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 the talented YouTuber 2Chrispy has managed to do for the upcoming game, Donkey Kong Bananza.
Just as players cracked the code in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's secret language, 2Chrispy utilized trailers, preview footage, and even the Nintendo Today app to decipher the Ancient Monkey Scrolls in Kong's new adventure.
"In the trailer, there were a lot of hidden details," 2Chrispy explained in an engaging video detailing his process. "But the one that really caught my eye was the banana language. Watch to see how I decoded and deciphered every monkey letter I could find."
By cleverly identifying an in-game item named Chip Exchange, Chrispy, through meticulous, frame-by-frame analysis, managed to decode 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 available footage. To discover 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 marked "ice." He also transcribed various notices indicating "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 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, leaving me convinced that the next generation of first-party Nintendo games is here."
With the announcement of the *Nintendo Switch 2*'s release date and tech specs, along with insights into the pricing of first-party games on the new system, dive deep into all the details as we discuss them with industry experts. For more on the Nintendo Switch 2, catch up on everything revealed at last month's Nintendo Direct. *Donkey Kong Bananza* is set to launch on July 17 for $69.99, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2.