"There is a long-running design idea at Nintendo that movement should feel good on its own. Shigeru Miyamoto once said he wanted players to enjoy moving Mario around an empty room. The reason Mario is so fun to control in Super Mario 64 is that Miyamoto and the small team behind the N64 classic spent months making sure he felt great to play, even if the only action possible was running around an empty space."
"Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine Combine that movement philosophy with tightly designed playgrounds and you get moments players never forget. There is nothing quite like triple hopping across the center square of Delfino Plaza, bouncing off an umbrella, and sliding into a chimney chute to grab a blue coin. It was fun just to jump around, which naturally encouraged exploration, which created a quick dopamine hit when a secret Shine Sprite appeared and the day literally got brighter."
"Drop into the lagoon in Donkey Kong Bananza. Sure, you need to chase Void Kong to the Earth's center to save the day, but maybe you just want to soak in some water-adjacent locales as you explore this new world beneath the surface. There are plenty of secrets tucked away in each level's hidden crevices. When you first hop in there is really only one thing to do: pick a direction and start smashing."
Donkey Kong Bananza emphasizes chaotic sandbox exploration and destructive movement across an underground world. Players can dive into lagoons, smash debris, and carve personalized paths through collectible-packed caverns. The game's design rejects precision platforming in favor of freedom to rip through environments and uncover secrets tucked into hidden crevices. The experience channels Nintendo's long-running movement philosophy by making motion intrinsically fun, but applies it through forceful, visceral interactions rather than measured hops. Moments of playful traversal and discovery reward wandering off main objectives and encourage experimentation with environmental destruction and exploration.
Read at GameSpot
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