Stage 1: A basic but fun introduction to the new stages that supersizes a few of the jungles obstacles, notably the totem poles, it's main gimmick to me where platforms that would move across rails when you plonked down your weight on the edge, great visual effect with some barrel canons blasting you through the trees towards the back end, crank up the 3D for it.
Stage 2: Geyser gimmick galore and it's always a reliable one for platformers, loved the early background with the estuary sort of look, the stage gradually transitions away from the beach to sea caverns, spiky coral, bigger geysers, just good old fun really that's also surprisingly long yet doesn't overstay its welcome.
Stage 3: Oh yes, one of my favourite platforming pieces in this one, the pursuing wall of death, the first half of the stage is pretty basic stuff but the back half while not too taxing by any stretch has some fun sprints away from a spiky wall. What really put this over for me was a brief respite from the chase as a canon blasts you out of the ruins and back to the jungle exterior and when that's done you get fired back into the ruins with another wall of death immediately kicking into pursuit, lovely.
Stage 4: I really liked how the cave stage is half minecart and half standard platforming, I always thought the cave setting could have done with at least one more standard stage outside of the carts and rockets, what few cart sections there are in here are still pretty tricky requiring some strict timing, the on foot stuff was like a toned down canon cluster which is an improvement on that gimmick. Loved an early fake out with the first mine cart section.
Stage 5: Nice sense of both vertical and horizontal progression in this stage, the main gimmick being rotating log platforms which have a sort of beat/rhythm to them that goes nicely with Treetop Rock returns, a slower paced stage and a very solid one at that that approaches platforming in the same way other forest stages tended to.
Stage 6: Probably my least favourite of the new stages, it can be quite tricky at points, in fact checkpoint pig did come to check up on me to my shame. That falling tar starts off in situations that wont kill you outright if caught by it but as the stage progresses it ramps up the difficulty suitably to the point that if Kong gets tarred he's going down which is how such things should be handled. Some things felt a bit unclear, the tar falling patterns at points and the initial discovery of the spike like dinosaur bones with the rising platforms, I don't know, maybe I was just sucking at this one. Still much like the cliffs itself it may end up growing on me on replays.
Stage 7: Standard Factory Stage, lots of crushing action if I recall but it doesn't match up to Slammin' Steel from World 7 on that point. Solid if not spectacular utilising other elements of some factory stages but probably weaker than the rest of them. Did like the use of the spark like enemies to act as switch triggers even if it's not that different to the similar idea in jagged jewels. Might need to play it again to get a better impression, felt like a bit of a breather stage in between two tougher ones.
Stage 8: Now this was a good one and a tough one at points, the central rotating stone wheel gimmick leads to some fast paced sections whether that's on the exterior jumping across the stone outcrops or in the interior of a slowly turning passage inching closer to the lava with each second, this one could be slotted in World 8 itself with no problem.
Stage 9: It's the Golden Temple Again, i'm just taking this opportunity to vent about it, it's still a bastard of a stage for me, tricky precision platforming at points, annoying spearhead firing masks are the ultimate hazard as far as i'm concerned, that one bit with the three cherries teetering, somehow it always gets me. Definitley a stage that can eat away the lives if you start getting frustrated though in reality it's not that tough, the lack of checkpoints and no Diddy barrel just force you to grow the extra chest hair necessary to meet the challenge. Oh and the noise the Koalas make upon death is amazing.
