{"id":1269605,"date":"2026-03-10T04:31:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T04:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=617442"},"modified":"2026-03-10T04:31:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T04:31:28","slug":"dig-donkey-kong-bananza-check-out-this-new-hole-game-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/dig-donkey-kong-bananza-check-out-this-new-hole-game-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Dig Donkey Kong Bananza Check out this new hole game next"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After pounding my way through Donkey Kong Bananza<\/a><\/em> earlier this month, I declared that 2025 was a \u201cbig year for hole<\/a>.\u201d DK\u2019s adventure was the third game I\u2019d played this year (fourth actually, as I\u2019d forgotten Netease\u2019s Rusty Rabbit<\/em> at the time) that took the childlike joy of digging in a sandbox and turned it into a creative gameplay hook. Today, that trend goes another layer deeper thanks to the well-timed Mashina<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Following up on last year\u2019s striking Judero<\/a><\/em>, Mashina <\/em>is a new game from Talha and Jack Co. that continues the studio\u2019s experiments with stop-motion animation. It stars an egg-shaped robot who finds herself on a mission to save her world by gathering minerals. How does she accomplish that? By digging holes, of course. While it\u2019s a proudly lo-fi project that\u2019s leagues apart from Nintendo\u2019s latest in scope, Mashina <\/em>is a chill chaser I needed after weeks of Donkey Kong Bananza<\/em>\u2019s loud and proud environmental destruction.<\/p>\n

Structurally, Mashina<\/em>\u2019s closest parallel is Steamworld Dig<\/em>. My job is to pop into a 2D mine and start digging with my drill in search of minerals. I fit as much as I can into my puzzle-like inventory, deposit them back at the surface, and earn skill points that help me move and dig more efficiently. At the same time, I\u2019m also completing quests for some friendly robots above ground that reward me with more powerful drills and gadgets like teleporters. It\u2019s the same progression hook that made A Game About Digging a Hole<\/a><\/em> such a small hit earlier this year, but delivered by way of endearing bots.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s an inherent satisfaction to digging here as I build a system of interweaving tunnels underground, but a lot of rough edges to work around. I struggled with a clumsy building system that had me crafting mineral-transporting conveyor belts, and the general hook wore thin once I entered a grind-heavy third act, but Mashina <\/em>isn\u2019t ashamed of its imperfections. You can feel it in the lumpy landscapes, the primitive stop-motion cutscenes, the cast of misshapen misfits that looked like they stepped out of a Primus album cover. Even when it can all feel a little sloppy to play, it\u2019s a match for the surreal quality of its patchwork visuals.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the thing about claymation. What makes it so special as a form of animation is that you\u2019re always aware of the human touches that make it possible. You can see the way a hand squeezed and prodded life into a hunk of clay. Mashina<\/em> is a game defined by thumbprints, one that never lets you forget the scrappy work that went into its creation.<\/p>\n

You could call it blue collar Bananza <\/em>in that way. The moments that stuck with me most during my playthrough were when I was just casually digging around to the sound of a staticky radio station pumping out hypnotic grooves between DJs talking about the state of the poisoned world in soothing tones. I felt like a trucker driving across the country at 3 a.m., just listening to whatever broadcast the FM radio could pick up deep down the highway to stay awake. While Mashina<\/em>\u2019s thin story lacks the emotional resonance of Judero<\/em>, it\u2019s still occasionally transcendent in its own small ways. It\u2019s a game for the night shift heroes toiling into the twilight hours just to make sure the world is still moving when everyone else wakes up.<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After pounding my way through Donkey Kong Bananza earlier this month, I declared that 2025 was a \u201cbig year for hole.\u201d DK\u2019s adventure was the third game I\u2019d played this year (fourth actually, as I\u2019d forgotten Netease\u2019s Rusty Rabbit at the time) that took the childlike joy of digging in a sandbox and turned it into a creative gameplay hook. Today, that trend goes another layer deeper thanks to the well-timed Mashina. Following up on last year\u2019s striking Judero, Mashina is a new game from Talha and Jack Co. that continues the studio\u2019s experiments with stop-motion animation. It stars an egg-shaped robot who finds herself on a mission to save her world by gathering minerals. How does she accomplish that? By digging holes, of course.…<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1269606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1269605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-polygon"],"yoast_head":"\nDig Donkey Kong Bananza Check out this new hole game next | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After pounding my way through Donkey Kong Bananza earlier this month, I declared that 2025 was a \u201cbig year for hole.\u201d DK\u2019s adventure was the third game\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/dig-donkey-kong-bananza-check-out-this-new-hole-game-next\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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