Review: You will be playing Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze until the hell freezes over!

I remember when I was on Skype with a couple of friends while we watched Nintendo's presentation at E3 2013. Even though they were quite skeptical towards the announcement of another Donkey Kong Country, afraid that it would lead to the franchise's saturation as it happens nowadays with the "New" series from Mario & Co., I managed to see the potential within Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Today, with the game in hands, I'm only certain that I was right in having DKC:TF as my most wanted game for Wii U.

ATTENTION: The following article was originally written in brazilian portuguese as it is this website's official language. The article has been translated to english for advertising/specific purposes. If you wish to see the original article, please refer to this link: " Análise: Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze ".

Several expectations... but hardly no concrete info

As mentioned, Tropical Freeze suffered from a curious phenomena in which people would look upon it with the most diverse expectations and would make all sorts of comparisons: Would the game be in the same level to the original Country trilogy? Would it be just a "Returns in HD"? Would Big N be saturating the ape's image with too many releases? All those questions are more than just "pertinent", but as soon as you hold the Gamepad, even before beating the boss from the first world, you will have the answers for all your questions and even more.

  With few years since it release and already having a remake of it, fans were worried with the franchise's future

Retro's justification to produce another 2D platforming Donkey Kong game was that there were many ideas that they didn't have an opportunity to use in Returns. That which, at first, seemed to be only aquatic levels and a high definition fluffier fur in fact was hiding a lot more.

Basically, that was it all came down to at E3 2013:
Prettier fur and water sections.

Swimming gracefully... like a chimpanzee?

Straight from the begging, Tropical Freeze tries hard to show it is not "more of the same". Still without featuring the Kremlings' return, this time the Tikis give space for the Snowmads, a Viking tribe formed mostly of polar animals, that act as the game's antagonists. Maybe because they are not inanimate beings, the Snowmads end up becoming much more interesting and charismatic than the countless totems and musical instruments we fought in Returns.

This introduction does a better job to make us relate with the Snowmads than Return's did for us regarding the Tik Tak Tribe.

After the excellent animation that gives the adventure's tone, the game already shows it's main feature: right after a small slide in the beginning of the first level, DK already makes his splash into the water in a long time. I am sure I'm not the only one, but I need to reiterate my mortal hate towards aquatic levels. Regardless of the game style, be it Water Temple, Coral Capers, Labyrinth Zone or Cosmic Cove Galaxy: if there is water involved, the odds that I will end up not liking it are really high. Yet, like magic, Retro managed to turn that truculent gorilla into the most gracious character on a water setting ever since Ecco the Dolphin! The game was capable of delivering us a whole world involving aquatic mechanics without making them look repetitive.

Combine the grace of the Kongs' aquatic movements with the aesthetics from the silhouette levels and Aquatic Ambiance playing in the background. Do you need any more proof that video games truly are works of art?

Swiftly controlled through the analog stick (it also works with the D-pad but it looses a great deal of its lightness and fluidity), DK hardly ever can change his direction instantaneously, having the need to perform semi-circles to turn around, for an instance. What seems to be a problem at first sight, quickly becomes something natural and, in certain ways, even more natural than in the rest of the games. The oxygen meter, however, end up being quite an annoyance, particularly because it starts beeping when there is still half of if, not just when it is close to finish - which, in given moments and depending on how often it happens, can be quite frustrating.

Taking boss fights to a whole new level: If Tropical Freeze's level design is marvelous in its own right, it is the boss battles that take the cake. One more creative than the other, the battles don't resort to cheap attack patterns nor predictable movements, like it used to happen in some of the Returns' battles. The one that deserves a highlight is the battle against the fourth world boss, that takes place completely underwater!

Monkey see, Monkey do... but now with four, not just two!

The crew is back together,
each one with their
own peculiarities, to
fight the Snowmads.

But DK's adaptation to the marine environment is just the tip of the iceberg that are all the new mechanics that Tropical Freeze brings to the table. Just like in the sequel to the original Donkey Kong Country game, Dixie, Diddy's girlfriend, tags along this time around, but that's not only it: DK's nephew himself and DK's (polemic) father/grandfather also join the crew as controllable partners on the main adventure. The idea was that each character would have their own specific characteristics in order to deliver different gameplay styles, just like what happens in Super Mario 3D World. Diddy maintains his jet pack, keeping him standing still on air after a jump, Dixie uses her hair to perform a kind of a double jump while Cranky acts like Scrooge McDuck in Ducktales, as he jumps with his crane avoiding spikes and other hazards.

You will end up using her
a lot more than you expected.

Even though it sounds interesting in theory, the game fails in implementing enough diversity while maintaining them in the same level, as there is a great disparity between Dixie's efficiency and the rest of the Kong's, as she allows the player to reach greater heights and distances than Diddy and Cranky do. The game is arbitrary most of the times, letting the player select which Kong he wants to come out of the barrel in several levels, but you can notice that sometimes you will be waiting for the barrel to turn into Dixie's before releasing the monkey that is inside. Another small problem in Retro's behalf was forcing us to play as DK all the time and not including the possibility of alternating between the two characters, as it happened in the original Country game, which could have led to solving the problem of unbalanced characters (in case Dixie was slow, for an instance).

Those who clear the game, however, unlock the Hard mode, in which there are no checkpoints, no buddies inside the barrels, you have only one life and you can choose any of the four Kongs to use. It is only then that monkey's true potential shine at their brightest.

Even though Dixie is more efficient, expert players prefer to use Cranky as their go-to choice in Time Attack mode, as evident through the online Leader boards. 

Vivacity and details beyond comparison

One of the greatest features of Donkey Kong Country Returns was the complexity of its backgrounds that more often than not would interact directly with DK and Diddy and the overall level's design. So, it was only to be expected for the same feature to be present on Tropical Freeze. Retro doesn't fall short on its mission and turns Returns' sequel into one of the smartest examples of level design I have ever seen, accomplishing even more than Rayman Legends did - so far the game I had considered to be the best 2D platforming game of Wii U.

Several times the game builds up momentum through its visual elements to create a climax right before you hit the golden barrel at the end of the level.

Now there are not only hidden
puzzle-pieces and KONG letters,
but hidden scret exits as well.

From a saw that cuts through wood and creates paths for the mine cart to bio-luminescent fishes that make one of the silhouette levels gain more colors and volume, every element in the scenery has a degree of interaction to it. Some are purely aesthetic, such as the trees dancing to the beat of the music or penguins arguing in the background. Yet, the vivid environments and the many layers that compose it prove that a 2D platformer doesn't have to be visually simple and it can, and should, use all the current technologies to create an engaging mood and complex scenery, even if the gameplay consists of (in a very simplified way) going forward and jumping.

The background elements interacting with the player becomes even more evident as you hunt the Puzzle Pieces scattered throughout the levels. In several occasions, they are hidden in a different plane or there is something up ahead that impedes us from locating it. In other moments, they give away hints of what is up ahead, like when we see the giant cheese rolling in the background of Rodent Ruckus and we realize that, sooner or latter, it will become an obstacle in the course. Several times you will find yourself trying to interact with something inanimate as you search for secrets; you get to the point where the background and the platform's level design get tangled in such a way that you can hardly distinguish one from the other, specially when the new camera angles are involved.

Flappy Bird has nothing on the levels with the Rocket Barrel.

Pleasing to the eyes and ears

Another major step up to its predecessor is how the themes from each of the six worlds that compose the game were portrayed. If in Returns you would get the sense of unity through the "Tropical Island" theme in such a strong way that you would almost have the same issues of the mono-themed Super Mario Sunshine, Tropical Freeze, on the other hand, manage to give a certain individuality to each of the worlds without creating a big gap between them and the central theme.

The monkeys' homecoming:  Tropical Freeze is not set in DK Island. In fact, the game is about the Kong's journey back to their home land, that was hostilely taken and now is covered in snow. Since it's not restrained to a single island and its ecosystem, Retro Studios was able to explore a variety of environments much larger than they previously did in Returns

Take the third world from the game, Bright Savanna, for an instance. When you think of a savanna what usually comes to mind are exotic animals, short, dry vegetation and, all in all,a typical african landscape, right? Well, but there is much more to savannas than we can think of in the stereotype that our minds come up with. In summer, for instance, the lands are prone to natural fire and sometimes they are even targets of tornadoes. They also have canyons and spiked plants in its scenery. All those elements were intelligently applied in four different levels within the third world, showing at the same time both diversity and the principle of union.

 Very different settings but all of them consistent with the ecosystem

Aside tying up together the game and getting the player involved through its visuals (that definitely have taken quite an advantage from the HD technology), another element that increases the immersion and adds charisma to the title is its excellent soundtrack, that leaves its predecessor miles behind. With the return of David Wise - the musician responsible for the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy's musics - to the sound design team of Tropical Freeze, the players received the amazing compositions with all the quality seen in the ones from the SNES games but at the same time all the glamour provided from the sound of actual instruments and not just Korg synthesizations.

With the return of David Wise and underwater levels, Aquatic Ambiance was bound to make a comeback!

The way David Wise integrates his compositions by adding several natural sounds - such as rustling grass or water dripping - helps to intensify the visual information our eyes are getting. The level design team doesn't fall short either, and manage to create several elements that interacts with the music beats, such as the shofars (the Viking blowing horns) in Horn Top Hop, that let go air currents and different sounds that merge with the background music whenever they are blown.

The effect of synergy when you are playing the Horn Top Hop level is one of a kind!
(art by Eric Kozlowsky)

Overly difficult... in the perfect way

Since we already approached the level design matter, in case you are still unaware, here's some advice: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a very hard game. I don't mean hard just to the current standards, but hard in a general, broader way. The Gabriel Vlatkovic's article regarding the instantaneous success of Flappy Bird comments about one of the main principles of game design, the "Flow Theory". In a nutshell, it is the concept that there is a comfort zone between the difficulty offered by the game and the player's ability, both of which should always be developing and increasing as the game goes on.

Tropical Freeze always challenge this theory, spending most of its time in the edge of frustration, in which is very easy to loose lots of lives but, at the same time, you will rarely blame the game for it; the fault is generally yours, or rather, your lack of ability. Yes, the game undeniably requires from you a whole lot more ability than the usual, but still it is you that is failing to fulfill the presented goals and challenges.

The Rocket Barrel levels are naturaly harder,
but with the perspective changes it get even more complex.

To make up for the high difficulty level and make the game appeal to a little broader audience, the game now features some of the changes seen on the 3DS version of Returns and expands them a little further. Now that Cranky has joined the team that set of on the adventures, Funky is now the responsible for selling the items that help you throughout the levels. Aside the already known red balloons, banana juice and extra heart, we also have the blue and green balloons (that give you oxygen and save you from a pit, respectively), the Crash Guard (that allows extra damage in Mine Cart and Rocket Barrel levels) and the possibility of purchasing specific barrels for Diddy, Dixie and Cranky, to ensure you will have the Kong buddy you need in that given level.

Funky leave the spin-offs for a while and returns to a game of the main series.
Pay attention to his lines, as they are full of references!

The smelly part of this bunch of bananas

But since not everything is a bed of roses (nor bananas), Tropical Freeze still features some of the problems inherited from its predecessor. Namely, the lack of a greater variety of Bonus areas. Having two of them in most of the levels and having about as much as 10 or 12 variations, you will be sick of collecting those damn bananas before you have reached half of the game. Retro could have learned a thing or two from Super Mario 3D World's Mystery Houses and diversified its challenges, offering, for an instance, a sequence of enemies to be defeated without touching the floor or a series of obstacles to be avoided within a time limit. Even if the design of the rooms was still oriented towards banana collection, in case it featured an aquatic setting or maybe on top of the mine cart, it would have been enough to break the sense of repetition.

Aside that, one of the main and most loved characteristics from the the original series were the animal buddies that helped Donkey, Diddy, Dixie and Kiddy in their journeys. Their different purposes would significantly change the game's gameplay and would also show that it is not every single animal that hates the Kongs. Rambi, once again, returns, but that's pretty much it. Not even Enguarde (the swordfish) shows up, even though he would be an obvious choice, given the context of the new water levels. Even though in the original game the fish helped to make the underwater sections more dynamic and fast paced (something that the Kongs can accomplish by themselves in Tropical Freeze), it would have been interesting to see a couple more familiar faces adapted to the context of this new generation.

With so many available characters, only Rambi returns as a controllable character
(aside Sqwaks, that helps finding hidden puzzle pieces)

Returns' natural evolution

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a great example to soothe the fear that strikes the heart of several Nintendo fans, regarding the saturation of its 2D platforming games (yes, New Super Mario Bros. 2/U, I'm reffering to you). Without leaving their comfort zone, Retro Studios intensified what worked out well in Retunrs and added a series of new mechanics that it is even weird to think how we managed to play this gorilla's game in the Wii without them. The developers learned from their mistakes and removed problematic mechanics, such as DK blowing air, and gave us the comical and interesting Snwomads in place of the dull Tik Tak Tribe. With excellent doses of challenges, superb level design and fantastic soundtrack (David Wise, we love you), the small problems within Tropical Freeze are so insignificant that they go unnoticed by the less attentive eyes. If Trioucak Freeze started as a patchwork of unused mechanics from Returns, I can hardly wait for the next Donkey Kong game with the mechanics that didn't make into this one.

Pros

• Interactive scenery with rich details;
• David Wise;
• Creative boss battles;
• Charismatic enemies;
• Excellent setting for the worlds and its levels;
• Aquatic game play is smooth and pleasant;
• Online leader board for Time Attacks increases the title's longevity;
• High difficulty can be a delightful challenging element.

Cons

• Rambi is still the only controllable animal buddy;
• There is an unbalance between the characters' effectiveness;
• Bonus Rooms are repetitive and completely devoid of creativity;
• Considerably shorter than Returns
• High difficulty can be considered frustrating by some people.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Wii U - Score: 9.5

Keep tuned in at GameBlast for our upcoming KONG letter and Puzzle Pieces guide, as well as another analysis of Tropical Freeze to be fetured in March's issue of our free digital magazine!

Revision: Luigi Santana

Covers: Hugo Henriques and Diego Migueis