Day 15: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Oh, banana! Oops, wrong Donkey Kong game. But still, this is a good Donkey Kong game nonetheless. This is Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, yet another game released on the ill fated Wii U that managed to find itself a new home on the Nintendo Switch, and with new Funky Mode too.
The story here is that a band of arctic animals known as the Snowmads travel to Donkey Kong Island and freeze it, making it a new home for the Snowmads while simultaneously kicking out Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky Kong as they are sent to a far away island known as the Lost Mangroves. It's now up to the four Kongs to travel back to the now frozen Donkey Kong Island, take on the Snowmad leader, and reclaim their home.
Since this adventure now has you bringing along not only Diddy Kong, but also Dixie and Cranky, the gameplay makes sure to take full advantage of that fact. Diddy Kong can still use his jetpack to fly over large gaps, but Dixie Kong can not only do that, but also give you some extra high if you're trying to reach a high up platform. Suffice it to say Dixie Kong is the Kong that I, as well as many others I'm sure, use the most. As for Cranky Kong, he's basically Scrooge McDuck from Ducktales, using his cane to traverse areas that Donkey Kong wouldn't normally be able to walk across.
The three Kongs also have their own screen nuke attack once Donkey Kong manages to collect enough bananas. Diddy Kong can turn enemies into balloons for extra lives, Dixie Kong can turn enemies into extra hit points (just another reason why you'll find yourself using Dixie more than the others) and Cranky Kong can turn enemies into banana coins for you to spend at the shop.
The Switch Version of the game also introduced Funky Kong as a playable character, and he's clearly meant for those just getting into the Donkey Kong Country series…or just someone looking to cheese this game in the funkiest way possible. Funky Kong has a double jump, can breathe underwater, can perform endless roll attacks, has five hit points, can hover in the air with his surfboard, and the standout feature, he is able to walk across spiked floors. Damn, who knew a character like Funky Kong would end up being one of the most OP characters in the series.
If you don't feel like playing as him, Funky still fulfills the role as shop keep like in the previous game, where you can spend the banana coins I mentioned earlier, and the items you can buy here are pretty much the same as the last game. You can buy Squawks the Parrot to look for any puzzle pieces you might have missed in a level, more DK barrels, 1-ups, Heart Boosts and Banana Juice for more health, and Crash Guards to defend yourself from enemies for at least two hits. These are all very helpful items to have especially since this game shares the difficulty of the other Donkey Kong Country games, in other words this game is ball crackingly difficult at points, especially in the secret temples of each level and the final level known as Secret Seclusion.
Speaking of the levels let's talk about them for a bit, because we have some interesting themes going on here. The Lost Mangroves may start out as a desert island setting, but Autumn Heights looks like it's set in the Swiss Alps. Bright Savannah is, what else, a savannah that starts out pretty normal, but gets crazier as we venture through a thunderstorm, and then a part of the savannah that's on fire. Sea Breeze Cove is…just another water level. Juicy Jungle takes place in some kind of juicing facility in the jungle. And finally the frozen over Donkey Kong Island, a once warm beach location, now turned frozen, desolate wasteland thanks to the Snowmads. This level even becomes a fire level towards the end as you venture into Donkey Kong Island's volcano. Nice way to mix fire and ice elements, Nintendo.
Tropical Freeze also adds secret exits to unlock hidden levels, giving the game a little bit of replay value to go back through and scour the levels. The K-O-N-G letters and puzzle pieces return to add a bit more replay value in case you missed them on your first run through. The mine cart levels and rocket barrel levels make a return, and they're just as fun as before, especially the mine cart level known as Sawmill Thrill (A.K.A best mine cart level ever). Finally, the bosses in this game are some of the most fun and challenging the series has ever had. Seriously, I don't think I hate a single boss in this game. Even the one I deem my least favorite (Fugu) is one can just easily shrug off and have at least a little bit of fun with.
Throw in some nice in-game graphics and even better cut scenes and we have, in my opinion, the best Donkey Kong Country game so far. If you're a fan of challenging but fair platformers, then Donkey Kong Country is definitely a game you have to pick up some time. It's a game as fun as a barrel full of monkeys, and I'm very much looking forward to whatever adventure the big ape has in store for the future.
