Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze brings Dixie back to the series
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King of swing
Nintendo developer Retro took over the reigns on Donkey Kong Country a few years ago, the new team proved it could recreate what made that series’ memorable feel. Retro is now taking Donkey Kong and his ape pals into HD for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on Wii U, and the five levels we played showed the game again captured the challenging gameplay of DKC. And it also marks the return of Dixie Kong, who we finally got to play as in our brief hands-on.
The first couple levels were the standard affair of tough 2D platforming, taking DK and Dixie through a series of bouncing platforms that took precision to navigate. A frozen-over mountain stage was even more challenging thanks to the slippery ground and the continually shattering platforms. Then we headed to a burning jungle where DK had to toss water balloons on burning branches to move on. Then came the two auto-scrolling levels, starting with a minecart stage, a staple of DKC. This one took advantage of the many creative camera angles coming to the Wii U entry in the franchise, making the experience even more intense. Next, the rocket barrel from the Wii entry returns in Tropical Freeze, and the rocket’s propulsion controls still demand careful (but fast!) presses of the A button to make it through a stage untouched.
We appreciate that the game retained the challenge of the originals, and we were just as happy to play as the returning Dixie Kong. Like Diddy, the welcome return of Dixie means she can help DK make jumps, and her spinning ponytail keeps her in the air as well. It's great to have alone or in co-op, but we hope she doesn't start a bad precedent. We'd hate to see Kiddy Kong appear in the next game.
Read on to see some of the newest screens from the February 2014 game!
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As the title says, Donkey Kong's island has been frozen over...
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Well, except for the parts that are on fire...
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There's barely a moment to breath in the minecart sections
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Whatever you do, don't look down
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A shark destroying the track is just one of the unpredictable moments in this stage
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Like in the Wii entry, Retro found some artistic uses for silhouettes
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These rocket stages still have a steep learning curve
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Whoo! Zip lining, brah!
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It's harder than it looks to avoid a giant cheese wedge
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Dodos are back only for the Kongs make them extinct once more
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g1rldraco7 - October 10, 2013 12:23 a.m.
I was wondering when she was going to appear. I hope she controls well and I need to get a Wii U soon. -
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slimjim441 - October 8, 2013 10:44 a.m.
I'll need to get a Wii-U, if anything for this game alone. Plus The Wind Waker HD. And I'm sure Super Mario 3D World will be fun with some pals. -
shawksta - October 8, 2013 11:40 a.m.
Just so you know, the recent 3D World trailer was more focused on showing the Single Player experience is just as good and built for it. Multiplayer has it's perks with friends one of which is the score system, making it rather competitive and the fact that winning more than once in a row gets your character a shiny noticeable gold crown on their heads XD -
slimjim441 - October 8, 2013 11:53 a.m.
I'm sure the single-player experience is still great, but it's been a tradition since NSMBW that me, two friends, and my kid brother play through the whole game with 4-player co-op. I'm excited to get some uniqueness between the characters for this one. Plus, navigating 4 people on a 3D plane could get quite chaotic. The golden crowns will definitely spark some competitive chaos as well. I'm looking forward to it. -
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