The Librarian
Banned
First off, let me say that this is my first Donkey Kong Country game. I havent played many platformers, let alone 2D platformers, so going I thought the difficulty would be akin to something like Mario Galaxy.
Boy was I wrong. Ill begin with the one huge point about the game that I didnt like, which was the difficulty. Though I was smiling my whole way through the first level, I must have died around fifteen or so times in total. Going through World 2 I couldnt place my thumb on why I was finding this game so difficult. Am I really bad, or is the game designed poorly in some areas? By the end of World 3 I had figured it was a combination of both. Im not that great at timing a series of jumps together, and I tend to slip up in tense situations which causes me to panic and do something wrong thus getting hit or dying. Often times I misjudge a jump, pressing the A button too early or too late. I feel like its mostly me sucking.
That being said, it seems to me that the game is unfairly difficult at times. Checkpoints are either too scarce or not placed well. Yes, the individual levels are short, but often times I feel like the check points come in aggravating places. On some levels, like a minecart level in World 4, Id have to go through a long series of fast, complicated jumps and then Id die from something random afterwards. The checkpoint starts me at the beginning of the level, having to do all those jumps again with the strong possibility that Ill waste a couple more deaths trying to successfully complete the same run. Sometimes I find that DKs controls arent precise enough. Occasionally youd encounter short platforms with enemies on them. Jumping on these platforms, you dont have a lot of room for error to not get hit. One slight screw-up will knock a heart off your health; I find myself losing hearts in many such scenarios. You can still get hit even if youre coming out of an animation, like a jump or a roll. I swear there are some points where enemies spawn at in an awkward place on a platform youre about to jump on, causing you to get hurt (or die) when you land. Here or there the game will make you rely on imprecise methods of control to get you through a level. A longer press or a shorter press of the A button for a high or shorter jump. If you hold down the A button for a microsecond longer than youre supposed to, youll jump too high and die.
I didnt like the rocket barrel... too imprecise for me to have fun. The one level in World 4 where you have to control a rocket barrel through a cave of bats...it was the first time I used Super Kong to get through a level. When I saw what you had to go through the rest of the level, I realized there wouldnt have been a way for me to complete the level without dying forty or fifty times. Its like they included Super Kong because they knew some levels were just too damn difficult (I know thats not why they included it, but still). If I feel like I have to resort to Super Kong to finish a level, then its gotten to the point where the game is more frustrating than fun. Also, the way they tell you about Super Kong is really annoying. Hey! We know youre sucking! Here! Try this out!
But enough bitching about the difficulty. Lets move on to stuff I liked about it.
The art direction in this game is fantastic, and completely overcomes its subHD nature. I think what I loved most about the art direction is the colors. There are so many, and theyre everywhere! Certain colors dominate different worlds, like red for World 8 and green for World 1, but each world employs a wonderful chromaticity. The colors help to make the game feel more lively and visually interesting. Its fun to simply look at the levels. I think this is most evident when youre playing a level where DK is a silhouette, his red tie contrasting wonderfully with his black body, like Sunset Shore.
The level design is great for the most part, especially how the background can sometimes interact with the foreground, like the level in World 2 where you have to hide behind barriers to avoid getting hit by waves. For a game that essentially has you going from left to right, Retro was able to include so much stuff to find without impairing the main platforming and the overall flow of the levels. The game knows how to vary things up as it changes environments, such as plants to smash in World 1 and statues to smash in World 3. However, I do think some of the level design comes off as being close to trial-and-error. These were situations where I felt like the game didnt give me time to react or think about a situation, causing me to die. To me, the frequency of these situations increased as you progressed through the game. The levels sometimes throw a ton of things at you at once, and Im not sure what I need to pay attention to.
In Mario games, typically I ignore the gold coins because whatever value they offer isnt worth much to me...unless Im low on health. Then I collect them as much as a I can. In DKCR, though, you want to get as many banana coins as you get your hands on because theyre used to purchase stuff like an extra heart, banana juice, Squawks to help you find puzzle pieces, and extra lives. You can even unlock a level by purchasing a special key for each world. I think this is an excellent system for a platformer because it encourages exploration to find banana coins. DKCR has some great replayability. In all levels there are KONG letters to get and puzzle pieces to find. Getting these items can be fun in their own right because theyre often coupled with the great level design. For example, I was using Squawks to find puzzle pieces in the second level of World 1. I eventually figured out that you had to backtrack with the Rhinoceros to get to the puzzle piece. Finding some of the pieces can be a bit vexing, though. Specifically those that require you to complete mini-games to get them. The game doesnt give you an option to try the mini-game again, so you either have to die to get another chance or start the level over, and this can get tedious. The rewards for getting these items are fabulous. New stuff in the music and art galleries, as well as whole new levels!
Im a bit mixed with the controls. I wasnt a huge fan of the blow mechanic (from what I know of Tropical Freeze, this has been removed). It just seems underpowered compared to most of what DK does. I do like how heavy he feels, but sometimes I think hes too imprecise and heavy for some of the more complicated, stringent jumps he has to perform. I also find the motion controls to be tacked on; I feel like I have to go out of my way to use them even though I need them. They can also get a bit annoying when youre trying to do a ground pound versus a roll. One slight nudge of the analog stick to the right or left will send you rolling off the side.
I had fun with some of the bosses, but not all. The ones I didnt have too much fun with I felt like had a trial-and-error process to know how to fight them. The last boss was one such case. When he did that swiping attacks with his hands, I had no idea what to do. In hindsight it seemed obvious, but...yeah. Another aspect that bothered me about some bosses was that you had to go through the cutscene or whatever came right before if you wanted to fight him again. Just let me fight the boss. The sound design in the game is superb and adds a wonderful sense to the atmosphere. Everything squeaks or squawks just like youd expect on an island full of animals. I also greatly enjoyed the humor of the game. I laughed when, in the beginning cutscene, one of the Tiki members tries to hypnotize DK and he just looks at the camera. Theres some humor in the levels too, like the mine cart level in World 3 where an enemy brings out this huge bomb in the foreground only to have him crash before he can throw it. Cranky is hilarious in his own right.
Overall, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a good game. If youre a Wii U owner and havent played this, I recommend picking it up. Currently trying to find as many puzzle pieces as I can. I just hope Tropical Freeze is a bit easier.
Boy was I wrong. Ill begin with the one huge point about the game that I didnt like, which was the difficulty. Though I was smiling my whole way through the first level, I must have died around fifteen or so times in total. Going through World 2 I couldnt place my thumb on why I was finding this game so difficult. Am I really bad, or is the game designed poorly in some areas? By the end of World 3 I had figured it was a combination of both. Im not that great at timing a series of jumps together, and I tend to slip up in tense situations which causes me to panic and do something wrong thus getting hit or dying. Often times I misjudge a jump, pressing the A button too early or too late. I feel like its mostly me sucking.
That being said, it seems to me that the game is unfairly difficult at times. Checkpoints are either too scarce or not placed well. Yes, the individual levels are short, but often times I feel like the check points come in aggravating places. On some levels, like a minecart level in World 4, Id have to go through a long series of fast, complicated jumps and then Id die from something random afterwards. The checkpoint starts me at the beginning of the level, having to do all those jumps again with the strong possibility that Ill waste a couple more deaths trying to successfully complete the same run. Sometimes I find that DKs controls arent precise enough. Occasionally youd encounter short platforms with enemies on them. Jumping on these platforms, you dont have a lot of room for error to not get hit. One slight screw-up will knock a heart off your health; I find myself losing hearts in many such scenarios. You can still get hit even if youre coming out of an animation, like a jump or a roll. I swear there are some points where enemies spawn at in an awkward place on a platform youre about to jump on, causing you to get hurt (or die) when you land. Here or there the game will make you rely on imprecise methods of control to get you through a level. A longer press or a shorter press of the A button for a high or shorter jump. If you hold down the A button for a microsecond longer than youre supposed to, youll jump too high and die.
I didnt like the rocket barrel... too imprecise for me to have fun. The one level in World 4 where you have to control a rocket barrel through a cave of bats...it was the first time I used Super Kong to get through a level. When I saw what you had to go through the rest of the level, I realized there wouldnt have been a way for me to complete the level without dying forty or fifty times. Its like they included Super Kong because they knew some levels were just too damn difficult (I know thats not why they included it, but still). If I feel like I have to resort to Super Kong to finish a level, then its gotten to the point where the game is more frustrating than fun. Also, the way they tell you about Super Kong is really annoying. Hey! We know youre sucking! Here! Try this out!
But enough bitching about the difficulty. Lets move on to stuff I liked about it.
The art direction in this game is fantastic, and completely overcomes its subHD nature. I think what I loved most about the art direction is the colors. There are so many, and theyre everywhere! Certain colors dominate different worlds, like red for World 8 and green for World 1, but each world employs a wonderful chromaticity. The colors help to make the game feel more lively and visually interesting. Its fun to simply look at the levels. I think this is most evident when youre playing a level where DK is a silhouette, his red tie contrasting wonderfully with his black body, like Sunset Shore.
The level design is great for the most part, especially how the background can sometimes interact with the foreground, like the level in World 2 where you have to hide behind barriers to avoid getting hit by waves. For a game that essentially has you going from left to right, Retro was able to include so much stuff to find without impairing the main platforming and the overall flow of the levels. The game knows how to vary things up as it changes environments, such as plants to smash in World 1 and statues to smash in World 3. However, I do think some of the level design comes off as being close to trial-and-error. These were situations where I felt like the game didnt give me time to react or think about a situation, causing me to die. To me, the frequency of these situations increased as you progressed through the game. The levels sometimes throw a ton of things at you at once, and Im not sure what I need to pay attention to.
In Mario games, typically I ignore the gold coins because whatever value they offer isnt worth much to me...unless Im low on health. Then I collect them as much as a I can. In DKCR, though, you want to get as many banana coins as you get your hands on because theyre used to purchase stuff like an extra heart, banana juice, Squawks to help you find puzzle pieces, and extra lives. You can even unlock a level by purchasing a special key for each world. I think this is an excellent system for a platformer because it encourages exploration to find banana coins. DKCR has some great replayability. In all levels there are KONG letters to get and puzzle pieces to find. Getting these items can be fun in their own right because theyre often coupled with the great level design. For example, I was using Squawks to find puzzle pieces in the second level of World 1. I eventually figured out that you had to backtrack with the Rhinoceros to get to the puzzle piece. Finding some of the pieces can be a bit vexing, though. Specifically those that require you to complete mini-games to get them. The game doesnt give you an option to try the mini-game again, so you either have to die to get another chance or start the level over, and this can get tedious. The rewards for getting these items are fabulous. New stuff in the music and art galleries, as well as whole new levels!
Im a bit mixed with the controls. I wasnt a huge fan of the blow mechanic (from what I know of Tropical Freeze, this has been removed). It just seems underpowered compared to most of what DK does. I do like how heavy he feels, but sometimes I think hes too imprecise and heavy for some of the more complicated, stringent jumps he has to perform. I also find the motion controls to be tacked on; I feel like I have to go out of my way to use them even though I need them. They can also get a bit annoying when youre trying to do a ground pound versus a roll. One slight nudge of the analog stick to the right or left will send you rolling off the side.
I had fun with some of the bosses, but not all. The ones I didnt have too much fun with I felt like had a trial-and-error process to know how to fight them. The last boss was one such case. When he did that swiping attacks with his hands, I had no idea what to do. In hindsight it seemed obvious, but...yeah. Another aspect that bothered me about some bosses was that you had to go through the cutscene or whatever came right before if you wanted to fight him again. Just let me fight the boss. The sound design in the game is superb and adds a wonderful sense to the atmosphere. Everything squeaks or squawks just like youd expect on an island full of animals. I also greatly enjoyed the humor of the game. I laughed when, in the beginning cutscene, one of the Tiki members tries to hypnotize DK and he just looks at the camera. Theres some humor in the levels too, like the mine cart level in World 3 where an enemy brings out this huge bomb in the foreground only to have him crash before he can throw it. Cranky is hilarious in his own right.
Overall, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a good game. If youre a Wii U owner and havent played this, I recommend picking it up. Currently trying to find as many puzzle pieces as I can. I just hope Tropical Freeze is a bit easier.
