Holy Bananas! Japanese Donkey Kong Movie Voice Smashes Back for 'Donkey Kong Bananza'
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Kouji Takeda, the Japanese voice of Donkey Kong from the Super Mario Bros. Movie, is back to voice the big ape in the new 'Donkey Kong Bananza' game, though other long-time Nintendo voice actors have been replaced.
Right, so Nintendo just dropped 'Donkey Kong Bananza' on the Switch 2 (bet you didn't see *that* coming!), and eagle-eyed players have spotted something pretty cool in the credits. Seems Kouji Takeda, the absolute legend who voiced Donkey Kong in the Japanese dub of 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie,' is back to grunt, roar, and generally be ape-tastic in this new game.
Now, Takeda isn't just a one-ape wonder. He also lent his voice to Daruk in 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.' The man's got range, I reckon! And before taking the movie role, he'd already replaced Takashi Nagasako as the voice of DK in 'Mario Kart World,' so he's been honing his ape impression for a while now. Gotta respect the commitment.
But hold on, the voice acting shenanigans don't stop there! Remember how everyone loved Samantha Kelly as Princess Peach and Toad for, like, ever? Well, she's been recast. Eighteen years! That's longer than some marriages. The gaming world moves fast, doesn't it?
As for Pauline, who's sharing the spotlight in 'Bananza,' Jenny Kidd is providing the English voice. Interesting to note that Kate Higgins voiced her in 'Super Mario Odyssey,' but seeing as Pauline is, shall we say, *slightly* more mature in that game, a change was probably in order. Maybe it's something in the water? Or ape seed extract, as the image credit suggests?
So, what's the verdict on 'Donkey Kong Bananza' itself? Eurogamer's Alex reckons it's a 'delightfully sticky 3D platform adventure' with a brilliant core mechanic. He slapped a four-star rating on it, which is pretty darn good, if you ask me. Sounds like Nintendo is trying to continue giving players what they love, or die trying. I can dig it!
Tags: Donkey Kong, Nintendo, Voice Acting, Super Mario Bros Movie, Kouji Takeda
Original article: Eurogamer