Thorny Hill Speed Surf is the second challenge course in the Hilltop Layer of Donkey Kong Bananza and will reward players with up to three Banandium Gems. They’ll get the first just for completing the course and can unlock another one by doing so with twenty seconds or more left on the clock. However, finding the last Banana isn’t quite so simple.

Whereas players can simply speak with the blue crystal at the finish line to find out the unlock requirements for the second banana, there are no real clues on how and where to find the third. As such, players will need to get creative with the tools they have around them, which means making use of the tear and drop mechanics in Donkey Kong Bananza.

How to Get the Third Banana in Thorny Hill Speed Surf (Thorny-Hill Hideaway)

The third and final Thorny Hill Speed Surf banana is hidden away behind the unclimbable wall behind the finish line. However, just because players can’t climb the wall does not mean that they can’t get over it. To do so, they should go over to one of the nearby dirt patches and press and hold ZR to tear up a piece of terrain. From there, they should tap the R button while standing near the wall to drop it. From there, they can jump onto the piece of dirt that they just dropped and then jump onto the top of the wall. It’s then just a simple case of dropping down onto the other side of the wall and breaking the Banandium Gem.

How to Complete Thorny Hill Speed Surf with 20 Seconds Remaining (Thorny-Hill Buzzer Beater)

To finish the Thorny Hill Speed Surf course quickly, players should spam the X button so that DK is constantly increasing his speed. Rather than going around them, they should jump over the moving spike walls and do the same with any enemies that get in their way. Taking the shortcuts can help shave a few seconds here and there, although this is by no means a requirement. By constantly hitting X, players should be able to complete the course in under forty seconds just by sticking to the metal path, so there’s no need to risk falling off the edge and losing gold.

If players are too slow, they can speak to the blue crystal on their right and ask for a do-over to be instantly teleported back to the start of the course.

Donkey Kong Bananza

Systems

Released

July 17, 2025

ESRB

Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence

Developer(s)

Nintendo

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Number of Players

Single-player

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