Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle’s Creative Director Talks About Donkey Kong’s Introduction Into The Game

During the Nintendo Direct Mini that took place earlier this month, Ubisoft revealed that a new hero would be joining the party in Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle for Nintendo Switch – Donkey Kong! But what part will he be playing in the game?

Creative director Davide Soliani decided to fill fans in, and provided some new details about what players can expect when the big ape makes his debut within the game.

"When we first started working on Donkey Kong as a new character for a new story of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, we started to think about how he would impact the battle system. He has big arms, so we wanted to use them extensively through the combat. And he's a gorilla, so it makes sense for him to have more mobility options."

He also noted that Donkey Kong seems like an ideal fit for the game. "He's not just a powerful character. He can also be very goofy, and that's why his presence in the game, along with the Rabbids, allowed us to present different kinds of humorous interactions in the storytelling."

Along with that, Grant Kirkhope will return to provide new music for Kingdom Battle, creating some tunes that fit with Donkey Kong's style. "Grant, apart from being a great composer, was also in charge for the music of Donkey Kong 64. We tried to find new sources of musical inspiration for the story while simultaneously staying true to the themes from the Donkey Kong universe that players already love."

A release date for the new DLC hasn't been given just yet, but Ubisoft is expected to release it sometime this spring. We'll let you know when the company has a more specific date and price for it, but there's no question that fans will, ahem, go ape over it.

And it'll be interesting to see how Donkey Kong fits in with Mario and the Rabbids, along with the other characters that are in the game. We can't wait to throw a few barrels around (if that's in fact what he does).

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is available now for Nintendo Switch.