Gaming Influence: Thoughts - Donkey Kong Bananza Direct 6.18.2025

Hello everyone, 

Welcome to Gaming Influence, a reboot of the same name I created in WrestleCorp. However, I will not only be giving my thoughts on certain video games and video game series but also on video game movies, video game anime, video game digital presentations, etc.

For this edition of Gaming Influence, I'll share my thoughts on the Donkey Kong Bananza Direct on June 18, 2025.

Anyway, let's get started!

For those unfamiliar with the Donkey Kong series, it's a video game series and media franchise created by Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, a Japanese game designer. Donkey Kong Bananza is the next main installment of the series, as it's the first 3D Donkey Kong platformer since Donkey Kong 64 on N64 in 1999.

With this game coming out next month, did Nintendo do enough to satisfy the Donkey Kong fans as well as players who never played the series before? Well, let's find out and talk about what they've shown.

They first showed a brand-new trailer for the game, and it was great. This trailer was a story trailer that introduced that Odd Rock is actually Pauline, which is something that got leaked, sadly, a while ago, but still great to see it got confirmed regardless. Great to see Pauline in another big game again, and it looks like she'll play a big role in this game, too, which is nice.

Next, they talked about the story of the game. The story takes place in Ingot Isle, where Donkey Kong was enjoying his life eating bananas until Void Company came in and ruined everything for Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong then met up with Odd Rock, who turned out to be Pauline, where Donkey Kong wants to eat bananas while Pauline wants to get back home on the surface. As a result, they teamed together on an adventure to achieve their goals. Nice to see that this game has some kind of story to it, even if it's not remarkable. At least for a platformer like this, it's totally fine, and I'm curious to see where it all leads.

After that, they talked about the gameplay and the actions that Donkey Kong can do. Donkey Kong can punch where he punches anything in his way. He can also hit a Dive Punch, where he jumps up and punches down to the ground. Plus, he can roll forward where he does rolls forward, which is convenient for obstacles getting in your way. There's the Hand Slap, which destroys anything in its range as well as detects hidden items. Tear Off is where Donkey Kong tears off terrain off the ground or enemies, depending on what they're made of. Donkey Kong can swing any object that he holds onto enemies or obstacles in his way. The Chunk Jump is when Donkey Kong can double jump by jumping off the chunk that he tore off, which can be convenient. In addition, Donkey Kong can throw anything he wants and can also aim when throwing as well. Turf Surf lets Donkey Kong ride on the chunk he tears off and use it as a weapon, too. Make Music is when Donkey Kong and Pauline sing to find the direction on where they need to go, as well as unlock seals. There seems to be a lot within this gameplay of Donkey Kong Bananza and I freaking love it. Looking forward to seeing how the game actually feels when playing it.

Next, they introduced the characters of Donkey Kong Bananza. They showcased Cranky Kong and Rambi, who are making their return. They also introduced the Giant Elders, who hold an ancient power called Bananza. Nice to see that certain characters within the Donkey Kong franchise will be returning, and the new ones that they've shown look interesting too. I can't wait to see who else will join in for this game.

After that, they introduced transformations for Donkey Kong. There's Kong Bananza, where Donkey Kong goes King Kong mode and can destroy anything in his way. Zebra Bananza lets Donkey Kong turn into a zebra, where he can dash at an incredible speed even through water. Ostrich Banzana lets Donkey Kong fly and drop egg bombs on enemies. These transformations only last for a certain amount of time and can be used when their Bananergy is full. You can also change transformations as well in one form to another. Wow, this is an awesome new feature for Donkey Kong, and it's awesome. Can't wait to experience these transformations myself, as it should be a lot of fun.

Next, they introduced the villains of this game. The villains of this game are a group called the Void Company. The Void Company includes three members. Grumpy Kong creates an army for Void Company to fight with. Poppy Kong is responsible for changing the terrain. Void Kong is the leader of the Void Company. When defeating bosses from the Void Company, you can get to the underworld. Like the designs of the Void Company, and they should be a fun bunch. We'll see how they are as villains once we play the game.

After that, they discussed the collectibles in this game. Players can collect Banandium gems in ancient ruins by completing certain quests with time limits and rules. When getting these gems, they can help increase the skills that Donkey Kong has where it's to increase health, power, or gaining new skills in general. When collecting Banandium chips, they can be used to traded in for Banandium gems. Players can collect Gold to buy items in shops. Plus, there are fossils to collect, which allows players to buy clothing for Donkey Kong and Pauline. There are also treasure chests that players can find, which have a map to locate the Banandium gems and fossils in the area. Finally, players can collect CDs to listen to music in the resting areas. Awesome to see that there are so many collectibles in this game, and all of them have their own purpose. There seems to be a lot, but it should be a lot of fun regardless.

Next, they discuss other features of the game. There are multiple ways that players can traverse through the areas. Players can go to an eel, where they'll be transported to a different area. With it, you can teleport to get to a specific location in an area. The game also has Photo Mode, 2 Player Co-op, GameShare, and Voice Chat for the game. Plus, there's also an Assist Mode, which is basically an easy mode for players who aren't good when it comes to platformers. There's also the DK Artist mode, where you can create art and sculptures. There's also amiibo support for the game, where there's an amiibo for Donkey Kong & Pauline. When the amiibo is used, it can give them special items within the game. Holy crap! Didn't expect them to add so many features to this game, but I love what they put in here, and it's great. Looking forward to trying them out, and something for everyone, which is also great.

Finally, they end the presentation with one final trailer showing a bit of the story of the game as well as gameplay. In addition, they reminded the people watching the presentation that Donkey Kong Bananza will be released on July 17, 2025. Plus, the amiibo of Donkey Kong & Pauline will be released on the same day as Donkey Kong Bananza. That was a pretty good trailer to end the presentation and a good reminder that the game is coming out a lot sooner than expected. I'm so looking forward to this game as it should be awesome.

Overall, this was a great presentation from Nintendo. I was already hyped about the game to begin with, but this presentation blew it out of the water, and now, I need this game! They added more features and content in this game than I expected, with the use of transformations, a lot of collectibles to collect, and everything about this game just seems fun, which is great. July 17 can't come soon enough, and I can't wait to experience this game once it comes out next month.

You can catch the whole presentation of the Donkey Kong Bananza Direct yourself with the link below:

Those are my thoughts on the Donkey Kong Bananza Direct. Did this presentation convince you to purchase the game?

Let me know in the comments below, and thank you for reading.