IGN Ranks Top Nintendo Switch 2 Exclusives: Donkey Kong Bananza Leads With Perfect Score

IGN has published its definitive ranking of Nintendo exclusives on Switch 2, filtering for titles that scored 8 or higher across the outlet's review history. The list arrives just over a year after the console's launch and serves as a practical buying guide for early adopters wondering which first-party games justify the hardware investment. For players who skipped the original Switch or waited for the upgraded model, this roundup distills a year of coverage into a single hierarchy of quality.

The standout is Donkey Kong Bananza, which claims the only perfect 10/10 on the platform to date. IGN reviewer Logan Plant calls it a brilliant successor to Super Mario Odyssey and a smashing return for a classic Nintendo character, noting it was a bold choice to build the Switch 2's first 3D platformer around Donkey Kong instead of Mario — but one that proved to be the best decision Nintendo could have made. That endorsement carries weight for anyone who considered Odyssey the gold standard for the genre on the previous console.

What Is Donkey Kong Bananza?

Developed and published by Nintendo, Donkey Kong Bananza is a 3D platformer exclusive to Switch 2. It marks the series' first fully three-dimensional outing since the Nintendo 64 era, reimagining DK as a expressive, physics-driven protagonist rather than a heavyweight alternative to Mario. The game leans into destruction and verticality, letting players smash through terrain, swing from structural weak points, and use DK's raw strength as a traversal tool rather than a combat gimmick.

For genre veterans, the pitch is straightforward: if Super Mario Odyssey delighted you with Cappy's possession mechanic and sandbox density, Bananza aims to match that creativity through a completely different physical vocabulary. The game does not carry a separate price tag in the source material, but as a first-party Nintendo exclusive it retails at the standard $69.99 for Switch 2 titles. Players who missed the Donkey Kong Country revival on Switch should understand this is not a 2.5D sidescroller — it is a full 3D adventure built from the ground up for the new hardware.

Gameplay and Mechanics

The core loop revolves around what Plant describes as satisfying, expressive movement and powerful, dynamic abilities that create a truly significant adventure. DK's toolkit emphasizes momentum: ground pounds that fracture the environment, charged punches that launch debris as projectiles, and a climbing system that treats every surface as flexible if you find the right angle. Unlike Mario's precision platforming, Bananza rewards improvisation — players can often brute-force a path the level designer did not explicitly intend.

This design philosophy shifts the genre's traditional emphasis from pixel-perfect jumps to spatial awareness and environmental reading. In practice, that means a player who spots a cracked wall can punch through it for a shortcut, while another might swing around the perimeter using exposed rebar. The source notes these abilities feel dynamic rather than scripted, suggesting the physics engine supports emergent solutions. For speedrunners and exploration-focused players, that distinction matters — it turns every replay into a potential route discovery session rather than pure execution practice.

Visuals, Audio, and Performance

As the Switch 2's first 3D platformer, Bananza carries the burden of demonstrating the console's graphical leap over its predecessor. The source does not specify resolution targets or frame rate modes, but Plant's description of significant adventure implies the art direction uses the hardware's increased memory bandwidth for denser geometry and longer draw distances. Destroyable environments — a central mechanic — require persistent physics state across large areas, a technical demand the original Switch struggled with in open-world titles.

Audio design gets no explicit mention in the review excerpt, but the series' history of rhythmic level music and character-specific sound cues suggests Nintendo maintained its standard for reactive audio. The absence of noted performance issues in a 10/10 review is itself a data point: if frame drops or pop-in plagued the destructible environments, the score would likely reflect that compromise.

What Doesn't Work

The source provides no criticisms for Donkey Kong Bananza — a 10/10 review by definition finds no material flaws worth deducting points. But the broader list context reveals potential concerns for buyers comparing options. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Switch 2 Edition and Breath of the Wild - Switch 2 Edition both received review updates rather than full new reviews, suggesting their upgrades are iterative. Tristan Ogilvie calls the Breath of the Wild upgrade admittedly modest for actual new features or content, while Tom Marks argues the Tears of the Kingdom Edition feels like the way it was always meant to be played. Players who already own the Switch versions must weigh whether visual upgrades and faster loading justify a double-dip.

Elsewhere on the list, Mario Kart World earns an 8/10 with Logan Plant noting its best parts ironically follow the blueprint of every entry before it, while Star Fox's remake impresses with a coat of paint and new cutscenes but remains a brief campaign. Kirby Air Riders and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond both score 9/10, though Prime 4 draws criticism for underdeveloped elements that keep it from feeling as cohesive as its predecessors. Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup in Bellabel Park - Switch 2 Edition gets a 9/10 but is dinged for bland competitive minigames and a Dual Badge idea that doesn't go far enough.

The Full Ranking Context

IGN's complete list of Nintendo exclusives scoring 8 or above on Switch 2 reads as follows: Donkey Kong Bananza at 10/10; The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Switch 2 Edition and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch 2 Edition (scores not restated in update blurbs); Splatoon Raiders and Pokemon Pokopia at 9/10; Mario Kart World, Star Fox, Kirby Air Riders, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup in Bellabel Park - Switch 2 Edition at 8/10. The list excludes third-party titles and games scoring below 8, meaning notable releases like Dragon Quest XII or potential Square Enix ports do not appear regardless of quality.

For a new Switch 2 owner, the ranking creates a clear priority ladder. Bananza sits alone at the top as the only original 3D platformer built for the hardware. The Zelda editions offer definitive versions of modern classics, but their value proposition depends entirely on prior ownership. Splatoon Raiders and Pokemon Pokopia represent new IP directions — an action RPG and a town simulator respectively — while Mario Kart World, Star Fox, and Kirby Air Riders iterate on established formulas. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup in Bellabel Park round out the high-scoring tier with sequels and expanded re-releases.

Players should approach the list as a snapshot of IGN's review history rather than an objective quality metric — review scores reflect individual critic opinions at specific moments, and the outlet's 8+ threshold excludes games that might resonate more with specific tastes. But for anyone staring at a Switch 2 library and wondering where to start, the answer is unambiguous: the leader of the bunch is back, and he brought the console's best game with him.