Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze Review

Donkey Kong Country Returns was one of my favorite games on the Wii and it is easy to see why. The plat forming was fast-paced, the graphics were well-animated and vibrant, and the tough-as-nails difficulty served to remind people that not only could Retro Studios pick up the slack after original developer Rareware left, but they could also continue the series into the modern day. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Retro Studios’ second shot at the franchise, not only serves to improve upon the game mechanics of the last entry, but it shows that lightning can strike twice and Retro Studios has more than what it takes to continue this venerable franchise.

The story begins the same as any other Donkey Kong game, Donkey Kong is enjoying some down time with his friends, when all of a sudden a group of bad guys show up to ruin his day. It’s the same standard formula that has been seen multiple times across the other games in the franchise. One difference is the new villains, the Snowmad tribe, which serve as this game’s replacement for the Kremling clan. While it doesn’t serve to replace the previous villains of the series, they do offer significantly more personality than the previous villains, the Tiki Tribe, who had little to no personality to speak of. There is little to no story to speak of, outside of the intro and ending cutscene and most boss fights begin and end with a brief interlude showcasing some kind of humorous interaction between the Kongs and the bosses. Overall, this minimal approach to story works and doesn’t intrude upon the gameplay.

Gameplay has been improved upon significantly since Donkey Kong Country Returns. Gone are the motion controlled rolls which could easily send you plummeting into a pit and have now been replaced by button presses. This allows for improved precision in the controls and tighter gameplay. The level design also continues the proud tradition of tricky jumps and varied environments. Also back are the underwater levels, absent from the previous game. Unfortunately, they don’t fair as well as the regular levels. While the underwater sections serve to aid in the pacing of the standard levels, the levels that are strictly underwater can often feel sluggish and it can be difficult to maneuver around in them. A returning feature from the previous game is the ability to have another Kong ride on your back while traversing a level. While Diddy Kong makes his return, Dixie Kong makes her playable return since Donkey Kong Country 3 on the SNES and Cranky Kong makes his playable debut. Each of the three Kongs comes with their own unique ability such as Diddy’s jetpack which allows for a steady descent, Dixie’s ponytail which allows for a steady hover, and Cranky’s cane can be used as a pogo stick to cross hazardous terrain. Because of this, each Kong acts as more than just two additional hits and adds a significant amount of depth to the way that each level can be tackled.

The game world consists of a total of six areas and a seventh secret area that can only be accessed once you’ve collected all of the KONG letters in each world, including the two secret levels, as well as completing the hidden temple level which unlocks after having collected all of the KONG letters. The secret levels are often difficult to find and can require one to replay the level multiple times. Also back are the puzzle pieces from DKCR, and once again they serve as a means to unlock extra content such as artwork. Unlockable figurines can now be purchased using in-game currency directly from Funky’s flights which feature both the allies and enemies from throughout the game. Also purchasable include extra lives, Squawks the parrot who can help you find missing puzzle pieces throughout the levels, extra health for vehicles, extra health for the Kongs, a potion that grants a form of pseudo-invincibility, and even barrels of the other Kongs themselves. However, this game does not feature anything like the super guide from the previous so if you want to complete a level, you’ll have to continue going through it until you can complete it.

Finally, the presentation of this game is top-notch. The textures themselves haven’t changed too much from DKCR but thanks to the graphical power of the Wii U, the environments look much more vibrant than before. Furthermore, almost no assets are re-used from the previous game making everything in this game stand out that much more. Each individual level is covered with detail and makes the world pop out that much more. Returning is composer David Wise who originally worked on the classic Donkey Kong Country games. As a result, the music does an excellent job of fitting each world’s theme and setting the atmosphere.

Overall, Doney Kong Country Tropical Freeze is one of the greatest platformers made in recent memory. By improving upon the foundation set by Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is definitely a game made for fans. Just don’t expect a super guide to save you this time.