Donkey Kong, while being Nintendo`s initial breakthrough character, was for several decades more commonly associated with other development studios than with his original creators. Over the years, numerous companies released Donkey Kong games, but the iconic ape truly found his distinct identity under the guidance of Rare. Their groundbreaking 1994 title, Donkey Kong Country, was a pivotal moment, reimagining the character entirely. Despite Rare`s involvement with the series concluding in the early 2000s, their contributions were so highly acclaimed that they effectively defined Donkey Kong for the following two decades. This deep-seated influence remains strikingly evident in the recently launched Donkey Kong Bananza.
It`s quite surprising just how many elements from Rare`s Donkey Kong games have endured in Bananza. Although there are some clear visual references to past Donkey Kong titles, everything Nintendo showcased leading up to the game`s release suggested a complete overhaul of the series. Beyond the narrative implications of Donkey Kong forming an alliance with a inexplicably youthful Pauline, Bananza`s uninhibited, destructive gameplay and its subterranean setting represent a clear departure from the traditional Donkey Kong Country style, giving the game a unique flavor and identity unlike any previous DK installment.
This initial impression holds true; from the very outset, Bananza feels like a fresh direction not only for the character but for the entire franchise. While the game offers a multitude of platforming challenges, its core gameplay loop centers around Donkey Kong`s powerful ability to smash through dense environments, using his strength to reshape the terrain and unearth hidden collectibles. This results in a decidedly different gameplay experience compared to prior Donkey Kong titles. Yet, even with this significant change in direction, Bananza skillfully preserves a number of features that Rare`s Donkey Kong games originally pioneered.
You can discern vestiges of Rare’s studio influence permeating the entire game design. Many elements that became distinguishing features of Rare’s Donkey Kong titles reappear in Bananza. Balloons, which originally served as a life counter in the Donkey Kong Country series, return with a similar role, offering a rescue mechanism if you plunge into a bottomless pit. Mainstays from DKC such as Cranky, Diddy, and Dixie Kong make recurring guest appearances throughout the adventure, surfacing in unexpected locations as you progress towards the planet`s core. Even the soundtrack pays a respectful homage to Rare’s games, seamlessly weaving iconic melodies like “DK Island Swing” and the “DK Rap” amongst all the new tracks.
Rare’s enduring impact is even more pronounced within Bananza’s challenge levels. Battle arenas, which task players with defeating a specific number of enemies within a time limit, draw clear inspiration from similar challenges found in Donkey Kong 64, right down to their staging. Some of the platforming courses that DK navigates on his journey, such as the aptly named “Nostalgia Country,” are even more direct references, unfolding like traditional side-scrolling levels with classic DKC backdrops. These stages evoke a similar delightful, nostalgia-stirring effect as the 8-bit sections in Super Mario Odyssey, offering a pleasant surprise for longtime fans that lovingly harks back to the series’ foundational roots.
Bananza shares numerous other similarities with Super Mario Odyssey, having been developed by the same team, but the open-ended structure of both games was, in part, shaped by Rare. While Super Mario 64 established the blueprint that subsequent 3D platformers would follow, Rare expanded upon it in innovative ways with titles like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64. Whereas Mario 64 divided its courses into distinct `episodes,` each focusing on a specific objective, the levels in Rare’s games functioned as true sandboxes, with all their collectibles available from the very beginning. Not all items were immediately obtainable; some required returning with the appropriate ability. However, players were granted the freedom to thoroughly explore a stage and gather as many collectibles as they could without being immediately forced back to a central hub area, which fundamentally transformed the gameplay experience—an approach Nintendo eventually embraced for both Odyssey and Bananza.
Even ideas that might initially seem exclusive to Bananza can be traced back to Rare’s Donkey Kong games. Bananza’s pronounced emphasis on music, for instance, owes a significant debt to Donkey Kong 64, which similarly incorporated music as a core component of its gameplay. Partway through that Nintendo 64 adventure, each Kong would add a distinct musical instrument to their arsenal of skills; DK, for example, received his (soon-to-be signature) pair of bongos, while Diddy acquired an electric guitar. When the Kongs played these instruments in the correct spots, they would unleash a devastating shockwave attack that annihilated nearby enemies and activated elements within the stage, frequently leading to the discovery of a Golden Banana.
It`s easy to draw a clear connection from DK64’s instruments to Pauline’s powerful vocal cords, which similarly serve multiple purposes in Bananza. In addition to triggering the Bananza transformations, Pauline’s singing can dissipate Void seals, thereby unlocking new sections of a level for exploration. In co-op mode, she also has the ability to launch potent vocal blasts that devastate any terrain and enemies in their trajectory.
For all the innovative ways Bananza charts a fresh course for the series, the game is profoundly indebted to its rich past. In re-establishing ownership of the character, Nintendo could have easily opted to wipe the slate clean, discarding all remnants of Rare’s Donkey Kong to make the character entirely their own. However, by meticulously preserving so many hallmarks from Rare’s DK games, Nintendo has tacitly acknowledged that Bananza would simply not feel like an authentic Donkey Kong title without them—recognizing that many elements Rare introduced have since become absolutely fundamental to Donkey Kong’s very identity.
With a rumored Donkey Kong movie on the horizon, Nintendo is expected to significantly leverage the series going forward. But regardless of the direction DK’s journey takes from here, fragments of Rare’s pioneering spirit will forever remain woven into his very DNA.