In a culture that was dominated by Mario and Sonic as the kings of the platformer, this game and its sequels gave us something quite different! The partner system, the animal friends, and the unique stage mechanics all stand out in the DKC trilogy. And let's not forget the absolute banger of a soundtrack by David Wise. DKC 1 maybe suffers a little, solely because it's the first of the series and the two later games added all kinds of fun new things, but it's still a phenomenal game!