Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Hilltop Layer’s SL200 region has 38 Banandium Gems. The guide below follows the published location order and groups each reward by landmark or activity; use the linked map in the Nintendo Life guide if you need to pinpoint a route. Some entries require a later return or a story/payment unlock, so an unavailable objective does not necessarily mean you missed its location.
What Banandium Gems do
Nintendo calls DK’s golden bananas “Banandium Gems.” They can be buried in terrain or awarded for ruin challenges. Collecting them adds Skill Points, which can be spent to improve health or power and learn skills. This guide is for Donkey Kong Bananza on Nintendo Switch 2; see Nintendo’s game page for the official overview.
Hilltop Layer gems 1–10: arrival, Fractone Village and Shifty Platform Road
- Bruised Peekabruiser! — On landing in Hilltop, look immediately in front of DK.
- Cave-Dwelling Treasure — Dig down from the first gem to reach the underground cave.
- The Hilltop Growtone — Feed Growtone 600 Gold.
- The Hungry Hilltop Growtone — Feed Growtone 3,000 Gold.
- The Sated Hilltop Growtone — Feed Growtone 6,000 Gold.
- Battle: Dig, Dig, Dig on Down — Beat the Crocktoid x1 challenge in Fractone Village.
- The Shifty Path under the Village — Hit the Shift Blocks behind the Chip Exchange, then break the stone wall they reveal.
- A Shifty Path Forward — Enter Shifty Platform Road from the floating platform between the Style Shop and Chip Exchange. Reach the area beyond the first shifting platforms.
- An Out-of-the-Way Room — In the challenge ruins’ snowy section, use the floating platform and smash through the thorns.
- Make-Your-Own Platforms — Complete Shifty Platform Road.
Gems 11–20: Fragmentone, village outskirts and the Construction Site
- Hilltop Fragmentone Recovery — Jump off the cliff by the Warp Gong, break the gold wall below, and help Fragmentone find one piece.
- Hilltop Fragmentone Restoration — Find all three pieces for Fragmentone.
- Battle: Spike-Spout Scrap — Complete the Crocktoid x3 Battle Ruins under the mound off the critical path leaving Fractone Village.
- Hilltop Hide-and-Seek — Find four Seekatones hiding in the large concrete banana structure left of the path out of Fractone Village.
- Hilltop Smashin’ Stats — Smash 20,000 m of rock in Hilltop, then talk to Smashintone near the tunnel to Undertone Canal.
- Bloomed in the Hilltop Layer — Demolish the stone banana near the Construction Site checkpoint to give the flower light.
- Thorny-Hill Finish Line — Complete Thorny Hill Speed Surf in the cliff below Construction Site.
- Thorny-Hill Buzzer Beater — Finish Thorny Hill Speed Surf with 20 seconds remaining. The guide recommends using the dropped rock and moving quickly without stopping at stations.
- Thorny-Hill Hideaway — At the course end, use Chunk Jump to get over the nearby wall.
- Shifty Smash: Break the Canopy — Complete the Shifty Smash challenge at the mountain base behind the muddy bananas.
Gems 21–30: Peel Peak, Spiked-Tide Slope and the giant bananas
- Battle: Three-Tiered Tussle — Complete the Crocktoid x3 ruins halfway up Peel Peak. Use Chunk Jump to reach each tier.
- Peeled from Peel Peak — Clear the Void Co. infection from Peel Peak.
- The Skies over Peel Peak — Throw earth at the bottom of the floating platform above Peel Peak’s top rock structure.
- Bananas All the Way Down — Break the concrete at the end of the middle giant stone banana.
- Shifty Smash: The Rotating Ring — Complete the Shifty Smash challenge through the banana archway beside the giant muddy bananas.
- Against the Oncoming Tide — In Spiked-Tide Slope, use Boom Rocks to make craters that stop spike balls.
- Against the Winding Tide — Complete Spiked-Tide Slope.
- Amidst the Hidden Tide — Drop below the bridge near the challenge finish. Use Boom Rocks to clear spike balls and ceiling concrete, then climb across to the gem.
- The Flying Banana — Find the spike-ball-spitting machine near the Void Co.-infected banana rock and hit it when it drops low.
- Gold-Dipped Banana — At the large ground circle near Fractone Village, use Hand Slap around the circumference, then Kong Bananza to dig through the concrete.
Gems 31–38: field challenges, the Construction Site pit and Nostalgia Country
- Hilltop Quiz Master — Answer Quiztone’s questions correctly on the large blue banana in the field.
- Cranky’s Hilltop Rant — Throw earth at the floating platform near the large rock banana on the upper right to lower Cranky for a chat.
- Shifty Smash: Downhill Run — Complete the Shifty Smash challenge inside the banana archway at the bottom of the starting hill.
- Tunneling through the Pit — Break the concrete wall on a rock ledge in the Construction Site hole.
- Treasured Memories — At Nostalgia Country’s start, Chunk Jump up the entrance wall to find DK’s house above.
- Over the Valley — In Nostalgia Country, follow the course roughly halfway through.
- Hijinxs in the Jungle — Complete Nostalgia Country.
- Hilltop Chip Exchange — Exchange 50 Chips at the Fractone Village Chip Exchange for a gem.
Why a gem may not be available yet
The list is a regional collection checklist, not a promise that every objective is open on the first visit. Nintendo Life notes that some Hilltop gems require completing the main objective and returning later. Super Mario Wiki’s availability table says the three Growtone rewards unlock after defeating King K. Rool in New Donk City; it also lists a 2,999-gold Constructone payment gate for Tunneling through the Pit, Treasured Memories, Over the Valley and Hijinxs in the Jungle. Those conditions can explain why a listed objective is unavailable. Check the in-game gem list and map markers to identify which entry remains; the guides do not establish one required route order for every player.
Sources: Nintendo Life’s Hilltop Layer guide (Jim Norman, July 17, 2025); Super Mario Wiki’s Banandium Gem list; and Nintendo’s official game page.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Quick Recap
Bestseller No. 1
Bestseller No. 2
Bestseller No. 3
Bestseller No. 5
Best Value
Nintendo Switch 2 System with Donkey Kong Bananza Game Bundle
- The next evolution of Nintendo Switch
- One system, three play modes: TV, Tabletop, and Handheld
- Larger, vivid, 7.9” LCD touch screen with support for HDR and up to 120 fps
- Explore a vast underground world—by smashing your way through it!
- A brand-new 3D platforming action adventure starring Donkey Kong and Pauline
Rank #4
Sale
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Nintendo Switch
- Donkey Kong, diddy Kong, dixie Kong and cranky Kong return for the franchise's debut on the Nintendo Switch system!
- This title includes all the fun and challenge of the original game, plus a brand-new mode that lets new and novice
- Players Enjoy this critically acclaimed adventure as Groovy surfing simian funky Kong.
- Funky Kong can double jump, hover, perform Infinite rolls and even perform Infinite underwater corkscrews.
- Thanks to his sturdy surfboard, even spikes can't slow him down.
Rank #3
![Donkey Kong Bananza Standard - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Xv8olm5RL._SL160_.jpg)
Donkey Kong Bananza Standard - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code]
- Uncover a wide variety of environments, like forest, canyon, and lagoon, as you delve underground
- Reshape the world as you tear through it, with the help of…an Odd Rock?
Rank #2
Donkey Kong Bananza - For Nintendo Switch 2
- Embark on a brand-new Donkey Kong adventure exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2.
- Explore the Underground World with dynamic environments and hidden secrets.
- Battle VoidCo and its minions using DK’s signature strength and powerful punches.
- Team up with a mysterious new companion with unique gameplay abilities.
- Recover the Golden Bananas across thrilling, action-packed levels.
#1 Best Overall
Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo Switch 2)
- Explore a vast underground world—by smashing your way through it!
- A brand-new 3D platforming action adventure starring Donkey Kong and Pauline
- Bash through just about anything in groundbreaking exploration! Crash through walls and carve tunnels—the more you smash, the more areas open up to you
- Pair up with Pauline to use Bananza Transformations: smash through obstacles with the raw strength of Kong form, gallop with incredible speed as a Zebra, and more
- Team up with a friend in two-player co-op as Donkey Kong and Pauline! Blast foes and terrain alike with Pauline’s voice as you explore together
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.
