In a recent developer interview, Nintendo revealed a side-by-side shot ofDonkey Kong Bananzarunning on the Switch 1 and how it currently looks. With its release imminent, there’s plenty of excitement from Nintendo Switch 2 owners to experience the gameplay ofDonkey Kong Bananza, from collecting Banandium Gems to simply destroying the terrain.
While the initial reveal may have been a surprise for fans, especially those expecting to see a newMariotitle,Donkey Kong Bananzahas apparently been in development for quite a while. In fact, after it was revealed that theSuper Mario Odysseyteam was the developer ofBananza, it also came out that work actually started as far back as 2017. The revelation puts it in a similar timeframe as some other notable “still in development” games, like Rockstar’sGrand Theft Auto 6.
After wrappingOdyssey, the team then shifted gears toreleaseDonkey Kong Bananzafor the then Nintendo Switchconsole. However, after a few years, developers began running into a number of challenges that were difficult to overcome, specifically around how many objects could be in the environment at one time and the destruction powered by voxel technology, which required a lot of system memory. Thanks to a recentAsk the Developer Q&A, fans now know that these limitations ultimately pushed the development team to move things to the Switch 2 in 2021.
Nintendo Shows Donkey Kong Bananza on a Switch 1
Donkey Kong Bananzagame director Wataru Tanakaconfirmed that moving to the Switch 2 gave developers more memory and processing capacity to work with, ultimately allowing abandoned ideas and mechanics to be restored and achieve the original vision. For additional context, Nintendo also released a side-by-side shot ofDonkey Kong Bananzaon both systems. While the image quality isn’t the greatest, the developers were able to add a substantial amount of detailing and objects to the world, from the grass and fauna to suspenders on DK, as well as impressive lighting effects shining down from the sky.
It’s clear that the hardware change to Switch 2 was ultimately a good one and there seems to be a lot of benefits from the shift. Alongside the more detailed and vibrant worlds, Nintendo was also able to achieve a solid 60 frames per second for a much smoother and “satisfying” experience, as art director Daisuke Watanabe put it. DK himself is also a bit visually different this time around, with Nintendo using theredesign to make him more expressive inDonkey Kong Bananza.
Donkey Kong Bananza
WHERE TO PLAY
The big guy is back! Donkey Kong swings onto the Nintendo Switch 2 system with a brand-new action adventure.Help Donkey Kong make his way through the depths of the Underground World. The deeper he goes, the more amazing places he finds! There’s no shortage of things DK can pulverize with his powerful punches. Break on through this truly destructive adventure.Behold the golden bananas! The mysterious group, known as VoidCo, has its eyes on this prized bunch. But no one messes with DK’s favourite food!Golden bananas? The whole island was buzzing about the discovery of this tasty treasure. But then, distaster struck! During the chaos, VoidCo stole every breathtaking bunch of bananas. Now Donkey Kong must venture deep underground to get them back!
