Donkey Kong Bananza’s director has recently admitted that the game’s voxel tech, which powers its destruction-focused mechanic, “must have been an absolute nightmare for the programmers.”Donkey Kong Bananza’s release is just around the corner—July 17—and its developers have shed some light on the game’s development and core mechanics.
Donkey Kong Bananzais Nintendo’s first 3D platformer in the franchise sinceDonkey Kong 64, launching exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2. The game’s development was handled by theSuper Mario Odysseyteam, who builtBananzaon voxel-based destructible terrain. This engine allowed the team to create an environment where players could smash, dig, and reshape nearly every surface. Voxel technology allows for building 3D worlds using tiny cubes instead of polygons, giving games a more “blocky” aesthetic likeMinecraft. However,Donkey Kong Bananzadoesn’t look like that type of game, and its director has reflected on this.
DuringNintendo’s “Ask the Developer”interview series, the development team talked about theupcomingDonkey Kong Bananzaand its core destruction mechanic. Director Kazuya Takahashi explained how convenient the voxel tech was for the game, though he admitted that implementing it was probably a nightmare for the programmers. A quick look atBananza’s visuals is enough to notice how the game managed to avoid the blocky aesthetic, highlighting the devs' work. Co-director Wataru Tanaka said the team wanted to ensure players wouldn’t notice the voxels.
Donkey Kong Bananza Director Says Working with Voxel Tech Was an “Absolute Nightmare”
While theDonkey Kong Bananzadirector has warned about potential performance drops, Takahashi noted that this technology enabled Nintendo to “craft layers that feel truly unique to this game,” creating different visual styles, physical properties, and fully destructible environments. The game’s art director, Daisuke Watanabe, explained that the team worked to create visuals that didn’t look like stacked cubes, instead crafting rich and dense scenes that made players think, “Wait, you may destroy this?”
Tanaka also revealed that the team decided to implement this technology pretty early in development, due to the flexibility it brings. The game’s core mechanic represents a bold new take on the franchise, and Takahashi previously said he drew inspiration fromevery game in the series beforeBananza’s development.
Bananza’s unique destruction mechanic is undoubtedly one of the most appealing things shown in the game’s trailer, and the devs revealed that the idea for this originated from an experiment involving a Goomba with arms inspired by Knucklotec, aSuper Mario Odysseyboss character. As Nintendo prepares to launchBananza, players can look forward to the return of the gorilla on July 17.
