Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong battles arctic invaders in a side-scrolling platformer.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, a platformer from Retro Studios and Nintendo, hit the Wii U in 2014. It is the fifth Donkey Kong Country game and follows the 2010 title Donkey Kong Country Returns. A souped-up Switch version launched in May 2018.
Quick Facts
- State
- expanded
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Series
- Donkey Kong
- Platforms
- Wii U; Nintendo Switch
- Genre
- Platform
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Director
- Ryan Harris; Vince Joly
- Producer
- Kensuke Tanabe
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The side-scrolling platform gameplay continues from the Donkey Kong Country series, with Donkey Kong traveling through seven islands to defeat the Snowmads. Controls resemble the previous game, adding the ability to pluck items from the ground and pick up and throw stunned enemies; various controllers are supported with customizable controls. The player primarily controls Donkey Kong, assisted by a companion who provides extra abilities or can be controlled by a second player. Diddy Kong returns with his barrel jet pack for crossing large gaps, while Dixie Kong can spin her ponytail to slowly descend and gain an initial height boost, and Cranky Kong uses his walking stick to bounce on dangerous surfaces and reach higher areas. Filling a Kong-POW meter lets Donkey Kong and his partner perform a special move that defeats all on-screen enemies and converts them into items. The Super Guide from the previous game is replaced by an expanded shop run by Funky Kong, offering support items such as temporary invincibility. Each level contains Kong letters and puzzle pieces, some requiring specific partners, which unlock bonuses and hidden levels. Time Attack mode returns with online leaderboards and video replays of top players. The Nintendo Switch version adds Funky Kong as a playable character in Funky Mode, where he has five hit points, can double-jump, hover, stand on spikes, and breathe underwater indefinitely; when Donkey Kong is played in this mode, he gains a companion and each Kong has three hit points.
Plot
The Kongs are celebrating Donkey Kong's birthday when the Snowmads, arctic invaders, attack the island. Their leader, Lord Fredrik, blows a horn that creates frozen winds and an ice dragon, blowing the Kongs away as the Snowmads seize the frozen Donkey Kong Island. The Kongs traverse a series of islands to return home, making their way through a frozen fortress until they encounter Lord Fredrik, who challenges them to a battle deep in a volcano. Donkey Kong delivers the final punch to Lord Fredrik, who crashes into the Snowmad ships, defeating the invaders. Donkey Kong blows into Lord Fredrik's horn, producing a breeze that restores Donkey Kong Island to a tropical paradise. The story focuses on the Snowmads, Viking-themed arctic animals including walruses, owls, rabbits, and penguins. Donkey Kong is voiced by Takashi Nagasako, Diddy Kong by Katsumi Suzuki, Dixie Kong by Kahoru Sasajima, and Cranky Kong by Nagasako. This is Dixie's third main-series appearance and first since Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (1996), and Cranky's first as a main playable character in the series.
Development and release
The game was announced during Nintendo's E3 2013 Nintendo Direct presentation on June 11, produced by Kensuke Tanabe, who previously worked on Super Mario Bros. 2 and incorporated elements from that game. Originally scheduled for November 2013, Nintendo pushed the release to December 6 to avoid competition with Super Mario 3D World, then settled on February 21, 2014, citing the need for more optimization time. The soundtrack was primarily composed by David Wise, with assistant Aiden Griffin; Wise had contributed music for the original SNES Donkey Kong Country games. Additional music was provided by Daisuke Matsuoka, Minako Hamano, Shinji Ushiroda, and Riyu Tamura under Kenji Yamamoto's supervision. The development team designed gameplay similar to previous series entries, with new features. Retro Studios president Michael Kelbaugh told Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé that production started because the team had "a lot of gas left in the tank" after Returns, wanting to include underwater levels and 3D camera work. The dynamic camera swings from side to fully 3D view, adding depth to obstacles. Dixie Kong's mid-air hover ability and the "plucking" mechanic from Super Mario Bros. 2 were added. Due to series creator Shigeru Miyamoto's protectiveness, Retro Studios had to prove their ability; Miyamoto influenced the ground pound design and gave small tips but was otherwise uninvolved. An enhanced port for Nintendo Switch was released on May 4, 2018, developed by Retro Studios, with new control schemes and Funky Mode.
Reception
Like its predecessor, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze received generally favorable reviews from critics. Destructoid gave a perfect 10 out of 10. GamesRadar gave 4 out of 5 stars, praising presentation and challenge while criticizing cooperative multiplayer. Game Informer gave 9.25 out of 10 for levels, gameplay, and graphics, noting fewer levels than Returns. GameTrailers gave 9.1 out of 10, praising gameplay enhancements and the "stellar" soundtrack. IGN gave 9 out of 10 for challenge, level design, and boss battles. GameSpot gave 6 out of 10, stating that interesting boss battles and vehicle segments did not make up for "clunky, repetitive level design" and poor implementation of new mechanics. GamesTM gave 7 out of 10, finding the game as difficult as predecessors due to enemy and obstacle placements and boss difficulty. In reviewing the Nintendo Switch version, GameSpot gave 9 out of 10, and IGN stood by their 9 out of 10, remarking that Funky Mode makes the game more accessible without reducing platforming difficulty. The game was nominated for Best Visual Design and Best Audio at the 2014 Golden Joystick Awards, and for Best Nintendo Game at the 2018 event. In Japan, the Wii U version sold over 70,000 copies in its first month; in the US, it sold an estimated 130,000 units in its first eight days. The game and its predecessor were added to the Nintendo Selects label in March 2016 in North America. The Switch version sold roughly 88,421 units in Japan in its first five days, more than doubling the Wii U debut. By December 2018, it had sold 2.08 million copies worldwide on Switch, bringing total sales over 4 million. As of March 2019, the Switch version had sold over 2.25 million units worldwide, including 290,000 in Japan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who directed Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze?
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was directed by Ryan Harris and Vince Joly.
Who designed Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze?
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was designed by Stephen Dupree.
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