Reports have surfaced that a new 3D Donkey Kong adventure was once in development for the Nintendo Switch by Vicarious Visions before being cancelled. The open-world game would have taken the iconic ape into his first fully 3D solo outing in over a decade.
Titled Donkey Kong Freedom, early details about the project describe a game where players would have explored and traversed a huge jungle environment. Swinging from vines and grinding rails, the goal was to stop a factory and dam destroying all the banana trees. It’s said the game was heavily inspired by open-world adventures like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
After over 10 years since Donkey Kong’s last starring role in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, fans were excited by the prospect of seeing the character in a new 3D adventure. However, things took a turn when the heads of Vicarious Visions departed in 2016 to work on Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. This shift in focus led Activision to cancel Donkey Kong Freedom in favour of Crash.
What Could Have Been
While Donkey Kong fans are still waiting on a new modern solo outing, Donkey Kong Freedom offered an exciting vision of what could have been. With its huge open jungle to explore and emphasis on agile movement through swinging and grinding, it sounded like it may have delivered the franchise in a bold new 3D direction.
For now, all we have are early details of what may have been the 3D Donkey Kong’s grand return. Only time will tell when the iconic ape will star in a new adventure but hopefully it won’t be too long until he’s swinging into action once more.