Fan Decodes Donkey Kong Bananza's Secret Banana Alphabet Pre-Launch

A hidden language has been uncovered in Donkey Kong Bananza—and it's all banana-themed. A passionate fan cracked the secret "banana alphabet" long before the game’s official release. Learn how this dedicated player decoded the mysterious symbols seen across trailers, gameplay footage, and the game's official site.

Ancient Monkey Scrolls Revealed

Even though Donkey Kong Bananza hasn't launched yet, one eagle-eyed fan has already made a major discovery. YouTube user 2Chrispy posted a video on April 27 titled "I Decoded the Ancient Monkey Scrolls of Donkey Kong Bananza," revealing how he successfully translated the game's cryptic banana-based alphabet.

This unique script, referred to as the "bananbet," was spotted in every promotional piece released so far—from trailers to official screenshots and even the website. While invented languages aren’t uncommon in gaming (see The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Hylian script), uncovering it months before launch is extraordinary.

Whether it's pure dedication or a side effect of eager anticipation, this fan’s work gives us a rare glimpse into the depth of detail behind Donkey Kong Bananza. Until the game launches, we can only speculate if the decoding is accurate—but with such a detailed breakdown, many believe 2Chrispy got it spot on.

Cracking the Code at Chip Exchange

In his video, 2Chrispy walks through his step-by-step process for decoding the alphabet, starting with the phrase “Chip Exchange.” When players collect a Banandium Chip in-game, a prompt reads: “Trade these for bananas at any Chip Exchange.”

He searched frame by frame through existing trailers, looking for signs labeled “Chip Exchange” to match symbols with letters. He noticed that the number of characters in the sign matched the length of the phrase “exchange,” and recurring symbols aligned with repeating letters like “e.” From there, he cross-referenced other symbols found in screenshots and gameplay previews.

Using a word finder app and careful pattern recognition, he filled in missing letters and built out the full alphabet system.

While still unconfirmed, this theory showcases incredible attention to detail and analytical thinking. With the game set to release on [ttpp], fans are eagerly dissecting every available piece of media, hoping to uncover more secrets hidden within Donkey Kong Bananza.

Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the July 17, 2025 launch date on Nintendo Switch 2.