Donkey Kong Bananza Director Replayed Older Games in Preparation

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As a game developer taking the helm for the upcoming “Donkey Kong Bananza,” I’ll be stepping into this role for the first time, and I can’t wait! In a chat with La Vanguardia (via VGC), I shared that revisiting past Donkey Kong games is part of my preparation process for “Bananza.” Additionally, when I was handed the project, I dove back into playing all the timeless Donkey Kong titles to refresh my memory and get inspired.

Takashi fondly recalled playing both Donkey Kong Jr. and Donkey Kong Country,” he shared. “Once I found out I’d be part of the Donkey Kong Bananza team, I went back and played through every game in the series.

During the interview, Takahashi mentioned that the release of Donkey Kong Country in 1994 played a significant role in the franchise’s history. This game, initially launched on the Super NES, stood out by incorporating rotoscoped 3D models within its 2D gameplay, making it visually distinctive among games of its era. Additionally, Donkey Kong Country introduced innovative mechanics that later became defining elements of the Donkey Kong series.

According to Takahashi, what stood out in “Donkey Kong Country” were innovative features such as barrel cannons and minecarts. He felt inspired to reintroduce these elements, as well as introduce an element of destruction. This combination of old and new concepts was his driving force.

As a dedicated gamer, I’ve got some insights on the technical side of “Donkey Kong Bananza” that Takahashi shared. Some folks have pointed out skipped frames in the gameplay demonstrations and trailers we’ve seen so far. When quizzed about this, Takahashi explained that the developers are employing techniques such as hit-stop and slow motion to highlight the impacts, which might seem like performance hiccups at times. But rest assured, he promised a seamless overall gaming experience for us!

As a fan, I’d say: “I noticed that Takahashi pointed out some key aspects. Firstly, they strategically incorporated techniques such as hit-stop and slow motion to make the impacts more noticeable. Secondly, since they employ voxel technology, there are instances where the environment undergoes drastic transformations or destruction.

We understand there might be minor dips in performance during certain periods. But as you pointed out, the game generally runs smoothly, and when significant updates happen, we focus more on making it enjoyable and playable.

Back in early October, Kenta Motokura, the producer, shared an intriguing piece of information: Donkey Kong Bananza was initially intended as a game for the original Nintendo Switch. As we progressed in development, it became apparent that the voxel technology we were using was pushing the boundaries a bit too much for our beloved Switch. In the end, we made the tough choice to create this exciting title for the upcoming Switch 2 instead. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

“This enabled us to develop an exceptionally diverse range of resources and substantial transformations in the environment using the latest hardware, as he detailed. Furthermore, maintaining the essence of destruction being the primary gameplay was crucial, and a key aspect we wished to uphold was when a player looks at a piece of terrain and wonders, is this breakable? This moment instills a significant surprise with a powerful impact, which we found worked best on Switch 2.”

Donkey Kong Bananza is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17.

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2025-07-14 15:11