Donkey Kong Bananzais hiding a very cool reference toDonkey Kong Countryin one of its earliest levels, and it’s incredibly easy to miss.
Considering DK’s big redesignand how long it’s been since we’ve had a new Donkey Kong game, there were some worries that Donkey Kong Bananza would be moving away from the big ape’s history to start a new era for the series. That isn’t the case at all, though,as Bananza is packed full of references to old Donkey Kong games.
We’ve highlighted a ton of ways that Donkey Kong Bananza pays tribute to DK’s history (including bringing back Diddy Kong and Dixie Kongand evenhighlighting a long-forgotten character), and a good number of them show much love there is for Donkey Kong Country. Perhaps the best easter egg is one thatsome fans are only just discovering since it’s so well hidden.
You can visit Donkey Kong’s treehouse from Donkey Kong Country in Bananza
There’s even a little treat waiting for you if you do
Early on in Donkey Kong Bananza, you can discover one of the game’s many retro levels, which shift the game to a side-scrolling focus and even have remixed tracks from Donkey Kong Country. That’s enough of a tribute to those games as it is,but there’s actually an even cooler easter egg hiding in the first level, Nostalgia Country.
Once you start the level, instead of going to the right and smashing your way through the level like you’re supposed to, head to the left and make your way up the cliff (which is easy if you use Chunk Jump). Once you’ve climbed up, you’ll see that the level is cheekily hiding Donkey Kong’s treehouse from the Country games, which looks almost exactly like we remember it.
It makes sense that the treehouse is there sinceNostalgia Country is clearly trying to riff on Jungle Hijinks, the first level from Donkey Kong Country.
It’s not just a nice nod to Donkey Kong Country, though, as the treehouse even contains one of the level’s three Banandium Gems to collect. Once you’re inside the treehouse, you can see that it’s packed with even more references to Country, including a plush Rambi on the wardrobe, a painting of DK with Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky, and a minecart figure on a shelf. There’s even a tire in the middle of the room like always.
Donkey Kong Bananza is alreadyfull of nods to Donkey Kong Country that show how much love Nintendo has for Rare’s games, but it’s a step beyond to recreate the series' iconic treehouse and hide it from most players. If you want to pay Country a bit of love, it’s worth trekking back to Nostalgia Country and soaking it all in.
