Ancient Bananza Powers allow you to transform into different animals in Donkey Kong Bananza and turn their abilities into your own.
Whether you want to punch through walls, fly through the skies, or run on water, Ancient Bananza Powers can do it all. However, these transformations aren’t available from the get-go. They can only be unlocked by visiting the elders scattered across the layers. Each elder is associated with a different transformation and some are easier to find than the others.
Here are all transformations in Donkey Kong Bananza and how to unlock each Ancient Bananza Power.
How to use Ancient Bananza Powers in Donkey Kong Bananza
To transform into one of your Bananza forms, you’ll need to gather Bananergy, which is done by collecting gold or eating certain fruit. As long as you have enough Bananergy, press the L and R buttons at the same time to transform whenever and wherever you want! You can also swap between Bananza forms by pressing the left or right arrow on your D-pad.
All transformations in Donkey Kong Bananza
There are five Ancient Bananza transformations in Donkey Kong Bananza: Kong, Zebra, Ostrich, Elephant, and Snake. Below, read on for details about when you unlock each transformation and how to use them.
Kong Bananza
You unlock this Bananza pretty early in the game in the Lagoon Layer (101).
The Kong Bananza transformation turns Donkey Kong into an even stronger version of himself that can punch through hard objects. This Bananza is great for blasting through enemies or causing mass destruction really quickly.
Zebra Bananza
The Zebra Bananza unlocks in the Freezer Layer (501), which is a little less than halfway through the game. At a certain point, you’ll be tasked with either going to the Freezer Layer or the Forest Layer, though your pick doesn’t really matter, as you’ll have to do both anyway to progress through the story.
The Zebra Bananza transformation turns Donkey Kong into a zebra who can somehow run on water. As a zebra, Donkey Kong moves at a faster pace and can charge through enemies, but also can safely travel on the fragile ice paths in the Freezer Layer. He’ll also resist slipping around.
Ostrich Bananza
The Ostrich Bananza unlocks in the Forest Layer (600), which, as mentioned in the above section, is one of two layers you’ll have to choose between. Again, this choice doesn’t particularly matter, as you’ll need to do both layers anyway (and unlock both Bananzas.)
The Ostrich Bananza transformation allows Donkey Kong to flutter in the sky, gliding short distances when he jumps. You can expand his abilities using skill points, allowing him to flutter for longer and even drop egg bombs on enemies.
Elephant Bananza
The Elephant Bananza unlocks in the Tempest Layer (900), pretty deep into the game.
Elephant Bananza allows you to suck up chunks — even lava — and bank them, allowing you to spit them back out and use them as you please. Upgrading the Elephant Bananza’s skills allow you to store more chunks, stock them faster, and even inhale at a wider radius.
Snake Bananza
The Snake Bananza unlocks deep in the adventure, all the way in the Radiance Layer (1201). It is Donkey Kong’s final Bananza form, and it will make some late game gem collecting just a bit easier.
Snake Banaza’s primary use is as a super jump, as you can hold down the jump button to spring up into the air. You can even double jump with it, which will allow you to more easily reach some high up platforms. The jump can be upgraded to add a devastating Dive Punch and a damage-dealing Jump Burst when launching off the ground. Additionally, you can slow down time by holding Y. That power can be upgraded in the skill tree to extend how long the effect lasts.