Donkey Kong Bananza ~ Innovation In The Face Of Legacy

 

So, Donkey Kong. We all know him, we’ve all seen him, and we all love him. Or at least, I hope you do too. If not... well, you should START loving the KING. And guess what? The KING is finally back with a brand new game after ELEVEN years! That’s right—ELEVEN! It's been forever since Tropical Freeze, but not only is this the first new DK platformer since that game, it’s also 3D! That’s right, the first 3D Donkey Kong game since Donkey Kong 64 in 1999, which was developed by Rare.

The game’s called Donkey Kong Bananza, and it’s a total reinvention for the Switch 2 generation. It’s a completely new platformer with DK at the center, and while it takes some inspiration from the old Rare games, it mostly leaves behind the aesthetic and characters from the Donkey Kong Country series, which has caused some controversy. This shift is likely because the game wasn’t developed by a second party like most DK platformers since Rare rebooted the series. Instead, it’s being made in-house by Nintendo, probably by the same team behind recent 3D Mario games like Galaxy and Odyssey, and more importantly, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat from 2004.

Jungle Beat was the first DK game in 10 years made by Nintendo Japan, and it didn’t feature the usual DKC cast or Kremlings—just Donkey Kong himself, with a whole new cast of villains and setting. A lot of people are mad about Bananza skipping the classic DK crew in favor of something more original, especially since the art style and aesthetic feel more in line with recent Nintendo EPD games like Mario’s 3D Outings recently, ARMS, and Splatoon.

Honestly, I get it. I think a lot of the backlash is valid, but I also think some of it’s a bit unfair to Bananza. Donkey Kong Country was itself a reinvention of the original DK series, and in the 2000s, a bunch of different games tried to continue Rare’s legacy. So, while I understand the frustration, I think after 11 years without a new DK title—and with the DKC legacy kind of fading in the casual audience—Nintendo making something fresh and separate from those old games was probably the smartest move.

And look, don’t get it twisted—I LOVE Rare’s Donkey Kong games. I adore DKC1 and DKC2, Diddy Kong Racing, and even the 2000s titles with the same characters. Hell, I even love Barrel Blast—one of my favorites in the series. I’d hate to never see Diddy or Dixie Kong again, and I totally get the concern, but trust me, they’re not gonna kill off these characters. Diddy and Dixie will probably show up in Mario Kart or something—heck, they’re even in the theme park! So don’t worry, they'll get their time again. Just be patient.

As for Bananza itself, I don’t think it’s fair to say things like, “It isn’t DK,” or “It sucks because it’s not like Rare’s games.” That same argument could be applied to Rare’s own games, considering they were reboots in their own right. Bananza isn’t trying to be a continuation of the DKC series—if it were, it’d be called Donkey Kong Country something-or-other, not Donkey Kong Bananza. Bananza is its own thing, just like DKC is its own thing. I think we need to judge both separately for what they are.

Donkey Kong’s legacy will never be forgotten. Nintendo’s not the type of company to erase the identity of a series. This is just one game trying something new for the franchise, pushing it in a fresh direction. I honestly think that expecting a series to stick rigidly to its legacy without trying new things is kind of absurd. Look at Crash Bandicoot—that series died because it couldn’t evolve past its prime. Heck, if it weren’t for the Retro games and Donkey Kong’s constant appearances in Mario spinoffs, the character would probably be completely irrelevant by now.

To wrap this up, I firmly believe the Donkey Kong Country legacy will live on. Have a little faith in Nintendo. Even if you’re not feeling Bananza, give it a chance and stay open-minded. And hey, if Nintendo ever makes it clear that they’re completely abandoning what Rare did, trust me—I’ll be just as, if not MORE mad than Y’all. But thats it from me, see y’all take care, and if god willing I’ll DEFINITELY be covering this game when more news comes out! Cya!