Diddy Kong Wins 'Banana-less' Donkey Kong Challenge

Donkey Kong Bonanza has only been available for a week, yet one dedicated player has already finished the entire game without collecting a single banana.

Taking to X/Twitter, AKfamilyhome announced: "Just completed Donkey Kong Bonanza with zero bananas. Honestly, it was a fun challenge—I recommend trying it as a New Game+ run after 100% completion."

What makes this achievement particularly noteworthy is that, unlike typical speedrunners, AKfamilyhome didn’t rely on exploits or glitches. Instead, they simply avoided bananas altogether—missing out on permanent health upgrades, skill point boosts, and DK’s ability enhancements.

"Skipped Zebra Bonanza, so I didn’t unlock the ostrich glide," they explained. "But with smart movement, some sections can still be bypassed. The early game is straightforward, mid-game requires creative skips, and the endgame demands precision since you die in one or two hits."

They also hinted at an extra reward: "No special dialogue for zero bananas, but there IS unique dialogue if you never collect any Bonanza abilities."

Just beat Donkey Kong Bonanza with 0 bananas
Honestly a fun challenge I recommended doing as a NG+ run after 100% pic.twitter.com/ZM1S82gkb4

— AK (@Akfamilyhome) July 27, 2025

In IGN’s Donkey Kong Bonanza review, we praised it as "a groundbreaking 3D platformer with fluid movement, powerful abilities, dynamic destructible environments, and brilliant challenges—culminating in Nintendo’s first Switch 2 masterpiece." We awarded it a perfect 10/10.

Donkey Kong Bonanza launched last week as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive. For deeper insights, check out our interviews with the dev team discussing the game’s origins and why it was designed for Switch 2. You can read the full developer interview here.

Speaking of challenges, did you know speedrunners have already found ways to complete the game in under 90 minutes?