If you think back to where we were on April 2nd, when the first Nintendo Direct for the Nintendo Switch 2 came out, the focus on the Direct was clearly on Mario and his racing title, and then focusing on all the other games that will arrive for it. Donkey Kong ended the show, and many were happy that he was getting a new game, but the hype wasn’t quite there just yet. However, everything changed two days ago when Donkey Kong Bananza got a solo Direct depicting everything that would be going on inside of it, and fans are clearly hyped for the title now.
We can prove that in the most basic of ways: through the Direct’s viewing numbers. The game has been watched over 3 million times and has over 100K likes on YouTube. That apparently is better than Mario’s mini-Direct that he got for his racing game back in April:
There are many reasons why these numbers are so high. First, many likely wanted to learn more about Donkey Kong Bananza, which is totally fair, as the first trailer was revealing but not detail-oriented. Second, the reveal of Pauline as a key character in the game probably brought many to the table. She’s been having a “career resurgence” ever since her return to Nintendo games in 2017, and people wanted to see what this “younger version” was all about.
Finally, and arguably most important, Donkey Kong has never had a game like this. Ignoring Pauline for a second, the game is massive in size and scope, with levels that you can both build and destroy through DK’s abilities. Speaking of those abilities, Donkey Kong is getting an RPG-style skill tree that you can build up over time by getting golden bananas. You’ll be able to gain new abilities or improve things like your health, strength, the ability to use sonar better, and so on. Even the clothes you get for DK and Pauline can help you in the game!
Then, there are the transformations. These have been getting a lot of attention as Donkey Kong basically goes “Super Saiyan” in one while turning into a zebra and an ostrich in another! There are so many “new things” in this game that it makes it enticing, and gamers clearly want to play it. It’ll also be the first true single-player focused Nintendo title since the Switch 2 launched, and that’ll bring many players to the table who just want to have a good time without worrying about online connectivity.
The game drops on July 17th.
