Donkey Kong Bananza's Secret Language Unveiled 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 accomplish with Donkey Kong Bananza.

Just as players deciphered the secrets within The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's secret language, 2Chrispy leveraged trailers, preview footage, and the Nintendo Today app to crack the Ancient Monkey Scrolls in Kong's upcoming adventure.

"In the trailer, there were numerous hidden details," 2Chrispy explained in a detailed video outlining his process. "But the banana language caught my attention the most. Watch to see how I decoded and deciphered every monkey letter I could find."

By meticulously identifying that an in-game item was officially named "Chip Exchange," 2Chrispy was able to decipher all but five characters of the banana alphabet, which he affectionately dubbed the "Bananabet."

Donkey Kong Bananza's secret language has been translated. Image credit: 2Chrispy.

With his newfound transcription skills, 2Chrispy has translated virtually every sign, note, and document visible in any footage released so far. For detailed translations, check out 2Chrispy's YouTube video.

For example, in one screenshot, 2Chrispy translated an overhead sign reading "welcome," a neon sign indicating "factory," and a snow level sign marked "ice." He also transcribed various notices labeled "hint," "item," and a sign that read: "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 discover in the game," he added. "Could we find references to DK lore? Missing Kongs? Any mention of the Kremlings or King K. Rool?"

"We believe Bananza is poised to be one of the most visually stunning Nintendo games to date," we stated in our hands-on preview of Donkey Kong Bananza. "It truly maximizes the capabilities of the Switch 2's hardware — the environments are breathtaking and DK's animations are wonderfully expressive, leaving us convinced that the next generation of first-party Nintendo titles has indeed arrived."