Donkey Kong: Bananza is out now, and while most of us are having a bananza smashing our way through Ingot Isle, some players are taking things a bit slower, and spending hours in the game's Artist Mode making wild sculpted creations.
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If you're out of the loop, Donkey Kong: Bananza has an unlockable artist mode where you can use your rock-sculpting powers to make 3D shapes, color them in, and share them online with other players. It's basically a virtual carving tool, and it's pretty dang fun to mess with even if you're not much of an artist.
But as with every other game that lets players create with any amount of freedom, players are making some truly excellent stuff already and sharing it online. This is helped by the fact that the Nintendo Switch 2's Joy-Con mouse controls make it much easier to sculpt at a fine level of detail than just flailing around with the joysticks, resulting in some pretty good art overall that's only getting better as people master the system.
A lot of folks are making Nintendo characters, the Kongs obviously, but also…this guy?
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Here's a pretty good Samus someone made:
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Characters from other games are showing up too, like this excellent Banjo:
I made Banjo with the DK artist mode in Donkey Kong Bananza!! pic.twitter.com/oq0Ap8LZKD
— AS112 (@AS_12239) July 18, 2025
I'm also seeing a weird amount of DK-Homer Simpsons being made – I guess because his head is nice and round and easy to sculpt? And also very similar to Donkey Kong's, I guess?
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Some folks are venturing outside the realm of video games with their creations, like these:
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It is probably worth mentioning that yes, you can also make inappropriate or bawdy sculptures in the game's artist mode. You do you, of course, but be warned that if you share these creations online, Nintendo might bust out the ban hammer on you and could potentially restrict your Nintendo Account as a result.
Donkey Kong: Bananza is out today, and we highly recommend it, having given the game a 10/10 in our review. As our reviewer put it, "Donkey Kong Bananza is a truly groundbreaking 3D platformer, with satisfying movement, powerful abilities, impressive destructible environments, and clever challenges that all come together in complete harmony to create Nintendo’s first Switch 2 masterpiece."
If you, like us, can't get enough of Bananza, we have plenty of walkthroughs to aid your journey underground, including Banandium Gem locations, starter tips and tricks, and a full walkthrough.
