Donkey Kong Bananza marks a significant moment: it`s the next major project from the acclaimed Super Mario Odyssey development team and the first 3D platforming outing for the Great Ape since 1999`s Donkey Kong 64. Furthermore, it`s the first internally developed 3D Kong game since 2004`s rhythm-action title, Jungle Beat. This return to form, particularly in the 3D space and leveraging the talents behind Mario`s latest sprawling adventure, prompts a simple yet fundamental question: Why Donkey Kong? And why now, in three dimensions?
Insights from a recent developer interview shed light on the origins of this unexpected project. According to Kenta Motokura, the producer of Donkey Kong Bananza, the initiative began with a suggestion from a high place. Nintendo executive Yoshiaki Koizumi approached the development team and proposed they “think about making a 3D Donkey Kong.” This wasn`t necessarily a directive, but rather a prompt for exploration.
Following this initial nudge, the team engaged in discussions, including conferring with the character`s co-creator, Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto reportedly emphasized Donkey Kong`s distinctive physical capabilities and “unique actions,” such as the iconic hand slap familiar to players of the Super Smash Bros. series. Koizumi, reflecting on his past work with Jungle Beat, reiterated the visual and mechanical contrast between Donkey Kong`s “long and strong arms” and Mario`s comparatively more modest physical form. This analysis of the character`s inherent traits was clearly a crucial step in contemplating a new gameplay style.
Concurrently, within the very same Super Mario Odyssey team, a developer was independently experimenting with voxel technology. For those unfamiliar, voxels are essentially 3D pixels, allowing for worlds built from discrete, often manipulable, blocks or shapes, much like the foundation of games such as Minecraft. Intriguingly, this technology wasn`t entirely foreign to the team; it had already been subtly integrated into Mario Odyssey itself, used to render elements like the snow in the Snow Kingdom and the cheesy terrain in the Luncheon Kingdom.
The decisive moment, as described by Motokura, was the realization of the synergistic potential when these two distinct ideas collided. The team observed a “compatibility” between “Donkey Kong`s distinctive characteristics,” particularly his strength and powerful arm movements, and “the possibility of voxel technology.” This led to a rather illuminating conclusion: the ape`s ability to interact powerfully with the environment, combined with the destructible and malleable nature offered by voxels, presented a compelling opportunity. It was this alignment that sparked the central gameplay concept for Bananza – making “destruction” a core element.
Thus, the decision to bring Donkey Kong back into the 3D platforming spotlight for Bananza wasn`t a simple pivot. It was a confluence of executive vision, a deep dive into the character`s core identity and unique potential for interaction, and the opportune exploration of new technical capabilities. Finding that the ape`s physical prowess was a perfect fit for the destructible landscapes afforded by voxel technology paved the way for the specific direction this new adventure is taking. A somewhat organic, perhaps even `bananza-like,` path to development, one might say.
Callum Darby