Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

9.5 Overall Score
Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 10/10

Amazing Sountrack | Stellar Level Design | Great Difficulty

Not Co-Op friendly | Characters Aren't Well Balanced

Game Info

GAME NAME: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

DEVELOPER(S): Retro Studios

PUBLISHER(S): Nintendo

PLATFORM(S): Wii U

GENRE(S): Platformer

RELEASE DATE(S): February 21st, 2014

It doesn’t feel so long ago that all us Nintendo fans were clamoring for another Donkey Kong entry.  While Donkey Kong 64 wasn’t a horrible game per say, it sure left a terrible taste in gamer’s mouths with it’s ridiculous collect-a-thon antics.  Some say that it may have even killed off the 3D platforming genre for a time.  With the Wii, Retro Studios and Nintendo brought us back to the magic that Rare and Nintendo had created in the mid-90’s with the Donkey Kong Country franchise title Donkey Kong Country Returns.  With the Wii U still in it’s infancy,  Retro Studios is back to bring us a fresh new entry into the DKC series with the glorious HD title Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

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While the story is always an after thought when it comes to Nintendo platformers, DKC: TF does have a story, even though it’s just your basic DK story.  In this installment, Vikings (Which are in the animal forms of Walruses, Owls, Seals and more) are attacking the Kong island chain and stealing your banana stockpile.  As you get closer to the source, just like the name suggests, you will come upon an ice freeze which will lead to the final showdown with the Viking leader.  I do enjoy the new characters in this title but I do miss King K. Rool and the Kremlings.  I wonder if Microsoft and Rare have the rights to these characters?

There are always two selling points to me in a Donkey Kong Country game: The level design and the soundtrack, and neither disappoint.  Tropical Freeze will start you off in the normal jungle type environment and as you progress you will be taken to different landscapes such as the African plains, mountain tops and windmill laden villages.  One of the coolest things I noticed right off the bat was that you can jump in the water in any area where there is water present.  This is a great way that they have hidden the K-O-N-G letters and/or puzzle pieces as well as secret exits which lead you to secret levels.  There are only 6 islands in the game compared to the previous titles 8, but it felt like a good length and it doesn’t feel too short or too long.  Even after the game has ended, you can still go back and try to collect everything or even play the time trials mode which adds for great replayability.  Even Funky Kong’s shop has a Smash Bros.-esque plastic ball type machine where you can use your tokens to win action figures.

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In this version of Donkey Kong Country, you are able to play as Donkey Kong, Dixie Kong, Diddy Kong and finally Cranky Kong.  They elude that Cranky is the original Donkey Kong from the arcade game but that is neither here nor there.  Each character has their own move set that makes them control differently and makes using each one imperative to collect everything in the game.  I did feel like using Dixie made the game a lot easier, if that’s even possible because this game is as tough as nails.   Her hair spin will give you just enough maneuverability with it’s hovering effect to get past the tough platforming areas.  Diddy’s abilities are close to Dixie’s with the exception that Dixie’s will whip you up in the air a little and Diddy’s just putters downwards.  Cranky has the pogo hop that is similar to Scrooge McDuck’s in Duck Tales or even Shovel Knight’s.  This will help to get past areas with spike pits or enemies with spikes on their heads. Donkey Kong is your standard Donkey Kong with no real new moves to his repertoire.

The best thing about this new Wii U sequel compared to the original for the Wii is the controls.  Gone are the days of having to use the Wii Remote sideways (Worst control option EVER) and now you can use the comfortable GamePad or Pro controller.  The GamePad doesn’t do anything while playing the game and is just a black screen.  I really don’t mind this as anything they would have put on there would have felt gimmicky and clunky.  If you have ever played a DKC game then the controls will feel really natural to you right away.  The left analog stick will move your character around, the Y button will have you run and the B button will have you jump.  Holding the B button down with have Dixie or Diddy use their hover moves.  Removed is the motion controllers and added are the shoulder buttons are  for the ground pound and other moves which I’m thankful for.  A new move that has been included is the Kong Pow move, that depending on which Kong is aiding Donkey Kong at the time will do different actions.  These moves are set off by a meter that fills up by collecting bananas.  One example is that when you have Dixie with Donkey Kong, after using the Kong Pow move, all enemies on the screen will turn into golden hearts.

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The art style and visuals are some of the most stunning and gorgeous that you will ever see in a 2D platformer.  The whole Kong family looks so fuzzy that you just can’t help but want to pet them.  The backgrounds are just as visually pleasing too.  Seeing the levels change in the background as you progress is just an added spectacle that makes your even more immersed into the experience.  The added 3D camera on some of the barrel shooting or mine cart levels is a wonderful touch to make sure that these areas never feel stale.   David Wise is signed back on to do the soundtrack and oh boy is it a gem.  He is easily in my top 5 for video game composers, but that’s a conversation for a different time.  All of the music is beautifully crafted to match each of the environments and even the remixed classics have a unique touch on them to feel recognizable but at the same time different.

The Recommendation

If you are a fan of the Donkey Kong Country franchise, this is a no-brainer.  It improves on and surpasses it’s Wii predecessor if every which way.  This is a great time to fill the short software gaps between Nintendo titles  with a fun and exciting 2D platformer.  The Graphics run at a beautiful 60fps and the soundtrack is some of the best work you will hear on a video game. I love what Retro Studios has done with the series and would gladly take another Wii U title in the future, but for now, I really hope that they return to the Metroid Prime series.

 

 

Summary

Review Date
Reviewed Item
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Author Rating
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Author: Anthony DeVirgilis View all posts by
Managing Partner / Editor for Sony/Nintendo I prefer Indies to AAA titles... unless it's Nintendo or Sony Google+ Author