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Donkey Kong Bananza Devs Say Elephant Transformation "Went Too Far" By Design

The team says the overpowering feel was a deliberate choice to maximize playful, tactile destruction.

Overview

  • - In a new Game Informer interview, programmer Tatsuya Kurihara calls Elephant Bananza the most destructive form and says it "probably went too far."
  • - Producer Kenta Motokura explains the priority was fun over strict balance, with transformations available anytime rather than gated by items.
  • - The Elephant form lets Donkey Kong inhale almost everything nearby, including hazardous terrain like lava and thorns, significantly amplifying destruction.
  • - No balance changes have been announced as players note the form can make late-game, post-credits destruction tasks noticeably easier.
  • - Motokura says the elephant’s appearance following Super Mario Bros. Wonder was a coincidence, with different goals guiding each game’s design.