It's one thing to successfully translate a secret in-game video game language, but it's quite another to translate it before the game is even released. Yet, that's exactly what YouTuber 2Chrispy has accomplished with Donkey Kong Bananza.
Just as players unraveled the secrets in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's secret language, 2Chrispy utilized trailers, preview footage, and the Nintendo Today app to decode the Ancient Monkey Scrolls in Kong's upcoming adventure.
"In the trailer, there were a lot of hidden details," 2Chrispy explained in a detailed video describing his process. "But the one that stuck out most to me was the banana language. Watch to see how I decoded and deciphered every monkey letter I could find."
After spotting an in-game item officially named Chip Exchange, Chrispy meticulously analyzed frames to work out all but five characters in the banana alphabet, or "Bananabet," as he dubbed it.
Donkey Kong Bananza's secret language has been translated. Image credit: 2Chrispy.
With his newly-discovered transcription skills, 2Chrispy has translated nearly every sign, note, and document seen in any footage released to date. To explore what they reveal, visit 2Chrispy's YouTube video.
For example, in one screenshot, 2Chrispy translated an overhead sign to read "welcome," a neon sign to read "factory," and a snow level sign to read "ice." He also transcribed various notices that read "hint," "item," and a sign that said: "Message. Thank you for reading. Someone."
A sign that reads "Message. Thank you for reading. Someone." Image credit: 2Chrispy.
"I'm excited to see what other text we'll find in the game," he added. "Could we see references to DK lore? Missing Kongs? Any mention of the Kremlings or King K. Rool?"
In our first hands-on preview of Donkey Kong Bananza, we noted, "It's on track to be one of the most visually stunning Nintendo games I've seen. It truly leverages the capabilities of the Switch 2's hardware — the environments are breathtaking, and DK’s animations are wonderfully expressive, signaling the arrival of the next generation of first-party Nintendo games."
With the release date and tech specs now announced for the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, as well as insights into the potential cost of first-party Nintendo games on the new system, dive deeper into all the details through our conversation with industry experts. For more on Nintendo Switch 2, catch up on everything showcased at last month's Nintendo Direct. *Donkey Kong Bananza* will launch on July 17 for $69.99, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.
