Tag Archives: Diddy Kong

Donkey Kong Land Review

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DK is one of those franchises that has so many games that I start to lose track of them. I don’t even remember a Donkey Kong Land. Mario land? Yeah I know that one but I never would have guessed that DK had this title as well. It’s a fun enough DK game. It’s a little dated and all but at the same time, good platforming is supposed to be timeless. So I can still race through the levels now or 20 years from now and it’ll still be a good time. Such is the power of DK.

There are 4 worlds in this game or roughly so. Unlike most platformers where the worlds are clearly defined, you follow a map of stages here that intersect as you go through them. So sometimes you go back to an old area but it’s a new level. Still, they are labeled as worlds when the game is saved so that’s what I’ll go with. Technically speaking the game is fairly short. It’s only around 2 hours or so but the levels are fun. You can also add onto the time a little bit since without the Switch Online I would have had to use a more conservative play style. This way I was able to just charge through at all times which I do have to admit felt pretty good.

As is standard for platformers, you can jump and climb objects in order to get past the obstacles. Additionally, it’s worth noting that you have some animal assistants. Not as many as in future games but there is a Rhino you can jump on to barrel through opponents. That is certainly a satisfying move. Then you can turn into Diddy Kong when you lose a health point but I basically stuck to playing as DK the whole time. I’d say one of the most creative levels in the game is a level in the clouds. You ride a cloud that shifts directions whenever you jump and land back on it. So you have to time your jumps perfectly to escape a whole maze that is closing in around you. That’s certainly a good way to challenge yourself right?

It actually took me several tries, not because it was particularly difficult per say but because it wasn’t always obvious exactly where I was supposed to be going. It’s easy to not notice the clouds around you that you have to jump on and that made for a pretty good shift. Then we have the boss fights and that’s an area where Nintendo has always exceled in. The bosses each have their own unique mechanics which is nice and forces you to really put in some strategy. The King K. Rool boss at the end is fun for example as you have to time your jumps perfectly to stomp on him when he tosses his crown. The more hits you land, the faster that he starts to move so you really have to be careful.

There is some actual skill at play here and it keeps the boss fight from being repetitive so that was a good design choice. The other bosses are similarly fun. Meanwhile while the graphics don’t look good because of how the colors are loaded, the sprites are good otherwise. The characters all move and act the way that they should and it’s fun to recognize all of the moves from Super Smash. I do miss the vibrant colors though. Meanwhile the soundtrack is definitely good and another reminder of just how solid Nintendo is. In any era, you can always count on them to deliver with some really top tier tunes.

One thing that is different from a lot of the other titles is how you die to almost any attack. It’s definitely a little tricky in that sense. Also any pitfall that you fall into, directly drops you out of the level. You land back in the hub world immediately which is definitely interesting. It may seem a little harsh but the fact that there are no loading times is really impressive. It really lets you get right back to playing the game with no real interruptions which is nice.

Also in terms of the one hit death thing, it’s worth noting that this will turn you into Diddy right away so it’s not like you’re in the game over screen right off the bat. Playing as Diddy can also be fun since he has all of the same moves. It may take you a second to get used to his movement but I’m not sure if that is because he is faster or it just feels that way because of the design. It’s hard to tell either way.

I suppose if there’s anything I would have added here, it would have been more of a story. The plot is basically nonexistent here and while I was not properly expecting a big story or anything like that, I would not have turned it down either. That is definitely a good way to really take a platformer to the next level and the day Nintendo learns that may be the day that they completely end the console wars. It would be really tough to defeat them at that point.

Overall, Donkey Kong Land is a good game. It definitely feels more like a mini platformer compared to the newer titles but it has strong fundamentals all around. I don’t really have any negatives with the game and it is easy to recommend to basically anyone. As long as you enjoy gaming then you will probably enjoy this game. I look forward to checking out Donkey Kong Land 2 sooner than later and seeing how different it is. What changes and what remains the same. It’s a mystery that I will get to the bottom of sooner than later.

Overall 6/10

Shiningman vs Diddy Kong

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Suggested by Sonic Diddy Kong has his cannons and has a decent amount of mobility as well. That should definitely help him out quite a bit here. That being said, Shiningman was able to take Whaleman down. We haven’t seen a lot out of him but his base speed still seems better than Diddy’s. Diddy has a lot of tricks up his sleeve but at the same time I don’t see him having the physical abilities needed to take SHiningman down for the count. Shiningman wins.

Diddy Kong vs Olimar

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Suggested by Destroyer Diddy Kong is fairly agile and should be able to stay one step ahead of Olimar the whole time. Olimar is used to being able to hide when the going gets tough but that won’t be an option here. Diddy Kong isn’t the strongest fighter but he still is able to use martial arts and other skills to get the job done. Diddy Kong wins.

Cloud vs Diddy Kong

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Suggested by Sonic Diddy Kong has returned once more and he is definitely not going to go down without a fight. He has his banana guns and knows some basic combat skills, but none of it will be enough to do much to Cloud. Cloud is one of the chosen fighters of legend and has a lot of sweet limit moves. His air slashes alone would prove insurmountable to Diddy. All Diddy can do is wait for his defeat and hope that he is at least able to land a hit. Cloud wins.

Diddy Kong vs Kirby

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Suggested by Sonic Diddy has returned, but he won’t fare any better in this match. Kirby has the ability to copy the techniques of anyone he eats. He’s done that to many foes in the past and has a whole lot of options to choose from. Even without any abilities he already has more strength than Diddy possesses. Diddy Kong’s only got his athletic skill to back him up and that won’t do much against Kirby’s impressive speed. Kirby wins.

Diddy Kong vs Ness

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Suggested by Sonic Diddy Kong has a lot of bananas at his disposal, but they won’t do much against Ness and his psychic powers. Ness can use his TK abilities to hold Diddy in place as he launches a PK flash. He can also just take the offensive by using his elemental spells until Diddy goes down. Diddy doesn’t have a lot of options in this match. He’s athletic enough to dodge a good number of attacks and yet he isn’t fast enough to completely get away from them either. This leads to him being in a really bad place where he is doomed either way. Ness wins.

Roy vs Diddy Kong

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Suggested by Sonic Diddy Kong may be a pretty solid powerhouse, but he doesn’t have the pure fundamentals that Roy possesses. Furthermore, Roy’s speed is far greater than that of Diddy’s. Diddy will be lucky to land a single good hit here. He’s simply outmatched and I don’t think he has anything up his sleeve here to even give him a fighting chance. Even if he does land some hits, they wouldn’t be as powerful as DK’s and thus Roy can take them with ease. Ultimately Diddy is simply doomed this time. Roy wins.

Pikachu vs Diddy Kong

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Suggested by Sonic Diddy Kong is a tough fighter and rose up up in the tiers for some of the Super Smash Bros games, but he isn’t actually all that powerful when it comes to a 1 on 1 fight. Pikachu easily has the speed advantage here and a few good shots will end the match. The gap in their power is sizable and the same can be said for the difference in speed. No pop gun shots will be able to hit Pikachu and Diddy has no other viable options. Pikachu wins.

Prince Haru vs Diddy Kong

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Suggested by Destroyer Diddy Kong gained some popularity from being a top tier in the last 2 Smash Bros games. He was already more popular than Prince Haru so this was just adding fuel to the flame. Haru can throw his crown at Diddy Kong but I don’t think it would deal much damage, or even land for that matter. Diddy is just too quick for something like that. Diddy Kong wins.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Review

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It’s time to review the final DK Country game and possibly the final main DK game of them all. The Country series has been pretty solid for all of the installments so it’s nice to see what the Wii U can bring to the table. The game is a little shorter than Returns and noticeably easier as well, but it’s still a quality platformer. One nice mechanic that they added was the dash and now I can’t imagine playing a DK game without it. It makes the characters so much more versatile and deadly in the levels.I certainly had a blast spamming it and it’ll remind you of the 3D Sonic games.

The plot involves a group of ice creatures deciding to take over a mountain. This angers DK and his pals because they want more bananas and they don’t grow in frigid temperatures. Thus, DK and friends decide to beat people up along the way and eat what they can. Still, can they defeat this Bowser impostor or will the trials be too much for them? The story definitely pales in comparison to the last game though for one key reason…the first 4 worlds are filler. They have nothing to do with the plot and there aren’t even any ice levels in them. For a game that’s called Tropical Freeze, this was a little odd. Once you enter the final 2 worlds then the ice levels start to show up so that was neat. Either way, the level variety is always fun, but I wish the plot could have worked with that a little.

The gameplay is the 2D platforming that you would expect. That being said, as mentioned earlier we now have a dash mechanic. It is incredibly handy as you can cross large distances with the move. It’s also not too automatic or easy so it feels like a legitimate technique that you’ll want to master. If you learn it just right, you’ll find yourself blasting through the levels. The gameplay is very smooth and you can definitely know that this is a AAA game right off the bat. I was very happy to trade in the Wii remote controls for a more proper All Pro and Gamepad setup as well. It’s night and day comparing the two styles for this platformer.

While the levels are significantly easier than DK Country Returns, it’s not really fair to say that it’s too drastic. The main reason for this is that I just got done completing the former so it’s possible that I’m just more prepared for whatever the DK series throws at me right now. It’s like playing Dark Souls 1 and 2 back to back. 2 will probably feel a lot easier than 1 did initially. I do think that Tropical Freeze probably had the tougher bosses though. It’s a close one, but the last boss for example would certainly be rather difficult to defeat in one player mode. He has a lot of health and it’s hard to predict his horn attack. It almost feels purely random. I don’t think any of the bosses are inherently unfair though. They’re tough, but you just need to keep on going at them until you win.

The soundtrack isn’t bad. There are no super hype themes like the Returns villain jingle, but they’ll get you through the stages. The boss theme that plays when a boss first shows up is similar to Mighty No 9’s main boss theme which is pretty interesting. There’s a good guitar/drum solo that works well for that. I don’t really recall any of the stage themes, but they were pleasant enough. The graphics also look pretty sharp for the title. It brought back the Shadow levels and the elements all look really sharp. The characters also look good in the cutscenes. Nintendo never disappoints when it comes to the technical aspects and they rarely do with the gameplay either.

There’s a good amount of replay value here as you’d expect. Collecting all of the puzzle pieces in the levels will certainly take a good amount of time. There are quite a few of them in each level after all. Most of the levels require repetition to really get them down so it’s more about the time than the difficulty. I believe you unlock an extra world if you do that so that’s a nice incentive. It’ll certainly give hardcore DK players a few extra hours to have fun with. The main game will only take you a handful of hours as well. 6-8 I’d imagine, but that’s a pretty decent length for a platformer. Having 8 worlds helps a lot, but 6 will do.

Overall, Donkey Kong has brought us another pretty solid game. If you want to really experience the difficulty as the true DK experience, make sure you choose to play as DK. If you want to coast through the levels a little easier, make sure to pick Diddy Kong or Dixie. They can cheese you through just about any obstacle. I look forward to seeing another Donkey Kong country game rise to the surface. Hopefully the plot will be a little better even though I know that is rarely Nintendo’s goal. As long as the gameplay is good, I suppose the rest doesn’t matter quite as much and Nintendo certainly knows how to handle gameplay. I never got to play as Cranky, but that’s fine. I get the feeling that his special ability wouldn’t have been all that great.

Overall 8/10