Nintendo Switch Online seems to be neglecting a majorDonkey Kongtitle. 2024 is a huge year for one of Nintendo’s oldest franchises, as the iconicDonkey Kong Countryseries celebrates its 30th anniversary, and the company seems committed to showing how importantDonkey Kongremains to it. With the opening of the Donkey Kong Country theme park at Universal Studios Japan steadily approaching, alongside the upcoming release ofDonkey Kong Country Returns HDfor the Switch, there’s lots for fans of the franchise to look forward to.
NSO has also joined in the ongoing celebrations, having recently added a string of classicDonkey Kongtitles to its virtual console service. It serves as a great way of preserving these beloved titles for current Switch players to easily access and enjoy. However, the most recentDonkey Konggames that have been added to the service have once again highlighted the absence of one crucial title in particular:Donkey Kong 64. Its exclusion from the service remains baffling, asit remains one of the most important titles in the history of theDonkey Kongfranchise.
Donkey Kong Land 3 Is Now On NSO
Another Donkey Kong Series Has Become Available To Switch Players
On Wednesday, December 4, Nintendo announced thatDonkey Kong Land 3, originally released for the Game Boy in 1997, had been added to the NSO service. This addition follows the recent inclusion of the first twoDonkey Kong Landgames,making this entire series available on the Switch. It’s another huge win for the NSO service, as it continues to expand itslibrary of retro games, making them more accessible for current Switch players to relive those classic experiences, while newer players get to discover them for the first time.
The inclusion of theDonkey Kong Landtitles is also a huge win due to their lesser-known status. While they were certainly successful when first released on Game Boy,in retrospect the series has often been overshadowed by its groundbreaking SNES counterpart. Moreover, theDonkey Kong Landseries had seen little support prior to their addition to NSO, only being rereleased once before for the 3DS. The inclusion of theDonkey Kong Landgames on NSO has avoided any risk of these games falling into obscurity, while also recognizing the impact they have made.
That being said, the addition of theDonkey Kong Landtrilogy causesDonkey Kong 64’s absence to become more baffling as a result. Despite seeing huge success on the N64,Donkey Kong 64faces a similar issue to whatDonkey Kong Landonce had. Currently, the title has only received one rerelease for the Wii U, whose lackluster sales meant that the game didn’t have as broad an outreach as it deserved. Despite how exciting it may be, the inclusion of theDonkey Kong Landtrilogy also highlights the ongoing issues withDonkey Kong 64’s lack of recognition and accessibility.
Every DK Game On Switch & NSO Now
The Switch Has Become The Ultimate Console For All Things Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong 64’s continued absence is also confusing, since Nintendo is seemingly committed to making the Switch a major point of access for all thingsDonkey Kong. While the Switch may not have any new titles to speak of,it currently boasts an impressive selection of olderDonkey Kongtitles, with more rereleases on the way. By the end of January 2025, the list ofDonkey Konggames on Switch and NSO will include:
This doesn’t even account for the titles where Donkey Kong is a major character but isn’t playable, including the arcade games and thepuzzlerMario vs. Donkey Kong. These inclusions send a clear message to players of the importance of theDonkey Kongfranchise to Nintendo and the worth of making these classic titles readily available to players old and new. With this in mind, it’d be fair to assumeDonkey Kong 64would also be included in that list.
DK64 Is Still Missing On Nintendo Switch
The Game Deserves To Be Remembered
Alas, there’s still no sign ofDonkey Kong 64making its way to NSO anytime soon. Its absence is incredibly frustrating, especially when considering the impact the N64 classic had on release. Not only does it serve asDonkey Kong’s first jump into 3D, butserved as an important release in the collectathon genre(not to mention the game’sinfamous DK rap), which had been popularized during the N64 era with classics such asSuper Mario 64.
Donkey Kong 64served as a culmination of the many features and tropes of the genre, especially those featured in developer Rare’s other collectathons, such asBanjo-Kazooie. The game’s scale has been well-documented, with an almost unfathomable number of collectibles for the player to seek out and multiple playable characters to unlock that further cementedDonkey Kong 64as the N64’s ultimate collectathon. Even if the game’s wealth of content isn’t always seen as a positive,Donkey Kong 64remains a beloved entry and an important moment in the franchise’s historythat deserves the same recognition as its counterparts.
Only time will tell whetherDonkey Kong 64gets the rerelease it deserves. The confirmation that NSO will be included on the Switch 2 adds hope that Nintendo will eventually get around to adding this title to the service. Nevertheless,Donkey Kong 64is an important game for the franchise that deserves the same treatment that other entries in theDonkey Kongfranchise have received.
