Released on November 21st, 1994, Donkey Kong Country was the cumulative efforts of Nintendo and their newly acquired share in the European game developer Rare. The game boasted impressive visuals for its time, using SGI graphics and pre-rendered 3D models. As such, the characters and environments have a distinct styling and depth to them that is all their own, as players travel across the lavish canopies, dank caves, murky waters, industrial factories, icy mountaintops and more. Adding to the richness of these engrossing landscapes is a top-notch soundtrack composed by David Wise. From jamming jungle tunes to intoxicating ambient mixes, this game features some of the best tunes to be found in any SNES game.
Aside from being a beautiful and entrancing experience, the gameplay was tough as nails and fun to boot. From rickety mine cart rides to tricky barrel blasts caught in the middle of harsh blizzards, danger and thrills were all part of the fun to be had. And for added challenge, the game was loaded with secret bonus stages to be found all over the place. It required players to poke around every suspicious ledge with barrel tosses, crafty jumps, or the use of many different animal companions found in the game. There was never a dull moment with the vast variety of gameplay scenarios and mysteries to uncover. And in fact, the difficulty had actually been significantly reduced before release as to appeal to a wider audience at the suggestion of Nintendo designer, Shigeru Miyamoto.
However, in response to veteran gamers looking for that greater challenge, its sequel, Donkey Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest, kicked things up a notch. Released on November 20th, 1995, Diddy's Kong Quest featured more varied and brutal levels, more animal companions, another stellar soundtrack, and more secrets to be found with addition of craftily hidden DK coins. With Donkey Kong captured in this entry, players now take control of his partner Diddy Kong and new sidekick / girlfriend, Dixie Kong, who has the nifty mechanic of gently gliding through the air with the use of her long ponytail. Together, they venture to Crocodile Isle which incorporates much more somber and ruffian overtones. Receiving critical acclaim for its engaging platforming and phenomenal music, it's no wonder why some gamers regard this particular entry as one of the greatest 2D platformers and best video game soundtrack ever made.
Closing out this SNES trilogy on November 22nd, 1996, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is an admirable entry, though perhaps the least favorite of the three. With both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong captured in this adventure, players take control of Dixie Kong now and new sidekick, Kiddy Kong, as they explore the Northern Kremisphere. As the name Kiddy Kong may indicate, a lot of the new characters added to this entry just aren't as lovable or seem to gel as well in this last entry. Talking to bears or fighting giant, wooden barrels that barf beetles just is a bit of an odd turn for a series that seemed to have been the master of perfect ambience and immersion. That said, this entry still featured many creative platforming bouts and as a new feature, a more open, explorable overworld map, which was a fun addition to navigating to levels and discovering more secrets.
 |
| One of the most interesting new features of Donkey Kong Country 3: The inclusion of navigable world maps. |
After this last entry of the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, Donkey Kong would go on to star in several other types of games, from 3D collectathons popular of the N64 era to experimental music games powered by bongo controllers. But this series wouldn't see a return to form until nearly 15 years later with the duo of Nintendo and relatively new studio, Retro Studios, whose only previous work had been the Metroid Prime trilogy. With that said, they certainly had the experience of being able to reinvent and reinvigorate Nintendo property, and Donkey Kong Country Returns proved to be no exception, taking what was already an exceptional series to new levels. Retro has since been unusually quiet, being a no-show at E3 more than 4 years now. Are they perhaps working on adding another trilogy to their belt, making a third Donkey Kong Country entry of their own? Would they take inspiration from the SNES trilogy and Nintendo's recent offerings in incorporating more open-world concepts? All wild speculation to be sure. But for now, why don't you go back and enjoy this defining simian series from the SNES era, and be inspired by its rich creativity, relentless challenge, and all its beautiful ambience to be found.
Fun Fact: Cranky Kong found in the Donkey Kong Country series, playing his old phonograph on the red girders, is playing the theme from the NES version of the arcade game Donkey Kong. That is because he is the original DK, while this new Donkey Kong is in fact Cranky's grandson. Diddy Kong was originally going to be Donkey Kong Junior, but due to his dramatic redesign, they decided to rename the character to Diddy.
No comments:
Post a Comment