How to use amiibos in Donkey Kong Bananza

Using amiibos in Donkey Kong Bananza is a simple but helpful feature that lets players unlock materials or summon powerful items. Whether you're scanning a Donkey Kong-themed figure or just tapping in another amiibo from your shelf, there's always something useful you can get in return.

The system is straightforward and functions seamlessly during normal gameplay, requiring no additional steps or menu navigation. Read on to know more about it.

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How to scan amiibos in Donkey Kong Bananza

Different amiibos in Donkey Kong Bananza (Image via Nintendo)

To start using an amiibo, press the + Button to bring up the pause menu during gameplay. From there, select the amiibo option. Make sure you’re standing in an open space in-game, so the reward has room to appear near Donkey Kong.

Once that’s set, hold the base of the amiibo to the NFC reader on your controller:

• On Joy-Con 2, the NFC touchpoint is on the right stick.
• On the Switch 2 Pro Controller, it's right above the Nintendo Switch logo at the top-center.

After scanning, you'll automatically return to gameplay, and the item you unlocked will appear right in front of you.

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What you get from amiibos in Donkey Kong Bananza

If you’re using a Kong-related figure like Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, or King K. Rool from Smash Bros., or the Super Mario DK and Diddy amiibo, they all work the same way. Even the DK and DD wristbands from Super Nintendo World are compatible.

These Gold materials are explosive (Image via Nintendo)

Using Kong amiibos, summon four large golden Kong tiles around DK. These gold tiles aren’t just for show — you can grab and throw them. They’re helpful when you need to break through solid objects or dig out parts of the level.

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What happens with other amiibos

If you scan a non-DK amiibo, you’ll still get a reward. In this case, a random material sphere will spawn. These can be

• Ice blocks
• Glass balls/ spheres
• Boom rock explosives
• Or other materials from the game

The outcome is random, but many of the materials are still helpful, especially when it comes to breaking or building. And there’s no cooldown, so if you don’t like what you got, scan again and get something different.

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Pauline & Donkey Kong amiibo reward

When you scan the Pauline & Donkey Kong amiibo for the first time, it unlocks Pauline’s red dress, inspired by her design in Super Mario Odyssey. After that first use, the amiibo behaves like other Kong figures and gives you the four explosive gold tiles.

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This concludes our guide on using amiibos in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Check out: Donkey Kong Bananza: All confirmed characters