Nintendo have hosted a new Direct and while this was not about the future of Nintendo Switch 2, it was about one singular game coming to the platform, Donkey Kong Bananza.

There was a lot of information shown and if you want to check out the show, you can do that at the bottom. We also went hands on with the game last month and you can read out preview of the game here. So, what did Nintendo reveal about the game, that we did not already know, turns out quite a lot.

First up is the confirmation of Oddrock being Pauline, this was sadly leaked by the Korean arm of Nintendo and credit to them, they took down the image really quickly, but you know the internet. Now in the game Pauline was captured by the baddies and imprisoned in their special VoidCo tape. Her goal is to return to the surface, as players will first encounter her once DK falls into the pit.

She is not some damsel in distress here, but rather will act as a partner for DK. Throughout the adventure, anytime players need some assistance in locating where they need to go next, Pauline will sing to help guide the way.

Pauline is not the only familiar face, though she is a bit younger than we have seen before. Also confirmed to be in the game were Cranky Kong and Rambi the Rhino. The latter of the two we discovered handing with the older ape, but later in the Direct, we got to see Rambi, DK and Pauline taking to a racecourse. Rambi Rumble could be a once of thing or a repeating thing, we don’t yet know, but we do know that the racing opponents are Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong.

The main goal for DK is to reach the core of the world, because it is said that any wish can be granted from the power that resides there. As you make your way down, you will collect Banandium, which are the giant jewel type bananas that inhabit the world. But they are not the only collectable around the place, there are also Banandium chips, which can be exchanged for full Banandium gems and as this is a mining related game, there is lots of gold.

Gold can be used in the walloping of your foes, but you can also use it to unlock your Bananergy powers. Once you meet the elders of reach region, DK will be awarded powerups that transform him into Kong Banaza, Zebra Bananza and Ostrich Bananza. With Kong Bananza, players will be able to bash through even the hardest terrain without anything else, perfect for those really stubborn walls.

Zebra Bananza is for players who want speed, as this Zebra form will let players run around everywhere, including on brittle ice bridges and even over water. Finally, there is Ostrich Bananza which will let players soar through the sky and drop egg bombs on foes and the ground below.

The new powers will help players fight back against VoidCo, the new group of baddies who own the largest mining group around and also want to reach the core first. Grumpy Kong, seen below with the pickaxe in hand, is known for creating things out of rock. The leader of the bunch, this rotten bunch that is, is Void Kong, seen in the middle below. All we know about this gremlin looking Kong is that they are evil and are even trying to control Pauline.

Finally, we have Poppy Kong, the tall one below, who uses her intellect to discover insights on the world and provide strategy back to Void.

As players explore each of the worlds underground, they will find coins. These coins can be used to buy new outfits and unlike Super Mario Odyssey, they are not just cosmetic. Each outfit has different buffs they can apply for both characters, which means that if you wear something to protect you from the cold, then the ice regions will be less destructive for you.

There are also skill points that you will earn from collecting Banandium gems, which can be used to level up DK. These can be as simple as giving DK more health, or increasing the range of his sonar ability, to help spot those pesky Banandium gems hiding away around the world.

Players will also be able to enjoy the game with a friend, as a second player can control the voice of Pauline. For those who are player 2, Pauline still rides on the back of DK, but now can send words of damage out around them, including the terrain. The game also supports GameShare, so if you have two consoles around, you can play together on your own machines, in fact there are three ways to play together.

Local - Play on a single system
GameShare - Play on two systems, with one copy of the game
Online GameShare - Play on two systems, with one copy of the game and GameChat

For younger players, the game also has an assist mode, which reduces the damage that DK takes, which gives more chances to stay in the action.

In addition to all those details above, it was also confirmed that the game has amiibo support, with a new Donkey Kong and Pauline figure coming out the same day as the game. Scanning this will unlock a new outfit for Pauline to wear, one inspired by her mayor outfit from Super Mario Odyssey, this is an early unlock option, the outfit can be obtained without the amiibo.

For all existing DK series amiibo and the Super Nintendo World Power-up bands, they will drop KONG letters when scanned, which will pack some serious punch when they hit something. Finally, all other amiibo released before the game is released will be supported, they will spawn a ball of ice, mud, concrete or something else.