Alright congregaton, it’s time once again to talk about the new chimp on the block. The first game featuring everyone’s favorite ape for the Wii U has just landed on store shelves, selling out like bananas at a monkey house. All jargon aside, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is amazing. Just so you know though, this is not a game for kids!
“What do you mean this isn’t a game for kids,” you’re saying, “It’s Donkey Kong!”
Well, ladies and chimps, this game is HARD. A young kid wouldn’t be able to make it through the first few levels, nevermind the first island (trust me, I used my minion as a test bunny). If you’re old enough to have played the original Donkey Kong Country then you know how ridiculously hard the old platformers were. Take that and multiply in more pitfalls, tougher enemies, a pace that goes from fairly stilted to extremely rushed– and that’s the game we are now discussing. That’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Uh, in this game the iceberg isn’t really proverbial, but more on that later.
The game starts out with DK and his closest pals at our heroes’ birthday party. Everything looks like it’s going great on Kong Island, up until a fleet of frozen ships appears to mess up the party. Leading the animals from the arctic is what appears to be a giant Yeti, but you can’t see him yet; rather, there’s nothing but a shadowy outline and a sinister laugh (you know the kind I’m talking about). A snowflake lands on DK’s cake extinguishing the flame, and like a flash the master ape rushes out to see who ruined his banana cake. That’s when the big boss blows into a magic horn, blowing DK and his friends off Kong Island and freezing the lush jungle paradise solid.
The artwork in this game is gorgeous. All of the islands and levels were designed with utmost attention to detail, as every character looks ready to pop out of the screen and the brilliant landscapes that alter as you’re playing. Just the second things are going as nice as a leisurely stroll through the jungle, something happens…and everything starts flying everywhere, bringing death and destruction on a level never before seen in a game like this.
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