Donkey Kong Bananzadirector Kazuya Takahashi has revealed he replayed all the entries in the franchise after learning he would be assigned to the game.Donkey Kong Bananza’s release date is approaching, and while players await the highly anticipated comeback of Nintendo’s famous gorilla on July 17, the director has shared some tidbits about the game’s development.
Donkey Kong Bananzawill launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2, marking the franchise’s first fully 3D adventure sinceDonkey Kong 64. The new game reimagines the series, introducing a completely destructible environment where DK goes deep into underground biomes to recover golden Banandium Gems stolen by VoidCo. The latest gameplay trailers have shown that players will be able to smash, dig, and climb in the game, while also featuring some interesting mechanics like voice-controlled co-op. Although the franchise has been dormant for the past 11 years, Nintendo’s gorilla has remained a popular character, showing up in re-releases, ports, or cameos, while its games have continued to be popular. Now, players have learned that, from the originalDonkey Konglaunched in 1981 to the latest mainline entry in 2014,Tropical Freeze,Bananzahas been shaped by the franchise’s history.
Speaking toLa Vanguardia, director Kazuya Takahashi shared his experience withtheDonkey Kongfranchise. He revealed that once he learned he would be assigned toBananza, he decided to replay the entire series to get some new ideas. He also commented onDonkey Kong Jr. andDonkey Kong Country, emphasizing that these are among his favorite games and that he was especially looking forward to revisiting some elements from the latter, but with a new “sense of destruction.”
Bananza Director Inspired by Some Donkey Kong Country Elements
Donkey Kong Countryis considered by many as one of the SNES’s best games, and it looks like Takahashi is aware of that, as he wanted to “incorporate past memories along with new ideas” inspired by the 1994 hit. However,Bananzaseems to be moving away from the series’ previous style by shifting from traditional 2D or classic 3D platforming to a fully destructible, voxel-based 3D world.
In addition to sharing his experience with the franchise, Takahashi warned players aboutBananza’s potential performance dropsin certain parts of the game, though he also assured that this wouldn’t significantly impact the overall gameplay. While players wait for the game’s release date, it’s a good sign forBananzathat its director took the entire franchise into account before tackling development.
