Donkey Kong Bananza’s Surprise Roguelike DLC Is Fun — But It Can’t Fix One Big Problem
Nintendo has released a paid expansion for Donkey Kong Bananza called DK Island + Emerald Rush, available for the Switch 2. The DLC arrived during last week’s hour-long Nintendo Direct and costs $20.
- DK Island — new hub area and tutorial space
- Emerald Rush — a roguelike mode built around timed runs and emerald collection
- Progression and skills — chips, upgrades, and what changes during runs
- Availability and notes — platform and basic release details
DK Island: new hub and reference museum
DK Island is a new hub area added by the DLC. It is described as being similar in size to Resort Layer and acts mainly as a place to view references to Donkey Kong series history.
Players can smash the island like other areas in the game, but there are no gems or fossils to collect there. Instead, the area functions as a tutorial and a place to spend the game’s currency: Chips can be traded for decorative statues and other cosmetics.
Emerald Rush: a timed roguelike built from existing layers
Emerald Rush changes the base game’s collectibles into emeralds and places Donkey Kong into runs made of up to 10 rounds. Each round lasts 90 seconds, and each round sets a collection goal that increases as the run progresses.
The mode pulls in levels from the main game. Players must move quickly, remember gem locations, and complete objectives that appear as Void Company jobs—such as defeating specific enemies or destroying certain materials—to earn larger emerald rewards.
Run structure and tools
During Emerald Rush runs, warp cannons can be used to travel between distant objectives. Each run starts with no upgrades; players collect Chips to buy temporary upgrades during a run. The DLC also unlocks additional playable layers, perks, and outfits as players progress.
Progression and skills: upgrades, chips, and static layouts
Upgrades in Emerald Rush follow a pick-one system similar to other roguelikes: after clearing jobs or grabbing fossils, players choose from upgrade options that typically increase emerald gains or improve combat and traversal.
Chips are the in-run currency used to buy those upgrades. Many of the available upgrades are focused on increasing the amount of emeralds earned from tasks, enemies, or smashed terrain. Separately, the game’s base progression uses gems primarily to unlock additional abilities for Donkey Kong rather than to gate access to new areas.
Additionally, layer layouts and gem locations do not change between runs, meaning the environments themselves remain static rather than procedurally altering each attempt.
Availability and notes
DK Island + Emerald Rush is a paid $20 expansion for Donkey Kong Bananza and is exclusive to the Switch 2. Nintendo announced the DLC during the most recent Nintendo Direct presentation.
