Donkey Kong Bananza’s destructible terrain is one of its best features, but it also makes tracking down every last collectible all the more daunting. Now that items can be hidden beneath the ground and tunneling is so crucial to the navigation of some areas, figuring out where to dig can seem near impossible.
Fortunately, players of Donkey Kong Bananza can make use of DK’s Hand Slap ability for more than just item collection, as it also doubles as a handy sonar. When used, objects within your range will be highlighted, even through solid terrain, so making good use of this ability can make it much easier to find Banandium Gems and Fossils. It will also reveal chests, though as these appear randomly this isn’t quite as helpful.
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7 Beginner Tips For Donkey Kong Bananza
Start your time in Donkey Kong Bananza’s underground world the right way with these helpful pointers for the early game.
How to Use Sonar in Donkey Kong Bananza
While it’s easy to overlook early on, DK actually begins the game with a Sonar ability that can reveal objects buried inside the terrain. This Sonar is triggered by performing the Hand Slap, which also grabs any nearby items, and will cause a glowing outline of any buried objects within range to become visible, albeit briefly. This is very helpful for locating Banandium Gems, Fossils, and the entrances to any challenges. Unfortunately, the Sonar initially has a very short range, making it less than helpful for locating objects outside your immediate vicinity.
You can upgrade DK’s Sonar in the Skill Tree via the “Better Sonar” ability, which will increase DK’s Sonar range substantially with each rank purchased, culminating in a 160% range boost when maxed out. You can further raise DK’s Sonar while he’s in Kong Bananza by equipping Pauline with a Lagoon Vest, acquired in exchange for Fossils at the Lagoon Layer’s Style Shop. While limited to Kong Bananza, this can still be a hugely helpful upgrade when trying to explore difficult areas, especially since Kong Bananza is so good at tearing through the terrain.
DK’s Sonar will highlight Banandium Gems, Fossils, and Challenge Entrances. It will also show treasure chests and any Banandium Chips in the immediate vicinity, which can sometimes be helpful too.