While the release of Donkey Kong Bananza Approach with great strides, Nintendo lifts the veil behind the scenes of its development. In an interview with Spanish media The avant -gardeproducer Kenta Motokura and director Kazuya Takahashi share their creative vision, the technical challenges encountered, and the design choices that shape this new adventure exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2. One thing is clear: player satisfaction comes before perfect performance, and destruction is at the heart of everything.
From the first phases of development, the team chose to destroy not a simple effect, but the fundamental pillar of gameplay. “Destruction is the main theme of the game,” says Motokura. “All the game elements were built around this idea.” An orientation that led to unique challenges, especially in the design of almost entirely destructible levels, where players can dig the ground to discover objects and secret paths. For this, Nintendo has developed an immersive underground camera system, designed to make exploration as fun as it is rewarding. Takahashi even talks about one of their greatest technical achievements.
Although the idea of an environment in destructible voxels inevitably evokes Minecraft, the developers ensure that no specific game has been a source of direct inspiration. The concept dates back to the after-Super Mario Odyssey (2017), developed by the same division of Nintendo EPD. Initially planned on the first switch, Bananza was transferred to Switch 2 as the project’s ambition was gaining momentum. “For destructible large -scale environments, the power of the Switch 2 was essential,” says Takahashi.
Technically, the game turns well well, but some segments make cuts of framerate appear. Far from denying them, Takahashi even claims a part as a volunteer. “We use slow motion to accentuate the impacts. And sometimes, the massive destruction of Voxels naturally lead to slowdowns. We have made the choice to favor the pleasure of the player rather than absolute fluidity in these moments.”
Scheduled for July 17, 2025, Donkey Kong Bananza is a 3D platform game in which Donkey Kong and a young Pauline plunge into the bowels of the earth to recover diamonds in the shape of bananas stolen by a band of malicious monkeys. The game takes up the open mechanics ofOdysseybut adds the possibility of modeling the terrain in real time thanks to DK’s brute force. The player can thus open new passages, reveal hidden treasures, and shape his environment as he pleases.
More Bananza It is not content to offer a new approach to the gameplay, it also revisits the Donkey Kong icon. Motokura explains that design has been revised to offer a more expressive image of the character, while respecting the vision of its creator, Shigeru Miyamoto. Moreover, the latter has validated several ideas and participated in test phases, in particular to integrate the duality between jungle and urban world which characterizes the character since its beginnings.
Another striking addition: Pauline. From the young lady to a distress to an adventure partner, she accompanies Donkey Kong in this quest, especially in cooperative mode. His voice plays a key role in exploration and action, allowing for example to trigger destructive sound waves. The idea was born from a humorous sketch of a Donkey Kong transformed into zebra, which inspired a whole mechanics of musical transformations integrated into the gameplay.
This link with music gives a new sensory and narrative dimension to the series. Thanks to her, Donkey Kong Bananza does not just break walls: he explodes them in rhythm, in a deluge of particles, sounds and bananas. With each punch, at each excavation, it is a promise of discovery and freedom.
The game is also intended to be accessible to everyone. With levels designed for players from all back, an assisted mode and a cooperative option designed for families, Nintendo targets an audience as wide as possible. “This game is for everyone,” says Takahashi. “The more Donkey Kong becomes strong, the more fluid the game becomes, and if it is ever too difficult, another player can help you.”
The switch to Switch 2 is not trivial. Thanks to its increased capacities, the developers were able to integrate a large number of interactive elements, play on textures and effects, and offer large -scale destruction that the first Switch could never have managed. The result is a more organic, denser experience, where each action leaves a visible and lasting trace in the world of game.
