More 2D and 3D Donkey Kong Games Could Be On the Way

More 2D and 3D Donkey Kong games could be on the horizon after Donkey Kong Bananza, with Nintendo taking a similar approach to the Super Mario Bros. series. While Nintendo’s big ape has been showing up in spin-off games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart World frequently, there hasn’t been a standalone Donkey Kong title since Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for the Nintendo Wii U back in 2014.

This will finally change when Donkey Kong Bananza launches for the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17. Developed by the same studio as 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong Banaza puts 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.

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Donkey Kong Bananza might not be the only Donkey Kong game on the way, at least not according to producer Kenta Motokura in a recent Ask the Developer interview on the official Nintendo website. When asked where Donkey Kong Bananza fits into the grand scheme of the franchise, Motokura said that by leveraging his team’s experience in crafting 3D Mario games, Nintendo could take an approach similar to Mario and branch the Donkey Kong series out 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

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As noted before, this approach isn’t too different from what Nintendo does for the Super Mario Bros. franchise, alternating between 2D platformers like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and more experimental 3D games like Super Mario Odyssey. Meanwhile, the Donkey Kong series has mainly stuck to 2D sidescrollers, with the last 3D game before Donkey Kong Bananza being Donkey Kong 64 way back in 1999.

Motokura remained tight-lipped on when fans can expect to hear more about Donkey Kong’s next game after Donkey Kong Bananza, but some are already speculating that Retro Studios could work on another 2D Donkey Kong Country title after finishing Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. In the meantime, players can soon jump into the next 3D Donkey Kong game with Donkey 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.