Peak recognizes peak as Donkey Kong Bananza gets a shoutout from Final Fantasy 7 Remake series director as one of his "top picks" of 2025: "I thought it was amazing"

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"I felt that the sort of interaction that one can gain with the world inside of it was truly amazing"

Donkey Kong holds his face as his tongue hangs loose and his eyes display banana images in Donkey Kong Bananza - he is obsessed with the yellow fruit
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Final Fantasy 7 Remake co-director and Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi has praised Donkey Kong Bananza as one of his favorite games of 2025.

We've known that the Nintendo Switch 2 is getting Final Fantasy 7 Remake since the day the console was properly revealed, and we now finally know it's set for January 22, 2026, with an Xbox launch coming the same day. And while the series director Naoki Hamaguchi has already called out Fable as his favorite Xbox series, the question remains on what his favorite from Nintendo is.

One-Winged Kong - YouTube One-Winged Kong - YouTube
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Elsewhere in the interview, Hamaguchi is asked about the existing Cloud and Sephiroth amiibo that are available thanks to the Super Smash Bros. series, and whether those would have any uses in the Switch 2 edition of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. To this, the director responds: "We don't currently have clear plans for that, but if there is a lot of positive player demand for that, it would make for really great discussions with Nintendo I believe."

Switch 2's controversial game-key cards "let us do things that maybe we wouldn't otherwise," says Final Fantasy 7 remake co-director, but "I really get where people are coming from in terms of their negativity."

Scott McCrae
Scott McCrae
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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.

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