Okay, so the word “voxel” confused the hell out of me at first.
I kept hearing about it in game dev spaces, but never thought it mattered in DK Bananza.
But it totally does.
In this guide, I will break down what a voxel is and why it is the secret sauce behind DK Bananza’s terrain-smashing madness.
Voxels, Explained
Think of a voxel as a 3D pixel,, like a tiny cube of space.
Pixels are what make up 2D images on your screen.
Voxels do the same, but with width, height, and depth.
In voxel-based games like Donkey Kong Bananza, every chunk of ground is actually made up of invisible little cubes.
I didn’t realize this until I noticed how smoothly the terrain broke apart when I was digging.
It was not random: each dig removes a voxel.
The kicker?
You can’t see the voxels in Donkey Kong Bananza because they are hidden to keep the look clean and arcade-style.
How Voxels Power Digging and Smashing in DK Bananza
Here is where things get cool.
The game lets Donkey Kong punch or dig into the terrain, and what it’s doing under the hood is rearranging or deleting tiny voxel cubes.
That’s how tunnels, pits, and craters form.
What’s impressive is that unlike Minecraft, Bananza doesn’t show you the blocky texture.
Instead, the game uses smooth shading and smart design to make the world feel fluid.
You are still controlling voxels, but it looks like you are busting through solid rock.
This also helps the game run better on hardware like the Switch.
Rendering all those cubes visibly could reduce performance.
Common Confusions About Voxels in DK Bananza
Some people think the terrain is just destructible in chunks, not voxel-based.
I thought that too until I noticed how specific the damage was when I dug into angled surfaces.
It’s voxel precision without the Minecraft aesthetic.
Others say it’s pre-scripted terrain, but you can test it: dig in one spot and come back later, the hole stays.
It’s all saved voxel data, not scripted breakpoints.
Conclusion
So yeah, voxels are kinda the unsung heroes of DK Bananza.
You don’t see them, but everything cool you do with terrain?
It’s because of them!
Additional Reading
How To Use The Double Jump In Donkey Kong Bananza
Is There Co-Op in Donkey Kong Bananza? (Yep, And It’s Good)
Donkey Kong Bananza Skill Tree Guide
Brianna is based in Minnesota in the US at the moment, and has been writing since 2017. She is currently a 3rd Year med student at the time of writing this.
