Banana Kong is an endless runner game developed by FDG Entertainment[1] and Co.KG.[2] for Android and iOS. It was released on January 24, 2013.[3]
It is a game where you play as the titular gorilla (Banana Kong), running for dear life as his endless banana eating results in a literal tidal wave of banana peels coming down on him. You will have to jump, drop, and dash through whatever obstacles Banana Kong faces as he makes his mad, escape, while trekking on the island he calls home.
Banana Kong is about a titulargorilla (Banana Kong) animal that is trying to outrun a pile of falling bananas. The game is controlled by tapping the screen to jump. Collecting bananas will charge the power bar. When the power bar is full, the character can thrust forward by swiping right. The main area is the jungle, but other areas can be accessed through various means. These areas include the cavern, the ocean, the beach, and the treetop. Each area has a specific pet which aids the player. There is the toucan, the roar, the turtle, the snake and the giraffe. The aim is to go the further by avoiding all the obstacles. There is also objectives which can be completed during one run or during severals.
Gameplay
Banana Kong is about a titulargorilla (Banana Kong) animal that is trying to outrun a pile of falling bananas. The game is controlled by tapping the screen to jump. Collecting bananas will charge the power bar. When the power bar is full, the character can thrust forward by swiping right. The main area is the jungle, but other areas can be accessed through various means. These areas include the cavern, the ocean, the beach, and the treetop. Each area has a specific pet which aids the player. There is the toucan, the roar, the turtle, the snake and the giraffe. The aim is to go the further by avoiding all the obstacles. There is also objectives which can be completed during one run or during severals.
In Banana Kong, the player has to cope with more than simply jungle travel. The player may run around the island's coastline, bounce on trees, and even locate a passage through the tunnels that lie beneath the forest itself. The gorillas will meet new difficulties and ride along with animal companions as the gorillas team transport gorillas to safety.[4] However, these cannot only carry gorillas for so long; at some point, Gorillas will have to continue running on his own before Gorillas comes across them once more.
It is not just jungle travel that the player has to deal with in Banana Kong[4]. The player can bounce on the treetops, run along the island coast, and even find a path in the caves beneath the jungle itself. Along the way, Banana Kong will find animal friends to hitch a ride with and encounter new obstacles as they carry Banana Kong to safety. Animal friends can only carry him for so long however, and eventually Banana Kong will have to continue his run on his own before he finds them again.
As the game gets faster and faster, both the player and Banana Kong will have to react to incoming impediments much more quickly, all while collecting more bananas. When a run does end, the player can use your hard-earned fruits to purchase upgrades for both Banana Kong and his friends, allowing for longer, more lucrative runs, and possibly fueling another wave of peels in the process.
Below is a list of obstacles and features unique to the jungle
Flower Springs - From time-to-time, Flower Springs can spawn on the jungle path, and they give Banana Kong some additional airtime if he lands on them. Performing a ground drop to land on a Flower Spring will let the player cover more height, even if the player perform the drop just before touching the Spring[5].
Swinging Vines - The player might spot orange vines just below the jungle canopy, which Banana Kong can swing on if he manages to grab hold. These vines mainly serve as alternate paths. However, if the player's Power Dash meter is full, dashing while swinging on a vine will send the player to the jungle treetops[5].
Beach Rocket - If the player see a rocket floating in midair, Banana Kong can hitch an optional ride to the beach, which features different obstacles and a change of scenery. The beach has its own rocket to send the player back to the jungle if needed[5].
Alternate Paths - Depending on what spawns in the jungle, the player might find a flared pipe sticking out of the water, or a cave entrance that has been boarded up. the player can enter these obstacles via a Power Dash, leading into the sea and the caves respectively. We will discuss those later on[5].
Rolling Logs - Logs will periodically roll in from the right of the screen, tripping up Banana Kong if he touches them. Evade them accordingly. Some may even come in sequence, resulting in multiple jumps or just Power Dashing right through them instead[5].
Below is a list of obstacles and features unique to the beach, which is otherwise identical to the jungle in terms of overall level design:
Bouncy Frogs - These frogs behave much like the Flower Springs but are smaller and launch Banana Kong a shorter distance. Typically, any associated platforming with them is going to be much less vertical as a result[5].
Snapping Crabs - The player might see a pair of crab claws sticking out of the sand, and as Banana Kong gets close, the crab leaps up to try and nip Banana Kong in the leg. Sometimes the crabs are out in the open and just waiting for Banana Kong to come near[5].
Falling Coconuts - Rather than landing on Banana Kong’s head, these coconuts act as surprise obstacles that players must quickly react to and avoid. They can still be rushed through via Power Dashes if push comes to shove[5].
If the player Power Dash while hanging onto a swinging vine, the player will be sent to the treetops above, where the trees act like springs and there are lots of bananas floating in the sky. Just like the frogs and flowers, ground dropping onto the trees gives the player more air, allowing the player to reach those bananas with some gliding. If Banana Kong falls out of the trees, he simply returns to the jungle below him[5].
The game recommend against Power Dashing while the player are in the treetops, as the player will move too fast for the game to properly generate trees and this guarantees that Banana Kong will fall out[5].
If the player take the pipe to the waters below, the controls change significantly. Banana Kong constantly sinks to the bottom of the seafloor, and tapping the screen causes Banana Kong to slowly swim upwards. The player cannot Power Dash either so slowdowns can only be compensated with time. For a while the player are safe from the falling peel pile but after a short distance Banana Kong will have to deal with a new threat—a crocodile that constantly chases after Banana Kong while he is in the water[5].
The crocodile will periodically try to bite Banana Kong while he is swimming, and the player will have to avoid various fish and other sea critters that serve as obstacles to slow Banana Kong down and make the crocodile more likely to get him. If the crocodile does get to Banana Kong, our poor gorilla is sent out of the water and back into the jungle. The sea life the player have to contend with are as follows:
Piranhas - The basic threat, piranhas generally act as stationary obstacles, so Banana Kong has to carefully swim past them. Some piranhas will start swimming in the background before reappearing into the foreground[5].
Pufferfish - Pufferfish swim in schools, typically constricting Banana Kong’s movement by creating narrow paths that he has to navigate through without getting pricked[5].
Jellyfish - Jellyfish will try to match Banana Kong’s current depth but do so rather slowly. The trick to evading them is to swim as high as the player can and let Banana Kong sink as they get close[5].
Squids - Squids are solitary and swim in circles, blinding Banana Kong with ink if he touches them[5].
Electric Eels - At times, the player might spot a fishing swimming in Banana Kong’s direction that is harmless, only for it to be eaten by a passing electric eel. Acting much like the rolling logs of the jungle, the eels will speed toward Banana Kong as they go for their prey, potentially shocking him as a result[5].
If the player go through the caves, Banana Kong will find himself deep underground, with lava instead of water and the rocks containing dinosaur fossils. Unlike the other locations mentioned above, there is no way to return to the jungle from the caves, so the rest of the player's run will be spent underground until Banana Kong is stopped. The only unique threats here are:
Falling Stalactites - Acting like the beach’s coconuts, stalactites can periodically fall from the cave ceiling and onto Banana Kong’s path.
Bat Swarms - Periodic bat swarms can be seen on the caves, and if Banana Kong runs into one, his speed is reduced until the bats fly off[5].
Animal Assistance
Luckily for Banana Kong, he does not have to run from his fruit pile alone. Most locations have animal friends that give Banana Kong some additional distance while offering some unique banana layouts. The player can see these animals roaming during the run and the player can choose whether or not to hitch a ride. Listed below are the player's animal friends:
Toucan - Exclusive to the jungle, the Toucan can barely hold Banana Kong’s weight and turns the game into Flappy Bird. Throughout the Toucan’s duration, Banana Kong will be suspended above water, and the player has to avoid both obstacles suspended on platforms and piranhas periodically jumping out of the water for a quick bite. If the Toucan takes too much damage or touches the water, Banana Kong is thrown off and returns to the standard jungle[5].File:Toucan animal.jpgToucan[9]
Snake - Exclusive to the beach, the Snake carries Banana Kong on a series of vines that act like ziplines. Players will have to avoid gorilla-eating plants by jumping or dropping onto other vines in the path. Occasionally, a balloon will spawn which the player can collect for a sum of bananas. However, that will require some quick thinking to avoid the plants on the vines. If Banana Kong touches a plant, he is thrown off and returns to the beach[5].File:Snake animal.pngSnake[10]
Turtle - Exclusive to the sea, the Turtle gives Banana Kong a temporary speed boost and generates unique banana layouts. The main challenge here is controlling the Turtle and collecting all those bananas, as, unlike the other animals listed here, the Turtle runs on a strict time limit before Banana Kong lets go. Thankfully, no other sea critters will spawn while Banana Kong is hitching a ride, and any fish Banana Kong does hit at first will not impair the Turtle’s duration[5].File:Turtle animal.jpgTurtle
Boar - Exclusive to the caves, the Boar periodically spawns specially marked bricks that he and Banana Kong can smash through for extra bananas, alternating between those bricks and regular obstacles. Unlike the other animals here, the Boar can withstand multiple hits from other obstacles up to a point, where he launches Banana Kong off, and cave gameplay continues normally[5].
The player can still Power Dash while riding the Boar however, which can prolong his duration until he runs out of health; there is no way to restore any lost health either. Falling into the lava is still a guaranteed knockout no matter how much health the Boar has.
The bananas you collect can be used to purchase upgrades for both Banana Kong and his animal buddies, along with cosmetics such as hats and parachute reskins. Upgrades are split into four categories, with a “fifth” category reserved for premium boosters purchased via in-app purchases:
Power-ups - This category influences Banana Kong directly. It includes upgrades to Banana Kong’s gliding duration (how slowly he falls while gliding), and access to Rainbow Bananas. Rainbow Bananas are worth 30 bananas upon pickup with further upgrades increasing the likelihood of them spawning in. Because they offer so many bananas upon pickup, they instantly charge up your Power Dash. Also included are magnets, single-use banana multipliers, and a shield that protects against bottomless pits but can only be used once per run[5].
Hats - This category is reserved for giving our gorilla a funny little hat. This is purely cosmetic but some missions the game gives you might require you to complete a run with a hat on[5].
Animals - Upgrades for Banana Kong’s animal friends, these typically involve giving them an extra hit or adding banana multipliers to them while Banana Kong is riding them. This category also has a couple of special animals that you can purchase: single-use cheetahs that give Banana Kong an immediate 500-meter or 1,000-meter boost, and a giraffe that gives Banana Kong an extra chance at the treetops if he falls off. Additional purchases of the giraffe increase the amount of times Banana Kong can fall off before landing back in the jungle for good.
Parachutes - These are reskins for the banana leaf that Banana Kong uses as a glider. As with the hats, this is optional unless a mission requires it[5].
The game offers up to three missions to complete in exchange for bonuses, such as a lump sum of bananas, free cheetahs, or unique hats exclusively from specific challenges. These challenges can range from reaching a set distance, collecting a set number of bananas in a single run, or visiting the caves enough times[5].
If a mission is proving too difficult, the player can skip it by watching an ad, though the player will not get any progress towards the current bonus if the player do so. Completing a run may also give the player an opportunity to get free bananas or the player can watch an ad to get Golden Hearts.
Now here are some tips and tricks to get as many bananas as you can with each run and streamline your gameplay experience along the way:
Keep that Power Dash meter up. A fully charged Power Dash lets the player go straight through obstacles, access different paths, and just lets the player get some distance between the player and the peel pile. Know when to collect the necessary bananas so the player can keep it juiced up[5].
Do not get greedy. While keeping the Power Dash meter on standby is handy, remember that this is a runner game. The objective is to get as far as possible so unless you are confident of the player's skills or just want to end a good run, do not go for risky bananas. You might be able to spend a Golden Heart to continue such a run, but the player only have so much of those on hand[5].
Sometimes, slowing down is good. The game can get too fast for the player to react to incoming obstacles, so running into a barrel might help the player focus on the path ahead. If those peels are getting too close, remember to Power Dash or find a different path to escape them, if only temporarily[5].
Get those Rainbow Bananas first. The Rainbow Banana is worth 30 bananas on pickup, and even the first upgrade can mean the difference in reaching the next upgrade[5].
Focus on the animals the player like. If the player have enough bananas to upgrade Banana Kong’s buddies, consider spending them on the animals the player are most comfortable controlling. If the player prefer the Snake for example, use the player's bananas on the Snake’s upgrades[5].
Trouble with the ads? Shut them off. While ads will not interrupt the player mid-game, they can make browsing through upgrades and missions a pain. Just switch off the internet connection of the player's mobile device before starting Banana Kong and the player should be able to play without interruption. The only concern will be slight “hitches” from time to time, but it is a reasonable compromise. Just remember that the player cannot collect any free Golden Hearts or bananas through ad watching. Skipping troublesome missions is out of the question[5].
Setting
A thrilling ride through jungle, caves and treetops.[12]The player initially assumes the role of Kong! Run, jump, bounce and swing on vines to help Kong to outrun a huge banana avalanche! Keep full control with highly responsive single-finger tap and swipe controls. Ride the boar or fly with the toucan to overcome dangerous obstacles like massive boulders, crocodiles, piranhas and boiling lava. Nature can be a cruel enemy. Collect as many bananas as possible to fill your energy bar. Use a power-dash to destroy obstacles or take alternative routes like the deep underground cave area or treetops. Find secrets and unlock extras to get the most out of the game.
Banana Kong is an endless runner game developed by FDG Entertainment[1] and Co.KG.[2] for Android[14] and iOS.[15] It was released on January 24, 2013. FDG Entertainment started in September 2001 as a producing and publishing studio of download games for Java compatible mobile phones. The games have been offered on operator portals and were pre-installed on millions of Samsung color phones worldwide. With the release of smartphones like iPhone and Android devices, the company started to produce console quality mobile games and quickly became a successful global player on the App Store and Google Play with far more than 500 Million downloads to date. FDG Entertainment teams up with the best indie developers around the world to deliver highly creative games. A big network of partners ensures best quality for each genre with greatly varying styles and gameplay mechanics. FDG Entertainment is privately funded and 100% independent. Nowadays FDG’s games are available on almost all gaming platforms, such as Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, PC, Mac, Stadia, Luna and more to come.[16]
Reception
The application been downloaded by 100+ million users and has an average Google Play Store rating of 4.6 stars out of 5.[17]
Banana Kong ranks among the most popular games from developer FDG Entertainment and Co.KG. and received generally positive reviews. Immediately reminiscent of Nintendo's classic Donkey Kong Country, Banana Kong is a fun and vibrant Endless Runner. It might not have the longevity of its inspiration but there's still plenty of fun to be had. Banana Kong has received favorable reviews from critics, with Nadia Oxford[20] mentioning the fact that the game is 'fun as heck' and also praising the sound and cartoon graphics which they feel give the game charm. The review ends by saying that the game is a 'joy to play' and Nadia Oxford called the game "unbelievably addictive, immediately accessible, and enjoyable every time you pick it up". It currently holds a rating of 4.6 stars based on 4,864,032[21] votes on similarweb.
Sequel
A sequel, Banana Kong 2, was released to Android and iOS devices on July 12, 2022. It features more maps, animal characters, and new events.[12]
