While there are certain similarities between Super Mario Odyssey and Donkey Kong Bananza, both games offer distinct mechanics when it comes to platforming. Odyssey relies on using Cappy to borrow powers and help Mario reach new heights, while Bananza uses Donkey Kong’s brute strength to literally smash through levels.
The same team at Nintendo worked on both games, but it wanted to ensure that they both feel very different from each other. However, that’s easier said than done, since both Odyssey and Bananza feature open-world levels and 3D platforming. Producer Kenta Motokura explained how the devs ensured a different approach for the latter.
Nintendo Ensured Playing As Mario And Donkey Kong Felt Very Different
In a conversation with GamesRadar+ at GDC 2026, Motokura revealed that Bananza’a destruction mechanic was “motivated by us thinking about, ‘Well, what sort of things can a human not do? What sort of things could Mario not do? What scale of destruction would you see only from Donkey Kong as he’s punching rocks and that sort of thing?'”
He explained that the team approached Shigeru Miyamoto and Yoshiaki Koizumi early in Bananza’s development to discuss characteristics that would set Donkey Kong apart from Mario. These discussions eventually evolved into gameplay ideas and what kind of technology could be used to bring these ideas to life.
The dev team paid close attention to the comparison between both characters in terms of their individual appeal to players. Considering DK’s big and muscle-bound build, smashing through environments made for a great gameplay feature. That, along with hidden secrets and player freedom, made the destruction mechanic an absolute banger for fans.
“Certainly, you can have really fun experiences in Mario games and really fun experiences in Donkey Kong games,” Motokura added. “But we want to find the differences between those two IPs, and really bring that out, as variety for people to enjoy. And that goes to the style of play as well.”
To bring things full-circle, Motokura also said that some of Bananza’s ideas will “provide future hints for our next project, as well.”
- Released
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July 17, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
