People have been going bananas forDonkey Kong Bananzaduring its launch weekend, and no, I’m not going to apologize for phrasing it that way. Many are labeling it a perfect blend ofNintendo’s greatest accomplishments, withThe Legend of Zelda’s name even being thrown around. The Zelda games have done more than influence Bananza’s gameplay, though, as there even appears to be aTears of the Kingdomeaster egg right at the start of the game.
The mildest of spoilers for those of you who haven’t embarked on your Bananza journeys yet, but the game begins in a linear starter area. Effectively a tutorial that has been disguised as a mini level to kick things off, as there are a lot of mechanics to get your head around. Once you’re done, DK takes the plunge to Bananza’s first full sublayer.
There are long gaps between sublayers, which means to reach the first one, DK needs to free-fall through the sky for quite some time. It’s while DK is free-falling that some players think Nintendo has snuck in a Tears of the Kingdom easter egg.ActualAeroshared a shot of Donkey Kong falling through the sky, Bananza’s Lagoon Layer sprawled beneath him.
Bananza’s Lagoon Layer looks a lot like Tears of the Kingdom’s Hyrule from all the way up here
The player has shared a shot of Link free-falling down into Hyrule at the start of Tears of the Kingdom for comparison, and, as they point out, the shots are so similar that it would be quite the coincidence if this wasn’t an intentional tribute. Not only are DK and Link striking the same pose as they fall to the ground, but the land below each of them is the same yellowish color, and the Lagoon Layer even appears to share some of Hyrule’s topography.
The moment also happens right after what is effectively Tears of the Kingdom’s tutorial area up on the game’s sky islands.
Bananza is almost certainly crammed with cool Nintendo easter eggs, and we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. There’sat least one member of the Kong family in the game who wasn’t shown in the trailers, and the clear references to the original Donkey Kongmight not be the only classic arcade game that makes an appearance.
It has also taken a matter of days for players to start doing incredible things, both good and bad, using Bananza’s gameplay and physics. Bad because, as expected,players have been using its artist mode to make some sinister creations, but good becausesomeone has already managed to destroy everything in a single sublayer.
