Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze

Seeing the soundtrack for Mario Kart 8 and A Link Between Worlds has me wondering where on earth the soundtrack for Tropical Freeze is!? Does it exist? Who do I need to kill pay for it!

Quick question: is the game experienced better with a pro controller? Because the controls feel really off to me. But maybe I'm just gettin' old.

groovebeat wrote:

Quick question: is the game experienced better with a pro controller? Because the controls feel really off to me. But maybe I'm just gettin' old.

I had a perfectly fine time with the gamepad. My wife did coop with the wiimote. No experience with the pro controller, so, yes. You're getting old.

Spoiler:

so am I. It's okay

In all seriousness, I've never used the Pro so have no basis for comparison.

The pro controller is more comfortable and less cumbersome. It doesn't map anything differently, though, so it may or may not help depending on your issue.

I played with the GamePad from start to finish. It took a little time to find my groove with, but eventually it became very comfortable.

The character response in Donkey Kong: TF never felt has instant as a Mario game. There always seemed to be a super slight lag if that is what you are referring to. In terms of ergonomics though the pro controller helps a lot.

The control has always been one of the reasons I still prefer Mario platformers. These games are more about momentum and flow through a level. In that way they're more like Sonic. I prefer the tightness of a Mario game, which extends to my choice in car, honestly. If the car I drive isn't super responsive, I'll get rid of that damn thing, regardless if it ends up having much better things elsewhere. Same here for me, I may love a lot in a DKC game, but won't spend the time mastering it the way I do a Mario game.

That and I don't like primates.

EvilDead wrote:

There always seemed to be a super slight lag if that is what you are referring to. In terms of ergonomics though the pro controller helps a lot.

Yeah that's what I was feeling. I never had this experience with SNES DKCs (the only ones I played and actually still play from time to time).

It's not just the sluggishness though, I feel like i have to force my grip on the gamepad which feels much more unnatural than in other Gamepad games. I tried the different button layouts but then the controls actually get worse. I dunno. I would get a Pro Controller but it seems silly for basically one game. Are there other games that benefit from the Pro? Bayonetta maybe?

garion333 wrote:

These games are more about momentum and flow through a level. In that way they're more like Sonic.

I reckon you tried the newer Rayman games? They are the flowiest of the flowiest.

I played most games with the pro controller because I hate holding the gamepad.

It would be cool if they announced what / if accessories would be compatible with the Switch. Knowing that you could eventually upgrade and still use the controller would make it a more enticing purchase.

Just got to world 5 and man, this game is so damn good.

Like DKCR, the level design is S tier. And on top of the fantastic level design is the beautiful art direction on each level with all the detail in the background, use of depth, camera changes and how they each fit both a world theme and individual theme.

Some of the spectacle in the mine cart and flappy bird levels have been nuts.

Gameplay wise, it took a couple hours to get back into the DK groove as his moveset and physics are so deliberate and heavy coming from something like Odyssey or Celesete. I'm really digging the difficulty along with these long boss fight battles. All about Dixie for the extra height. And that feeling of bopping off an enemy to get a collectible is so satisfying.

No idea what collecting puzzle pieces or KONG letters do but I have been chasing after them recklessly

And man, the music is like wrapping yourself in a blanket fresh out of the dryer.

For years I've heard about the hype and this game is definitely living up to it.

How is the co-op in this game?

Co-op 2D platformers are often a mess, particularly when there's disparate skill levels.

It's been a while since I co-op'ed the Wii U version but the difficulty really amplifies the troubles you'll have with disparate skill levels. This is largely due to how they structure the co-op. Like if a player dies, they're out until the end of the level or you find them in a barrel, unlike most Nintendo platformers where they'll respawn a few seconds later. I think there's also a shared pool of lives which doesn't help?

I'm probably doing a bad job explaining this, but we gave up on Tropical Freeze (and Returns oddly enough) around the second world when it became clear the co-op just wasn't working out. I still want to return to this (and Returns) as a solo experience though. I think they're designed more around solo play than co-op.

I haven't tried coop, but I can't think of a time in DK that I'd want it. The game is so much about movement flow that it's already frustrating when I die of my own volition and not because my partner did something stupid.

I had tried co-op a few times on the Wii-U. It was more frustrating than anything. Like Garion mentioned, the flow of the game doesn't suite it well.

This game has made me examine myself as a player.

I'm on the final boss, he's kicking my ass, I have a ton of money and yet I still refuse to use items. For some stupid reason, I stubbornly refuse to use any. Because they are helpful and optional, it feels like I'm not really "beating" the game if I use them. I know it's silly but I can't stop myself from thinking that way.

Did you guys use items? Do you think the game was designed for you to use items at an even clip or only for desperate times?

I do not recall using any items. I could be mistaken. I tend to revel in the challenge of incremental improvements within a fair rule set. Similar to the Souls-Borne franchise DKC never felt unfair. I could see and understand my shortcomings, and how to improve on them. I enjoyed every second. Even the levels I took a while to ace.

In another game I could have easily opted in for a little support. If it feels unfair and becomes frustrating, without hesitation. A little aid is but that. The player still shoulders most of it.

I buy Kong barrels but that's about it, mostly because I'm always broke from buying em.

BNice wrote:

I'm on the final boss, he's kicking my ass, I have a ton of money and yet I still refuse to use items. For some stupid reason, I stubbornly refuse to use any.

Played one too many PlatinumGames games?

RnRClown wrote:

I tend to revel in the challenge of incremental improvements within a fair rule set. Similar to the Souls-Borne franchise DKC never felt unfair. I could see and understand my shortcomings, and how to improve on them. I enjoyed every second. Even the levels I took a while to ace.

This could actually be part of it as the game is challenging but fair and doable. And so maybe I'm like an anime protagonist where I believe in the me that believes in myself and I don't need items to overcome the challenge.

The power of friendship will prevail!

Took down the final boss and have been going through and collecting KONG pieces and finding portals to the secret levels I missed. Playing levels multiple times really makes you admire the level design and those sweet sweet David Wise tunes. This game is so good.

This game was made for speedrunning. I'm almost at the final boss, but I'm sorely tempted to try and learn to speedrun a world or two.

If I had to rank the Kong sidekicks:

1. Dixie
2. Diddy
3. Cranky

Didn't want to rank the whole Kong family, as it's not fair to put the rest of them up against Funky Kong.

Got to say I found Cranky quite useful!

This game is hard as F!

Beat the final boss on this last night, felt it was the worst of all the bosses. Mostly because the hit box for doing damage felt a bit off. Felt like I should've been dealing a hit, but instead took damage.

Is there any difference between the Switch and the WiiU version?

They added in Cranky Kong to be the easy mode, but otherwise no.

Clusks wrote:

This game was made for speedrunning. I'm almost at the final boss, but I'm sorely tempted to try and learn to speedrun a world or two.

This made me go back and watch a couple of speedruns of the game. I played it back on the Wii U, and it felt very momentum based starting around in world 2 to me (aka "don't stop for nothing"). I didn't have the platformer skills to pull it off, but I'm really enjoying watching others do it. And the music is still great.

garion333 wrote:

They added in Cranky Kong to be the easy mode, but otherwise no.

I think you meant Funky Kong. Cranky was already in the Wii U version

Been enjoying Tropical Freeze quite a lot over the last couple of months, I agree with the superb level design, beautiful graphics & it ramps up in difficulty quite nicely as you progress through the worlds. The music is also so fitting, some of the stuff Wise cranks out in the Savanna world is stunning & reminded me of LittleBigPlanet's music in its Savanna level but even more addictive.

The variety of backgrounds in the levels really makes the game come alive the Sea Breeze Cove has beautiful underwater scenery & I love when you go under water that the music mellows.

The environmental furniture just makes sense too, trees coming down in storms, grass fires that can be put out by water, flowers that bend when you land on them, rolling baobab fruit falling off the trees, it all fits the theme of the world. That is also true of any world you visit which makes it a much more cohesive experience.

Kudos to the cart & rocket levels, those are really clever & especially in the case of the rocket if you master tapering boost you can really get good at collecting rows of bananas that sometimes unlock puzzle pieces, you can get through narrow passages or dodge rocket punches with ease

The K levels have been a tough cookie, just completed 5K platform problems, which with those diagonal moving platforms required real tactical jumps & precise timing of when to leap to the next platform, really gratifying to complete though. It just becomes muscle memory with repeated efforts as you anticipate what's coming ahead of time.

Think that means I've one K level left, been a great game to play through overall with superb music, ideas that start to layer as levels progress & a tough platforming challenge. Boss fights have also been interesting with their multi stage approach, challenging too. The visual package wrapped up in that Wise soundtrack really makes this quite special & atmospheric in a way I never expected.

Thumbs up for the recommendation from RNRClown (back in 2014) & thank goodness this eventually came to the Switch.

Did not expect to unlock another world (Secret Seclusion) after completing all the K levels, really happy about that. 7-1 Levitation Station is a funky little level that has levitating blocks shifting in & out for short periods. Also enjoyed the falling blocks section with the decrease in gravity & having Donkey Kong do these huge jumps your not used to him doing, it was like a section in Kingdom Hearts 3 except it actually had good gameplay.

The end section with the rotating blocks big & small getting thrown up as you land on each one, with purple spikes on 2-3 sides of the blocks was tricky but a satisfying finish to the level.

Happy to hear that you finally got to experience the wonderful awesome that is DKC: Tropical Freeze. It still ranks as one of my all-time personal favourites. The lush visuals with fantastic use of colour. The pinnacle of music that compliments the scene and captivates the player. The variety and the pacing of the levels and the worlds. What a gem.

For me this remains one of the very best Wii U titles that made the system worth owning. I'm glad it was ported to the Switch as it deserves a larger audience.