Time to go bananas.
With the Super Nintendo World Nintendo Direct now finished, the presentation was hosted by Shigeru Miyamoto and viewers were treated to a tour of the new Donkey Kong Country area which opens on December 11, 2024 for Universal Studios Japan.
During the tour, we learned the entrance to the new area can be found by the ground floor entrance of the 1UP Factory in Super Mario Land. Also, when going through the tunnelled entrance, we can observe blocks becoming rocks and can be greeted by a familiar tune.
Once inside the Donkey Kong Country area, attendees can expect to find Donkey Kong’s Tree House, the Golden Temple and plenty of other familiar sights. For a quick run-through of what was shown, we’ve compiled a list here:
- Donkey Kong Tree House: Head to DK’s House to meet Donkey Kong and take commemorative photos.
- Funky’s Fly ‘n’ Buy: Merchandise store where attendees can purchase exclusive merchandise based on Donkey Kong.
- Golden Temple (Main Attraction): Home to a mine cart ride. By exploring the temple, attendees can encounter murals, one depicting a golden banana and another depicting the original Donkey Kong game. Players can also encounter Cranky Kong and Squawks, with Cranky Kong telling attendees the temple has been invaded by the Tiki Tak Tribe and that they need to chase them away to protect the Golden Banana. While not much was shown of the ride itself, it was revealed Dixie Kong can be encountered and that the mine cart ride involves a giant barrel cannon.
- Jungle Beat Shakes: Sells food and drink based items based on Donkey Kong, which are exclusive to the Donkey Kong Country area. Two menu items were revealed:
- DK Crush Sundae, (inspired by how barrels are thrown and break in the games)
- DK Wild Hot Dog. Both items are exclusive to the Donkey Kong Country area.
- Rhythm-based Activity: As a 3-player activity, players stand in front of conga drums and must hit the correct conga drum to the corresponding light. At the end, Rambi appears.
- Letter Panels: With a new Donkey Kong Power-Up Band revealed, attendees can explore the Donkey Kong Country area and find Letter Panels as they go. Find them all and scan them with your Power-Up Band.
For those who haven’t checked the tour out for themselves, feel free to do so now:
Source: Nintendo
