The Nintendo Direct’s announcement of the Expansion Pack, consisting of9 Nintendo 64 gamesand select Sega Genesis titles, was likely the standout for many. Indeed, it largely felt like a callback to a bygone era, as not only was aMariomovie announced and the Expansion Pack revealed, but instant classics likeBayonettareturn with the reveal of its threequel.
However, despite this, it’s hard not to notice one oddity among appearances and discussions about the Nintendo 64,Mario, Zelda, Bayonetta, and so on. Nintendo has had a history, really, of snubbingDonkey Kong, and whileSeth Rogen was confirmed to be Donkey Kong in theMariomovie, it’s clear that there’s no love for DK.
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Donkey Kong’s Fading Relevancy as a Mascot
It’s not fair, nor fun to write that Donkey Kong is fading, but it’s clear that it’s just that. While Nintendo has celebrated several big anniversaries lately, such asThe Legend of ZeldaandMario,Donkey Kong’s anniversaryeffectively went unmentioned. There was no love for the titular ape on his big 40th anniversary. Couple this with his unceremonious release schedule, andDonkey Konggames typically release further apart thanZeldagames.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freezewas ported to the Switchin 2018, but that game was originally released in 2014. It still serves as the most recent entry in theDonkey Kongfranchise. Now,DKhas also had a bunch of releases followed by extended periods of silence. From 1981 through 1984, 7 games were released, but then he wouldn’t be heard from again until 1994. A total of 9 games would release between then and 1999, including the much-belovedDonkey Kong 64. Donkey Kongwould see another surge of 5 games from 2003 and 2005, but after that, his entries would slow to the point that there have been a total of 4 games since 2007.
Donkey Kong used to be a major mascot for Nintendo, alongside Mario and Link. His role in the gaming community would have been comparable, at one point, to Sony’s Spider-Man, Kratos, and Aloy and Microsoft’s Master Chief. But recent years have shown no love to the ape, and neither did the most recent Direct.
September’s Nintendo Direct Went Back to the N64 Days but Ignored DK
Again,Donkey Kong 64is perhaps one of the most iconic games of his franchisebut also of the Nintendo 64. It was, to be blunt, quite revolutionary for the time. Nintendo acknowledged that the N64 may have been many gamer’s entry points into the world of 3D gaming, and while the classics it should likeStar Fox 64were certainly part of that,Donkey Kong 64was just as relevant, if not more so, then.
Looking atNSO’s N64 game list, though, there are fourMariogames and oneZeldagame (Ocarina of Time) confirmed for launch, and one more Zelda game (Majora’s Mask) among others confirmed to come at some point after. Nowhere is any mention ofDonkey Kong 64, which is the big missing title, or evenDiddy Kong Racing, but there’s plenty ofMarioto go around.
Hopefully, with Donkey Kong set to appear in theMariomovie, The Big N will once again see another rush ofDonkey Konggames. On the other hand, it’s worrying that he may fade into the background and become a secondary character, if that.Donkey Kongcertainly deserves better.
