A different kind of hero.
With less than a week to go before the release of Donkey Kong Bananza on the Nintendo Switch 2, IGN recently got the chance to interview Producer, Kenta Motokura, and Director, Kazuya Takahashi. Of the many topics discussed, Kenta Motokura went to great lengths to explain how the development team behind Super Mario Odyssey created a new 3D Donkey Kong game instead of a new 3D Super Mario game:
Kenta Motokura: Well, I would say the very original impetus for the development of Donkey Kong Bananza was when my boss, Mr. Koizumi, approached our team and asked us to consider working on a 3D Donkey Kong game. And that’s when we realized we really needed to know more about Donkey Kong, so we went and spoke to Mr. Miyamoto, the original creator of the character. And Mr. Miyamoto has experienced not only working on the Donkey Kong games that he was directly responsible for, but also worked alongside Rare on the Donkey Kong games that they created. And for him, a lot of things that came up were the unique actions that a really strong character like Donkey Kong can engage in, things like the hand slap or blowing his breath.
And I also spoke to Mr. Koizumi who had served as the director on Jungle Beat. And for him, one thing that was a really important distinguishing characteristic from a character like say, Mario, is that Donkey Kong has these longer, stronger arms. So we took all of these distinctive features of Donkey Kong as a character and tried to think about how we could bring them to play in a new game. Around the same time, we had a programmer who was experimenting with voxel technology. We actually had used this voxel technology in some areas of Super Mario Odyssey previously where for example, you could dig your way through cheese in the Luncheon Kingdom or you could plow through snow in the Snow Kingdom. So this programmer was engaging in various technical experiments where you might even throw voxels or make a hole having done so.
When we realized the compatibility of Donkey Kong’s distinctive characteristics, being strong and having these large long arms, and the possibility of Voxel Technology, we saw that this was a good match that led us to the idea of pursuing destruction as core gameplay in this title. Sorry that answer went a little long, but that’s how we went from the opportunity to work on this project initially all the way through to developing the concept that carried us through to the end.
For more from the full interview, we highly encourage you to check out the complete piece on IGN by clicking here.
About Donkey Kong Bananza:
The big guy is back—and he’s not alone! — Explore a vast underground world with Donkey Kong and Pauline—by smashing your way through it!
With DK’s brute force and Pauline’s special singing abilities, you can crash through walls, carve tunnels with your fists, punch straight down into the ground, and even tear off chunks of terrain to swing around and throw in groundbreaking exploration. The more you smash, the more areas open up to explore.
Take a deep dive into fun — Join DK and his companion, Pauline, as they delve deep underground—and discover that this subterranean world is a lot more than it seems on the surface. Uncover a variety of environments such as arid canyons, lush forests, and frigid tundra as you peel back the world’s layers!
Pair up with Pauline — Pauline is a 13-year-old girl with a powerful voice—so powerful it can blast rocks and even bestow powers on Donkey Kong!
Bananza time! — Pauline’s singing can empower DK with different Bananza Transformations, each with its own unique power. Pump up DK’s strength, speed, and more!
Underground folks — Donkey Kong and Pauline meet a lot of interesting characters along the way—some might even help them out on their adventure!
Void Company The Planet Core is said to have the power to grant any desire—and Void Kong, the ruthless head of the greedy Void Company, will stop at nothing to reach it and claim all the world’s riches for himself. Smash your way to the Planet Core before the greedy Void Company gets there first!
Team up with a friend — In 2-player co-op mode, one player controls Donkey Kong while the other can be Pauline, riding on DK’s shoulder, using her powerful vocal blasts to clear a path and zap baddies. (You can even try Joy-Con™ 2 mouse controls for more precise aiming!) Pauline can also copy nearby terrain to add some environmental umph to her blasts. When DK and Pauline work together, the bad guys don’t stand a chance!
Assist Mode — If you’re a new player or just want a more mellow experience, try out Assist Mode! Get helpful features like automatic path guidance, aim assist, reduced damage, and regenerating health!
Different ways to play together!
- Local | one game + one Nintendo Switch 2 system
- Local | one game + two Nintendo Switch 2 systems using GameShare
- Online | one game + two Nintendo Switch 2 systems using GameChat + GameShare
Source: IGN
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