Nintendo has announced Donkey Kong Bananza, a brand new game in the Donkey Kong series and the beloved ape’s first 3D platformer since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64.
As revealed during today’s Switch 2 Direct show, Donkey Kong Bananza will launch exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17th, so it’ll just miss the console’s launch date of June 5th and won’t be included as part of the Switch 2 launch lineup.
Of course, since this is a Donkey Kong game, the story of Bananza revolves around DK uncovering a treasure trove of golden bananas, only for them to be stolen away by the nefarious VoidCo, causing him to set out on a quest to retrieve his hoard.
Donkey Kong sports a design inspired by his old-school arcade self in Bananza, and I think it’s pretty cute. He’s got a rather expressive face that lends itself well to the world in which he finds himself for this adventure.
The trailer shows DK platforming his way around a few open-looking environments, as well as burrowing down into the ground to explore the level below the surface.
It isn’t clear to what extent you’ll be able to seamlessly transition between above-ground levels and underground stages, but I’d expect that given the Switch 2’s still-relatively-modest tech specs, that’s not going to be the case.
In any case, you can check out the debut trailer for Donkey Kong Bananza, which shows off a fair bit of gameplay and DK’s endearing redesign, right here.
Donkey Kong Bananza is just one of a number of games coming to the Switch 2. Others include Mario Kart World, which is coming at launch alongside new versions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, as well as games like EA’s hugely successful Split Fiction.
You’ll be able to check out Donkey Kong Bananza when it launches for Switch 2 on July 17th.
