More 2D and 3DDonkey Konggames could be on the horizon afterDonkey Kong Bananza, with Nintendo taking a similar approach to theSuper Mario Bros. series. While Nintendo’s big ape has been showing up in spin-off games likeSuper Smash Bros. UltimateandMario Kart Worldfrequently, there hasn’t been a standaloneDonkey Kongtitle sinceDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freezefor the Nintendo Wii U back in 2014.
This will finally change whenDonkey Kong Bananzalaunches for the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17. Developed by thesame studio as 2017’sSuper Mario Odyssey,Donkey Kong Banazaputs DK in a fully destructible 3D world on a mission to recover the Banandium Gems from the evil VoidCo. Using his rock-smashing attacks and the young Pauline’s magical singing abilities, Donkey Kong will journey to the core of Ingot Isle, where legend has it that one can have their greatest wish granted.
Donkey Kong Bananzamight not be the onlyDonkey Konggame on the way, at least not according to producer Kenta Motokura in a recent Ask the Developer interview on the officialNintendowebsite. When asked whereDonkey Kong Bananzafits into the grand scheme of the franchise, Motokura said that by leveraging his team’s experience in crafting 3DMariogames, Nintendo could take an approach similar toMarioand branchtheDonkey Kongseriesout into two lines: classic 2D games and more novel 3D entries that bring DK’s strengths and new actions to the forefront.
Donkey Kong Might Branch Into 2D and 3D Games
As noted before, this approach isn’t too different from what Nintendo does for theSuper Mario Bros.franchise, alternating between2D platformers likeSuper Mario Bros. Wonderand more experimental 3D games likeSuper Mario Odyssey. Meanwhile, theDonkey Kongseries has mainly stuck to 2D sidescrollers, with the last 3D game beforeDonkey Kong BananzabeingDonkey Kong 64way back in 1999.
Motokura remained tight-lipped on when fans can expect to hear Kong’s next game afterDonkey Kong Bananza, but some are already speculating that Retro Studios could work on another 2DDonkey Kong Countrytitle afterfinishingMetroid Prime 4: Beyond. In the meantime, players can soon jump into the next 3DDonkey Konggame withDonkey Kong Bananza, which is set to launch later this week. There are already some physical copies floating around, so fans are being advised to stay wary of spoilers for the time being.
