Donkey Kong Bananza - How To Start DK Island And Emerald Rush DLC

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Donkey Kong Bananza was a smashing hit when it landed as one of the Nintendo Switch 2’s earliest major exclusives, so it makes perfect sense that Nintendo would capitalize on its success with some DLC. The DK Island + Emerald Rush DLC provides nostalgic fans with a small but charming new island to explore and a whole new mode to work through that changes up the gameplay loop from the base game.

If you’re looking to dive into Donkey Kong Bananza’s DK Island + Emerald Rush DLC, here’s how to get started.

How to start the DK Island + Emerald Rush DLC in Donkey Kong Bananza

Before you can begin the DK Island + Emerald Rush DLC in Donkey Kong Bananza, you’ll need to purchase it from the eShop for $20. Once you’ve made sure that it’s installed, you can then open the game to get started. But be aware that how you access the DLC and how much of it is available to you is based on your game progress.

If you’ve beaten the game and rolled credits, load back into your save and speak with one of the Elders (any of them will do) to learn about the rehearsals, Donkey Kong Bananza’s primary endgame activity. At any point after this, you can visit any warp gong in the game to have the eel tell you about DK Island and open up fast travel there. This layer will now always be listed at the very top of the layer list.

The DK Island layer is always listed at the top of the layer list once it's unlocked. — The DK Island layer is always listed at the top of the layer list once it’s unlocked.

If you haven’t beaten the game, you can speak to Squawks in the Racing Layer to open access to DK Island. However, you will only be able to explore the island at this point, as the Emerald Rush mode can only be unlocked after beating the game.

Once you arrive on DK Island, you’ll find that there aren’t any Banandium Gems to find. Instead, this island is designed to offer a dose of nostalgia for long-time fans and act as a hub of sorts. There are some secrets hidden around–and you can trade Banandium Chips with Squawks to earn some neat collectible statues based on various Donkey Kong characters and enemies–but the main thing to do here is speak with Void Kong and begin your journey through the Emerald Rush mode.

For more on Donkey Kong Bananza, check out All Glamstone Fashion Test Solutions and All Quiztone Quiz Answers.

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