One of Donkey Kong’s abilities inDonkey Kong Bananzashould be very familiar to fans ofSuper Smash Bros., as the great ape has been using it since the very first game in the series.
Donkey Kong Bananza is a big deal for a number of reasons,from it being the next game from the Super Mario Odyssey teamto itfinally giving one of Nintendo’s oldest characters his first new game in a decade. One of the most surprising things about it, though, is that it’s a big love letter to everythingDonkey Kong, and even toNintendoas a whole.
Since the game launched,we’ve shared a ton of little easter eggs, nods, and discoveriesthat reference Donkey Kong and Nintendo’s past,from Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong calling out Countryto one of thegame’s levels being a clear reference to Wrecking Crew. There’s one that’s just emerged that’s my favourite by far, though.
Donkey Kong has finally used one of his most iconic Smash moves in his own game
It’s about as useful in Bananza as it is in Smash, though
Once you’ve made your way through a decent slice of Donkey Kong Bananza, you’ll find that youcan unlock special skills for the big ape, which range from improving his existing abilities to gaining all-new ones. Perhaps the best of the bunch, though, is a skill that reminds DK of a special move he’s used many times before.
As pointed out by Stealth40k on Twitter, one of the unlockable moves in Donkey Kong Bananza, called Spin Jump, is ripped straight from the Super Smash Bros. games. It’s performed very similarly to Mario’s spin jump from his games, but the animation that DK uses is a clear-cut reference to Smash.
The only thing wrong with the Spin Jump is that it’sactually called Spinning Kong in the Smash games. God, what an “um akshually” moment…
Donkey Kong’s canon is confusing enoughas it is for me to start wondering whether that makes Smash Bros. part of his timeline, but if nothing else, it’s a very nice reference. Donkey Kong hasn’t actually used his spinning attack outside of the Smash games before, so it’s interesting to see Smash inspire a mainline game instead of being the other way around.
