Donkey Kong Bananza Might Bring Back the Kremlings

When Donkey Kong Bananza is released on Nintendo Switch 2 next month, the game will bring back some of the most iconic elements from the Donkey Kong Country games and DK64. So far, we’ve seen the return of fan favorites like Diddy, Dixie, Cranky, and Rambi, plus sidescrolling levels clearly inspired by the SNES trilogy. The most recent Nintendo Direct even featured remixes of music by David Wise and Grant Kirkhope, even though neither will be involved with composing any new tunes. That leaves one notable absence from that era, and that’s the Kremlings, the longtime antagonists of the series.

The Kremlings first appeared in Donkey Kong Country back in 1994, alongside their leader, King K. Rool. The characters continued to appear in several games, but their appearances began to dwindle following Rare’s acquisition by Microsoft. Notably, both of the Donkey Kong Country games developed by Retro Studios featured totally different villains: the Tiki Tak Tribe and the Snowmads.

This has led to a lot of speculation that Nintendo doesn’t particularly care for the Kremlings, and has actively prevented their use. However, it seems that’s not the case. Interviewer and podcaster Reece “Kiwi Talkz” Reilly has said on X/Twitter that he’s “heard the Kremlings are making a return” in Donkey Kong Bananza. He also splashed some water on the theories about Nintendo having an anti-Kremling stance at the company.

“…there is some narrative online that Nintendo doesnt like the Kremlings cause they are associated with Rare and Retro werent allowed to use them in their games which is BS,” said Reilly.

Through his Kiwi Talkz podcast, Reilly has spoken to a number of former Retro Studios employees over the years, and has gotten a lot of compelling scoops as a result. If Nintendo really had blocked Retro Studios from using the Kremlings in the past, it’s likely he would have heard about it. That doesn’t mean for certain that the characters will make their long-awaited return in Donkey Kong Bananza, but it does lend some credibility to Reilly’s comments. It also suggests we could still see the Kremlings down the line if they don’t appear in this game.

Read Next

Donkey Kong Bananza Hands-On: DK Embarks on His Own Odyssey

While the Kremlings have largely been absent from more recent Nintendo games, their leader was made into a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. That appearance alone suggests that Nintendo knows Donkey Kong fans want to see the Kremlings make a comeback. Thus far, Nintendo has been pushing the members of VoidCo as Donkey Kong Bananza‘s primary antagonists, which is a group of ape-inspired enemies making their debut. It’s possible the Kremlings could also appear in some capacity, as Reilly claims. With the game set to be released on July 17th, we should have some answers over the coming weeks.

Are you looking forward to playing Donkey Kong Bananza? Do you think we’ll see the Kremlings show up in the game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!