Donkey Kong Bananza’s review scores have settled ona very impressive 91 on OpenCritic, making it one of the best Donkey Kong games of all time and putting it firmly in the running for game of the year. One of the few games to have a higher aggregate score isClair Obscur: Expedition 33, and for some reason, fans of Sandfall’s debut game are struggling to accept Bananza is, objectively, almost as good.
Most of the reactions to Bananza and its high review scores have been positive. However, there appear to be a few Clair fans who have takenNintendo’s hit new platformer scoring a point less than the GOTY contender RPG as a personal affront.The Washington Post’s Gene Parkshowed off their physical copies of Clair, Bananza, andDeath Stranding 2in a post aiming to celebrate all three incredible games.
Donkey Kong Bananza fell one point short of matching Clair Obscur’s impressive review scores
How dare the developers of the best platformer of all time make another incredible platformer?
For some reason, a select few Clair fans viewed it as an insult. One fan claims placing the games next to each other was like “comparing a fancy minivan with TVs inside to a Ferrari.” Oddly specific, and a reply to which Park responded, asking “Why do you talk like that?” I was wondering the same thing.
The unnecessary defense of Clair Obscur in light of Bananza’s impressive review scores isn’t confined to Park’s Twitter replies alone. IGN has also been picked on for awarding Bananza a ten and Clair Obscur a lowly nine. Worth noting that the reviews were written by entirely different people, something most people don’t consider when a number on a website upsets them. Also, even if they were reviewed by the same person, can that person not like one game a tiny bit more than another without risking a fanbase’s wrath?
Another Clair fan felt the need to mock Bananza for only getting six perfect scores when Clair picked up a lot more. Again, odd, when the aggregate scores are a single point apart. Clair is the game with the higher overall score, by the way, just in case that wasn’t clear. The way some - emphasis on the some - of Clair’s defenders have been acting, you’d think there was a 20-point gap between the two games.
Regardless of which game you prefer, I’m unsure why it’s not okay that two games that are so different can both be so beloved. They are entirely different games that have been measured using completely different metrics. Just appreciate that we’re only a little over halfway through a year that has already been crammed with so many incredible games, and above all else, know thatBlue Princeis better than both Bananza and Expedition 33 anyway, so stop worrying about it.
Donkey Kong Bananza
The big guy is back! Donkey Kong swings onto the Nintendo Switch 2 system with a brand-new action adventure.Help Donkey Kong make his way through the depths of the Underground World. The deeper he goes, the more amazing places he finds! There’s no shortage of things DK can pulverize with his powerful punches. Break on through this truly destructive adventure.Behold the golden bananas! The mysterious group, known as VoidCo, has its eyes on this prized bunch. But no one messes with DK’s favourite food!Golden bananas? The whole island was buzzing about the discovery of this tasty treasure. But then, distaster struck! During the chaos, VoidCo stole every breathtaking bunch of bananas. Now Donkey Kong must venture deep underground to get them back!
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
WHERE TO PLAY
Once a year, the Paintress wakes and paints upon her monolith. Paints her cursed number. And everyone of that age turns to smoke and fades away. Year by year, that number ticks down and more of us are erased. Tomorrow she’ll wake and paint “33.” And tomorrow we depart on our final mission - Destroy the Paintress, so she can never paint death again.We are Expedition 33.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a ground-breaking turn-based RPG with unique real-time mechanics, making battles more immersive and addictive than ever. Explore a fantasy world inspired by Belle Époque France in which you battle devastating enemies.
