Donkey Kong Country

Shh, don't tell anyone, but I never beat the DKC games until now. I always managed to play portions of them in the past. Now with Returns and the upcoming Tropical Freeze it's about high time to finally beat the classic SNES trilogy.

DKC is a strong new reboot for Donkey Kong created by Rare featuring brilliant level design because the collectibles in the game, in this case banana's, usually pinpoint you to hidden and secret areas! Next to that the music is amazing and the gameplay plays fastpaced and has fantastic platforming elements.

Rating: 8.5

Considered the best of the SNES trilogy, Diddy Kong's Quest builds upon the formula by adding new tag moves,a secret world, more difficulty and more refined gameplay. Areas include a lava field, a swamp, a funland and a lost world! Somehow this is my least memorable or nostalgic DKC.

Once again does the soundtrack have classic tunes such as Stickerbrush Symphony, and graphically I especially liked the new enemy designs here. Secrets galore all around and the hidden stages are truly a fearful test.

Rating: 8.6

The most memorable SNES entry for me, and arguably my favored duo to play with. Diddy and Donkey are iconic, but I liked the dynamic duo of Kiddy and Dixie here, one who is strong and the other who is floaty. Double Trouble features a limited navigatable overworld where you progress further beating areas and getting better maritime equipment from Funky Kong.

There is also a whole family of bears from which some of them hold side quests and the path towards Krematoa the hidden world. Once again there are some outstanding songs and I dig the graphics here out of the three the most. And the hidden nod towards Super Mario 64 is adorable and was magical back in that year.

Rating: 8.6

Plays largely safe with satisfying its fan base, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a pleasant new entry for Donkey Kong, reminding us mostly of course of the SNES trilogy. First the good stuff, the level design and challenge are just right, making it better than the latest new Super Mario Bros. games.

I even found myself using a bit of the Super Guide on world 8, because that world had so many trial and error stages for me personally. Second, the music is pretty much all remixed from the first Donkey Kong Country, with very few missing, nothing really wrong here.

Lastly, the controls and game length are also well done. Donkey Kong blowing around is a bit unusual, but hardly irritating. What was kind of disappointing are the new enemies, the Kremlings are easily better. But at the same time it was refreshing, so not a big deal either.

Why isn’t it as good as the other Countries games then? Well, I think that Returns offers little new exciting material, and at the same time it could be even better, with more animals to help out plus more Kong members. Make no mistake, this is a very good platforming game, Retro Studios did a nice job, but if there will be a sequel I hope that there will be more new content.

Rating: 8.4

As a bonus, I'm throwing in this game as well. Donkey Kong's first 3D incarnation is reminiscent of Rare's other platforming series Banjo-Kazooie in the sense that both rely heavily on collecting collectibles in order to progress further.

Introducing 3 new exciting playable characters alongside the return of fan favorites Donkey and Diddy Kong, this game packs quite a punch when it comes to different control schemes, variety and enjoyment.

Tiny Kong can shrink in size, Lanky Kong is the fastest and has a long of reach and Chunky Kong is the strongest of the bunch. These cheerful apes are delighted to help against the new terror ignited by none other than King K.Rool.

He is featured in a very exciting final battle shaped up like a jollyful boxing match, which is memorable, but other than that, fulfills the role as a typical villain. Meanwhile, Cranky Kong now runs a laboratorium offering the other Kongs new abilities.

Donkey Kong 64 plays very similar to Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, as both not only have many collectibles, but also exciting secrets, similar music and the latter example also has a first person shooting mode like this one.

Sometimes I'd rather replay this than any Country title, but at other times, this is the opposite. So my mood depends on how what kind of game I want to play next in this franchise. Donkey Kong 64 is nonetheless a great platformer especially for newcomers, and not too challenging.

Rating: 8.5

The latest title will be reviewed shortfully once I get my hands on it this week and preferably beat it beforehand!