Donkey Kong Bananza criticism turns out to be a hidden feature
You may have noticed DK's fur can look rather strange
👀 Donkey Kong Bananza's clever attention to detail has revealed that a previous criticism of the game is actually a feature
🍌 The reason why Donkey Kong's fur becomes slightly more orange at times is because he is full of Bananergy
😮 It is only visible in certain lighting conditions and disappears if they change, or you enter a shaded area
📆 Donkey Kong Bananza was released a couple of weeks ago for Nintendo Switch 2, marking the first 3D Donkey Kong game since 1999
A weird quirk in Donkey Kong Bananza has turned out to be some clever attention to detail and an interesting feature.
According to Supper Mario Broth on Bluesky, there’s a good reason why Donkey Kong looks more orange than normal at points during the game. It's because his fur becomes slightly brighter when he is full on Bananergy. You’ll also notice the effect with other fur colors.
The post also explains that it can be difficult to see as a result of Donkey Kong Bananza's dynamic lighting. If he enters a shaded area or the lighting conditions change, then he will look identical as to whether he is full on Bananergy or not.
If you compare things in identical conditions, the difference can become a little more apparent, with a noticeable orange hue on his fur. Funnily enough, the color of Donkey Kong’s fur had been a complaint of some, with users saying the orange fur wasn’t quite right. Turns out, it was a feature after all.
With the new game, Donkey Kong debuted a new look that's similar to how he is in the Super Mario Bros. Movie. According to Shigeru Miyamoto, Donkey Kong's creator, the redesign was influenced by the desire to give the character more nuanced body language and facial expressions.
Donkey Kong Bananza is out now, having been released on July 17, following a dedicated Nintendo Direct. The Direct revealed more exciting details about the game, including some fun shapeshifting abilities, the inclusion of skill points and a fun sculpting mode outside of the main game.
The game has been a hit with critics, achieving a Metacritic score of 91. It’s also topped our best Switch 2 games list.
Bananza also marks the first 3D Donkey Kong game released on a Nintendo console since Donkey Kong 64, which was released in 1999 for the N64.
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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.