Donkey Kong's Gone Bananas! More 2D and 3D Adventures Swing Our Way?
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Nintendo might be splitting the Donkey Kong series into classic 2D platformers and more experimental 3D titles, following the release of Donkey Kong Bananza. It's about time DK got some love!
Right, so it looks like Nintendo might be about to give Donkey Kong the Super Mario treatment – splitting his adventures into both classic 2D romps and more ambitious 3D explorations. Seems fair, dunnit? For years, we've mostly seen DK chucking barrels in side-scrolling adventures, with the occasional 3D outing feeling like a rare sighting of the Loch Ness Monster. But according to a recent interview, that might be about to change.
According to Game Rant, this all bubbled up after the announcement of *Donkey Kong Bananza* (launching July 17th on the Nintendo Switch 2, apparently!). It seems the team behind it, the same folks who gave us *Super Mario Odyssey*, might be keen to explore DK's potential in the third dimension.
Now, *Donkey Kong Bananza* sees our favourite ape battling the dastardly VoidCo to recover some precious 'Banandium Gems' – in a fully destructible 3D world no less! Sounds like a proper adventure, doesn't it? He's even got Pauline on board to help him out with her magical singing abilities. What I find interesting is the mention of a wish granting core of Ingot Isle - like a fairy tale mixed with ape action - sounds like my kind of jungle rumble.
But here's the kicker: Kenta Motokura, a producer at Nintendo, hinted that they might be looking at branching the *Donkey Kong* series into two distinct lines, just like they do with *Super Mario*. You know, one side keeping the 2D spirit alive (think *Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze* vibes), and the other pushing the boundaries with 3D gameplay (like, well, *Donkey Kong Bananza*).
It's worth pointing out that we haven't had a proper 3D *Donkey Kong* game since *Donkey Kong 64* way back in 1999. That's...a while. So, this *Bananza* game sounds like it might be a proper watershed moment, if you ask me. Retro Studios are already being bandied about as a potential candidate for any 2D games.
Of course, Motokura-san remained tight-lipped on when we can expect to hear more, but with *Donkey Kong Bananza* launching this week, hopefully the rumours won't be too far behind. In fact, some physical copies are already floating around, so spoilerphobes beware!
So, are we about to enter a golden age of Donkey Kong? Will we see a flurry of both 2D and 3D adventures? Only time will tell, mate. But one thing's for sure: it's about time DK got some proper love and I'm personally excited to see more of a focus on him. The possibilities for gameplay are really exciting here.
Tags: Donkey Kong, Nintendo, Platformer, 2D Games, 3D Games
Original article: Game Rant