Donkey Kong Bananza Direct Revealed For Wednesday, 18th June 2025

I'm hoping this puts a lot of my doubts about the game to rest. So far, the rock smashing has looked like a fancy tech demo.

Interesting.

It’s not happening EVER but Donkey Kong 64 being added to NSO after the direct would be nice.

We still have a good amount of weeks to go before Bananza, after all.

Well, there goes all hope of a traditional June direct...

Surely this is going to be huge though. We still don't know who little Pauline is yet and it feels like we barely know anything about the game besides the fact that you can destroy stuff.

Already got this pre-ordered so might give it a miss to keep the surprises.

Man, i want a NS2 Direct that focusses on their road map, third party support etc. Packed with games. They cant sleep on this one.

It's time to BANANA SLAMMA.

A general Direct would've been a bit more welcome, but I'm okay with this. At least in comparison to MKWorld's Direct there's a lack of info on Bananza that justifies dedicating a Direct to it.

As others have said, I was hoping for a larger, less specialised Direct but after the Splatoon news I realised that was unlikely! But oh well, news is news! I’m very excited for more DK!

Mmmm, I don't think a Direct focused on DK is the best think Nintendo can do right now, but I guess it's something...

More DK info is cool. That said while Splatoon Raiders and Legends Z-A hinted towards this, it’s still a bit disappointing that they’re going the 2022 route instead of doing a general Direct.

we're gonna need more than a direct for 1 game to get the hype train going

Yeah we definitely need to see the full roadmap, a DK trailer in a June direct would have sufficed imo

Can we get a Countdown timer please? 🍌

Definitely curious to see more of DO; I will be watching. Likely planning to preorder the game anyways, unless they show me something that makes it look worse lol

@Grumblevolcano You could say it's even going back to the 2013 approach.

@Jack_Goetz bananza is the reason i bought the switch 2.
If it is as empty as mario kart i might just sell ny switch after.
Or if it is as easy as the kirby games with boring enemies.

A prolonged advert for a game I’m already gonna buy. We need an actual direct so we can see why we bought a Switch 2 at launch.

Aw, man.
The time schedule for Donkey Kong Bananza Direct will be crashed with my watching movie ELIO schedule at local cinema.

Awesome! I can't wait to see more.

Quite often these individual game Directs have been paired with an Indie showcase or Partners Showcase within a week or so. Wonder if that's the case now as well?

@kfflscnt The potential lack of challenge is something I'm concerned about too. Especially as it's been developed by the Odyssey team.

I've been wanting to see more of the game since it was announced. Can't wait!

I knew about this before NL posted it thanks to the Nintendo Today app. I'm very okay with that because it came with zero commentary.

Also, I think this just gets this out of the way for a general Direct. It doesn't rule one out relatively soon, at all.

@KoopaTheGamer yeah get it out of the way so they don’t devote time to it in a regular Direct…

Idk if I’ll get it with how DK looks, but looking forward to this!

I hope we see:

• Good couch co-op/multiplayer
• King K Rool and more Kongs
• Mini games

I'm not sure I want to see more specific details about DK.

That's not me being "edgy", I mean I'm 90% likely I'm going to be buying DK and these game-specific directs tend to go too far into the "showing" and leave nothing to discover when actually playing it.

@IronMan30 that’s the best way….

@Jack_Goetz 2013 had the big E3 general Direct which announced a bunch of stuff including Tropical Freeze and MK8.

The reason I said 2022 was that was the year that instead of a June general Direct there was XC3 Direct, Partner Showcase, Pokemon Presents, Splatoon 3 Direct and a bunch of standalone announcements over the summer via social media (e.g. Kirby’s Dream Buffet, MK8 Deluxe DLC wave 2, Bayonetta 3 release date). Then the next general Direct was in September after Splatoon 3 launched.

Maybe DK will be wearing a shirt with the Metroid Prime 4 release date?

One can dream.

There are rumours of Red Dead Redemption 2 being announced this week.

@sullivans2004 never say never.

@sanderev I'm sorry you don't like it, but it's my opinion. Luigi's Mansion started out as a tech demo and was fleshed out for a launch release.

That's what DKB reminds me of so far, as the environment smashing mechanic has been used to show what a 'powerhouse' the Switch 2 is compared to its predecessor.

If they have faith in it, there will be a demo available immediately after the Direct.

I’ve been a little surprised at how some people have been ambivalent toward this game, if not concerned. There’s a LOT we still don’t know about. We can pretty much tell what team is behind this, and if so, they can be completely trusted. I just hope this isn’t more like an overview trailer like what Mario Kart World essentially got, but since we know so little, I guess it wouldn’t be THAT bad if it comes to that.

I predict there’s going to be a lot of surprises in this and it’ll finally get people hyped. For one thing, there’ll be quite a few returning characters, including a certain crocodile king. This is going to be bananas!

@sanderev Sounds a lot like Luigi's Mansion then doesn't it? I merely said the mechanic seem like a tech demo so far.

BTW, you're the only one shouting.

I don't know how to feel. I want to be optimistic that this is going to be great (it looks like it could well be). But after MKW's lackluster direct, for a game that supposedly is worth more than this, I'm not feeling highly confident. That launched, and yeah, it was basically what was in the direct. Though Nintendo is pretty random with their pricing sometimes.

That said, it would be nice if they dedicate a minute or so to Mario Kart World - There's obviously a gap in costumes for DK and it would at least give us an indication that actually they are planning to improve that game over time. I want to love MKW but it feels like it's missing so many small things currently.

DK absolutely deserves a proper 3D outing again. I'd be happy basically with DK Odyssey

While I'd love a general Direct, I'm okay with this. I've wanted to see more Donkey Kong Bananza info for some time now. I actually preferred it over Mario Kart World when it was announced.

Can't wait for a recap of stuff we already know.

.... yes it's probably not gonna be that again but I'm still salty about that Mario Kart World direct.

@IceClimbersMain

Not at all Nintendo has constantly had mini Directs or Indie Directs then had a big Direct following a few days/week after.

@the_beaver what is the best thing they can be doing right now then? Besides having the most successful console launched in history ?

Im excited for the game. I need something to get me over the edge to make the purchase. It looks impressive but I feel there needs some DIRECTion as to the story of the game.

@the_beaver I'm a little lost with this one. How exactly is trying to push Donkey Kong as a major franchise again not the best thing for them to do at the moment?

This game really needs to deliver. The Switch 2 is missing a big first party single player game right now.

@Dev-N Nature of the site now, it had a big influx of Buzz Killingtons after the reveal. It also rekindled some longer term members love of whine.

RIP Silksong news

very disappointing there was a lot of talk about a nintendo direct in june and this is not the direct i was hoping for..

@johnedwin talk from whom?

2020 bis and we have a new Nintendo hardware gen... Very strange for no ND this month !!

@WiltonRoots all over youtube from my favorite nintendo youtubers.. they usually are right about such things..

@johnedwin ah okay kool…

I’m really hoping this game is an absolute banger. The switch 2 needs a big first party game to blow everyone away. I like Mario kart but I’m after a single player game with some Nintendo magic.

So, is this a direct, or another overview trailer?

Not really; I'm looking forward to the next proper direct. DK is cool, but when is Metroid Prime 4 coming out? What's MonolithSoft been working on? What games are coming out the next several months, including third party titles? There are lots of questions.

I’m excited for the direct, DK Bonanza and Mario Kart world was the two games that made be preorder Switch 2. First reveal of DK was phenomenal so looking forward to more!

John Marston for DK Bananza confirmed

Boooooo wanted a general direct not a DK only one

I can't play button mashy games anymore, so raming through a kiloton of bricks is out of the question. But this looks like it will be absolutely amazing! Have fun everyone!

DKA really needs to hit the AAA Nintendo in house studios hit spot like Mario odyssey and TOTK etc. meta 90 plus.
MKW is at 87.

Reason Nintendo for me with in house studios have that quality high scoring perfect game reputation. And if another big AAA dips below the 90s that will 2 in the row.
It doesn’t take much to reduce your reputation now a days.
I see Nintendo in house as very special, let’s hope they stay that way and don’t start becoming a very good average.

Excellent. While this looks great to me I hope we see some actual platforming gameplay and it’s not all about smashing the world up. That’s my only concern.

I won’t be watching this. I know I’ll be getting the game anyway so don’t want this spoiled. New games being announced will always be more exciting than seeing more of a game I already decided to buy.

@Jack_Goetz Every first-party Switch 2 game is a tech demo by your definition then.

@Jack_Goetz I understand and share your concerns, but it’s worth remembering that “new 3D DK game by the Odyssey team” was rumored YEARS ago. So I’m guessing this was never intended as a tech demo and was always planned as a full game.

Here’s hoping it’s at least as big and interesting as Odyssey. My worries haven’t been completely dispelled yet.

I thought this was possible they'd do mini directs for games.

@kmtrain83 what you blabbing about, clown?

@kmtrain83 Lost me completely with post #64, what's it in reference to?

@BenAV

What you said! I love the teaser directs with actual news, but these one-game directs are more like spoiler territory for me and something I'll try hard to avoid but will likely succumb to sneaking a peak at 😅

Not really. Too expensive and possibly too long to finish. I played BotW and TotK and it was frustratingly too long. I have not the time nor the interest for such long games. I miss those old games you could finish in 1 day-week.

@tobsesta99 Again, for those who have difficulty reading, I'm saying that, so far, the environment smashing gimmick seems like a tech demo. The Treehouse presenters even focused on how much the mechanic showed off the power of the Switch 2.

Remind me, which other Switch 2 first-party titles feature rock breaking mechanics?

In 2022:

June 22, 2022: There was a Nintendo Direct for Xenoblade Chronicles 3
June 28, 2022: There was a Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase

So historically, a game-specific Direct didn't mean there was no other Direct in the same month or shortly after!

I'm ready to know more about this one. It's the one I'm most interested in when it comes to the early first party games

@sanderev I mean... every game is technically a tech demo... depends if glass is half full or empty 🤣

Me personally, im looking forward to it!

Yes! I was running out of things to not care about!
Jokes aside, this game just doesn’t look like it’s for me. Props to those who are looking forward to it, though.

I don't know how many times I have heard "this twitter reveal/trailer/mini direct means we won't get a proper direct" and then Nintendo did one a week or two later anyway. But if we want to speculate, my personal opinion is that they want to focus their marketing on Donkey Kong right now so the next direct will be a week or two after its release.

@N00BiSH We’re getting showered with coconut pies (I think that’s what it said)

Ooooh intriguing! Hopefully they’ll reveal something substantial and not just rehash what we already know (like the MKW Direct).

I wonder if Pauline or some other Kongs will show up?

Thanks Nintendo Today!

@OtterXPT Diddy is gone. Now we have Donald.

I hope the Direct is designed to really sell the game to Non-DK fans. I'm not much of a platformer-player myself, but ever since the SNES days, I had a particular weak spot for DK games. I also always really liked physics-based or even driven gameplay, something woefully absent over the last decade, and thus feel this game should appeal to me.

At the same time my general sense is that outside of these particular circumstances to to speak, most folks seem pretty, well, un-hyped about the game. If they are doing this instead of a normal June Direct, it better be worth it! (Which is not to say, that there could not be a normal direct close by, which I think is 100% necessary given that we still do not have a Release Date for MP4 for instance).

Let's go!!!! I'm excited, but also nervous about this game. I'm hoping the Direct shows some things to alleviate my concerns, such as:
-More DK themed worlds, like jungle/temple/beach, etc... I haven't loved the world's shown so far.
-Good ole platforming. The destruction is fun, but I worry that there isn't a lot of jumping over bottomless pit platforming and creative hazards to be overcome, and that it's all just based on destroying the level...which seems like it'd get repetitive.

This game was the big reason for me grabbing a Switch 2 at launch. Massive Donkey Kong fan, my very first video game was Donkey Kong 64. Parents purchased it along with an the N64, Star Wars Ep1 Pod Racing, and another Racing game for my 4th birth in 2000. I remember my dad spending hours trying to get the N64 hooked up to the TV. Then spending hours on the phone with a Nintendo rep cause I wanted all the Plushies of the DK crew that was shown in the manual for the game.

It been far too long since we had a 3D Donkey Kong game. The announcement bought tears to my eyes which made it awkward to explain to my co-workers why I was crying in the office. XD

@Grumblevolcano TBH... I think this approach would be the best thing. There is no reason to have a direct right now. They just had a big direct in April. So a bunch of small directs, a Partner Showcase, Pokemon Presents in july, and a bunch of standalone announcements over the summer via social media makes sense. Then they do the next general Direct in September in time for the holiday planning to start.

With only 15 minutes, I suspect this will be much like the Mario Kart World Direct and show us nothing that we didn't already see if we watched the Treehouse Live...

@Yydeckard "what is the best thing they can be doing right now then?"

Well, after an "E3" where we haven't seen any announcements for the Switch 2, I actually expected to have a Partner's Direct now to confirm that many of the titles announced are actually coming to Switch 2 as well, and so they were just holding out until that event to confirm all the support.

It might be just me, but I'd prefer to know more about the third party support on Switch 2 rather than knowing more about a single game... Call me crazy.

Oh how nice of you Nintendo, to convince me even more.

We really don't know that much about this game (and yes I did watch the Treehouse) but if demo is short for demolition then yes this is certainly a demo game!! Can't wait!

I’m hyped for this game, been dying for a new DK 3D game since Donkey Kong 64.

I hope they release a demo. That could get me interested in a game way more than a direct ever would

I'll be there for it.

Nice, but that most likely kills a normal Direct for June. We'll probably have to wait until July or August, maybe as far out as September.

Ahhhh finally! Bananaaaaa!!!

Here are my hopes:

• Provide deeper insight into expanded gameplay mechanics.
• Show gameplay footage of that bizarre long-legged mine cart Nintendo previously revealed in a render.
• Reveal gameplay of Rambi—and hopefully confirm the return of other Animal Buddies like Expresso or Squitter.
• Give us more story details: Who exactly is Void Co., and what are their motives?
• Clarify Pauline’s role in the narrative.
• Confirm which other Kongs will appear—Diddy seems like a given, but fans would love to see the return of characters like Chunky, Lanky, Tiny, or Kiddy.
• Introduce more NPCs. What other animal species are featured? It’d be great to see some new ones like hyenas or jerboas.
• Bring back the Brother Bears from Donkey Kong Country 3 as NPCs—they’d fit perfectly.
• Show King K. Rool and the Kremlings. Even if they aren’t part of the main story, a cameo would be enough to show fans they haven’t been forgotten—like Big’s role in Sonic Frontiers.
• Reveal at least one new world theme—ideally something fresh and unexpected rather than the standard jungle, underwater, volcano, or spooky forest environments.
• Highlight at least one 2D level and explain its purpose within the game.
• Explain the collectible system: What can you gather, and how are those items used?
• Show costume customization—can DK wear more than just overalls? Where do you get these outfits?
• Preview at least one boss fight.
• Showcase a broader variety of enemies—right now, the enemy types feel a bit limited.

I get all the excitement and enthusiasm--I'm there too--but gee whiz, some of you need to give it a second. This system has only been out for like what, 10 days?

I think you can all rest assured there will be future directs and more games. Nintendo has already proven the system will sell, what more do you need?

Reiterating multiple commenters hopes that this
A) is less redundant than the MK direct was
B) Doesn't push the next direct too far down the line (I don't think it excludes one FYI).

Also we better be getting some Wise or Kirkhope on this soundtrack! Returns had a couple of bangers on the OST but it definitely fell flat compared to the rare games IMO.

@RareFan
I feel like we actually saw Expresso in the original trailer but agree that it would be nice to see more of our buddies back.
Also let's cross our fingers for Dixie and Diddy before we start trying to resurrect the 1 off characters.

@OtterXPT Diddy in prison right now but will be out in a few years

I want to know more about that female Kong they showed. She's hot.

How about a Direct announcing more than the 3 games for Switch 2

When a 'Direct' is just 15 minutes long, you know it's just an extended overview trailer, like Mario Kart World...
But hey, at least this one had new information!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0m_uNaSres

What I just hope here is probably something more akin to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKWBv-djiKk

@Galaxy2IsTheGOAT you are presuming they have more than 3 games to talk about right now

This pretty much confirms no general Direct. Still excited to learn more about DK.

I've never held the DK-games in exceptional regard. I think DKC2 and Tropical Freeze genuinely belong in the pantheon of all-time greatest platformers ever, and I've never disliked any of the other games, but this is the first "big Nintendo game" of this brand new generation I'll probably be skipping altogether.

I would have picked it up if it was priced at $60, but that just ain't the world we live in anymore apparently, and this one doesn't make the cut for me. At $100ish (in my local currency) I can't imagine that many games will.

Personally I think Nintendo deserves a 3DS-launch-like backhand from the fanbase over this price-hike, but I doubt it'll happen. So best of luck to those who splurge - I hope the game is everything you want it to be.

This isn't the direct I was hoping for 😔.

@sanderev I don't think the tech demo comment is unreasonable. It could be that the game just doesn't work well as a demo, but the whole breaking everything gimmick didn't really look that fun. Quite a few people who played the game were a bit worried about it. Definitely not saying it's going to be bad, but I really hope there's more to it.

I'm expecting more of a glorified trailer like the MKW one was. Either way, hope it has some special surprise that we don't know about the game yet. Kid Pauline? Diddy? Jungle-type levels? C'mon Nintendo...get me hyped!!!

Hoping for a reveal of some sort of multiplayer element, my wife and I are looking forward to playing it together regardless but being able to play co-op would be perfect

Got to play it a bit during the event in my home town (NYC) and i loved it. i just want to see some more fun places to explore.

@kmtrain83 Let me dissect and address your many assumptions:
1. You don’t know we’re not getting a full direct. I believe we will at some point, as Nintendo likes to announce these things at short notice.
2. I didn’t ask you to justify my purchase.
3. I didn’t say I was unhappy with it.
4. I’m not selling my console you absolute roaster.

already pre ordered, but sure !

Not excited for DK, but I hope for everyone else interested that the game looks even better in the Direct! The maps in particular I hope will surprise everyone, because the environment shown so far looked a little small..

@Ulysses well the game's environments are all split into layers and sublayers - something along the lines of the islands in Bowser's Fury, to draw a comparison.

Metroid Prime 4 is waiting patiently for me.

Was hoping for a more general Direct; since I'll be getting Bananza either way I don't really need to know more.

Maybe a partner showcase could still happen but I think as this point Nintendo kinda blew their Spring announcement wad back in April when they unveiled the console. Right now I'm leaning more towards something major not happening as far as a major direct until August or September at this point. Mario's 40th anniversary is coming up and we've hardly heard a peep from Nintendo on it too.

@N00BiSH Yeah that does sound interesting in theory, but I'm not particularly interested in a 3D Dig Dug. It's just a little strange to me that Donkey Kong finally gets his big 3D game, and they turn it into a physics tech demo inside completely unfamiliar environments instead of just leaning into the familiar world that they've quite literally installed in the Super Mario Land theme parks.

@kmtrain83 Really appreciate this humble and sensible response. Restores a small grain of faith in the internet!

@sanderev The point is that the game comes out in a month and nothings been shown aside from the destructability. If there's not much else to it then I'd imagine it'd get boring pretty quickly. Right now it really does look like a fancy tech demo.

I want to believe. The stages look procedural or something.

They’re likely deliberately holding on on revealing too much about the platforming focus of the game, it’s a repeat of what happened with Odyssey where people thought it was a tech demo game with auto runner gameplay and not a return to 64 style levels highly acrobatic platforming.

@AverageGamer I am looking forward to the Pokemon Direct because that game looks EMBARRASSING.

@LikelySatan Oof. I’m looking forward to it cause I actually like Pokémon, and think it looks interesting. 😥

@The-Chosen-one I honestly wouldn't be surprised if most of the third parties who had early dev kits were in the first Switch 2 Direct. Considering that and Nintendo's preference for announcing things pretty close to release, it might be a bit before they're ready for another big showcase. Though with the alternative being the repeated delays that have plagued Metroid Prime 4, the 3D Zeldas, and countless games from other studios, I actually kind of prefer it this way.

Would be pretty sweet if they announced switch 2 updates for returns and tropical freeze

I like what I've seen so far of Bananza, and I hope it's an awesome Direct!