This unexpected announcement has Donkey Kong fans going ape! Nintendo announced that Donkey Kong Bananza would be released on Nintendo Switch 2, July 17th. And looking at the game? A lot of bananas appear to be involved… A LOT.
The original tweet from Nintendo America read: “A Kong can never have too many bananas,” giving the reveal date with the hashtag #DonkeyKongBananza. No gameplay footage was given to detract from people’s spiraling madness in the replies. Some assumed this would be a return of the collectathon style, much like Donkey Kong 64 (more on that very shortly), while others were just thankful the big ape was getting some love on the new hardware.
DK64 was brought up A LOT in the replies. User Italian_VA just asked outright, “COLLECTING?? DONKEY KONG 64 CONFIRMED??!!?” with that particular level of enthusiasm reserved for finally grasping the last golden banana in the N64 classic. Others, like LetsPlayNintendoITA, were popping out saying this new title looked like the DK64 style. Hmm…interesting.
The other side isn’t thrilled, though; DrinkCred stated they wouldn’t buy a Switch 2 “until there is at least 5 new games for it” and pegged the current lineup “last gen or PC 5 years ago.” Ouch. Memhisk, meanwhile, expressed some choice words about the PS5 and Switch 2 game lineups, and I don’t think we ought to repeat that.
Rumors are ebbing and flowing every minute. LetsPlayNintendoITA (who seems to be everywhere in these replies) claims the game is being developed by the developers behind Super Mario Odyssey, with a few devs from Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom assisting. If so? That banana bonanza may really be a dream team.
Already, there are demands from players. VanitasFan26 wants DK64 to be added to the N64 library on Switch Online, and MKUltraLabel claims this “should’ve been the launch title.” Hard crowd.
What we can say with certainty is that July 17th is going to be a very busy day for gorillas worldwide. There was no gameplay shown in the tweet, but judging from all the banana stuff and the DK64 comparisons, this could very well be the return of the great sprawling 3D platformers of old. Or maybe it is something completely different. Anyway, Nintendo is not going to give away any more information just yet.
Great news for everybody who has been patiently waiting for a reason to finally pick up a Switch 2; that is a brand new Donkey Kong game developed by some of Nintendo’s finest talents. Although… I would suggest clearing some shelf space for the many virtual bananas you can start collecting this July.
