LTTP: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (thawin' my heart, harr harr)

A

Amir0x

Banned
So like I skipped this game before because, to date, I've never liked a Donkey Kong Country game for a myriad of different reasons. To focus on Returns, shake to roll was just an abomination unto mankind, there was like an entire world dedicated to mine cart shittery, and a host of other minor issues (like forgettable soundtrack) that add up for someone like me. But there was a sweet deal yesterday and I picked Tropical Freeze up.

I've been really marathoning Tropical Freeze these past two days, and damn... this is actually legit. It's like finally the stars aligned and everything clicked for me. They got all the functions in there working perfectly, and they're mapped to buttons not waggles. I haven't encountered a mine cart world yet (is there a mine cart world?), and the stages are just way better designed overall than its immediate predecessor (and, if you ask me, the SNES DKC games too). And then there's that fucking perfect David Wise soundtrack, mixing in little spine-tingling bits of nostalgia laced music callbacks (always the best thing about DKC games except the last one, them soundtracks) and tons of bold new homeruns that are just as fitting alongside the old DKC classics as any other.

I guess the purpose of this thread is to say: if you were always skeptical about DKC or never liked the games before, try it out. I got a real good deal on it yesterday and I still fully went into the game expecting to be disappointed once again like I always am with DKC games, but nope. Finally platforming gold for me.
 
You finally gave in, huh? Yeah, the game is amazing.

And unfortunately, no Mine Cart World. I think there's only like 4 mine cart levels in the game. There's another unique world waiting for you, though >:)
 
Glad to see someone else enjoying Tropical Freeze. It's amazing, probably the greatest platformer I've ever played.

There is no mine-cart world like world 4 in DKCR. I'm weird and actually like the mine cart levels, but I understand why so many people hate them and I like the regular platforming levels more anyway.

Another thing is just how good the game looks; Retro's art in DKCR was already wonderful, but the HD makes their aesthetics more lovely than ever before.
 
SkyTurnsRed said:
What deal did you get for it? I really want it.
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I got it for $25. It worked for me :D

NEOMJ said:
And unfortunately, no Mine Cart World. I think there's only like 4 mine cart levels in the game. There's another unique world waiting for you, though >:)
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Nothing gimmicky I hope? No like rocket flying or shooting... pure platforming based please?
 
Amazing game, and once you finish it, speed runs are a whole other game, you will appreciate the level design, once you pull the tricks to go fast is like an orchestra, everything fits great!
 
There's no minecart world in DKC:TF but World 4 is focused mainly on
swimming
. In any case, World 4 isn't nearly as gimmicky as the Mine Cart World was in DKCR and if you enjoy the
swimming
then you'll love it. If you don't like
swimming
, you may appreciate it more. The level design is just too good.

When you finish the game, try doing the time trials! That's when the level design really shines. It's simply incredible how well built the stages are.
 
Amir0x said:
Nothing gimmicky I hope? No like rocket flying or shooting... pure platforming based please?
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Not gimmicky, but it's an underwater world. World 4 if you haven't already reached it. Wasn't a big fan of it personally. And I hope you're collecting the KONGs, the hidden levels are just amazing. I played them all without any of the powe-err freinds because I wanted it to be as challenging as possible.
 
^ I'm right at the end of World 3 so i'll be there soon. We'll see.

and oh trust me, I always do time trials in platformers. I always tend to treat it like time trials ARE the main game, and the actual first time through is just a prolonged tutorial for it :P
 
I loved Tropical Freeze to death. I never understood people who said they couldn't get used to how Donkey Kong controlled, like he had too much weight. I felt like that inertia added a lot of nuance to the game and made gameplay in general very satisfying and rewarding. And I never really found it limiting.

That soundtrack is one of the best ever. I can't express enough how much I love it. Some of my favorites -

Jelly Jamboree
Zipline Shrine
Harvest Hazards
Cannon Canyon
Jammin Jams

jnWake said:
When you finish the game, try doing the time trials! That's when the level design really shines. It's simply incredible how well built the stages are.
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megabytecr said:
Amazing game, and once you finish it, speed runs are a whole other game, you will appreciate the level design, once you pull the tricks to go fast is like an orchestra, everything fits great!
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This is damn right. You'll be shocked when you watch some of these. Even from day 1 it was clear just how considered and well-crafted these levels are, and with a clever eye and some skill you can figure out crazy and fast new pathways through maps.
 
Amir0x said:
and oh trust me, I always do time trials in platformers. I always tend to treat it like time trials ARE the main game, and the actual first time through is just a prolonged tutorial for it :P
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Awesome! DKCTF has replays for your Wii U friends and for the top 8 times, so you can really perfect your runs!

You may see me in some top 8 even! I haven't checked in months though so maybe my times were beaten though haha.
 
I literally just beat this game for the first time about an hour ago...it's flippin brilliant. Playing through with my 5 year old, too. Love the game.
 
I don't think platforming games are really for me. I enjoyed the Donkey Kong Country series in general, but I never understood the "magic" I often heard players mention. Even the Super Mario Galaxy games, which I concede are fantastic games, just didn't invoke the childlike wonder I kept hearing on forums.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze didn't seem like it was going to give that "magic" either. Until I got to Grassland Groove. Holy shit, I wasn't expecting it. I actually played through that level with a smile on my face, and that was a phrase I heard many times in regards to the Galaxy games which I usually just shrugged off. I'm not sure exactly what did it, but that level just resonated with me. It makes me want to go back to the Galaxy games and see if I can get that feeling again. Maybe I just don't remember it well enough.
 
XtaLarge said:
I loved Tropical Freeze to death. I never understood people who said they couldn't get used to how Donkey Kong controlled, like he had too much weight. I felt like that inertia added a lot of nuance to the game and made gameplay in general very satisfying and rewarding. And I never really found it limiting.
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I find Donkey Kong a surprisingly mobile character. I compared him with Genesis-era Sonic in a conversation a bit earlier; Sonic has a similar style of fast momentum-based gameplay, but lacks the flexibility and precision Donkey Kong has. This both makes DK more interesting to play and allows the level design to be tougher because he gives you more control.
 
BoboBrazil said:
How did you get it for $25? Did you buy it used?
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Knew a guy from work who had it, said he barely played it and was looking to make a little extra cash toward his own Christmas shopping. So he sold it to me :D

jnWake said:
Awesome! DKCTF has replays for your Wii U friends and for the top 8 times, so you can really perfect your runs!

You may see me in some top 8 even! I haven't checked in months though so maybe my times were beaten though haha.
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Haha, top 8 eh. I doubt i'll hit some top 8, that's some dedicated type shit. My goal is always top 100 of my games, then I'm satisfied haha. I was at the top of a lot of leaderboards for Super Meat Boy for a while though, but I'm sure that's done now that it's been so long since I played it.
 
I feel the same way. Granted, I've only played tried DKC SNES once and didn't really like it. But I found Returns pretty forgettable even though I enjoyed it (and waggle to roll wasn't an issue for me since I played the 3DS version). But yeah, Tropical Freeze rules.

I'd recommend Jungle Beat if you haven't played it yet, though the controls might be hard for you to enjoy if you have trouble getting into non-traditional control scheme. But it's by the same team that developed the Super Mario Galaxy games and it shows.
 
Amir0x said:
I guess the purpose of this thread is to say: if you were always skeptical about DKC or never liked the games before, try it out. I got a real good deal on it yesterday and I still fully went into the game expecting to be disappointed once again like I always am with DKC games, but nope. Finally platforming gold for me.
Click to expand...
Reminds me of me, I actually liked past DKC (but never got close to finish them), but the waggle controls of Returns made me skip it after world 1. So I wasn't really excited for Tropical Freeze.

Anyway, I purchased a pre-owned Wii U, TF was installed already, I tried it and end up playing it exclusively until I finished it. Exceptional game. Makes me wanna give Returns a second chance granted I patch the controls.
 
So I've been playing the crap out of this game and I'm loving it. I loved DKC1&2, but never played 3. I also played DK64 which was ok at best and haven't tried the Wii version yet. It's an absolute joy to play TF. Lately, I'll just finish a game and be done with it. With this, I am excited to rush back home from work and collect all puzzle and letter pieces. I also plan on spending countless hours on Time Attack mode.

The visuals are lively and colorful. The music...geez the MUSIC! It's amazing. I love the fact that bosses aren't a 3-hit kill affair. The levels seems fair so far. The only knock so far is Cranky seems kinda worthless. Actually, I just find myself picking Dixie all the time.
 
My favorite Nintendo platformer on Wii U. I never got too into DKCR because of the controls either, but playing this with the Pro made all the difference.
 
This game, man. Glad you're enjoying it. The water world is divisive, but I enjoyed it. Comes down to how used to the swimming controls you are. I think they're some of the best in a 2d platformer because you can stop on a dime by swimming in a circle.
 
Lunar15 said:
This game, man. Glad you're enjoying it. The water world is divisive, but I enjoyed it. Comes down to how used to the swimming controls you are. I think they're some of the best in a 2d platformer because you can stop on a dime by swimming in a circle.
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Yeah the swimming in this game is great. It's responsive. You've got a lot of mobility and different actions depending on your side character. If you have an unnatural hatred of swimming in games then maybe you won't like it, but don't knock it until you've tried it.
 
During the PSN outage today and yesterday, I started playing this as well. Although I don't really like how the pogo jumps with Cranky control, I can't really fault the game at all. I'll try to beat the game before the GOTY deadline.

Although I really want to get every KONG letter and puzzle piece.
 
y2dvd said:
The visuals are lively and colorful. The music...geez the MUSIC! It's amazing. I love the fact that bosses aren't a 3-hit kill affair. The levels seems fair so far. The only knock so far is Cranky seems kinda worthless. Actually, I just find myself picking Dixie all the time.
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Cranky's pogo jump is extremely useful for maintaining your momentum and he's the partner of choice for bosses. Also helps that his gimmick is a lot more enjoyable than Dixie's boring extended air time.
 
I love this game and my daughters love watching me play. I wish they would patch in amiibo support for having donkey Kong or Diddy.
 
Got this game for Christmas. Played for about an hour and a half tonight. Got through world 1. This game is so damn hard. I lost about 10 lives on that fucking mine cart level. Fuck that shit. Lost another 5 lives on the boss, who seemed way harder than the first boss of a game should be.

Not sure I like how heavy DK feels. I had no problems controlling DKCR, even the waggle rolling. I do really like the Cranky pogo stick, though, when I'm able to keep him.
 
jnWake said:
You could post my run of that level instead!

Sorry for boasting! It's not the WR anymore though :-(
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Damn man, good work.

Tropical Freeze certainly is the best 2D platformer i've played since Super Meat Boy or Rayman Legends... and it beats both imo. Amir0x is right in saying that the stars aligned - level design, enemy design, controls, the feel of being DK, the music, the world building (transitions between stages + little details everywhere), the HD visuals... it's all here and it's beautiful.
 
It has my favourite soundtrack of this year, which is saying a lot, as there were a lot of great OST's to be pumped out. I'm still annoyed that the SNES Donkey Kong Country trilogy has yet to be released, as I was expecting it to either come out before or soon after the European release.
 
Danthrax said:
Got this game for Christmas. Played for about an hour and a half tonight. Got through world 1. This game is so damn hard. I lost about 10 lives on that fucking mine cart level. Fuck that shit. Lost another 5 lives on the boss, who seemed way harder than the first boss of a game should be.

Not sure I like how heavy DK feels. I had no problems controlling DKCR, even the waggle rolling. I do really like the Cranky pogo stick, though, when I'm able to keep him.
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hard? haw haw, if you think it's already hard the game is going to become essentially unplayable for you by world 5 :P

I only really find the temple levels tough, the special ones you unlock for getting all DK pieces
 
One of the GOAT. World 5 is one of my favorite things in videogaming. I also adore world 4 for having a total gimmick theme and absolutely nailing it.

Gsnap said:
Yeah the swimming in this game is great. It's responsive. You've got a lot of mobility and different actions depending on your side character. If you have an unnatural hatred of swimming in games then maybe you won't like it, but don't knock it until you've tried it.
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Yup. Underwater physics and controls are some of my favorite I've ever played.
 
Echoenigma said:
One of the GOAT. World 5 is one of my favorite things in videogaming. I also adore world 4 for having a total gimmick theme and absolutely nailing it.



Yup. Underwater physics and controls are some of my favorite I've ever played.
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I agree with this. It might be the best two hours of gaming Retro has accomplished to date.
 
i have to say, when i played Tropical Freeze, i sent to repair my tv, so i used the gamepad instead, i finished the game thinking the graphics were mediocre at best.
it was not until recently i wanted to replay the game again and, they look very nice,i got more appreciation from the graphics. on TV, i totally forgot i never played on one :P

Nothing amazing, but they are nice.

I found the game to be easy even, except for the barrel levels, and the first of the final world.
 
Amir0x said:
hard? haw haw, if you think it's already hard the game is going to become essentially unplayable for you by world 5 :P

I only really find the temple levels tough, the special ones you unlock for getting all DK pieces
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how enticing

I was doing generally fine until that last level and boss level in world 1. Really frustrating, although not on F-Zero GX story mode levels of suck, if I'm honest.
 
TheSpaceBetween said:
I agree with this. It might be the best two hours of gaming Retro has accomplished to date.
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Sanctuary Fortress in Prime 2 and the last 2 hours before the finale in Prime 3 are both sublime alternatives. But yes, World 5 is wonderful

[edit] damn you toxi wtf
 
Danthrax said:
how enticing

I was doing generally fine until that last level and boss level in world 1. Really frustrating, although not on F-Zero GX story mode levels of suck, if I'm honest.
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I mean difficulty is the best for me, I love games which have a finely tuned hard mode such that you need to utilize all your skills to overcome, ala F-Zero GX.

But my confusion is I don't think DKC: TF is really in that category. It's harder than Mario, of course, but way down on the scale from, say, a Super Meat Boy, and that game I beat and got all the secrets. And some of those levels make the difficulty of DKC: TF look like a newborn baby in a diaper.

My main complaint is the damn swimming world. Got fuck I hate the swimming in this game, and a whole world of that? *groan*
 
Gummb said:
Sanctuary Fortress in Prime 2 and the last 2 hours before the finale in Prime 3 are both sublime alternatives. But yes, World 5 is wonderful

[edit] damn you toxi wtf
Click to expand...

Toxi said:
Sanctuary Fortress gives it stiff competition. Still, World 5 is a sublime example of level design.
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I could name countless examples... Skytown, Sanctuary Fortress, Tallon Overworld, DKCR Factory...

Juicy Jungle is easily on par with those imo.
 
Every time one of these threads gets made, I feel a little weirder that I preferred DKCR.

Not to say that Tropical Freeze wasn't awesome, but...yeah it's bizarre when I see people trash DKCR and put TF on a pedestal.

Glad you're enjoying it Amirox.
 
Falawful said:
Every time one of these threads gets made, I feel a little weirder that I preferred DKCR.

Not to say that Tropical Freeze wasn't awesome, but...yeah it's bizarre when I see people trash DKCR and put TF on a pedestal.

Glad you're enjoying it Amirox.
Click to expand...


The music in this game makes it might and day
 
Falawful said:
Every time one of these threads gets made, I feel a little weirder that I preferred DKCR.

Not to say that Tropical Freeze wasn't awesome, but...yeah it's bizarre when I see people trash DKCR and put TF on a pedestal.

Glad you're enjoying it Amirox.
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It is strange to me as well, because DKCR was and still is absolutely fantastic. There are actually things I still prefer about DKCR, but I can see why people prefer TF. There was just a lot more variety in mechanical, level, and environmental design in TF, there were less minecart and rocketbarrel levels, Dixie was in it, it had far better boss battles, superior music, and players weren't forced to use waggle controls.
 
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