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DONKEY KONG BANANZA

Edge UK

|

July 2025

While he’s technically the oldest headliner in Nintendo's roster, you do sometimes get the sense that Donkey Kong's maker hasn’t always been sure what to do with him.

DONKEY KONG BANANZA

Here's a character who has often been farmed out to western studios, and hasn’t had a new title to call his own for over a decade. As Bananza brings him back into the fold at last, it's worth paying attention to the way Nintendo chooses to reintroduce the big ape.

The screen is black but for a few cracks letting through the light, and a simple instruction: Press Y to punch. We do as instructed and the cracks grow, revealing a dusty silhouette, before DK steps forward to show off his new look, a goofily expressive take on the character that rounds off his sharper edges. But note that first interaction - because Bananza feels like a game designed from the fists outwards.

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