Donkey Kong Bananza Overview Trailer Drops – And We're In For A Wild Ride

Nintendo has officially unveiled an eight-minute overview trailer for Donkey Kong Bananza, the highly anticipated 3D platforming adventure heading to Nintendo Switch on July 17. This extensive showcase offers fans their deepest look yet at the game’s characters, mechanics, and subterranean setting, and judging by early impressions, Bananza may be shaping up to be one of the Switch’s most inventive platformers to date.

A New Kind of Jungle Adventure – Beneath the Surface

Unlike Donkey Kong’s traditional jungle-climbing escapades, Bananza flips the script – literally – by sending DK underground. The trailer kicks off with a punch – literally again – as Donkey Kong smashes into a mysterious underground world filled with destructible terrain, ancient secrets, and lurking dangers. But he’s not digging through this wild world alone.

For the first time in a Donkey Kong platformer, Pauline (yes, the original damsel from Donkey Kong and current mayor of Super Mario Odyssey’s New Donk City) takes center stage as a playable companion. This version of Pauline is a 13-year-old prodigy with an extraordinary voice capable of pulverizing rock and infusing Donkey Kong with new abilities through her singing – aptly called Bananza Transformations.

These transformations give DK enhanced capabilities, including:

• Zebra Bananza – Boosted speed and reflexes
• Kong Bananza – Raw power to tear down massive obstacles
• Ostrich Bananza – Long-distance jumping and aerial traversal

This evolving move set adds a fresh layer of strategy, turning what could have been a traditional beat-'em-up platformer into something more like Metroidvania meets musical chaos.

Smashing Through The Layers

From vibrant forests to crystalline caverns and glacial strongholds, the trailer highlights a range of visually diverse environments – all connected through one massive, layered underground map. Exploration is at the heart of Donkey Kong Bananza, with environmental puzzles and destructible pathways that reveal secrets, characters, and power-ups.

Nintendo confirmed that players can tear through walls, dig vertically, and literally reshape the world around them. It’s all part of what the game calls “groundbreaking exploration.”

#DonkeyKongBananza looks SO fun I can't wait to get it, look at them pic.twitter.com/PoSfUzRADn

— Victor (@ooneupart) July 1, 2025

Meet the Underground Cast

As DK and Pauline journey toward the mysterious Planet Core – rumored to grant any wish – they’ll encounter a wide cast of underground dwellers. Among them:

• Poppy Kong – A clever, gadget-toting simian who offers tech tips
• Grumpy Kong – The curmudgeonly elder with cryptic advice
• Void Kong – The villainous CEO of Void Company, a ruthless capitalist driven by greed, who leads an industrial expedition to reach the Planet Core first.

Void Kong isn’t just your typical baddie – he’s part of a larger commentary on exploitation and environmental plunder, mirroring real-world themes in a playful but pointed way.

Team Up in Two-Player Mode

One of the trailer’s biggest surprises is the inclusion of a co-op multiplayer mode, allowing two players to team up locally or online. One player controls Donkey Kong directly, while the other becomes Pauline, riding DK’s shoulder and using her voice attacks to stun enemies and manipulate terrain.

Thanks to Nintendo Switch 2’s enhanced Joy-Con precision, players can aim vocal blasts with pinpoint accuracy or even mimic nearby terrain to create strategic environmental effects.

Multiple multiplayer options are supported:

• Local Co-Op on one system
• GameShare Local on two Switch 2 consoles
• GameShare + GameChat Online, for remote play with voice communication

We got a TON of new footage of Donkey Kong Bananza Here's the Bramble blast levelTHE MUSIC OMG pic.twitter.com/wTkTRxJS4R

— AS112 (@AS_12239) July 1, 2025

Accessibility for All

Nintendo has also taken steps to make Donkey Kong Bananza more accessible than ever. The new Assist Mode allows younger or more casual players to enjoy the experience without stress. Features include:

• Auto-path guidance
• Aiming assist
• Regenerating health
• Reduced incoming damage

These features can be toggled individually, allowing players to customize their experience to match their skill level.

With just two weeks until launch, Donkey Kong Bananza is shaping up to be more than just a new Donkey Kong game – it’s a reimagining of what a DK title can be. With a fresh setting, an empowered new co-lead in Pauline, layered exploration, and inventive co-op mechanics, Bananza looks like it will dig deep in more ways than one.

Based on this new trailer, Donkey Kong Bananza may be Nintendo’s most ambitious and creative platformer since Super Mario Odyssey. And with Void Kong on the loose, it's going to take more than bananas to save the day.