Donky Kong Bananza developer interview

In the 19th volume of Nintendo’s Ask the Developer interview series, where creators share the company’s thoughts and development details in their own words, the spotlight turns to the team behind Donkey Kong Bananza, the Nintendo Switch 2 game. (Translated from the original Japanese. This interview was conducted before the game’s release.)

Donky Kong Bananza developer interview: Ask the Developer Vol. 19: Donkey Kong Bananza

The development team for Donkey Kong Bananza includes several veterans of Nintendo’s 3D Mario titles.

• Kenta Motokura, the game’s producer, previously directed Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Odyssey. He also worked on character designs for Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. For this project, Motokura crafted the overall game concept and set the direction for both structure and player controls.
• Kazuya Takahashi, one of the directors, joined Nintendo in 2020, bringing experience from open-world RPGs and arcade games. He led game design, level design, cutscenes, and text creation.
• Wataru Tanaka, another director, has worked on several 3D Mario games since Super Mario Galaxy 2, including player controls and core action systems for Super Mario Odyssey. As programming director on Donkey Kong Bananza, Tanaka focused on system performance, Nintendo Switch 2 features, and enemy behavior.
• Daisuke Watanabe, art director, previously led character design for the Super Mario Galaxy series and served as design lead on Super Mario 3D World.
• Naoto Kubo, sound director, composed music for Super Mario Maker and oversaw sound development for Super Mario Odyssey. On Donkey Kong Bananza, Kubo coordinated the overall sound direction and composed some of the music himself.
   

How the 3D Mario team took on Donkey Kong

The idea for Donkey Kong Bananza began when Nintendo’s Yoshiaki Koizumi, Senior Executive Officer and General Producer for Nintendo Switch, approached the 3D Mario team, expressing a desire to expand the Donkey Kong franchise by having them create a 3D Donkey Kong title.

Motokura reflected on the series’ history, noting its origins as an arcade game by Shigeru Miyamoto, known for innovations in narrative and stage design, and the later success of the Donkey Kong Country series developed with Rare Ltd. Motivated by this legacy, the team aimed to achieve a new innovation within the franchise.

While the developers brought extensive expertise from 3D action gameplay, they first set out to answer a fundamental question: What defines Donkey Kong? To explore this, they consulted both Miyamoto and Koizumi. Miyamoto emphasized Donkey Kong’s unique moves like hand slaps and blowing mechanics, while Koizumi highlighted Donkey Kong’s massive arms and raw strength, such as delivering powerful punches or lifting heavy objects.

Capturing Donkey Kong’s identity

Motokura acknowledged that every installment in the series has introduced something new while preserving core traits. With Donkey Kong Bananza, the team aimed to convey Donkey Kong’s essence, creating what they see as a branching point: just as Mario has both 2D and 3D iterations, this game would establish a new 3D Donkey Kong line. They centered the theme around “destruction,” showcasing Donkey Kong’s strengths and new actions.

Art Director Watanabe noted that opinions about Donkey Kong’s character vary: some see him as a cool, rugged jungle king, while others view him as a lovable goofball. Rather than offering a superficial design update, the team worked to highlight Donkey Kong’s unique personality.

Motokura added that they even interviewed artists who had drawn Donkey Kong in earlier games to preserve the image envisioned by Miyamoto. Watanabe shared that they received detailed advice, from body frame and facial expressions down to Donkey Kong’s signature pointy hair, with specific guidance on not making it too long.

The team also considered how Donkey Kong’s large size would impact his on-screen presence. They focused on making his fur rich and detailed and enhanced his back view by adding britches and suspenders to break up the visual monotony of brown fur, especially given the behind-the-character camera angle typical in 3D games.

Outside of the game, Donkey Kong’s appearances in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) and Mario Kart World drew from a base design, one that has now been completely overhauled for Donkey Kong Bananza, blending Miyamoto’s original concept with new elements created for this game.

The Bananergy Gauge and “Chain of Destruction”

A major innovation in Donkey Kong Bananza is the Bananergy gauge. Director Takahashi explained that as Donkey Kong smashes terrain and collects gold, the gauge fills, allowing him to perform Bananza transformations. These transformations let Donkey Kong take on different animal forms, each with unique destructive abilities, such as charge punches or piercing attacks.

Unlike Mario’s progression, which often involves temporary power-ups or size changes, Donkey Kong’s ability to transform anywhere and chain destruction became a defining element of the game. This mechanic, the “chain of destruction”, is central to the action gameplay and sets the title apart within the franchise.

Redefining Donkey Kong for the future

Motokura concluded that Donkey Kong Bananza not only pushes the boundaries of Donkey Kong’s actions and design but also symbolizes a new direction for the series. By leveraging the 3D Mario team’s expertise and returning to the roots of Donkey Kong’s character, Nintendo aims to deliver a fresh, exciting experience that resonates with longtime fans and newcomers alike.

Ask the Developer Vol. 19: Donkey Kong Bananza