Donkey Kong Bananza has only been available for about a week, yet one highly dedicated player has already finished the game without collecting a single banana.
Sharing their achievement on X/Twitter, AKfamilyhome wrote: "Just completed Donkey Kong Bananza with zero bananas. It was a genuinely enjoyable challenge. I'd recommend trying it as a New Game+ run after getting 100% completion."
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect is that, unlike many achievement hunters and speedrunners, AKfamilyhome accomplished this feat without exploiting any glitches or shortcuts. They simply avoided picking up bananas altogether, which meant they couldn't unlock extra permanent health slots or upgrade DK's base abilities using skill points.
"I skipped Zebra Bananza and didn't have the ostrich glide ability, but you can still find clever ways to bypass certain sections with precise movement," they explained. "The beginning is fairly straightforward, then you discover some neat tricks to get past mid-game obstacles. However, the final phases demand perfect execution since you can die in just one or two hits."
"I don't believe there's unique dialogue for finishing without any bananas, but there IS special dialogue if you complete the game without ever obtaining one of the Bananzas," they hinted.
Just beat Donkey Kong Bananza with 0 bananas
— AK (@Akfamilyhome) July 27, 2025
Honestly a fun challenge I recommended doing as a NG+ run after 100% pic.twitter.com/ZM1S82gkb4
In IGN's Donkey Kong Bananza review, we described it as "a truly groundbreaking 3D platformer, featuring satisfying movement, powerful abilities, impressive destructible environments, and smart challenges that blend in perfect harmony to create Nintendo’s first Switch 2 masterpiece." We awarded the game a perfect 10/10 score.
Donkey Kong Bananza launched last week as an exclusive title for the Nintendo Switch 2. For further details, we have a series of articles featuring interviews with the development team. These cover topics like the game's initial conception and the decision to release it on the Nintendo Switch 2. You can read the full interview here.
Were you aware that speedrunners have already discovered methods to finish the game in roughly an hour and a half?
