In truth, I’m actually a little more excited for Donkey Kong Bananza than I am for Mario Kart World once the Switch 2 drops on June 5th. Sure, Mario Kart will likely be an incredible experience that expands what the franchise has done in the past, but it’ll still be a Mario racing game. In contrast, DK’s new title will feature him in an all-new underground world where he’ll fight new enemies, while also having a fully destructible world, and to add to that, he’s got a new pal to hang out with.
That pal is the “Odd Rock” that has been shown in both concept art and videos for Donkey Kong Bananza. We don’t know much about it outside of the “rock” traveling with DK, talking to him, and even singing with him! It leads one to wonder how the two meet in the first place. Nintendo dropped a video to highlight that answer, and it reveals more than you think. Check it out:
Nintendo released a new video showing how Donkey Kong and Odd Rock meet in Donkey Kong Bananza.This game is a visual showpiece for Switch 2.
— Stealth40k (@stealth40k.bsky.social) 2025-05-18T15:23:17.002Z
So, that was interesting. First, we now know how they meet. Second, we know that there’s actual voice acting in the game, which is new to the series. Third, Odd Rock doesn’t seem comfortable around a “monkey” like DK. Finally, we get to see more of the expressions/animations that will help this game stand out from the pack.
Hopefully, we’ll get more videos like this by the time the game drops on July 17th.
