New gameplay details for Donkey Kong Bananza were revealed in today's Nintendo Direct, which also confirmed that Pauline from Super Mario Odyssey will appear as a sidekick character.

This younger depiction of Pauline was previously leaked by Nintendo and swiftly removed from online platforms. How this upcoming 3D platformer integrates into the broader Donkey Kong narrative, however, is still unknown.

In the game, Pauline uses her singing ability to temporarily transform Donkey Kong into several new forms—such as a charging zebra or a flying ostrich capable of dropping explosive eggs. Pauline can also be controlled by a second player, making Bananza a cooperative experience where her vocal attacks become targeted explosive blasts, aimed using Joy-Con motion controls to assist DK in causing destruction.

Through GameShare, this cooperative mode can be played across multiple local Switch consoles—including the original Switch—without requiring the co-op partner to own a copy of the game.

Other newly confirmed features include the ability to skate on pieces of terrain that DK tears from the ground, and even combine them to form new structures like bridges. There’s also DK Artist, a mode that lets players get creative with destruction effects by carving custom statues from stone.

Sharp-eyed viewers likely spotted returning characters Cranky Kong and Rambi the Rhino, but did you also notice Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong? They are included as well, although their exact roles are still unclear.

SPOTTED: Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong in Donkey Kong Bananza. (They're alive!) #IGNSummerOfGaming pic.twitter.com/QgblHY4jtX

— IGN (@IGN) June 18, 2025

Nintendo has also independently confirmed the return of Diddy and Dixie, who appear as rivals in Bananza's racing mini-game:

pic.twitter.com/Eyligdsgzg

— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) June 18, 2025

In addition to characters, today’s Direct featured a fresh take on the iconic DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64, which will be included in Bananza. (Here’s hoping composer Grant Kirkhope receives credit this time, after he previously expressed disappointment over being omitted from the Super Mario Movie credits.)

Speaking of credits, today’s presentation did not confirm which Nintendo development team is behind Donkey Kong Bananza. Speculation had pointed to the talented team responsible for Super Mario Odyssey. Whether Pauline’s reappearance offers another hint remains to be seen.

Alongside the game, Nintendo announced a new Donkey Kong Bananza amiibo featuring DK and Pauline. This figure will launch with the game and unlocks a costume for Pauline earlier than usual. All other amiibo are also compatible and provide useful terrain materials.

Donkey Kong Bananza Direct Screenshots

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"Bananza is on track to be one of the most visually stunning Nintendo games I've seen," IGN noted in our hands-on preview. "It clearly takes advantage of the Switch 2's hardware—environments are beautiful, DK's animations are wonderfully expressive, and I came away feeling like the next generation of first-party Nintendo games has arrived."

Donkey Kong Bananza launches on July 17, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.