Donkey Kong Bananza is the upcoming endeavor from the Super Mario Odyssey crew. This marks the franchise’s inaugural 3D platformer since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64 and the first one crafted by an internal team since Jungle Beat in 2004. But why focus on Donkey Kong, instead of a direct sequel to Mario Odyssey? And why venture back to 3D at this moment? A recent interview with Bananza’s creators has provided insights into some of these inquiries.
In a conversation with IGN, producer Kenta Motokura explained that Nintendo executive Yoshiaka Koizumi reached out to the team, urging them to contemplate the creation of a 3D Donkey Kong. Subsequently, the team deliberated the idea with Shigeru Miyamoto, the visionary behind both the Donkey Kong and Mario franchises. He highlighted that Kong possesses “distinctive actions” like the hand slap from Super Smash Bros. Koikumi, the director of Jungle Beat, further remarked that Donkey Kong has lengthy and powerful arms, setting him apart from Mario’s more modest physique.
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Currently Playing: Donkey Kong Bananza – 21 Minutes Of Official Gameplay | Nintendo Switch 2
Concurrently, one of the developers from Mario Odyssey was experimenting with voxel technology. This is the technique behind games like Minecraft, where the universe is constructed of unique individual shapes that players can manipulate. It even makes an appearance in Super Mario Odyssey as snow in the game’s Snow Kingdom and cheese in the Luncheon Kingdom. The fusion of these two elements—considering Donkey Kong’s special abilities and experimenting with voxel tech—culminated in the Bananza we observe today.
To conclude, producer Kenta Motokura stated, “When we recognized the synergy between Donkey Kong’s unique features, being robust and possessing these long arms, alongside the potential of voxel technology, we realized this was an excellent match that inspired us to pursue destruction as the central gameplay in this title.”
In additional news about Nintendo Switch 2, Amazon is now offering the console, but solely by invitation. The Wild Hearts S demo is currently available and you can move your save to the complete game.
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