Donkey Kong Bananza's Secret Language Revealed and Translated

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 managed to achieve 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 even 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 captivating video detailing his process. "But the one that caught my attention the most was the banana language. Watch to see how I decoded and deciphered every monkey letter I could find."

After astutely noticing that an in-game item was officially named Chip Exchange, Chrispy meticulously analyzed frame-by-frame to decipher all but five characters of the banana alphabet — or "Bananabet," as he dubs it.

Donkey Kong Bananza's secret language has been translated. Image credit: 2Chrispy.With his newly-acquired transcription skills, 2Chrispy has successfully translated nearly every sign, note, and written document featured in the released footage. To discover their meanings, visit 2Chrispy's YouTube video.

For example, in one screenshot, 2Chrispy translated an overhead sign that reads "welcome," a neon sign that says "factory," and a sign in the snow level that reads "ice." He also transcribed various notices stating "hint," "item," and a sign that reads: "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?"

"I think Bananza is on track to be one of the most visually stunning Nintendo games I’ve seen," we noted in our first hands-on preview of Donkey Kong Bananza. "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 technical specifications now revealed for the highly anticipated Switch successor, Nintendo Switch 2, along with an understanding of potential pricing for first-party Nintendo games on the new system, delve into our comprehensive analysis as we discuss with industry experts. For more on Nintendo Switch 2, catch up on everything showcased at last month's Nintendo Direct. *Donkey Kong Bananza* is set to launch on July 17 for $69.99, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.