The jungle is roaring with excitement, and for good reason: after an 18-year hiatus, Nintendo’s adventurous ape is back. The first new game in his titular series, Donkey Kong Bananza, hit the shelves on July 17, with excitement as high as a gorilla’s eye. The release has sparked speculation that the game could break some new records for Nintendo’s famous frontmonkey.

The new title, developed by Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development, is the first new mainline Donkey Kong game since Donkey Kong Country Returns in 2010, and the first 3D platformer in the series since Donkey Kong 64 in 1999. In this new adventure, Donkey Kong and his friend Pauline venture underground to retrieve stolen banana-shaped diamonds.

While the new game’s sales and performance records are still being tallied, Donkey Kong already has a few fascinating gaming world records tucked under his belt, if he wore one. His very first appearance came in the 1981 arcade cabinet Donkey Kong, a game that holds two unique and influential Guinness World Records:

• First platform videogame: Donkey Kong established the platform genre by requiring players to jump between platforms to reach their goal.
• First use of cutscenes to tell a story in a videogame: The game introduced short, non-interactive scenes to advance the plot, a now-common feature in video games.

In addition to these foundational records, the franchise holds the Guinness World Record for the most collectible items in a platform video game for Donkey Kong 64, which required players to gather a mind-boggling 3,821 unique items to achieve 101% completion.

The release of Donkey Kong Bananza has reignited interest in the series and its rich history. As players dive into the new adventure, Donkey Kong’s legacy as a trailblazer in the gaming world remains secure, with the potential for his new title to add more record-breaking feats to his illustrious career.