Why Donkey Kong Bananza Players Can’t Stop Smashing Every Pixel in Sight

Donkey Kong Bananza Fans Can’t Stop Smashing Everything

Donkey Kong Bananza on Switch 2 has quickly captured players’ attention — not just for its platforming, but for its addictive destructible voxel world. Many fans are spending hours smashing every pixel of the terrain, turning the game into a satisfying demolition playground.

• Players are obsessed with breaking every destructible voxel
• Some barely progress because they want to clear entire levels
• The game features tons of collectibles and random elements
• Sound design enhances the tactile feel of destruction
• Nintendo built in safeguards to keep the game playable

Smashing Pixels Instead of Racing Ahead

Right from the start, Donkey Kong Bananza encourages exploration and destruction. The game’s world is made up mostly of destructible voxels, letting DK bash and crumble everything in sight. While the main goal is to find bananas, collect fossils, and beat challenges, plenty of players get sidetracked — spending hours just clearing out every bit of destructible terrain.

On Reddit, fans share their unusual playstyles and struggles. One post says, “You play the game as intended at a normal pace. I spend hours removing every pixel of destructible terrain…We are not the same.” Many players admit they got stuck in the mine area at the beginning, obsessively clearing it out before moving on.

Collectibles Fuel the Obsession

The game’s huge amount of collectibles and randomly generated chests add to this meticulous playstyle. Players feel compelled to find everything, leading to hours of smashing and searching. One player boasted about having 33,000 gold, 500 banandium chips, and all bananas plus fossils before leaving the Lagoon Layer. They also mentioned destroying around 690,000 cubic meters of terrain.

Some players even say the game triggers obsessive-compulsive tendencies. In a thread discussing whether Bananza might give someone OCD, one fan admitted, “I can’t even enjoy it yet as I feel the need to smash everything… It’s the same reason I struggle with open world games. I get overwhelmed with having to do everything and then stop playing.”

The Sound of Destruction

Nintendo put a lot of effort into making the destruction feel satisfying beyond just visuals. Developer Naoto Kubo shared how they recorded hand-made sound effects for rocks, sand, fruits, and even watermelons to make each smash feel unique and pleasant. The sound design avoids repetition and harsh tones, creating a tactile delight that players love.

He explained:

We also poured a lot of effort into the sound effects to make the sense of destruction feel satisfying and responsive. It wasn’t just about using loud or dramatic sounds. For instance, players will hear the sound of basic materials like rocks breaking thousands of times during play. So, we aimed for sounds that are pleasant to the ears without being tiring or repetitive. To that end, we recorded sound effects by hand, capturing the textures of materials like rock and sand. Recording everyday sounds like this is often referred to as Foley. We recorded lots of variations so the sound would vary depending on how the material was destroyed, instead of always sounding the same. We also added subtle randomness through programming and fine-tuned the sounds to make sure they weren’t too loud or high-pitched. Meanwhile, for special objects that show up later in the game, we emphasized fun and flashy sounds. We hope players will find them satisfying. We recorded all kinds of material sounds using Foley techniques, including those of fruits. There’s even a dedicated sound for hitting a watermelon. It was about more than just making it sound hard or soft. When players hit it, we wanted it to sound delicious!

Limits and Freedom

Despite the freedom to destroy almost everything, Bananza has safety measures to prevent breaking the game completely. Some important objects are placed on indestructible metal ground, and certain NPCs can regenerate after being smashed. The narrative also encourages players to help monkeys who rely on DK’s fists.

Still, the game’s openness to destruction surprises many. A Japanese player expressed disbelief at how the platformer lets you tear apart a beautiful area while NPCs watch helplessly:

え？？？こんなにも綺麗な家もぶっ壊せるの？？？？？

今までのゲームって暗黙の了解で壊せるところと壊せないところがハッキリしていたのでビックリした😱#ドンキーコングバナンザ pic.twitter.com/vlAHcT1Wv7

— KENT for ゲームレビュー/紹介 (@kentworld2) July 17, 2025

When Destruction Raises Eyebrows

Not everyone understands this playstyle. One fan asked, “Are you okay?” after seeing a screenshot of a completely cleared intro cave. The player humorously replied, “Send bananas.” It’s clear that while some players dive into the game’s destruction mechanics with joy, others find it a bit excessive.

Donkey Kong Bananza’s voxel destruction adds a fresh layer to Nintendo’s classic platforming formula, giving players a unique way to interact with the world — whether they’re rushing through or smashing every last block.