![]() Dixie Kong’s ponytail lets DK gain extra height with each jump, as well as a floating ability that makes landing with precision a little easier. Tropical Freeze elevates this buddy system by adding Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong as companion characters, each with their own unique abilities. As with Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong can get a little support from Diddy Kong, who rides on Donkey Kong’s back and provides help with platforming in the form of a jetpack that allows players to hover across gaps and propel through the underwater levels. What makes traversing each level so fun is how Donkey Kong and his cohorts feel to control. The underwater levels didn’t even drag down my enjoyment as they usually do in other games, thanks to more clever design and a merciful margin for error that’s absent from the normal platforming levels. For example, one variation of the standard minecart level was so inspired and ingenious that I actually laughed out loud when it happened. Even the minecart and rocket barrel stages offer a few keen surprises. The best part is that the game’s difficulty constantly ups the ante, but earlier levels never leave you unprepared for what’s to come. Every platform, every obstacle, every enemy is placed where it is for a reason, often with incredible cleverness and imagination. Tropical Freeze’s level design is no exception. If Mario levels can be thought of as jazz pieces where some amount of improvisation is not only encouraged but required, Donkey Kong Country levels more closely resemble classical symphonies where every little piece has its place. The first thing that really stands out in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is the level design. Along the way, you’ll jump, swing, roll, and swim your way through traditional 2D platforming levels, ride minecarts through a handful of other levels, and occasionally pilot a rocket-powered barrel. However, if you’ve already played this on the Wii U, the game probably doesn’t give you enough reason to purchase it twiceĭonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze sees Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky Kong traveling across six worlds to reclaim their home on Donkey Kong Island after the marauding Snowmads kick them out and claim the land for their own. As a brand-new player, I’ll say up front that Tropical Freeze is a thoroughly entertaining and delightful platformer. Thankfully, the Switch’s weird positioning as something like a mid-generation relief pitcher for the Wii U is breathing new life into some of the Wii U’s forgotten gems, among which I’d now count Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Sure, maybe the tablet controller was a bit uncomfortable and Nintendo’s messaging in trying to move units was garbled, but there are a few titles on the Wii U that I’ve been dying to play. I know that Nintendo’s ill-fated system has become a punchline on this site and elsewhere, but I frankly don’t understand why the system gets so much flak. I’ve always felt like I missed out by not owning a Wii U.
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