Donkey Kong Bananza's Secret Language Revealed and Translated

It's an impressive feat to decipher a secret in-game language, but doing so before the game even launches takes it to another level. That's precisely what YouTuber 2Chrispy has achieved with Donkey Kong Bananza. Just as players have unraveled mysteries 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 an engaging video detailing his process. "But the one that caught my eye the most was the banana language. Watch to see how I decoded and deciphered every monkey letter I could find."

By meticulously observing that an in-game item was officially named "Chip Exchange," 2Chrispy managed to painstakingly work out 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 newfound transcription skills, 2Chrispy has successfully translated almost every sign, note, and written document seen in any footage released so far. For a closer look at what they say, check out 2Chrispy's YouTube video.

For example, in one screenshot, 2Chrispy translated an overhead sign reading "welcome," a neon sign saying "factory," and a snow level sign indicating "ice." He also transcribed various notices that read "hint," "item," and a sign that stated: "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 Switch 2's hardware — the environments are breathtaking, and DK’s animations are wonderfully expressive. I left feeling like the next generation of first-party Nintendo games had truly arrived."