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Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99Subscribe now Gamescom 2025 schedule Battlefield 6 Horror Special New Games for 2025 Recommended reading Donkey Kong Nintendo icon Shigeru Miyamoto spent his time testing Donkey Kong Bananza "smashing and digging" in one spot, which tracks following his hour-long Breath of the Wild playtesting stint "just climbing trees" Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza's director replayed every game in the series when he was assigned to the Switch 2 game: "That motivated me to incorporate past memories along with new ideas" Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza has "some similarities" to Super Mario Odyssey since it's from the same dev team, and its core mechanic was already experimented on in the 3D Mario game Donkey Kong Somewhere in Nintendo's recycling bin is the god of all Goombas, gifted the giant hands of a Super Mario Odyssey boss during experiments for the Switch 2's Donkey Kong Bananza Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza's "rich and thick" hero isn't butt-naked this time around because Nintendo was "conscious" of how he looked "from the back" Donkey Kong I called it, Nintendo confirms Donkey Kong Bananza was actually the inspiration for the Super Mario Bros. Movie redesign all along Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza will have some framerate drops, director admits, but he's fine with that: "We prioritized fun and playability" Platforming Games Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza Donkey Kong Bananza's baffling default button settings were suggested by Shigeru Miyamoto himself Scott McCrae 20 August 2025 What do you mean B doesn't jump...? When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Nintendo) Donkey Kong Bananza director Kazuya Takahashi has revealed that one of the game's weirdest control quirks was actually decided by Shigeru Miyamoto. In an interview with Nintendo Dream which was translated by Nintendo Patents Watch on Blusesky (via Nintendo Life) director, Kazuya Takahashi said B was originally the default button for jumping, "However, Miyamoto-san pointed out to me, "for digging downward, wouldn't the B button be more intuitive?'" Takahashi recalls, "When I actually tried it, this key mapping indeed felt more intuitive. So that was Miyamoto-san's suggestion." Donkey Kong Bananza is still one of the best-feeling platformers I've ever played. The way Donkey Kong moves around the world of that game feels incredible, and the controls are pretty much perfect… after you change them in the options, that is. Those default controls of A to jump and B to smash downwards (with X and Y also being directional smashes based on direction), as opposed to having the bottom button be a jump like we're used to (which is an option in the game's menus, proving the devs definitely know this) are frustrating. You may like Nintendo icon Shigeru Miyamoto spent his time testing Donkey Kong Bananza "smashing and digging" in one spot, which tracks following his hour-long Breath of the Wild playtesting stint "just climbing trees" Donkey Kong Bananza's director replayed every game in the series when he was assigned to the Switch 2 game: "That motivated me to incorporate past memories along with new ideas" Donkey Kong Bananza has "some similarities" to Super Mario Odyssey since it's from the same dev team, and its core mechanic was already experimented on in the 3D Mario game In theory, it makes sense that "punch up" is on the top button and punch down is on the bottom – but being able to jump and use the regular punch (which is the one you'll be using the most) with your thumb is far more intuitive, if you ask me. It was also revealed that Miyamoto's suggestions were also responsible for making Donkey Kong's footsteps louder in order to give him a heavier feeling, after the creator of the series noted he seemed a bit "floaty and light." Donkey Kong Bananza can be beaten without collecting a single banana, meaning the "Potassium Deficiency%" speedrun is entirely possible. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. See more Nintendo Switch 2 News Nintendo Switch 2 Scott McCrae Social Links Navigation Contributor Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Nintendo icon Shigeru Miyamoto spent his time testing Donkey Kong Bananza "smashing and digging" in one spot, which tracks following his hour-long Breath of the Wild playtesting stint "just climbing trees" Donkey Kong Bananza's director replayed every game in the series when he was assigned to the Switch 2 game: "That motivated me to incorporate past memories along with new ideas" Donkey Kong Bananza has "some similarities" to Super Mario Odyssey since it's from the same dev team, and its core mechanic was already experimented on in the 3D Mario game Somewhere in Nintendo's recycling bin is the god of all Goombas, gifted the giant hands of a Super Mario Odyssey boss during experiments for the Switch 2's Donkey Kong Bananza Donkey Kong Bananza's "rich and thick" hero isn't butt-naked this time around because Nintendo was "conscious" of how he looked "from the back" I called it, Nintendo confirms Donkey Kong Bananza was actually the inspiration for the Super Mario Bros. Movie redesign all along Latest in Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza is the best Hulk game ever and makes me wish for the return of destruction-oriented sandboxes Donkey Kong Bananza can be beaten without collecting a single banana, meaning the "Potassium Deficiency%" speedrun is entirely possible Donkey Kong Country's DK designer is once again defending Bananza's redesign: "I'm not sure why I even made him brown – the gorilla I based him on was gray" Donkey Kong Bananza's Pauline sometimes gets confused about fruits: "We love an occasional girlfailure who eventually grows up to be a bonafide girlboss mayor" Donkey Kong Bananza players have managed to blow it wide open in less than a week, and the speedrun potential is bananas: "It's wild how much of the game you can bypass with the right tricks" Donkey Kong Bananza credits reignite a popular Mario Kart World fan theory that the beloved gorilla is getting his own expansion in the Switch 2 racer Latest in News DC fans have a theory about how Lex Luthor will escape prison after the events of Superman and well, they've convinced me If you're wondering how Call of Duty's Black Ops 7 trailer is going down, the top comment on YouTube by some way is "this actually made me pre-order Battlefield 6" Following a drop in players, Sims 4 competitor inZOI snags "Very Positive" Steam reviews for its free Stardew Valley-esque expansion featuring island farming and more: "A step in the right direction!" Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford says "I think they could charge $200" for Borderlands 4, "you can't find a better value in the world for any type of entertainment," then adds: "I wish they'd give it away, because then everyone would play it" Genius Legend of Zelda fan recreates the King of Red Lions from Wind Waker in real life using an "extremely old and slightly suspicious" boat that actually sails After a year in early access, The Rogue Prince of Persia finally hits 1.0 with a surprise shadow drop bringing the roguelike into Xbox Game Pass GAME REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEWS This D&D-style board game "pairs gentle strategic fun with tempting press-your-luck mechanics" for a very good time Sword of the Sea review: "Joyous, fluid hoverboarding connects together everything I loved about Journey and The Pathless" This D&D board game could be the magic item needed to refresh your game nights, but it won't be a critical hit for everyone OFF review: "Undertale fans need to play this RPG that inspired it – I can't believe it took this stellar remake to get me to step up to the plate" Drag x Drive review: "I'm left craving Arms' sauce from Nintendo's twitchy yet shallow basketballer, which feels like a tech demo" Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian" The Fantastic Four: First Steps review: "An occasionally thrilling heroic adventure that sits safely within a B-tier MCU range" Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU" Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber" M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion" Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids." Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots" Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens" King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person" Eyes of Wakanda review: "A creative premise shortchanged by the runtime and Marvel bloat" GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Contact Future's experts Terms and conditions Privacy policy Cookies policy Advertise with us Review guidelines Write for us Accessibility Statement Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Please login or signup to comment Please wait...