In many ways, Donkey Kong Bananza feels like a new beginning for Nintendo’s big ape. The game will feature a brand-new cast of villains, and we haven’t seen much in terms of returning faces. However, Nintendo seems to be hinting at the return of a major character from the days of Donkey Kong Country. In a post on the Nintendo Today app, the company released a video of Donkey Kong showing off some of his facial expressions from the new game. If you had the sound off on the app, you might have missed a big hint from Nintendo.
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As noticed by X/Twitter user @sxips, the video is set to a remixed track from Donkey Kong 64. This isn’t just a random song from the series, either; the track in question is Rambi’s theme, which was originally composed by Grant Kirkhope. Kirkhope has already confirmed that he has no involvement in the game, but it seems Nintendo will be referencing some past DK music tracks. The video from Nintendo Today alongside the N64 version of Rambi’s theme can be found in the post embedded below.
While Rambi has yet to appear in any of the footage Nintendo has shared from Donkey Kong Bananza, this is now the second reference we’ve seen to the iconic rhino. At this point, it’s probably a safe bet the character will be making his return! That’s not too surprising, as the character has been a staple of the Donkey Kong franchise since the original Donkey Kong Country in 1994. While Nintendo has abandoned many of DK’s animal buddies over the years, Rambi has continued to appear in games like Donkey Kong Country Returns. It definitely looks like that trend will continue, but hopefully we’ll actually get to see some gameplay featuring the character soon.
While Rambi and Cranky Kong both seem to appear in Donkey Kong Bananza, there are still some high-profile Kongs missing from the Nintendo Switch 2 game. We haven’t seen favorites like Dixie and Funky, but the most glaring omission so far is Diddy Kong. DK and Diddy have been pretty inseparable since the ’90s, but there have been some exceptions over the years. Of course, it’s also possible Diddy has some role to play, and Nintendo is keeping it under wraps for the time being.
RELATED: Donkey Kong Bananza Hands-On: DK Embarks on His Own Odyssey
The use of a remixed track from Donkey Kong 64 is actually pretty exciting on its own. The series has had a lot of compelling music over the years, between the works of Grant Kirkhope and David Wise. While neither composer is returning for Donkey Kong Bananza, this offers hope that we could see some other tracks make a comeback. Is it too much to hope we might hear Aquatic Ambiance at some point? For now, DK fans will have to wait and see!
How do you feel about this track making a comeback from Donkey Kong 64? Do you think we’ll see more references to past DK games? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: Nintendo Life]
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