switch 2, and revealed tons of new details. It confirmed Pauline’s presence, but the biggest surprise is that she’s actually contained within Oddrock.
Pauline is younger in the title and wants to return to the surface. Since the Core can seemingly fulfill wishes, she teams with Donkey Kong to venture deeper underground. The Direct also highlights various abilities for DK, including the Dive Punch, Roll Forward (which combines with punches and jumps), and Hand Slap (which uses his feet if the hands are occupied).
You can tear off chunks of the environment (and enemies) and double-jump with said chunks. Some even possess special properties, like sending Donkey Kong skyward. Pauline’s singing helps to guide players and remove seals left by a mysterious “someone.”
However, transformations are perhaps the most notable gameplay feature. Interacting with the Giant Elders and obtaining Bananza Powers allows for transforming into three forms: Kong Bananza for tearing through terrain quickly, Zebra Bananza for quicker speeds, and Ostrich Bananza for flying and dropping egg bombs.
There are no limitations to transforming as long as you have Banana-ergy and you can swap anytime. Once a transformation runs out, Donkey Kong can collect Gold to build it back up. Stay tuned for more details shortly.
