Game of the Year is about confidence, craft, and pleasure, and Donkey Kong Bananza fires on all three. Nintendo takes a personality lengthy related to aspect-scrolling and spins him right into a daring 3D platformer constructed round destruction, motion, and playful experimentation. Each system feeds into the subsequent, turning exploration into fixed movement and discovery. The consequence feels intentional, beneficiant, and full of respect for Donkey Kong’s historical past whereas nonetheless pushing the sequence ahead. Donkey Kong Bananza is one of the finest video games Nintendo has made in years, incomes it MonsterVine’s Game of the Year for 2025.
2025 Game of the Year – Donkey Kong Bananza
Spencer: As a fellow who was born and raised on Donkey Kong, from the Donkey Kong Nation video games to the delightfully weird 3D-animated tv present, I used to be greater than prepared for Donkey Kong Bananza. Having the ability to destroy all the pieces on the map in a quantity of explosive and inventive methods made each second between challenges and boss fights a blast, and I liked the deep reverence current for the franchise and its many entries. Bonanza is a spectacularly formidable recreation that lives as much as its each promise, and if the relaxation of the Change 2’s exclusives are in a position to method Bananza’s degree of high quality, we’re in for fairly the wonderful console technology.
Diego: DK lastly will get the recreation he deserves. Donkey Kong Bonanza is an absolute dream of a DK recreation that I by no means would have anticipated Nintendo would make. A Mario Odyssey therapy for Donkey Kong in totally destructible worlds the place you probe for bananas, AND there’s a devoted chest thump button? Sensible. Each facet of this recreation from the visuals, to the music and recreation design is so properly thought out with love for the character, it actually places quite a bit of flagship console video games to disgrace. Nintendo managed to offer a personality that largely had 2D sidescrollers and sports activities recreation appearances one of the finest 3D platformers in years and made it look easy.
James: Donkey Kong Bananza is a triumph in what makes Nintendo particular as a recreation developer. Not solely is it extremely colourful and vibrant, full of unbelievable music, however the gameplay mechanics are unbelievable. The destruction is what makes Donkey Kong Bananza so particular. It’s not simply having the ability to flatten a complete degree, or having the ability to bulldoze into any half of the setting I need to discover, however the manner all of that loops collectively. Utilizing chunks to surf round or chunk bounce to greater level makes all the pieces movement collectively in an expertise that I used to be enraptured with from begin to end. (James)
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