The Kongversation: Donkey Kong Universe Discussion

With the year of Emerald Rush events now concluded, Hyle and Dustin reunite to help bring the story of Donkey Kong Bananza full circle! They reflect on all 12 events, how they helped extend Bananza's lifespan, and what it felt like to have a full calendar's worth of blatant Donkey Kong fan service in the form of character statue rewards. Plus, which excluded DK characters SHOULD have made the cut?

NINTENDO introduced the "BIGGEST" Donkey Kong adventure ever... 30 YEARS AGO! Donkey Kong Land 2! Plays on Game Boy, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, and new Nintendo Switch 2!

Hyle and Cameron chat about the leaked ROM of Dream: Land of Giants, a four-screen technical showcase for the SNES! Created by the bulk of the original Donkey Kong Country team following the completion of DKC2 in 1995, it's most famous as the project that evolved into Banjo-Kazooie. However, it would also influence numerous other Rare games over the next two decades, from Donkey Kong Country 3 all...

Hyle and Jeff wistfully reflect on the end of Sea of Thieves: Season 20, the end of summer 2026, the differences between the Mid-Atlantic and the Great Lakes, the taste of jellybeans, and, of course, mosquitoes slurping from your dangling bits. It's the Kongversation's final seasonal wrap-up of Rare's shared pirate adventure!

Kiddy Kong fanatic Joy Content returns to the show to discuss the 2005 Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 3! Rare's finest final and finest installment in the GBA trilogy, it gave the world a new Brothers Bear, a new boss, an entire new world, and a brand-new soundtrack from David Wise! Learn more about how this handheld river eventually flowed from Rare straight into Retro Studios, se...

Broadcast live on https://www.twitch.tv/dkvine on September 9th, 2026, Hyle is joined by the Idaho Crew's Adam to discuss the September Nintendo Direct! Stinky Ape Summer is winding down, but we've been smelling Star Fox Adventures' arrival on Switch 2 for months! All this, plus the things that were surprisingly not mentioned or announced, and Hyle continuing to struggle with the pronunciation of...

The Kongversation returns to Yooka-Replaylee for more thoughts on the enhanced remaster of Playtonic's 2017 3D platformer! With the Switch 2 version's framerate finally sorted, along with other bugs and bees, how do Hyle and Freezer now feel about the game nearly a year after launch?

The second world of 1995's Donkey Kong Land, Kremlantis is the ancient temple city off the coast of DK Island. If its unnatural "mutant winds" don't sink it, the weight of its lore implications might finish the job first!

It's an EMERGENCY Kongversation Mini! With DK Challenge ending in less than a week, crap-ass gamers Hyle and Dustin discuss how they overcame the difficult Developer Challenges. There's no need to get stuck in the muck when you've got pluck... and a little luck!

Two grown adults have an intense discussion about toys for children while feeling only minimal shame. That's because the erudite sophistication of Donkey Kong transcends cheaply molded plastic, raising the intellectual stimuli of wagging around miniature figurines of cartoon gorillas and monkeys to that of the most learned pursuits. Plus, an all-new palm tree!

Pyrrhic Kong (Designing For) returns to the show to try to find the commonality that makes the modern Donkey Kong character so appealing to generations of fans. Is there any consistency in the portrayal and gameplay mechanics of the heir to the 1980s arcade legend? Did what Rare intend for the character hold up over the years? Can we make sense of the times the character felt lost? And why has Ban...

Despite Conker's Bad Fur Day turning 25 this year and not receiving much in the way of follow-ups, Conker has retained his notoriety in the gaming world. But what of his co-star, Berri? The Kongversation explores the abrupt transformation of the young chipmunk from an intended playable character to a murdered supporting player, and how a broadly maligned experimental game for a piece of hardware t...

Return to the glory days of the Rare/Nintendo partnership! The recent upload of previously unseen videos from the first several E3 events has given the public a fresh look at several important moments in DKU history, including Nintendo's 1997 press conference that revealed Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's Quest to the world!

It's time for another "Game Pitch" episode, and Hyle, Jeff, and Dustin are shipping you off for the summer! Specifically, to supervised lakeside accommodations run by Rare characters, where the usual tropes of summer camp come with a DKU twist. Welcome to Camp Jinjo!

Hyle and Dustin take a Stinky Ape Summer holiday to sunny Treasure Trove Cove! The iconic Banjo-Kazooie world has a rich accumulated history that goes far beyond the horizon of the classic 3D platformer. The Kongversation unearths golden nuggets of lore about the island buried across Rare's shared universe!

Mario Kart Tour is shutting down on September 30th. Hyle and David react to the news, taking stock of the loss of another DKU game. At least we didn't spend any real money on it, right? *checks bank statements* Oh, no.

Broadcast live on https://www.twitch.tv/dkvine on July 9th, 2026, Hyle and Dustin honor the 45th anniversary of the original Donkey Kong game! We discuss ho the series has rebuilt itself since the 40th anniversary, while examining how Donkey Kong Bananza has helped recontextualize the arcade roots with the Donkey Kong Country games. Then we ask what do the next 45 years look like for the franchise...

Hyle and Gibbon discuss the Super Pocket Rare Edition! Bundled with 14 games, it includes a new official build of Banjo-Kazooie with quite a few surprises for longtime fans. How does the classic 3D platformer even work with a D-Pad? Is it worth the purchase? And did Hyle accidentally wreck a beloved bit in Conker's Pocket Tales?

A Donkey Kong Bananza theme was added to Nintendo's Alarmo on June 9th, 2026. The Kongversation obviously needed to do an episode about it. This is that attempt.

19 seasons and a movie? Maybe! Hyle and Jeff talk about the "Sharma Drama" engulfing XBOX, including the departures of Craig Duncan and Louise O'Connor from the company. After reminiscing about the Duncan years of Rare, we move on to the recently-concluded Sea of Thieves: Season 19... and the Sea of Thieves MOVIE? Will it even happen, and what tired trope are we hoping they avoid?

Courtney returns to the Kongversation to discuss Donkey Kong 64's arrival on Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Classics! How does it play on the Switch and Switch 2, especially compared with how it performed on the Wii U? And how are we now feeling about the original 3D DK platformer in light of Donkey Kong Bananza?

It's DK Vine on DK Challenge! Hyle and Dustin discuss the time-limited Switch 2 event for Nintendo Switch Online members, swapping stories about the most difficult of the lot and asking if this counts as an actual Donkey Kong game. And if it does, where and how does it fit into the lore of the Donkey Kong Universe? (Yes, Hyle has a long-winded answer.)

Coming out of a surprisingly robust week of game reveals (and alarm clock updates) for the DKU, Hyle and Malik answer listener calls from the DK Vine Hotline at 1-202-630-VINE (8463)! Topics include hopes and fears for Super Yooka-Laylee Kart, DK Challenge, the new Jakks Pacific Donkey Kong figures, and more!

Broadcast live on https://www.twitch.tv/dkvine on June 9th, 2026, Hyle and Dustin discuss this year's June Nintendo Direct! It really IS a Stinky Ape Summer (and just a Stinky Summer for fans of most other franchises), what with the time-limited DK Challenge for Nintendo Switch Online members, the Super Mario Bros. collaboration with Bananza's Emerald Rush, and upcoming Donkey Kong figures from Ja...

Broadcast live on https://www.twitch.tv/dkvine on June 8th, 2026, Hyle and Cameron discuss the (official) reveal of Playtonic's Super Yooka-Laylee Kart. A kart racer from Playtonic has been anticipated since the studio's founding, but is the decidedly non-Diddy Kong Racing spiritual successor building up a Rage Meter in its fans?