Donkey Kong Bananza Takes Inspiration From Dark Souls and You May Not Have Even Realized It

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One player online has pointed out that the game Donkey Kong Bananza seems to borrow a mechanic from Dark Souls. Specifically, when players lose in Donkey Kong Bananza, they can revisit the location where they died and recover any gold they lost. This is similar to how players in Dark Souls drop their souls upon death, which can later be retrieved if they return to the same spot – otherwise, the souls are permanently lost. Given that Donkey Kong Bananza was only recently released (less than 10 days ago), this Dark Souls-inspired feature might not yet be widely recognized by many players.

To date, since its launch, the game Donkey Kong Bananza has received an overwhelmingly positive response. The long-anticipated comeback of the gorilla character has paid off, with gamers warmly welcoming Nintendo’s fresh approach to the series. In this iteration, Donkey Kong traverses voxel-style, breakable landscapes, using his fists to push through various levels. The director of Donkey Kong Bananza mentioned that he drew inspiration from every game in the series, having played each one meticulously to create a consistent experience that fans would appreciate. Interestingly, players have identified one feature that doesn’t stem from the traditional DK games but instead originates from an entirely different franchise.

A Redditor named mikel501055 pointed out an interesting feature in the game Donkey Kong Bananza: whenever a player dies, a golden statue of the gorilla screaming appears at the spot of defeat. What’s even more intriguing is that when players respawn and return to the same location, they can destroy the statue and regain their gold.

DK Bananza Lets Players Recover Their Lost Gold the Dark Souls Way

Although Donkey Kong Bananza isn’t typically suggested for fans of Dark Souls or a game inspired by FromSoftware, it’s important to note that the mechanics in this game bear a striking resemblance to those found in the Dark Souls series. While the implementation may differ slightly, it’s evident that inspiration has been drawn from this iconic RPG franchise – a connection some might not immediately recognize. Given Dark Souls’ significant influence on gaming in the 21st century, it’s not surprising to see other games borrowing elements from its design, even if they belong to different genres.

Although they share a slight resemblance, Bananza is an entirely unique game that has captivated fans on the newly released Nintendo Switch 2. The game’s success is so notable that many fans argue Nintendo overlooked a significant opportunity by not featuring Donkey Kong Bananza as a launch title for the Switch 2, given its ability to maximize the console’s novel features more effectively than the flagship launch game, Mario Kart World.

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2025-07-25 22:33