Hunting for the missing banana in Bramble Country? Here’s how to find all 3 Banandium Gems in Donkey Kong Bananza’s Forest Layer challenge, including the secret barrel trick.
Welcome to Bramble Country – Where Barrels Lie and Brambles Bite
If you’ve made it to the Forest Layer in Donkey Kong Bananza, you’re probably already used to platforming chaos and jungle trickery. But Bramble Country, the first Challenge Course in this layer, adds one key ingredient: barrels that want to gaslight you.
You’re here for those sweet Banandium Gems, and you’re told there are three of them. Two are pretty much on autopilot. But the third? Hidden in the background, surrounded by moving barrels that all seem to intentionally avoid pointing you toward it. Suspicious.
Let’s run through all three and break the secret behind that missing banana.
Where to Find Bramble Country
Bramble Country sits in the central part of the Forest Layer, near the warp gong. It’s a challenge course, so expect hazards, timing puzzles, and a heavy dose of “wait, that barrel goes where?”
Once inside, you’re hunting for:
- 3 Banandium Gems
- A fast exit
- Sanity, maybe
Bramble Country Banandium Gem #1 – The Freebie
You’ll find the first gem almost instantly. After punching your way down through a moving dirt pillar, it’s right there in your path. Can’t miss it.
This is the game’s way of saying, “Hey, it’s all good.” Before absolutely dunking you into banana-scented confusion.
Bramble Country Banandium Gem #2 – The Not-So-Hidden Middle Child
After getting past the duo of rock-throwing enemies, you’ll enter a tricky barrel-and-bramble gauntlet. Keep progressing and you’ll hit the second gem on the main path.
Again, no real detective work needed here—just survive the hazards and don’t get beaned by any rocks.
Bramble Country Banandium Gem #3 – The “How Was I Supposed to Know That?” One
Now we’re talking. Or screaming.
What You’ll See:
You’ll enter a room packed with moving barrels, and in the dead center is a barrel that NONE of the others seem to aim at. It’s just chilling there like it’s mocking you.
Naturally, you try to time a shot from the surrounding barrels… but nope. None of them line up.
The Trick:
- Get into one of the barrels above the central “unreachable” barrel.
- Once you’re rotating in place, press ZL to launch yourself out manually.
- If your timing and angle are right, you’ll land in the mystery barrel in the middle.
- It’ll launch you into the background, where the Back of the Brambles gem is waiting.
This isn’t just a cool visual—it’s a full-on secret area that’s easy to miss if you play it barrel-by-barrel like a traditionalist.
Where to Exit
After collecting the final gem, keep moving forward and you’ll hit the barrel that fires you back to the overworld. The last Banandium Gem is conveniently right before this, just in case you somehow skipped it on the way.
No more brambles. No more lies. You did it.
Pro Tips for Bramble Barrel Madness
- ZL = Freedom. Don’t just wait for barrels to auto-launch you. If you’re stuck in a loop, take the leap.
- Practice aiming your jumps from barrels. You’ll use this skill in later layers too—sometimes for secrets, sometimes for survival.
- If you miss the background barrel, you can just restart from the checkpoint barrel and try again. The game’s forgiving here (for once).
Summary
Bramble Country might start off as a walk in the park, but that last gem requires some good ol’ gamer intuition—or this guide. If you master the barrel hop trick and keep an eye out for sneaky paths, you’ll clean this course up in one swing.
Now go back out there and show those barrels who’s boss.
Also check:
What Amiibo Unlocks in Donkey Kong Bananza (and Whether It’s Worth Using)
Donkey Kong Bananza: Left or Right at The Divide? Freezer vs. Forest Layer Guide
Grumpy Kong Boss Fight Guide: How to Win Fast in Donkey Kong Bananza
