Skip to main content GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love Search GamesRadar+ View Profile Xbox Series X Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 Tabletop Gaming Toys & Collectibles Retro Gamer Newsletters Total Film Gaming Magazines Why subscribe? Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99Subscribe now The Fantastic Four: First Steps Donkey Kong Bananza Switch 2 Starter Pack Recommended reading Platforming Games Donkey Kong Bananza is a destructive delight that's basically Super Mario Odyssey+, and I can't believe it wasn't a Switch 2 launch title Platforming Games What does Assist Mode do in Donkey Kong Bananza? Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza takes notes from the best Mario and Zelda games: it has its own shrines, you can totally destroy levels, transform into animals, and dive into the underground Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza Review: "Destruction isn't just a flashy gimmick for the Minecraft generation, it's one of the best inventions Nintendo has had in years" Platforming Games Nintendo made sickos like me wait 26 years, but Donkey Kong Bananza's 3D platforming exceeds my wildest dreams Platforming Games Will Donkey Kong Bananza be on Switch 1? Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza features a young Pauline, immediately raising lore implications and many questions about the very serious DK timeline Platforming Games Donkey Kong Bananza All Donkey Kong Bananza Bananzas and how to unlock them Will Sawyer 16 July 2025 There are five Bananza forms in Donkey Kong Bananza, all of which are unlocked as part of the story When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Nintendo) All Bananzas Kong Bananza record location Zebra Bananza record locations Ostrich Bananza record locations Elephant Bananza record locations Snake Bananza record locations The five Donkey Kong Bananza Bananzas grant DK some game-changing powers, from super-strength to punch through durable materials to the ability to slow time. These unique abilities mean each form is useful in different ways in Donkey Kong Bananza, whether that's for solving puzzles, traversing parts of sublayers, or battling bosses. You'll be pleased to know that there's also no way for you to miss any of the Bananzas either, as they're all unlocked by speaking to village Elders during DK and Pauline's journey to the planet's core. I've laid out all the specifics below, so you'll know when and how to unlock each Bananza and what they do! Be aware of light sublayer spoilers below! You may like Donkey Kong Bananza is a destructive delight that's basically Super Mario Odyssey+, and I can't believe it wasn't a Switch 2 launch title What does Assist Mode do in Donkey Kong Bananza? Donkey Kong Bananza takes notes from the best Mario and Zelda games: it has its own shrines, you can totally destroy levels, transform into animals, and dive into the underground All Donkey Kong Bananza Bananzas (Image credit: Nintendo) Donkey Kong gains five Bananza forms over the course of the game, all of which are impossible to miss as unlocking them is part of the game's story. At certain sublayers, you'll meet Elders who will provide you with their Bananza power, but only once you've found or fixed their Ancient Record. Here are all five Bananzas, what they do, and when you unlock them: Kong Bananza: Unlocked in SL 101 Grants DK increased strength, letting him smash through most materials with ease and break durable materials like concrete. Hold Y to Charge Punch, delivering a more powerful hit and shockwave. Zebra Bananza: Unlocked in SL 501 Increases DKs base movement speed, letting him safely outrun collapsing terrain and walk on ice without sliding. Hold and release ZL to Charge Dash instead of rolling. Ostrich Bananza: Unlocked in SL 600 Lets DK flutter his wings to briefly fly horizontally, allowing him to reach far-off areas and ride vertical air jets to gain altitude. Elephant Bananza: Unlocked in SL 900 and 901 DK can suck up almost any material using his trunk, storing what he inhales as large balls that can be held and thrown. Snake Bananza: Unlocked in SL 1201 Using his coiled spring-like tail, DK can Double Jump and Charge Jump to gain massive vertical height. He can also temporarily slow time with the Snake Bananza's Glare ability. Bananzas can only be used when you have full Bananergy – that's the yellow ring that surrounds the Bananza icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen – which is entirely consumed when you transform by holding L+R. Bananergy mainly comes from collecting Gold, but certain clothing items can provide other ways of gaining Bananergy too, and deactivating a Bananza early refunds its remaining time as Bananergy. Finally, be aware that you can also use the left and right directional buttons to change form mid-Bananza! Each of these Bananzas can also be improved by spending Skill Points on their own upgrades. I've covered the best Donkey Kong Bananza upgrades in a separate guide that also goes over all of DK's regular enhancements and the top skills for each Bananza form. Donkey Kong Bananza Kong Bananza Ancient Record location The Kong Bananza is the most straightforward to unlock in DK Bananza, and you unlock it very early in the game in SL 101 of the Lagoon Layer: (Image credit: Nintendo) After speaking to the Kong Elder, head around to the left of them to find the giant Ancient Record with a red triangle on it sticking out of the ground. Pick it up and take it to the Eternatable in front of the Elder to launch into the Kong Bananza tutorial and unlock the giant gorilla form. Donkey Kong Bananza Zebra Bananza Ancient Record location (Image credit: Nintendo) If you follow the sublayers in numerical order (pick the Freezer Layer rather than the Forest Layer during the Donkey Kong Bananza Divide choice), you'll unlock the Zebra Bananza on SL 501 of the Freezer Layer next, which requires you to collect three pieces of a broken Ancient Record for the Zebra Elder: Head up the chocolate path on the Elder's right to the Zig-Zag Bridges checkpoint, then follow the chocolate path, using the falling icicles to freeze the lava when necessary until you're able to destroy the Void pot in the lava lake. Tear chunks out of the ice to create a safe path to the record piece in the middle of the lava lake, then surf the piece down the lava flow and take the barrel cannon back to the village. (Image credit: Nintendo) The second piece is in the small lava lake to the right of the Elder, which you can freeze over by activating a nearby ice machine and redirecting the ice chunks or by throwing snow chunks from elsewhere to create a path. You can also Turf Surf across the lava to the record piece and surf back using the piece itself. (Image credit: Nintendo) To the right of the path that leads to the previous record piece, ascend the chocolate cliff then climb across the grates on the spinning propeller platforms. Climb up the one covered in purple Void Co. stuff, then jump across to the record piece on the ice cream scoop. (Image credit: Nintendo) Donkey Kong Bananza Ostrich Bananza Ancient Record location (Image credit: Nintendo) For the Ostrich Bananza, you need to find just two Ancient Record pieces in the Eggshell Hotel area of SL600, the Forest Layer: Dive down to the Eggshell Hotel Pool, grab the orange seed from the central building, and throw it towards the target on the spire that the first Ancient Record piece is on. With a bridge formed, you can walk across, grab the record piece, then take the barrel cannon back up to the top. (Image credit: Nintendo) Dive down to the Eggshell Hotel Pool, grab the orange seed from the central building, and throw it towards the target on the spire that the first Ancient Record piece is on. With a bridge formed, you can walk across, grab the record piece, then take the barrel cannon back up to the top. (Image credit: Nintendo) Donkey Kong Bananza Elephant Bananza Ancient Record location (Image credit: Nintendo) The Elephant Elder is in SL 900 of the Tempest Layer, but the two Ancient Record pieces you need are in SL 901, and getting them is a dangerous ordeal: When you reach SL 901, follow the path ahead and to the right, using a chunk to ride a zipline down to the Ancient Record Crossroads. Take the next zipline down to another lower area and you'll find the first record piece. There's a barrel cannon that fires you up to the start of SL 901 and there you'll find another cannon to take you back to the Elder. (Image credit: Nintendo) For the second piece, go back to the Ancient Record Crossroads but head right to an area covered in purple Void stuff. Use the Molevoloid enemies to reach the Void pot then destroy it. Now you can grab a chunk of Liftoff Ore out of a Molevoloid and fly up to the floating island which has a zipline. To ride the zipline down to the record piece, you need to throw a chunk at the cloud platform above to weigh down the other end of the zipline, then once you're on the other side, you can grab the record piece, ride the next zipline, then use the barrel cannon to get back to the Elder. (Image credit: Nintendo) Donkey Kong Bananza Snake Bananza Ancient Record location (Image credit: Nintendo) Immediately to the left of the Elder, you can find the Sizzling Sunbath. Head inside and just grab the record piece while avoiding the bubbling pool and the Trapantuloid (you can avoid this or kill it by jumping on top of it and smashing the little concrete circle with your Kong Bananza), then take the record piece back to the Snake Elder. (Image credit: Nintendo) To the left of the Elder, there's a short path that leads to the Pitch-Dark Pit, a small dark maze with a record piece at the end. Tear off Glow Stone pieces to light the way then go back the way you came to the Snake Elder once you have the piece. (Image credit: Nintendo) Head up the slope immediately to the right of the Snake Elder and you'll find the Slithery Zip Line. Smash the Void Co. concrete pillars to create light spots that you can use to freeze a scorpion, then grab a chunk of it. While holding the chunk, ride the zipline all the way to the other end, making sure you jump left and right to change lines and avoid obstacles. Grab the record piece and hit the blue pawprint balloon several times to raise the zipline, then ride it all the way back to the Snake Elder. (Image credit: Nintendo) Go down the path to the right of the Snake Elder to reach the Sidewinder Slide. While you're meant to climb onto the tower and slide down, avoiding the electricity on the way, you can just jump off and fall to the level below to grab the record piece. After that, slide or jump down to the lowest level of the tower, then smash the stone wall to reveal a barrel cannon that'll take you back to the Elder. (Image credit: Nintendo) While the Bananza forms are the main appeal of the game, there's lots more to bear in mind as you play, so check out our Donkey Kong Bananza tips for more help. If you want to know how long it takes to beat Donkey Kong Bananza based on a few playstyles, we've covered that too. © GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Nintendo Switch 2 Will Sawyer Social Links Navigation Guides Writer Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Donkey Kong Bananza is a destructive delight that's basically Super Mario Odyssey+, and I can't believe it wasn't a Switch 2 launch title What does Assist Mode do in Donkey Kong Bananza? Donkey Kong Bananza takes notes from the best Mario and Zelda games: it has its own shrines, you can totally destroy levels, transform into animals, and dive into the underground Donkey Kong Bananza Review: "Destruction isn't just a flashy gimmick for the Minecraft generation, it's one of the best inventions Nintendo has had in years" Nintendo made sickos like me wait 26 years, but Donkey Kong Bananza's 3D platforming exceeds my wildest dreams Will Donkey Kong Bananza be on Switch 1? 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