A significant portion of gamers diving into Donkey Kong Bananza will probably dedicate their initial playtime to exploring the boundaries of its interactive world. A core element of this new Switch 2 title, Bananza, features environments composed of destructible blocks, allowing Donkey Kong to reshape the landscape with a carefree abandon. Eventually, most players will focus on the core objectives: locating bananas, unearthing fossils, and tackling challenges. However, a subset of gamers are barely progressing, dedicating their time to completely clearing entire levels.
Across various social platforms, these dedicated players are showcasing their unconventional gameplay styles, both celebrating and lamenting their meticulous approach. One Reddit user humorously observed, “You play the game as intended, progressing at a normal speed. I, on the other hand, spend countless hours obliterating every single destructible pixel… We are not the same.” Several posts indicate that many players found themselves stuck in the game’s introductory mine area, obsessively clearing out every voxel. While most players likely spent some time exploring this area, some have taken the dedication to a whole new level. Screenshots reveal completely barren landscapes, devoid of any remaining destructible elements.
For some players, the game’s destruction mechanics seem to trigger a compulsive desire to complete every task perfectly. In a discussion thread where a player expressed concern about the game potentially triggering OCD, another user empathized by explaining their need to play the game in this highly thorough manner.
“I can’t even fully enjoy the game yet because I feel compelled to destroy everything,” they admitted. “I’m still in the early stages, and I hope this feeling subsides. This is the same reason I struggle with open-world games. I become overwhelmed by the need to complete everything and eventually stop playing.”
In a post where a player confessed they were still stuck in the initial area, another fan suggested that the game’s abundance of collectibles is contributing to this playstyle. The desire to find everything, coupled with Bananza‘s randomly generated chests, can easily lead players to adopt a meticulous approach.
“By the time I finally left the Lagoon Layer, I had approximately 33,000 gold, 500 banandium chips, and every banana and fossil,” one player shared. “I also destroyed an estimated 690,000 cubic meters of material.”
While comparing a playstyle to a mental health condition might be insensitive, a significant number of players engaging in this exhaustive gameplay have mentioned having obsessive-compulsive disorder. “This game is a mindf*** for OCD,” one user commented in a thread where others also claimed to have the condition.
Others are spending hours destroying and rebuilding environments purely for the enjoyment of it. Though it may seem excessive, it appears that Nintendo anticipated players becoming somewhat engrossed in the destruction. Naoto Kubo, from Donkey Kong Bananza’s entertainment planning and development department, explained how Nintendo crafted the game’s destruction to be so viscerally satisfying:
We invested considerable effort into the sound effects to ensure that the destruction felt rewarding and responsive. It wasn’t just about using loud, dramatic noises. For instance, players will hear the sound of basic materials like rocks breaking thousands of times. Therefore, we aimed for sounds that were pleasing and non-fatiguing. We recorded sound effects manually, capturing the textures of materials like rock and sand, using a technique called Foley. We recorded many variations so the sound would change depending on how the material was destroyed. We also added subtle randomized elements through programming and adjusted the sounds to prevent them from being too loud or high-pitched. Meanwhile, for special objects encountered later, we emphasized fun and flashy sounds that we hope will be satisfying. We recorded sounds for all kinds of materials, even fruits. There’s even a specific sound for hitting a watermelon. We didn’t just want it to sound hard or soft; we wanted it to sound delicious!
Of course, Donkey Kong Bananza includes certain safeguards to prevent players from completely breaking the game. Some of these are narrative-driven: characters will cheer you on as you destroy objects, or they’ll require your help in ways that only Donkey Kong’s abilities can provide. Other safeguards are more overt, such as placing essential items on indestructible metal platforms. In other instances, the game is more lenient, allowing you to do as you please—some NPCs can even regenerate after being destroyed.
Regardless, the extent to which Bananza allows players to unleash their destructive impulses is surprising. One Japanese player expressed disbelief that the game allows the demolition of otherwise beautiful areas while NPCs stand by helplessly:
However, just because the game permits this relentless destruction doesn’t mean the behavior won’t raise a few eyebrows.
“Are you okay?” one user asked in a thread where a player shared a screenshot of a completely razed intro area. “Send bananas,” the original poster responded jokingly.