Developers Express Concerns Over Performance Issues with Switch 2, Says Donkey Kong Bananza Director

Alright, bear with me as I wander through this:

So, I was reading about this Nintendo Switch 2 game, right? Developers are already kind of hitting the wall with what the hardware can handle. I mean, think about it. Kazuya Takahashi, who’s behind this new Donkey Kong Bananza game, chatted with some Spanish paper, La Vanguardia. No idea how I came across their machine translation—props to WinFuture for that. Anyway, Takahashi’s like, “Yeah, performance might take a hit ’cause of all the wild 3D voxel stuff we’re doing.” Bold move, Takahashi. I guess they’re all about the fun vibes over pure performance. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Let me try to sketch this out for you. Donkey Kong Bananza—catchy name, right?—was on its way to the Switch but slipped onto the Switch 2. It’s the first 3D Donkey Kong since the N64 days, which, if you ask me, is way overdue. Remember the destructible environments back then? Well, they’ve gone bananas with it now. DK can, like, smash walls, dig tunnels—basically, wreak havoc. Fun, chaotic, but tough on the console. Hence the backtrack to prep it for Switch 2.

There’s stuff like, you know, real-time smashes and chaos with DK; sounds messy but fun. The voxel engine—they’re telling us—is kinda demanding. That’s why they aimed for the Switch 2 in the end and not the OG Switch.

Ah, this bit sticks with me. A La Vanguardia journalist was curious (who isn’t?) about frame drops. Takahashi’s response? “Oh, that’s just us using slow-mo effects and the voxel tech. Performance? Eh, it might dip slightly, but hey, we want to keep it fun.” Though, seriously, I hope they tweak stuff—consoles are all about staying connected these days, right? They might just crank up a setting or two and smooth things out. Or whatnot.

Curiously—Imma backtrack a bit—voxel engines have been around since the early 90s. Remember Comanche: Maximum Overkill? Written in assembly language. Wild.

And oh, by the way, this Donkey Kong adventure lands this Thursday. July 17, mark your calendar. Follow Tom’s Hardware if you dig deep dives and all that jazz. Hit the follow button. Or don’t. No pressure.