Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze / YMMV

Alternative Character Interpretation: There may be more to the whole Snowmad takeover than one might think. When the Pointy Tucks sees Donkey Kong's treehouse, his reaction is to panic and alert Lord Fredrik, and when Fredrik sees the island from his distance, he nods as if to say "Yep, that's the place." This could imply that the Snowmads have some bitter resentment against the Kongs, whether it's jealousy of their luxurious lifestyle, or the intent on avenging the previously defeated Tiki Tak Tribe. The Snowmad ship landing on top of the volcano that was once the Tikis' home, and the evil laugh of Tiki Tong heard at one point in Meltdown Mayhem suggest the latter.
Awesome Bosses: All six bosses are really fun to fight, have creative designs, and have awesome music accompanying them. Special mention goes to Skowl, which has a surprising variety of attacks to be only the second boss, and its music has been favorably compared to that of Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII.
Awesome Music:
- In the eyes (and ears) of players, it's even more awesome than the previous game with the news that along with Donkey Kong Country Returns's main composer Kenji Yamamoto, David Wise, one of the series' original composers, is producing the soundtrack. If you loved Kenji's music in Returns, which was actually inspired by Wise, imagine him working with the man himself and you've got yourself one hell of a soundtrack. And he's delivering: Just check out this beautiful rendition of Aquatic Ambiance. And here's one of his original compositions for the game, Windmill Hills.
- The remix of Stickerbush Symphony, another fan favorite track from DKC2. Too bad you only get to hear it for 10 seconds if you don't deliberately idle.
- There's also the music for Grassland Groove, performed with an African-style chant reminiscent of The Lion King.
- Bashmaster's theme song is an amazing, intense Rock song for a boss theme.
- Busted Bayou. Best use of percussion, guitar and bass you'll ever hear, making for a very groovy, funky track.
- The entire soundtrack is phenomenal, just check out this page's section for Tropical Freeze to hear all of the amazing tracks created for this game.
Best Level Ever:
- The entirety of Autumn Heights, at least visually. It's an absolutely breathtaking Bavarian mountain world, and the scope and detail of the world is simply beautiful. Special mention to Windmill Hills; it introduces the world with a breathtaking Bavarian village with incredible visuals, all backed with an equally amazing music track.
- Grassland Groove is a major highlight of the game. The first level of the Serengeti-based Bright Savannah island, this one takes place during a lively parade, and the level consists of you jumping on top of the exotic-looking floats. The music for this level is also very unique in that it changes as you progress through the level.
- The entirety of Juicy Jungle is amazingly different from the rest of the game, but special mention goes to Jammin' Jams and Frosty Fruits. The former is a rhythm-based level where the obstacles move in time with the amazing music, that requires you to learn the timing of the obstacles to advance safely. The latter, meanwhile, is the first snowy-themed level of the game, where you platform around giant popsicles and other frozen treats, with the atmosphere and the music being absolutely stellar to keep you going through the difficult ice physics of the stage.
- Cliffside Slide. The last silhouette level of the game, and they saved the best for last: difficult, but surprisingly lenient platforming, one of the most breathtaking settings for a level in the entire game as you climb up a cliff while an avalanche goes on around you, all the while backed by the amazing Snowmad theme.
Breather Level:
- 3-K (Precarious Pendulums) is this for the Kong stages. Unlike the first two it actually has solid ground which lets you plan your next move. Its gimmick is also a bit more sedate than what the first two had you do (moving platforms as opposed to vine swinging and jumping on enemies heads). Still the hardest stage in World 3 though.
- After 5-4 (Panicky Paddles) and its tricky timing exercises and spiked fruit all over the place, 5-5 (Jelly Jamboree) is a fun, relaxing stage that's just mostly just bouncing on gelatin cubes with comparatively few hazards. Its K-O-N-G letters and puzzle pieces are not terribly hard to collect either.
- 6-6 (Cliffside Slide) certainly isn't easy, but compared to the rest of World 6 it's a piece of cake. While most of the level takes place on collapsing/sinking platforms, its puzzle pieces are easy to obtain (almost all of them are found by ground pounding near plants), it doesn't feel as long as most levels, and it's pretty darn spectacular, being a silhouette level that takes place during an avalanche. It's a good break after coming from Forest Folly (very long and filled with springs, vines, and giant snowflakes with little solid ground), but after Cliffside Slide comes the even tougher Frozen Frenzy (filled with numerous electrified platforms and breaking ice platforms).
- 6-K (Slippy Spikes) is another level that's relatively easy by Kong stage standards for similar reasons to 3-K despite being the last one before World 7. Despite the presence of lots of Spikes of Doom, icy flooring around said spikes, and platforms trying to push you into them, there's enough solid ground around to let you pace yourself, and the presence of a DK barrel at the start of the level means you likely won't die from just one slip-up on normal difficulty (Hard Mode is a different story). While by no means easy, the rest of World 6 will have prepared you enough for it.
Broken Base:
- The game's delay from December 2013 to February 2014. Some felt that the delay was a bad thing, feeling it would have helped give the Wii U more of an edge during the holiday sales season. Meanwhile, others felt the delay was necessary to spread out the Wii U's release schedule as owners waited on Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, especially since a December release would have had it competing with Nintendo's other big 2013 Wii U platformer Super Mario 3D World.
- The placement of the famous song Stickerbush Symphony didn't sit well with fans. Some argue that the song should have been used for the level Bramble Scramble. Others say that the current song for Bramble Scramble is better and Stickerbush Symphony should stay where it is at. A third party is just happy that the song is in the game.
Complacent Gaming Syndrome:
- Many players gravitate to using Dixie Kong more often than Diddy and Cranky because of how useful her ponytail hovering ability is.
- Speedrunners always gravitate towards Cranky, as his cane bouncing is capable of retaining momentum caused by rolling jumps, allowing for some amazing Sequence Breaking.
Ensemble Dark Horse:
- Bashmaster,◊ the Polar Bear Snowmad, due to his more realistic design, amazing boss fight, and absolutely METAL soundtrack.
- Tawks, the new shopkeep from the Switch port that replaces Funky Kong at the Fly 'n' Buy when the player uses Funky. Not only is he a brand new Animal Friend, but his cool design and personality caught fans' attention right away.
Even Better Sequel: Widely considered to be this over Returns for a variety of reasons. The most notable ones being the return of Dixie Kong and Cranky being Promoted to Playable, more expansive and creative levels, less generic level and world themes, a mostly original soundtrack courtesy of David Wise, and the Snowmads recapturing more of the charm and memorability of the Kremling Krew that the Tiki Tak Tribe lacked.
Evil is Cool: No Pun intended, but the Snowmads have been widely received as worthy counterparts to the Kremlings. In particular, their arrival in the intro stands out as a Signature Scene.
Fan Nickname: Scrooge McKong for Cranky Kong, due to him also being an old man who uses a cane to do a pogo jump.
Game-Breaker:
- Dixie Kong. She has a double jump/hover ability which is great for traveling across gaps, finding secrets throughout the levels, and it gives you some assurance when making tricky jumps. She's also pretty fast underwater, which is useful for avoiding obstacles, and she can go up against currents that normally push the Kongs back. Finally, her partner ability turns every enemy on the screen into golden hearts, each heart extending your life by one heart, allowing you to take much more damage. Simply put, if you use Dixie Kong throughout the game, you should be fine.
- In the Switch version, Funky Kong was designed to be this in the new Funky mode. He has 5 hearts instead of 3 like the other Kongs. And he pretty much has all the moves of the other Kongs combined into him. He has Donkey Kong’s built and can barrel roll forever, his surfboard can hover in mid-air like Diddy’s rocket jet and for a far longer time too, he can do a double jump to get extra mobility like Dixie’s hair twirl, and thanks to his surfboard he can move on spikes and defeat spike enemies like Cranky with his cane. Also when swimming, Funky can breathe underwater forever! So if there is a level where breathing is an annoyance, with Funky there is no more need to worry. Funky Kong is definitely one cool Kong!
Genius Bonus: One of the penguin enemies is named Big Sphen. This name comes from Sphenisciformes, the scientific order that penguins belong to.
Heartwarming Moments: The kongs celebrating by playing music together when you beat the game.
I Knew It!: Quite a few people guessed that this game would be getting a Nintendo Switch port.
Low-Tier Letdown: Diddy Kong certainly gets the short end of the stick in this game. Dixie Kong's ponytail hover can actually increase height like a delayed double jump while Diddy's jetpack only maintains height, making her the superior platforming crutch in normal gameplay; meanwhile Cranky's ability to pogo-jump off enemies and hazards make him invaluable for speedrunning in a large slew of stages. And while Dixie Kong's Kong Pow yields Gold Hearts, and Cranky Kong's Kong Pow yields Banana Coins, Diddy Kong's provides...Red Balloons. Which are usually rendered moot when the former two increase your Life Meter and can be used to purchase items including balloons, respectively. The only place Diddy really excels is speedrunning water levels, as his rocket boost lets him move faster than any other Kong, and even there Dixie's ability is only marginally slower and can swim against currents.
Memetic Mutation:
- The 2013 VGX Awards^Explanation
- Stuff3's flipping chairs!^Explanation
- New Funky Mode ^Explanation
More Popular Replacement: The Snowmads are much better received than the Tiki Tak Tribes for being more charismatic and varied, and for offering more satisfying boss battles. While the Kremlings still get the upper hand among DK fans in terms of being the most popular villains, the Snowmads are still appreciated on their own.
Most Wonderful Sound: The random yet harmonic sounding shout of "DOOONKKEEY KOOONNNNGGG!" that plays when the Wii U version of the game is booted up. Sadly, the Switch version doesn't retain this.
Polished Port: Logistics surrounding how the release was handled aside (which have nothing to do with the port's quality either way), the Nintendo Switch version of the game is the definitive way to play the game, thanks to 1080p visuals and greatly improved load times. The new Funky Mode added to lower the difficulty also helps players frustrated by the difficulty enjoy the game more, but the technical improvements that held the original version back alone make it qualify for this.
Scrappy Mechanic:
- The Oxygen Meter isn't so bad in land levels containing water, but in underwater levels, it becomes a nuisance very quickly, especially in stage 4-B. Thankfully you can buy blue balloons in advance to automatically refill the meter when it runs out, and in the Switch port, playing as Funky Kong removes it entirely, but Funky is locked to lower-difficulty save files only.
- The Key Temples still do not have checkpoints. And they're longer than the ones in Returns (especially 5-K, which is an outright Marathon Level by Key Temple standards), which really makes the Checkpoint Starvation feel even more cheap than it already was.
- If you come into a level with a Kong barrel in your inventory and you don't have a Kong with you already, the barrel will automatically and immediately be used up. Given that most levels have a Kong barrel near the start, more often not the kind of barrel that rotates Kongs so you can pick who you want, and lifting and throwing a Kong barrel when you have the corresponding Kong already only restores health at best (rather than being added into your inventory for later use), the barrel in your inventory ends up getting wasted as a result.
- While Funky Mode in the Switch port is a welcome addition for beginner players, the problem is that once you decide on standard or Funky mode for a save file, that file is locked on that mode, permanently. Did you get to World 6 and then decide the remainder of the game is too difficult? Or did you get halfway across a Funky file and then decide the game is too easy? Too bad, you have to start a whole new file to access the other mode.
Suspiciously Similar Song:
- The Leitmotif for the Snowmads sounds a bit like the main riff from Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train."
- Mountaintop Tussle sounds similar to "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII.
Tainted by the Preview: The game's initial unveiling was met with indifference at best and anger at worst, as many weren't impressed that Retro Studios' next game was a 2D platformer that seemed to be a glorified port of Returns, rather than a new Metroid Prime or any other action/adventure title that could serve as the Wii U's answer to games such as the Uncharted series or The Last of Us, as many desired for the developer to become Nintendo's equivalent to Naughty Dog. Up until previews began coming in and the game released, Tropical Freeze was often derided and dismissed as being just "another damn Donkey Kong Country" and a waste of the studio's talents.
Tear Jerker:
- The beginning of the game can be seen as one, especially when the ice dragon freezes over Donkey Kong Island. The music becomes a folksy yet downbeat, almost taunting rendition of the Snowmad theme, conveying a feeling of failure: The Snowmads have beaten DK without having to lift a finger or flipper, and his island is now theirs. It makes the final battle that much more personal for the Kongs.
- The Seashore War level gets a special mention. The still, icy scenery on the coast and the absolute saddest music on the soundtrack (if not the entire series) really drive home just how bleak the situation is on Donkey Kong Island.
That One Attack: Fredrik has two such attacks: In his last phase, he causes all the platforms to rise up and then fall into the lava. Dodging it requires you to jump to where the first platform to fall was before it actually rises up from the lava again which is not only counterintuitive but very difficult without Diddy or Dixie. The other attack, the horizontal ice dragons, is also incredibly hard to dodge without a second Kong due to its small dodge windows.
That One Boss:
- Skowl the Startling can easily become this to players not quick enough to dodge all of his incoming attacks, particularly in the third phase and if you've lost your ally and are thus down to three hearts.
- Fugu the Frightening is fought underwater meaning you need to constantly keep an eye on your oxygen meter (except when you're Funky Kong). The arena is also small enough that you can very easily swim into something and get hurt. Fugu's weak point is also a pain to hit. The controls can also make this battle a lot harder than it should be, especially when trying to fight against the current created when he blows the Kongs away from him and into spikes. Even with Funky Kong's infinite air, don't expect the fight to be easier with him.
That One Level: Barring the bonus levels, which are intended to be difficult, the following levels have gotten a reputation of being unforgiving:
- 4-B, Shoal Atoll. An underwater Fetch Quest with extremely spread out air supply, no check points, and increasingly difficult enemies as you progress. The hidden exit you have to get before is no slouch either.
- 6-8 (Meltdown Mayhem) has you moving on a number of collapsing and sinking platforms and punishes any mistake severely. Move too slowly? You die. Move too fast? You die. Mistime a jump? You die. The last section is particularly brutal featuring a wall of lava that is so close to you that moving at anything less than top speed will cause it to catch up.
That One Sidequest:
- The Kong Temples have time trials now. Have fun.
- Several of the secret exits qualify, like the one which requires a very well timed bounce on a spikey urchin with Cranky, and the urchin breaks with one hit so you only get one shot at it (fortunately, the fruit respawns if you go offscreen) and the one in 6-7, that requires you to go 3/4s through the level without losing your Kong partner (the only DK Barrel in the level is at the very start) with electrical traps everywhere, made marginally better by the fact that Dixie is able to reach the secret exit^note. Or the one in 5-4 that requires Dixie; the level is fairly long, and again, has only one DK barrel at the start. Dixie's Kong-Pow move (to extend DK's Life Meter) is a gift. Thankfully, the Switch version mitigates the DK barrel problem by allowing you to access your inventory mid-level.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Some fans were not happy that the jazz arrangement^note of Stickerbush Symphony in the Wii U version's credits was replaced by a new piece in the Nintendo Switch version, even when you're not playing Funky Mode.
Unexpected Character:
- After the Tikis replaced the Kremlings in Returns, it's a little surprising to see the developers again replacing them with the Snowmads.
- When Nintendo and Retro revealed that there's a fourth playable character not seen in the E3 trailer, almost everybody assumed it'd be either Kiddy Kong (the fourth protagonist of the SNES trilogy) or Funky Kong (who had previously been The Unexpected in Mario Kart Wii). Almost nobody expected Cranky Kong, who outside of Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, has never been playable in the DK series before. Funky Kong would end up being the fifth playable character, however, come the Nintendo Switch re-release of the game a few years later. (As for Kiddy, nothing.)

YMMV / Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

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