Nintendo is about to launch the second big first-party exclusive Switch 2 game: Donkey Kong Bananza. Earlier this week, the development team confirmed that Donkey Kong Bananza started development on the original Switch just like Mario Kart World.
Why did they make it an exclusive, though, rather than a cross-generation title? Here's an answer provided by Nintendo EPD Game Director Kazuya Takahashi in an interview with Spanish website Lavanguardia:
As we mentioned before, we wanted to create continuity through the chain of destruction, and to achieve this, we needed to include a large number of destructible objects. This was only possible on Nintendo Switch 2, which allowed for the placement of so many elements on screen, as well as various materials and large-scale destruction. Additionally, to enhance the sense of satisfaction of destruction, we put a lot of effort into the effects and sounds, as well as the appearance of the objects being destroyed.
The interviewer pointed out that, after going hands-on with Donkey Kong Bananza, it looked like there were some frame rate issues in the preview build. Here's what Takahashi had to say about that:
There are several factors to consider. First, we intentionally used effects like hit-stop and slow motion to emphasize impacts. Second, because we use voxel technology, there are times when there are major changes and destruction in the environment. We're aware that performance may drop slightly at these times. However, as you say, overall the game is smooth, and at points where large-scale changes occur, we prioritized fun and playability.
It doesn't sound like they are at all worried about it. We'll know more about the severity of the performance problems and indeed about the game as a whole next week, given that Nintendo is launching Donkey Kong Bananza on Thursday, July 17.
Look forward to our review when the embargo drops. In the meantime, check out our hands-on preview.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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