A helpful tip for Donkey Kong Bananza completionists

Much like Super Mario Odyssey that came before it, Donkey Kong Bananza includes a metric ton of collectibles to find on each layer. Writing in-depth location guides for the bananas and fossils would take several weeks at a minimum, so in the meantime, we’ve got a particularly helpful tip that will bring you closer to the 100percent completion mark. You can actually put these recommendations into play within the Lagoon Layer, which is Donkey Kong Bananza’s first real level.

First up, we’d recommend using your Skill Points to upgrade Donkey Kong’s sonar ability. Whenever you press the R button, DK’s hand slap will highlight nearby treasure buried within walls. Upgrading the sonar ability will increase the range of treasure detection, and this alone will help you track down fossils and hidden bananas much easier. That’s not the only thing you can do, though. Head over to the Lagoon Layer’s style shop and then purchase and equip the Treasure Tie. This piece of equipment can be leveled up to Lv. 3 with the use of fossils, so you’ll need to use your sonar ability to track a few down first. After you’ve fully leveled up the Treasure Tie, things get much easier – this item increases the chance that DK spawns a treasure chest while smashing terrain. Treasure chests most often contain gold, but more importantly, they can contain fossil maps and Banandium Gem maps. You can then use your map to pin and locate these. Once you’ve pinned a fossil or Banandium Gem marked by a map, you can press the L button to start whistling. This will make your objectives visible and show you how far away you are from the fossil or Banandium Gem. 

To get as many treasure chests as possible with the Treasure Tie equipped, simply smash the terrain over and over again. You can activate Kong Bananza and use charge punches to make this faster, or you could play in co-op mode and have Pauline destroy everything. The latter is actually slightly faster, but if two players work together, you’ll be practically swimming in treasure chests before you know it! Once you’ve gathered a good number of maps, you can take a destruction break and track down all the fossils and Banandium Gems that have been marked on your map. The best part is, all of these strategies are available from the beginning of the game! Just keep in mind that you can’t get all of each layer’s Banandium Gems right away, because some bananas can’t be obtained until after you clear the main story.

In other Donkey Kong Bananza news, if you’ve been experiencing motion sickness, you may want to check out this post.