2025 Game of the Year Awards — Genre Awards

Is it too early to say that the platformer genre has finally made a comeback? There was a year or two in which I had to exclude this category due to the lack of good platformers. The genre was mostly spearheaded by indie developers, but the AAA scene has come back outside of Nintendo.

Donkey Kong Bananza

Bananza isn’t just a good platformer. It’s a good experience. Bananza is a full on experience that every Switch 2 owner must experience. I haven’t had this much joy playing a video game in a very long time. Bananza will bring every gamer a smile and laugh. The game is colorful, addictive, charming, and great to look at. While the final levels might drag a bit, the game is never boring. This is a once in a generation type of game and you shouldn’t miss it.