How a Zebra and a Punching Goomba Sparked the Wildest Donkey Kong Game Yet
Donkey Kong Bananza’s Wild Development Journey
Nintendo’s upcoming Switch 2 exclusive, Donkey Kong Bananza, is shaping up to be quite the surprise. The game’s development was full of unexpected twists, with ideas coming from some truly unusual sources. If you’re curious about how this new Donkey Kong adventure took shape, here’s a quick rundown of the most interesting tidbits straight from the team behind it.
- Pauline wasn’t originally planned for the game.
- A zebra transformation sparked new music and character ideas.
- The game’s destructible environment concept started with a quirky experiment involving a grape and a Goomba.
Pauline’s Surprise Cameo Thanks to a Zebra
At first, Pauline—the mayor of New Donk City—wasn’t part of Donkey Kong Bananza at all. That changed when an artist created some concept art featuring Donkey Kong’s zebra transformation. Producer Kenta Motokura explained, “I think the moment we actually realized we would go in that direction came about as a result of an artist who created some concept art of the zebra transformation. We saw that image and thought it was really fun, so we immediately prototyped it to try it out in the game. And when our composer saw that, they decided to create specific music just for that transformation.”
This unexpected zebra concept even led to the idea of adding Pauline, after the team noticed how the new theme music fit perfectly with the vibe. As the developers joked:
Kubo: “I know, right? And then, just as we were thinking, ‘Oh, that transitioned quite nicely. This might be rather interesting,’ Motokura-san comes along and says…”
Tanaka: “So that was when it happened.”
Motokura: “Right, and I said, ‘Maybe we can add Pauline?’ (Laughs)”
Everyone: (Laughs)
Curious about the zebra art that sparked all this? Nintendo recently shared it in an Ask the Developer interview, and it’s definitely not what you’d expect:
From Super Mario Odyssey to Donkey Kong Bananza
Interestingly, the game didn’t start as a Donkey Kong project. Instead, Nintendo’s programming team began exploring “smashing mechanics” right after Super Mario Odyssey. They wanted to create a game where the entire environment was destructible. To help, they brought in the Odyssey programmer responsible for the Sand Kingdom’s guardian deity, Knucklote—a boss known for slamming the ground and altering the environment.
In a playful twist, the programmer attached two fists to a Goomba and had it punch its way through a rocky landscape. This quirky experiment laid the foundation for Bananza’s gameplay.
Donkey Kong Bananza: Nintendo’s Creative Leap
It’s clear Nintendo took a galaxy brain approach with Donkey Kong Bananza, mixing unexpected ideas and playful experimentation. The full interview with the developers is packed with more fun stories and insights if you want to dive deeper.
Check out the full interview here: Ask the Developer Vol. 19: Donkey Kong Bananza Part 1
