DK Island and Emerald Rush DLC is good fan service, but that’s it

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Nintendo Switch 2 owners have been able to play Donkey Kong Bananza since it released for the console in July 2025. The game received a lot of praise from everyone for its colorful presentation, goofy story, and fun gameplay to get immersed in. As a marquee title for the Nintendo Switch 2, Donkey Kong Bananza was a big success for Nintendo, especially for those looking for a good reason to justify their purchase of the Switch 2. So when the company announced there would be downloadable content for the game later in the year, people were curious about what could be done next for this new Donkey Kong game.

Enter the DK Island and Emerald Rush DLC for Donkey Kong Bananza. A small expansion to the main game that adds a new location to explore and new activities to participate in. Instead of hunting for banandium gems in the layers of underground, DK and Pauline team up with an unlikely ally to search for green emeralds. While the pair undertake the new endeavor, fans of Donkey Kong are treated to an ensemble of fan service that references various parts of the Donkey Kong series in fun ways. But that might be the only thing with a real impact on players who dive into the new downloadable content, because there’s not a lot beyond that.

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Released: September 12, 2025
ESRB: Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence
Base Game: Donkey Kong Bananza
Developer(s): Nintendo EPD
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Multiplayer: Local Co-Op

Returning to DK Island

Taking a trip through memory lane

The main reason that everyone who has played Donkey Kong Bananza will want to play the new DLC is because of DK Island. This is a location that is tied back to Donkey Kong 64 on the Nintendo 64, which is arguably one of the most popular games in the whole franchise. Although most people would say that Donkey Kong Country on the SNES is a more iconic game, many can still point out that Donkey Kong 64 was a major release on the Nintendo 64 with significant influence on the rest of the franchise. But both sides are catered to in the new DK Island content because of the many references and nods to various DK games.

The island itself is built very similar to the one seen in Donkey Kong 64, with pathways and areas that can be traversed throughout the island. Getting around is pretty easy, either on foot or using some ground you pick up to surf around. Whether you’re smashing through walls or the ground, there are plenty of spots to explore within DK Island. But the places most players will want to visit are the key points of interest, like Donkey Kong’s tree house and the shipwreck just off the coast of the island, near a few standalone islands nearby. These are both references to games like Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong Country 2, and even Donkey Konga from the Nintendo GameCube. Most of the bigger references and easter eggs can be easily pointed out by players who know them, but there are many deeper references to other parts of the Donkey Kong Country series.

A screenshot of DK posing with his allies in the Donkey Kong Bananza DK Island DLC

However, while there are so many nods to the Donkey Kong Country games and some of the more recent releases in the franchise, there are some glaring omissions that are confusing not to see around. The island itself is based on the one from Donkey Kong 64, which is undeniable and expanded upon in clever ways. But many of the characters and other parts of Donkey Kong 64 are nowhere to be found. There are no references or homages to characters like Chunky Kong, Tiny Kong, or Lanky Kong anywhere on the island, not even to the ghost of Wrinkly Kong that also appears in the game. There are plenty of characters from earlier DK games, including some of the animal allies, who are referenced throughout the island. But everything else from Donkey Kong 64 is noticeably absent, which is a shame to see because it would make the most sense to have small references to them there.

Emerald hunting

Gathering a different kind of gem

After going through hundreds of layers of solid ground to find tons of bananium gems, one would think Donkey Kong has had enough dealing with rocks. But the new downloadable content opens up a new activity that puts DK back to work smashing through solid ground once again. Only this time, he teams up with the main antagonist of Donkey Kong Bananza, Void Kong. This is the main reason why players need to finish the main story of Donkey Kong Bananza before being able to get fully into the new content, because DK Island and the new gameplay mode aren’t accessible in the earlier portions of the main game. You can gain access to DK Island once the Racing Layer is complete, but you still won’t be able to play the new mode that comes with DK Island until finishing the final battle of the main story, which may be a little annoying to some players.

The new mode for the DLC is called Emerald Rush, a roguelike game mode that has DK gathering emeralds for Void Kong in timed rounds, with a quota to reach by the end of each round. The more green emeralds that Donkey Kong gathers, the more points he can earn from Void Kong and obtain new bonus perks. These perks give Donkey Kong more abilities to break down surfaces, as well as also gain bonus emeralds from enemies he defeats. This can get pretty chaotic when you’re racing against the clock to break everything around you to gather emeralds, which replace all the bananium gold you encounter throughout the main game. It’s not that much different from gathering gold normally, it just has a fresh coat of green on it. But that doesn’t mean it’s much easier to find from smashing surfaces; you’ll still have to dig through everything around you in order to gain the most that you can within the time limit.

A screenshot of Emerald Rush grading screen from Donkey Kong Bananza DK Island DLC

But working for Void Kong also comes with a series of missions to complete while roaming around. Emerald Rush will have various tasks that Donkey Kong can complete while gathering emeralds on the island, with the potential to yield bonus emeralds towards your score. This is where more of the roguelike elements become more apparent, as missions are not always the same and not always at the same location all the time. You’ll have to rush to a place where the mission can be completed while you’re racing against the clock to gather emeralds. Failing to finish them doesn’t penalize you, but it does lose out on bonus emeralds that can be put towards the quota for completing a round.

An overall shallow layer

Not much filling to it

This is what will divide most Nintendo Switch 2 players about Donkey Kong Bananza‘s DK Island and Emerald Rush content. There’s only so much you can do, and only so much that feels excitingly new. Playing through Emerald Rush and successfully finishing all rounds can yield enough points to open up the mode to other locations within the game. This means you can use the Gong fast-travel to return to previous locations and play Emerald Rush, which can open up more perks and bonuses for DK to earn. But the mode itself can get very repetitive after a short time, and there’s hardly anything different about playing Emerald Rush outside the DK Island layer. You don’t gain any major rewards or hidden bonuses by doing so, nor do the layers change in a big way when you have the downloadable content installed.

At the same time, DK Island itself is heavily built on fan service and nostalgia for those who remember games like Donkey Kong 64 or previous Donkey Kong Country titles. And while you don’t need to get the references to enjoy roaming the island, there’s also not a lot of space to traverse. The area is significantly smaller compared to other places that you go to within the main game, which is somewhat disappointing considering how large and intricate some of the stages in Donkey Kong Bananza can be. Even going to the top section of DK Island and some of the far off spots away from the shore don’t feel as rewarding as they probably should, especially when there are not a lot of rewards, outside of Emerald Rush, to discover along the way. You can unlock some bonus outfits for completing a few tasks around the island, but that’s it.

A screenshot a collectible statue from the Donkey Kong Bananza DK Island DLC

The one extra thing you can do on DK Island is collect statues of various characters. These are purchased with bananium chips at Squawk’s store near the beach, which places a random statue in one of a few locations around the island. There are multiple statues to collect, and they can be picked up and manipulated afterward, but it’ll take a while to gather enough chips to obtain them all. Beyond that, the downloadable content is pretty slim on big rewards for playing through everything.

A nice visit to DK Island

Sadly, the DK Island and Emerald Rush DLC for Donkey Kong Bananza is not something that everyone needs to get. But that doesn’t mean it’s a terrible expansion to the main game. It’s just one that could have been even better in various ways to add even more value to Donkey Kong Bananza. It’s cool being able to go back to DK Island and feel nostalgic about such a key location in the Donkey Kong series, but even that is somewhat shallow for those with memories of Donkey Kong 64. The Emerald Rush mode is a nice change of pace, but could’ve done more to stand out as a major change for the game, and reward players a little more for engaging with it. If you really enjoyed Donkey Kong Bananza itself, then you’ll still be able to have fun with this expansion. But is it necessary to get the most out of Donkey Kong Bananza on the Switch 2? Not at all. You won’t be missing out on much if you decide to skip over it.