Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
discord.gg/yokaiwatch 101Leafy goes bananza for Donkey Kong Bananas on Nintendo Switch 2! Let's Play a full walkthrough of the entire story game of Donkey Kong's newest 3D adventure by the Mario team with Pauline! I can't wait to see the story!
Donkey Kong Developer Interview for those unaware, this is basically a new Super Mario Odyssey game!
Chapter 1: Chain of destruction
First, can you introduce yourselves?
Motokura:
Hello, I’m Kenta Motokura, the producer for Donkey Kong Bananza. Until now, I've mostly been involved in the development of 3D Mario (1) games, having directed Super Mario 3D World (2) and Super Mario Odyssey (3). In terms of Donkey Kong games, I worked on the character designs for Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (4). As the producer for Donkey Kong Bananza, I crafted the game's concept and set the direction for the overall structure and player controls.
(1) A term that refers to an action game in the Super Mario series in which Mario moves around in a 3D space. In contrast, 2D Mario games refer to side-scrolling 2D platformers in the same series.
(2) A Wii U game released in November 2013. In this 3D platformer, up to four players can explore the Sprixie Kingdom, a land full of surprises, where new transformations, such as Cat Mario and Double Mario, were introduced. Additional accessories may be required for multiplayer mode, sold separately. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, which includes additional modes, was released on Nintendo Switch in February 2021.
(3) A Nintendo Switch game released in October 2017. In this 3D platformer, players join Mario and his hat-shaped ally Cappy on a globe-trotting adventure, exploring ancient ruins, big cities, and much more.
(4) Released in 2005 on Nintendo GameCube in Europe and North America. A Wii version of the game was released in May 2009 in North America and June 2009 in Europe. As Donkey Kong, players explore various kingdoms in the jungle, the clouds, and the ocean with the help of powerful moves like punches and shockwaves. The Nintendo GameCube version is played with the DK Bongos accessory, while the Wii version is controlled with unique actions that utilise motion controls.
Takahashi:
Hello, I’m Kazuya Takahashi, one of the directors for this game. I joined Nintendo in 2020, but before that, I worked on a broad spectrum of games, including open-world RPGs and arcade games. For this game, I gave direction on the game design and worked on the level design, cut scenes, and text creation.
Tanaka:
Hello, I’m Wataru Tanaka, another of the game's directors. I've been involved in the development of several 3D Mario games since Super Mario Galaxy 2. For Super Mario Odyssey, I implemented player controls and directed the core system of action elements. As the programming director for Donkey Kong Bananza, I mostly provided direction on the processing performance and utilisation of system functions for Nintendo Switch 2, as well as enemy behavior.
Watanabe:
Hello, I’m Daisuke Watanabe, the art director. I was in charge of character design in the Super Mario Galaxy series and joined Super Mario 3D World as the design lead. I oversaw Donkey Kong Bananza's overall art direction.
Kubo:
Hi, I’m Naoto Kubo, the sound director. I’ve previously composed music for Super Mario Maker and led the overall sound development for Super Mario Odyssey. As the sound director for Donkey Kong Bananza, I co-ordinated overall sound development and controlled quality. I also composed some of the game's music myself.
Thank you. It sounds like staff members who've previously worked on 3D Mario games, in particular Super Mario Odyssey, were central to Donkey Kong Bananza's development. But how is it that the 3D Mario development team ended up creating a new game in the Donkey Kong series?
Motokura:
Development began when Koizumi-san (5) approached our team and said, “With an eye to expanding the Donkey Kong franchise further, I'd like the team that's been working on 3D Mario games to create a 3D Donkey Kong game”. The Donkey Kong series started with an arcade game created by Miyamoto-san (6). It featured a lot of things that were innovative for arcade games at the time, such as narrative-based gameplay and stage composition with varied design. Later on, we had success with the Donkey Kong Country series (7) developed with Rare Ltd. (8), and I think those titles also represented a significant innovation as Super NES games with unique visuals. So this time around, tasked with developing a Donkey Kong game ourselves, we decided we were going to aim for another big innovation.
discord.gg/yokaiwatch 101Leafy goes bananza for Donkey Kong Bananas on Nintendo Switch 2! Let's Play a full walkthrough of the entire story game of Donkey Kong's newest 3D adventure by the Mario team with Pauline! I can't wait to see the story!
Donkey Kong Developer Interview for those unaware, this is basically a new Super Mario Odyssey game!
Chapter 1: Chain of destruction
First, can you introduce yourselves?
Motokura:
Hello, I’m Kenta Motokura, the producer for Donkey Kong Bananza. Until now, I've mostly been involved in the development of 3D Mario (1) games, having directed Super Mario 3D World (2) and Super Mario Odyssey (3). In terms of Donkey Kong games, I worked on the character designs for Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (4). As the producer for Donkey Kong Bananza, I crafted the game's concept and set the direction for the overall structure and player controls.
(1) A term that refers to an action game in the Super Mario series in which Mario moves around in a 3D space. In contrast, 2D Mario games refer to side-scrolling 2D platformers in the same series.
(2) A Wii U game released in November 2013. In this 3D platformer, up to four players can explore the Sprixie Kingdom, a land full of surprises, where new transformations, such as Cat Mario and Double Mario, were introduced. Additional accessories may be required for multiplayer mode, sold separately. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, which includes additional modes, was released on Nintendo Switch in February 2021.
(3) A Nintendo Switch game released in October 2017. In this 3D platformer, players join Mario and his hat-shaped ally Cappy on a globe-trotting adventure, exploring ancient ruins, big cities, and much more.
(4) Released in 2005 on Nintendo GameCube in Europe and North America. A Wii version of the game was released in May 2009 in North America and June 2009 in Europe. As Donkey Kong, players explore various kingdoms in the jungle, the clouds, and the ocean with the help of powerful moves like punches and shockwaves. The Nintendo GameCube version is played with the DK Bongos accessory, while the Wii version is controlled with unique actions that utilise motion controls.
Takahashi:
Hello, I’m Kazuya Takahashi, one of the directors for this game. I joined Nintendo in 2020, but before that, I worked on a broad spectrum of games, including open-world RPGs and arcade games. For this game, I gave direction on the game design and worked on the level design, cut scenes, and text creation.
Tanaka:
Hello, I’m Wataru Tanaka, another of the game's directors. I've been involved in the development of several 3D Mario games since Super Mario Galaxy 2. For Super Mario Odyssey, I implemented player controls and directed the core system of action elements. As the programming director for Donkey Kong Bananza, I mostly provided direction on the processing performance and utilisation of system functions for Nintendo Switch 2, as well as enemy behavior.
Watanabe:
Hello, I’m Daisuke Watanabe, the art director. I was in charge of character design in the Super Mario Galaxy series and joined Super Mario 3D World as the design lead. I oversaw Donkey Kong Bananza's overall art direction.
Kubo:
Hi, I’m Naoto Kubo, the sound director. I’ve previously composed music for Super Mario Maker and led the overall sound development for Super Mario Odyssey. As the sound director for Donkey Kong Bananza, I co-ordinated overall sound development and controlled quality. I also composed some of the game's music myself.
Thank you. It sounds like staff members who've previously worked on 3D Mario games, in particular Super Mario Odyssey, were central to Donkey Kong Bananza's development. But how is it that the 3D Mario development team ended up creating a new game in the Donkey Kong series?
Motokura:
Development began when Koizumi-san (5) approached our team and said, “With an eye to expanding the Donkey Kong franchise further, I'd like the team that's been working on 3D Mario games to create a 3D Donkey Kong game”. The Donkey Kong series started with an arcade game created by Miyamoto-san (6). It featured a lot of things that were innovative for arcade games at the time, such as narrative-based gameplay and stage composition with varied design. Later on, we had success with the Donkey Kong Country series (7) developed with Rare Ltd. (8), and I think those titles also represented a significant innovation as Super NES games with unique visuals. So this time around, tasked with developing a Donkey Kong game ourselves, we decided we were going to aim for another big innovation.
