Nintendo has an extensive roster of mascots. Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom buddies still take center stage every year, andZelda, Link, and the rest of Hyruleusually get second billing. But then there are characters like Donkey Kong, who are still universally loved, but who have taken more of a backseat in recent years. ButDonkey Kong Bananzamight have just broken that cycle for the primate.
After a decade of being relegated to the background, Nintendo’s oldest mascot finally takes the spotlight again inDonkey Kong Bananza, a game that’s received universal acclaim. Donkey Kong’s return to the fore has been long overdue, and thanks to one key element of its development,Donkey Kong Bananzais a particularly special homecoming.
Donkey Kong Bananza Marks a Momentous Milestone for The Nintendo Mascot
Donkey Kong Bananza Is The First DK-Focused Game in Over a Decade
Though Donkey Kong has stayed on general audiences' radars over the last decade or so, that’s not the result of any new mainline adventures starring the Nintendo mascot. Instead of getting any standalone titles of his own, Donkey Kong has primarily appeared incrossover games likeSuper Smash Bros.andMario Kart World, along with HD remasters and ports of decade-old games likeDonkey Kong Country: Tropical FreezeandDonkey Kong Country Returns, the latter of which came to Nintendo Switch at the start of the year.
The last new mainline entry intheDonkey KongfranchisewasDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze’s original release for the Wii U all the way back in 2014. This means thatDonkey Kong Bananzais the first new game to star the eponymous gorilla in over a decade, hence why its positive initial reception has been met with such celebration by long-timeDonkey Kongfans.
Donkey Kong Bananza Is a Homecoming for Nintendo
Despite being one of Nintendo’s most enduring mascots, Donkey Kong has very rarely been a product of Nintendo’s own in-house studios. After birthing the franchise with the iconicDonkey Kongarcade gamein 1981, Nintendo produced a handful of sequels also intended for arcade floors. In 1983, Nintendo deliveredDonkey Kong Jr. Math, the last entry in theDonkey Kongfranchise that it would personally develop for quite some time.
1994 saw Rare breathe new life into the franchise with the belovedDonkey Kong Country, and for the rest of the decade Rare essentially became the mascot’s sole developer. Namco took a spin with the franchise in the early 2000s with theDonkey Kongaseries. Paon madeDonkey Kong Barrel Blastfor the Wiiin 2007. And Retro Studios delivered the series' long-awaited return to form in 2010 with the release ofDonkey Kong Country Returns, which Retro followed up in 2014 withTropical Freeze.
Aside from theMario vs. Donkey Kongspinoffs and 2004’sDonkey Kong Jungle Beat, Nintendo itself has not made aDonkey Konggame since the early 1980s. That is until now, withDonkey Kong Bananzabeing the product of Nintendo EPD, and more specifically, the same studio that made2017’sSuper Mario Odyssey.
Donkey Kong Bananzadoesn’t just mark the first mainline entry in the franchise since 2014, it also marks the first time Nintendo has had sole control over aDonkey Kongentry in over four decades, and it’s a homecoming worth celebrating.
