Each level is jam-packed with varied background and foreground elements, often interacting with each other. Donkey Kong and company are lovingly rendered, with surprisingly realistic fur, and fluid animation. The game looks absolutely gorgeous in motion, with fantastic attention to detail given to each level. However, there are still moments where you’ll be thankful for the plethora of lives on offer.ĭonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze excels in both visuals and audio too. You’ll find yourself constantly surprised by different elements introduced in later levels, with a solid difficulty curve that doesn’t get as frustrating as late-game DKCR did. The mix between standard platforming, swimming, and on-rails mine cart or rocket barrel sections is also handled well. I can’t think of a single dull moment across the six main worlds, but I can recall plenty of memorable levels. The level design in DKC: Tropical Freeze is fantastic throughout. You can view replays from other players by viewing them in the leaderboard, which breaks down into top global players, friends, and players closest to you in ranking. Time Attack mode returns too, but with an option to upload scores and replays to the internet. There are also new items available through Funky Kong’s item shop, including different colored balloons to save you from falling and drowning. When activated, it will eliminate all on-screen enemies, and leave behind various goodies dependent on the partner you’re currently using. KONG-Pow is a new ability introduced in Tropical Freeze, which allows you to trigger a special move provided you have a partner in tow and have filled the appropriate meter. There’s also various sections that will make use of items or hooks buried or attached to the ground, which can grant Donkey Kong different items, destructible barrels, or trigger environment changes. Swimming is now aided by a spin attack that’s effective at eliminating enemies, and with a partner in tow spinning can dramatically improve Donkey Kong’s underwater speed and mobility. On-rails segments will often switch from 2D to 3D perspective, which thankfully is more impressive than it is confusing. Some changes and tweaks have been made to take advantage of the improved hardware, with an emphasis on dynamic camera angles to capture specific action sequences. Donkey Kong and crew can roll and bounce off of most enemies, and at times will find themselves riding atop an animal buddy, swimming underwater, perilously driving mine carts, and trying to stay aloft in rocket-fueled barrels. There’s still KONG letters and puzzle pieces to collect, secret exits that lead to hidden levels, bonus events tucked into out of the way places, and a metric ton of bananas to grab. Obvious additions come from the two extra characters, but by and large you’ll be treading familiar water here. You could argue that Tropical Freeze is more of the same, as it does bear a striking resemblance to DKCR’s mechanics. Each world culminates in a memorable and challenging boss encounter, which generally outshines those featured in DKCR. The story here features a group of arctic invaders dubbed The Snowmads, comprised mostly of penguins, walruses, and owls. You’ll navigate across six islands featuring a number of levels set across the backdrop of Donkey Kong Island. Like most, I was a bit disappointed to learn that the first Wii U title by Retro would be a sequel to Donkey Kong Country Returns, but that disappointment was quickly replaced by eager anticipation fueled by the fact that Donkey Kong Country Returns was one of my favorite titles for the Wii.ĭonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze sees the return of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, this time aided by Dixie and Cranky. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a fantastic return to the world originally created by Rare on the Super Nintendo, which was then brought back to life by the development team at Retro Studios on the Wii in 2010.
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