Donkey Kong Bananza: Locating Banandium Gems in Resort Layer

Navigate the sun-drenched beaches of the Resort Layer in Donkey Kong Bananza, an environment abundant with colossal fruit structures and hidden treasures. This comprehensive guide outlines the precise locations of the 41 Banandium Gems found within this vibrant level, essential for enhancing character skills and progressing through the game. From subterranean tunnels to lofty floating islands, each gem presents a unique challenge, often requiring strategic environmental manipulation or participation in mini-games. This resource details every step, ensuring players can efficiently gather these valuable items and maximize their gameplay experience.

The Resort Layer, the eighth distinct area in Donkey Kong Bananza, captivates players with its unique landscape of oversized fruit. Amidst these fruity cubes, standard-sized Banandium Gems are scattered, acting as crucial power-ups that augment Donkey Kong's abilities. Collecting these gems is paramount for advancing through the game, as they directly contribute to skill point accumulation. Our detailed walkthrough illuminates the path to each gem, whether it's the first one encountered directly upon arrival or those concealed within the layer's more intricate puzzles.

Sublayer 800 alone hosts 41 Banandium Gems, each requiring a distinct approach to retrieve. For instance, the very first gem is conspicuously located directly ahead upon entering the Resort Layer. Another, labeled "Buried in the Beach," demands an observant eye; players must dig adjacent to a partially submerged rock resembling a banana near the circular green area. The "Strawberry and Banana" gem requires a creative solution: launching a rainbow shark to bridge the gap to a floating island, then either punching or dive-jumping a button on a giant strawberry to unveil the gem within. In "Checking into the Tropical Retreat," the gem is simply found beside a tuning fork in the Tropical Retreat area.

Beyond straightforward collection, some gems are earned through engaging interactions or mini-challenges. "Resort Quiz Master" involves a trivia challenge with a character named Quiztone, where correct answers regarding sunglasses, a juice bar, and coconuts yield the gem. "Underground Runaround" and "Up Means Down" both lead players into subterranean passages, guided by Fractones that morph into directional arrows, necessitating the destruction of obstacles to reach the hidden bananas. "Secret Beachside Grotto" reveals a gem behind a cracked wall near the Tropical Retreat tuning fork, accessible through careful exploration.

The "A Daring Drop" and "Rail-Ride Rest Stop" gems are embedded within the Mine-Cart Country challenge course. Players must navigate treacherous minecart tracks, intentionally falling into specific broken segments or simply surviving the initial half of the course to claim these rewards. The "Battle: Pulverizer’s Path" gem is obtained by triumphing over three trailfinoids in a combat challenge, accessible by climbing a wall near the Architectone and Tropical Retreat Getaway. Strategically, players should aim to make the molevoloids resurface on breakable materials, avoiding the indestructible black metal.

Further into the Resort Layer, the "Resort Growstone" series of gems (13-15) involves offering gold to a Growtone on a floating island, a process requiring multiple donations to acquire all three. The "Resort Fragmentone Recovery and Restoration" (16-17) demands finding and returning fragmented crystal pieces to a Fragmentone, with various fragments hidden beneath slanted strawberries, within the tallest strawberry, and on distant floating islands, often requiring creative use of liftoff ore and handslaps to raise platforms. The "Resort Smashin’ Stats" gem is awarded for a cumulative achievement: smashing 30,000 cubic units of sand on the Resort Layer.

Challenges like "Shifty Smash: Liftoff to the Sky" and "Shifty Smash: Seaside Smashing" test agility and strategic transformation. The former involves activating a shifty smash challenge and using liftoff ore to rapidly destroy shifty blocks, while the latter requires transforming into Zebra Bananza to quickly traverse water and smash three shifty blocks. The "Bloomed in the Resort Layer" gem is found on a distant island, requiring players to clear concrete bananas to expose a plant to sunlight, prompting it to bloom and yield the gem. "Resort Hide-and-Seek" is a multi-part quest where players locate hidden Fractones within giant strawberries, floating orbs, and alcoves, eventually using liftoff ore to reach the highest hiding spot. The "Shaved-Ice Trainee," "Shaved-Ice Artisan," and "Shaved-Ice Master" gems are earned by solving goo-manipulation puzzles within a pear-shaped Ancient Ruins area, creating pathways for ice cubes to reach a bowl. These puzzles demand precise environmental adjustments.

Finally, "Rising Seafloor Ruins" involves revealing a submerged rainbow road by destroying a giant strawberry and punching a blue balloon, leading to a hidden banana within a black pillar. "Changing the Lanes" offers a gem for navigating a dynamic Ancient Ruins course with moving paths and obstacles, where balloons can be a helpful asset. "Pause for the Underpass" rewards players for carefully following a "boom rock" path through a gap, revealing a hidden gem. "Adrift at Sea" involves locating a mobile hexagon-shaped island on the water's edge, requiring the Zebra Bananza power to reach it. "Floating Freebie" and "Quick Snack on Skydive Isle" are found on floating islands, some requiring rainbow shark bridges or natural progression through the main story. The enigmatic 41st gem remains a mystery, likely requiring further story progression. Additionally, the "Resort Chip Exchange" allows players to trade Bananadium Chips for a gem, with varying costs depending on previous transactions. This comprehensive guide ensures no gem is left undiscovered within the Resort Layer, empowering players to fully explore and conquer this vibrant level.