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I love 3D Mario games. Every single one of them – yes, including Sunshine – is a reminder of why Nintendo is the best to ever do it as far as platformers are concerned, and Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Odyssey are what I would consider two of the greatest games of all time. That is to say, it's a series I could never have expected to be dethroned when it comes to 3D platformers, and then that big gorilla broke through that wall.
Donkey Kong Bananza, from the moment it was announced, was a dream project of mine – a 3D Mario-style adventure starring a big-ass gorilla with elements of brawling action games mixed in. But what I didn't expect was for that game to become what is possibly my favorite Nintendo game ever made.
Warning: This article will go into spoilers for the game, including its final layers.
Breaking Through
Donkey Kong Bananza review: "Destruction isn't just a flashy gimmick for the Minecraft generation, it's one of the best inventions Nintendo has had in years"
At a glance, Donkey Kong Bananza is a 3D platformer in that collectathon style seen in the Mario and Banjo-Kazooie games of old, and at its core, that is what it is – and it's a really good one of those. While not all of the 17 layers are created equal – some are mere filler, with two dedicated to a crossroads – a majority of them hit. Areas like the Canyon Layer and Feast Layer inspire the same sense of curiosity and discovery as any of the best Mario games, and, presented as they are, are fantastic feats of level design… but "as they are" doesn't mean much.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a behemoth. I don't think there's been a game that's been so obviously going to win every major GOTY award, and I made peace with that. But – as anyone in the GamesRadar+ Slack can attest to – Donkey Kong Bananza's snub for Best Game Direction at The Game Awards did tilt me.
To put it bluntly, I think the destruction mechanic in Bananza is genius. A platformer that allows you to mess with the level design should not work, and yet it feels so natural when Donkey Kong does it. This, paired with excellent movement mechanics that are a centerpiece of every 3D Mario game, makes for an incredible dish for sickos. The fact that within weeks people had beaten Donkey Kong Bananza without picking up a single banana and skipping Bananza transformations entirely – something that the game has dialogue for just in case – told me all I needed to know.
Heart of Gold
Given that it's a Nintendo game, story isn't exactly a priority, and yet despite it all I found myself completely invested in its Disney-esque tale. Typically when you have a companion character in a game, they have a chance to get really annoying, and yet, throughout the 50-plus hours I've spent with the game, Pauline was a joy to hang around with. I loved almost every one of the hideaway conversations as she comes to terms with the weird worlds she's been thrust into.
Not to mention there's the unbelievably catchy Bananza tunes (I could write a whole piece about how genius they are). Pauline's finale song, which may be a bit cheesy, tugged at my heartstrings. And a lot of this is thanks to a genuinely fantastic performance from Jenny Kidd, who – as far as I'm aware – has never acted in a game before now.
And even before knowing it was a first-time performance, I was extremely impressed. Obviously it's not a game where performances take the forefront, but it stands alongside the likes of Expedition 33's Jennifer English and Final Fantasy Tactics' Timothy Watson. But to say that performance is a major player in the heart of the game wouldn't be an overstatement.
Nostalgia Country
I would not bat an eye if it was dubbed the best 3D platformer of all time
I think with this being the first Donkey Kong game in over a decade and the first 3D entry in over two, there's a version of this game that could go fully into the "hey remember Donkey Kong / Country?" type of nostalgia. But while there are little easter eggs all over the place for anyone who is looking to find them, it does the even more important job of saying "This is what Donkey Kong will be going forward." This isn't a Donkey Kong that clings to the past; this is a game that shows you the future and immediately cements Nintendo's former main eventer right back where he belongs.
And then when the game does go all in on nostalgia, it's done in the best way. After you reach the planet core you've been chasing the whole game and see the game's main villain, Void Kong, rushing towards it to make his wish; a bloodshot eye fills the screen. Donkey Kong's arch-nemesis King K. Rool, makes his grand return and launches the villain you've been chasing up until this point nto space with a single hit.
Not only does it bring back King K. Rool – who had been missing since DK64 – but it completely changes the way you look at the game as it's revealed that all of the enemies you've fought the entire game are the skeletons of classic Donkey Kong Country enemies (complete with the greatest sound effect ever made).
What follows is one of the greatest finales of any game I've played, filled with excellent callbacks to previous encounters with the croc – including one that brought out the most hype in me that I can recall since Devil May Cry 5's Vergil reveal. Then an encounter with a new form of the villain that looks downright demonic: you battle "K. Rool: King of Rot" who has engulfed New Donk City in rot, gearing up to devour it whole, it's a wild final boss fight akin to what you'd expect from a Platinum Games release.
Obviously, Game of the Year is always subjective, and I can't say the consensus pick ever really aligns with mine (shoutout to 2024's Game of the Year, Dragon's Dogma 2), but I do think when all is said and done, there won't be a game from 2025 that sticks with me more than Donkey Kong Bananza. Because it's not only the best game of 2025 – I would not bat an eye if it was dubbed the best 3D platformer of all time, and I hope it doesn't take another 10 years to get another.
Explore more of Nintendo's highlights in our pick of the best Switch 2 games around right now.
