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Donkey Kong Bananza

Controls and Movement

Add to Watchlist

☽ DK Island and Emerald Rush DLC out now!
☽ Learn how to solve Banandiumtone's Puzzles.
☽ All Collectibles: Banandium Gems and Fossils
☽ Learn How to Skip Layers Entirely!
☽ How to Beat the Final Boss
☽ Post-Game: Rehearsal Halls | Secret Ending

DK Bananza Controls and Movement

A list of all Controls for Donkey Kong Bananza. See a list of inputs for single-player and co-op, as well as all supported control inputs in this guide.

List of Contents

List of Controls

Singleplayer Gameplay Controls

Controls Action Description
NSW - Left Analog Tilt the Left Analog Stick to Move.
This may also let you move along some walls.
NSW - Left Analog Rotate quickly Spin
Rotating the Left Stick quickly lets DK spin in place.

When spinning while holding a chunk, DK will spin the chunk around dealing damage to nearby enemies.
NSW - Right Analog Tilt the Right Analog Stick to Control the Camera.
NSW - A Jump
Tilt NSW - Left Analog backward + NSW - A
Jump Backward
NSW - A
In mid-air holding a chunk
Chunk Jump
Lets you jump on a chunk mid-air.
NSW - B
Punch Down
Punch down the terrain below you. Can help you discover underground caverns and tunnels.
NSW - B Press and Hold
while in mid-air
Dive Punch
A powerful downward punch that lets you burrow into the ground. How deep you dive is determined by DK's strength and the strength of the terrain.
NSW - X
Punch Upward
Dig into the terrain above you. Useful when tunneling underground to return to the surface.
NSW - Y
Punch in the direction you are facing. Can also send enemies flying. Sturdier terrain can be destroyed but concrete cannot be destroyed with normal punches.
NSW - Y While holding a chunk
Swing
Swing the chunk you are holding to attack. Press X Button to attack upward and B Button to attack downward.
NSW - L+NSW - R
Press and Hold		 Drum Chest
DK beats his chest with his fists. After unlocking Bananza Powers, drumming your chest will allow you to transform, provided you have enough Bananergy.
NSW - L Hold
Whistle / Make Music
Helps navigation and will lead you to your next objective. Can also remove Void Seals.
NSW - zL
Roll
Lets you quickly roll forward. Can also knock back and destroy lightweight objects.
NSW - zL While holding a chunk
Turf Surf
Lets you ride on the chunk of terrain you are holding. Colliding into smaller enemies will knock them away.
NSW - R
Hand Slap
Reveals and picks up dropped collectibles around you. Can also be done mid-air.
NSW - zR Pick Up
Hold a chunk above your head. Use SR Button when playing with a single Joycon.
NSW - zR Hold
Tear Off
Lets you grab a chunk from the nearby terrain or enemies. Use SR Button when playing with a single Joycon.
Can also be used to dig up turnips to find items.
NSW - zR While holding a chunk
Throw
Throw hard chunks to deal damage to enemies and the environment. You can also hold down ZR to aim.
Throwing soft material lets you shape the environment and even terraform new platforms and bridges.
NSW - Minus Map
Opens the Map Menu.
NSW - Plus Pause Menu
Pauses the game and opens the Pause Menu.
NSW - Dpad Up Opens the Skills and Clothing Menu.
NSW - Dpad Down Photo Mode
NSW - Dpad Left / NSW - Dpad Right
 Lets you switch between unlocked Bananza Powers.
Hold NSW - L + NSW - R
Activate a Bananza Form.
Shake the Joycon if you are playing with a single Joycon.
Hold NSW - Y while in Kong Bananza Form
Charge Punch
Unleash a powerful punch that can smash concrete in a single hit.
Hold NSW - zL while in Zebra Bananza Form
Charge Dash
Unleash a high-speed dash that will allow you to run up walls.
Hold NSW - zL in midair while in Ostrich Bananza Form
Flutter
Float through the air for a brief time.
Hold NSW - zR while in Elephant Bananza Form
Inhale
Inhale surrounding terrain and keep it stocked for easy-access chunks.
NSW - zR while in Elephant Bananza Form
Trunk Chunk
Hold a chunk of the terrain you inhaled.
Hold NSW - A and release while in Snake Bananza Form
Charge Jump
Perform a powerful jump straight up into the air.
Hold NSW - Y and release while in Snake Bananza Form
Glare
Force your surroundings to move in slow motion for a brief time.

Donkey Kong's controls allow you to explore the world and smash through it! The controls detailed above are the default controls for the single-player experience.

If you choose to play co-op, Donkey Kong will have a more limited control scheme for Player 1, with Player 2 taking over some additional actions as Pauline.

Co-Op Gameplay Controls

Controls Action Description
Joycon (Mouse Controls) Aim
NSW - zR Shout
Hold NSW - zR
Copy Material
Hold NSW - R
Make Music
NSW - Plus Pause Menu
NSW - R + NSW - Plus
Open Map
NSW - Dpad Left / NSW - Dpad Right
 Switch Bananza
NSW - Dpad Down Reset Cursor
NSW - Right Analog Look Around

The table above shows the control inputs Pauline as the second player when playing the game in Co-op Mode. Hold the right Joy-Con controller via Mouse Mode to aim with motion controls.

Supported Control Inputs

Joy-Cons and Pro Controller

Donkey Kong Bananza is compatible with the Switch 2's built-in Joy-Con 2 contollers across handheld, tabletop, and TV mode.

Additionally, players may also play Donkey Kong Bananza with a Pro Controller as the inputs are the same.

Single Joy-Con in Co-Op Mode

Pass a Joy-Con to a friend when you choose to play local multiplayer. Player 1 will hold their joycon horizontally as they control DK, while Player 2 can control Pauline via Mouse Mode.

Does Donkey Kong Bananza Have Multiplayer Co-Op?

Donkey Kong Bananza Related Guides

DKB - How-To Guides
Beginner's Guide to Donkey Kong Bananza

All How-To Guides

Controls Guides
Controls and Movement Guide How to Hand Slap
How to Drum Chest How to Whistle and Make Music
How to Roll How to Spin
How to Dive Punch How to Tear Off Chunks
How to Swing Chunks How to Throw Chunks
How to Chunk Jump How to Turf Surf
Farming and Progression Guides
How to Farm Bananium Chips How to Farm Gold
How to Find Treasure Chests How to Level Up Clothes
How to Heal and Increase Max Health How to Increase Bananergy
What Happens When You Die? How to Respec Skill Points
Should You Go Left or Right at the Divide? How to Get All Save File Stars
Rambi Race Minigame Guide How to Ride Rambi
How to Deal With Mini Octopus Enemies (Peekaboopoids) How to Return to Baboomtown
How to Speedrun -
Terrain Interaction Guides
How to Cross Shifty Stones How to Reset Terrain
How to Clear Voided Terrain -
Exploration Guides
How to Teeleport How to Skip Layers
Can You Go Underwater? -
Fractone Guides
All Glamtone Outfit Locations All Smashintone Challenge Locations
Glamtone Gold Outfit Solution All Seekertone Hide and Seek Locations
All Growtone Locations All Fragmentone Fragment Locations
All Constructone Locations Should You Tip Trustytone?
Other Game Features
How to Use Photo Mode DK Artist Guide
FAQs
How to Preload Best Settings
Assist Mode Guide All amiibo Unlocks and Rewards
Is Diddy Kong in the Game? Is Dixie Kong in the Game?
How to Avoid Motion Sickness -

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    Donkey Kong Bananza Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

    Quick Access
    Guide Index

    Recommended Guides

    Location Guides

    Collectible Guides

    Banandium Gems

    Layers and Levels

    Challenge Ruins

    Lagoon Layer

    Hilltop Layer

    Canyon Layer

    The Divide

    Freezer Layer

    Forest Layer

    The Junction

    Resort Layer

    Tempest Layer

    Landfill Layer

    Racing Layer

    Radiance Layer

    Groove Layer

    Feast Layer

    Forbidden Layer

    How-To Guides

    Bananza Forms

    Walkthrough

    Post-Game

    Bananza Rehearsal Halls

    Bosses

    Outfits

    Music Discs

    Items

    Fossils

    Terrain Types

    Skills

    Message Boards

    News and Game Info

    Japanese Wiki (日本語版)