Donkey Kong is back, and this time, he’s diving headfirst into a 3D adventure. With Donkey Kong Bananza launching on Nintendo Switch 2, players get a modern take on the beloved banana hoarder, full of lush jungles, puzzle-heavy ruins, and an urgent race to stop VoidCo from reaching the Planet Core. But before you even throw your first barrel, the game hits you with a choice: Normal Mode or Assist Mode.

Normal Mode 

If your childhood evenings were spent bouncing off barrels in Donkey Kong Country or hopping across ceramic floors in Mario Odyssey, Normal Mode is basically your front porch.

Features of Normal Mode:

• Higher Damage Taken: Enemies hit harder. You’ll need to be more careful and time those rolls and jumps precisely.
• Minimal Guidance: Story waypoints only appear after DK uses his whistle. You’ll be doing plenty of exploring.
• Gold Penalty on Death: Lose 10% of your total gold when you run out of hearts. That’s no small change!
• No Auto-Regen: Want health? You’ll need to find apples or get some sleep at camp.

Normal Mode leans into skill-based progression. It’s less forgiving but more rewarding. If you’re looking to test your reflexes and puzzle-solving under pressure, this is the way to go.

Assist Mode 

On the flip side, Assist Mode is perfect for those who want to focus more on exploration, collecting bananas, and enjoying the story, without getting stuck or frustrated by repeated deaths.

Features of Assist Mode:

• Reduced Damage: Enemies are still dangerous, but mistakes aren’t as punishing.
• Heart Regeneration: Hearts slowly recover over time, no need to constantly forage.
• Always-On Map Markers: Story objectives are always shown on the map, removing guesswork.
• Gold Loss is Fixed: Only 100 coins are lost upon death, regardless of how many you’re carrying.

When you first dip your toes into 3D platformers, or when you’re bringing your co-op partners along for the ride, or when all you want is a friendly saunter through sunlit worlds, Assist Mode is already smiling and waving. It eases the rough edges while happily letting you keep all the leaping, dodging, and vine-swinging that fills each second with that little heartbeat of delight.

You can also change difficulty in any point. Tap the + button, toggle the gear icon, and flip from Normal to Assist Mode or back without a hitch. Your progress, your choice, your happy place.  

There’s no universal ideal, every player is different. That’s what makes Donkey Kong Bananza shine. Chasing every shimmering banana, dueling the fiendish foes, or perfecting that tricky, pixel-perfect jump, you can fine-tune the ride to fit your vibe.