FWIW, the concept art is really cool as an unlockable, but it's also a bit of a macguffin. You're collecting the puzzle pieces for the satisfaction of the difficulty of finding and getting them all, more than you are for unlocking concept art. It's generally harder to get all of the puzzle pieces than the K-O-N-G letters, so it's there as an additional level of challenge.
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Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze |OT| There's always money in the banana stand
- Thread starter Frolow
- Start date
FWIW, the concept art is really cool as an unlockable, but it's also a bit of a macguffin. You're collecting the puzzle pieces for the satisfaction of the difficulty of finding and getting them all, more than you are for unlocking concept art. It's generally harder to get all of the puzzle pieces than the K-O-N-G letters, so it's there as an additional level of challenge.
The difference is KONG letters must be all collected in one playthrough, where Puzzle Pieces can be collected through multiple runs. You'll notice in follow up playthroughs they are ghosted out if you've already collected them.
Lumpy Onion
Member
I can see what you mean about the satisfaction gained from the act of discovering them. But I'm afraid that if I started to collect the pieces I would never move on and go full OCD with them. Maybe I will go back to 1-1 and see how a full collection of puzzle pieces makes me feel and at least give it a try before disregarding them.
The melody for Busted Bayou sounds similar to the song Seaside Woman by Suzy and the Red Stripes. Whenever if it was intentional or not, the song itself is pretty laid back, which fits the stage perfectly like a glove.
BlueScrote
Member
Only finished world 2 last night. The boss levels are definitely what I'm having the most trouble with.
D
Deleted member 125677
Unconfirmed Member
I take it you haven't touched the K levels?
Rocket Barrel levels are some of the worst in the game. IMO.
SweetJohnnyCage
Member
Anyone know if there's a Hard/Mirror mode like in DKCR?
game is harsh, but rewarding, just like DKCR. I'd stick to it and play. its too good to be missed!
Yes, this too. I forget to mention this, but it's another differentiation between the two. The puzzle pieces themselves are still generally trickier to get, I would say.
Eh, it's no rush, you'll presumably have the game forever, right? For my wife and I, we go through the whole game once, then go through it again for secret exits and collectables.
Hard Mode, no mirroring, choose any Kong, no partners, one heart, no checkpoints.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
I'm not sure if I like this better than DKCR or not. They are both great for sure though. I thought Returns provided a tougher challenge and more consistent difficulty curve. The world also felt more interactive... There was more stuff to groundpound and even the blowing made me feel engaged. The switchpulling would have been a good replacement but it was underutilized in my opinion. One thing I missed from Tropical Freeze was constantly shooting in and out of the background and foreground. It made for some great moments. I also feel that the level design was better overall.
That said, Tropical Freeze definitely had some aspects that were better than Returns. I just mentioned I thought the level design was a plus for DKCR, but I think Tropical Freeze reaches higher highs with it's level design, even if it isn't as consistently great. It also has better variety in gameplay and visuals, thanks to swimming levels, more adventurous art direction, the dynamic camera sections. The additions of the new Kongs made for a great change of pace. I know it was popular to make fun of Cranky prior to release but he fucking slays in this game with his dominating pogo bounce. And of course, the music. I liked the music of Returns, but this is an absolutely phenomenal soundtrack.
I find it funny at how many are saying TF blows Returns out of the water. I really think people are just misremembering how amazing it was. I'm just glad DKC is revived and am glad we got two amazing games from Retro. With Monster Games seemingly inheriting the series now I look forward to the probable new entry on 3DS in a couple of years.
That said, Tropical Freeze definitely had some aspects that were better than Returns. I just mentioned I thought the level design was a plus for DKCR, but I think Tropical Freeze reaches higher highs with it's level design, even if it isn't as consistently great. It also has better variety in gameplay and visuals, thanks to swimming levels, more adventurous art direction, the dynamic camera sections. The additions of the new Kongs made for a great change of pace. I know it was popular to make fun of Cranky prior to release but he fucking slays in this game with his dominating pogo bounce. And of course, the music. I liked the music of Returns, but this is an absolutely phenomenal soundtrack.
I find it funny at how many are saying TF blows Returns out of the water. I really think people are just misremembering how amazing it was. I'm just glad DKC is revived and am glad we got two amazing games from Retro. With Monster Games seemingly inheriting the series now I look forward to the probable new entry on 3DS in a couple of years.
I'm loving this game so far but I really hate how there appears to be no way to play on TV while having sound come out of the GamePad headphone port. Is there really no way to do this? If not, I sure hope they'll patch it in eventually. The game should simply output sound on both TV and GamePad at all times, like the Mario games do.
ShockingAlberto
Member
I think the unpredictability of levels was purposely supposed to be mitigated by checkpoints everywhere and easy lives. I don't think I've dipped below 60 yet.
I don't know if it's a good solution, but it's apparently the intended one.
I don't know if it's a good solution, but it's apparently the intended one.
Man, something has happened that hasn't happened to me in a really long time... I actually keep getting music from this game stuck in my head. That's probably the highest compliment I can pay to a video game soundtrack. I really can't remember the last time it's happened to me. I can recall 8/16-bit game songs no problem but there are only a few games from generations beyond that have had that effect on me
As an aside, I really don't get the "cheap" complaints. If something wobbles or cracks, get the fuck off it. I played through the game with a constant 99 lives and only one instance of feeling the game could have cued me on what was going to happen better.
Also, can somebody link me to a GAF leaderboad list or something? Only one of my friends is doing Time Attack so competition's kind of boring.
As an aside, I really don't get the "cheap" complaints. If something wobbles or cracks, get the fuck off it. I played through the game with a constant 99 lives and only one instance of feeling the game could have cued me on what was going to happen better.
Also, can somebody link me to a GAF leaderboad list or something? Only one of my friends is doing Time Attack so competition's kind of boring.
All this talk of unpredictability... The game has gotten the jump on me before (many times, in fact!), but in fairness to its design, virtually everything is telegraphed.
Platforms wobble before they collapse, or shudder before they flip into a new position. A claw snaps several times before lunging forward. Embers rise where fire will appear. And so on.
In theory, someone quick enough could probably beat all of these levels on their first try. They'd just have to recognize the signs.
(I'm not that quick, though!)
Platforms wobble before they collapse, or shudder before they flip into a new position. A claw snaps several times before lunging forward. Embers rise where fire will appear. And so on.
In theory, someone quick enough could probably beat all of these levels on their first try. They'd just have to recognize the signs.
(I'm not that quick, though!)
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
I think the game does a good job at subtly preparing you for "unpredictable" moments...like, basically after playing a bit, you develop a sixth-sense more or less. Like I can pretty much guess where a Puzzle Piece will pop up (like when you see a cluster of bananas and you just know that if you gather them all, a Puzzle Piece will appear), I can usually guess what the next obstacle's gonna be, etc. Although, this has backfired...there are a few times where I've come across large groups of bananas placed in clearly difficult positions, spent time gathering them all, only for it not to be a Puzzle Piece spawnpoint.
It helps the game does the usual Donkey Kong route of making the initial hazards recoverable if you screw up, before throwing you in situations where the hazards are life-or-death. Like I recall in one of the first Barrel Cannon stages in Returns, one of the Instant Shoot Barrels is placed so if your timing is messed up, you're simply shot towards a second barrel beneath the screen as a safety net, but still teaching you that certain Barrels instantly detonate. And then as the level progresses, you have to time when you enter these Barrels in order to survive. It's an interesting approach.
Part of it really is in reading the level designer's mind ("if I was a level designer, what obstacle would I throw in next?"), and paying attention to banana placement. Donkey Kong Returns I recall did very well with this, and Tropical Freeze is equally great, although it's really a hard concept to properly describe. If I had the time, I'd probably go through levels individually and document the little moments where I basically felt the game did a good job at "hinting" at what was to come.
It helps the game does the usual Donkey Kong route of making the initial hazards recoverable if you screw up, before throwing you in situations where the hazards are life-or-death. Like I recall in one of the first Barrel Cannon stages in Returns, one of the Instant Shoot Barrels is placed so if your timing is messed up, you're simply shot towards a second barrel beneath the screen as a safety net, but still teaching you that certain Barrels instantly detonate. And then as the level progresses, you have to time when you enter these Barrels in order to survive. It's an interesting approach.
Part of it really is in reading the level designer's mind ("if I was a level designer, what obstacle would I throw in next?"), and paying attention to banana placement. Donkey Kong Returns I recall did very well with this, and Tropical Freeze is equally great, although it's really a hard concept to properly describe. If I had the time, I'd probably go through levels individually and document the little moments where I basically felt the game did a good job at "hinting" at what was to come.
Freezie KO
Banned
The foreshadowing when you see them flying in the background is terrifying. The first time I saw them, I just thought, "Oh shit, now I have to bop on moving enemies..." And I proceeded to die a lot.
Lumpy Onion
Member
Ok just did 1-1 again with the intent of collecting puzzle pieces. Got em all and am finding that it adds a whole new layer to the levels. Kinda shocked at how many secrets I missed tbh. So yeah, that was pretty fun scraping every nook and cranny. Looks like I won't be skipping this hunt after all.
So for 1-1 I have the letters, the puzzle pieces, and a "DK" that hasn't been cleared. What does the DK symbol refer to on my level status? I hope it doesn't mean I have to hit the level clear barrel just right.
So for 1-1 I have the letters, the puzzle pieces, and a "DK" that hasn't been cleared. What does the DK symbol refer to on my level status? I hope it doesn't mean I have to hit the level clear barrel just right.
D
Deleted member 125677
Unconfirmed Member
That symbol is for time attacks, it will display a gold, silver or bronze medal when you earn it
Yay, glad you dug it. It'll be so satisfying once you get them all. Also, does this mean you haven't played DKCR either? If you're enjoying TF I would definitely recommend that on Wii (shake to roll controls but 60 fps and looks gorgeous) or 3DS (button controls, 30 fps but very playable, I loved it especially on here).
(I'm at work so I can't check to see what the symbol is, sorry.)
Lumpy Onion
Member
Interesting. Any other rewards for that outside the medal itself?
D
Deleted member 125677
Unconfirmed Member
The superior way to play DKCR is on a Wii with homebrew using the Classic controller Pro.
In the sense that if you earn all gold etc? Dunno
But there's online leaderboards, where your replay will be uploaded and available to watch for all
In the sense that if you earn all gold etc? Dunno
But there's online leaderboards, where your replay will be uploaded and available to watch for all
You don't have to do time trials to unlock everything. Every bonus in the game can be acquired without doing time trials. Time trials don't count toward your completion percentage, either.
Lumpy Onion
Member
I have DKCR for the 3ds, but haven't gotten too far into it yet. I am pretty positive I will give it a go once I finish TF. But playing this makes me kind of sad because I want to download the original DKC 1&2 from VC but I can't.
Vampirolol
Member
If some of you feel a little input lag while playing, I reccomend to play hard sections on the Gamepad, it works really well.
Outtrigger888
Member
I read complaints of hitting the walls in the water levels. Yesterday, I found out that if you have a buddy, you can continually dash forward, like a torpedo, similar to the non-stop roll on land. So this makes sense that the character would react to hitting a wall, since its a risk/reward for speed running.
You can still swim quick, by doing the tier 2 swimming action, and not bounce off the walls.
Overall, imo, the game controls like a dream. The fantastic animations compliment this. Its not going to control like the perfect driving cheat in GTA, because of how DK has the feeling of weight to him, which i love. Something i didnt enjoy about rayman legends. It makes you feel like you're actually platforming with that character.
You can still swim quick, by doing the tier 2 swimming action, and not bounce off the walls.
Overall, imo, the game controls like a dream. The fantastic animations compliment this. Its not going to control like the perfect driving cheat in GTA, because of how DK has the feeling of weight to him, which i love. Something i didnt enjoy about rayman legends. It makes you feel like you're actually platforming with that character.
Once I learned the timing on the head jumps, after the canon 4 owl bop, the rest of the level was nothing. That canon really throws you off honestly. Thank god I'm done with that level. Was really fun though. I had all my attempts recorded.
Sweet. Yes, I'd like to play the original trilogy as well. I'm planning on picking up the GBA ports to play on my DS Lite.
Hah. I knew I was going to die a lot.
Lord_Byron28
Member
Cliffside slide may be one of my favorite levels.
Freezie KO
Banned
The worst was when I landed on the top windmill-like thing after the flying penguins. I actually bopped a penguin and landed on its platform on the rotating platforms. I thought I'd stay still and try riding the platform up and over, even though the rotating platforms get cut off by the screen.
Nope. You can't ride the platforms off the screen. As soon as the platform left the screen, my footing on the platform disappeared, and I just dropped like a rock. I was sad.
Freezie KO
Banned
2-K speedrun. I am not worthy.
The perfect Dark
Banned
Another meme courtesy of NOA's Twitter... I honestly laughed.
Lol dat banana reference
penis
RomanceDawn
Member
I think you just roll immediately the moment you pick up the barrel. It just kind of falls out of Dk's hands.
I just tried this out and... it works! Thanks dude.
The trick is simply holding B a little while longer.
The perfect Dark
Banned
The Xtortionist
Member
Bounce off a spiked ball.