DKC Atlas Forum

[Qyzbud]

The first high-definition installment in the Donkey Kong Country series is here... and it's magnificent!

A few things worth being excited about...

• Cranky Kong debuts as a playable platform game character for the first time ever!
• Dixie Kong returns to the DKC series for the first time since DKC3 in 1996!
• David Wise, the legendary lead musician of the DKC games is composing the soundtrack!
• Water levels (absent from DKCR) return to the series, and look fast, fun and fluid!
• Viking enemies are the opposing force this time, and they're known as the Snomads!
• Waggle-free gameplay for precision control, and a much truer DKC feel!
• Much, much more — take a look at the videos below!

Opening cinematic (intro)

Official Nintendo videos

Screenshots from the Dixie Kong trailer:

Spoiler!

IGN's gameplay videos

More gameplay details

Retro isn’t shaking up its core formula too much here. Donkey Kong has the exact weight and movement that I’d expect him to have, with a heavier sense of momentum and greater pull than, say, Mario. The ape’s ground pound ability is back as well, though Retro has eliminated the blowing move in favor of a handle-grabbing pull, allowing Kong to pull up platforms and levers. Diddy (and presumably Dixie) is found in a barrel, and will not only add hearts to DK’s life, but give his jumps extra horizontal movement. [link]

Outcast from Donkey Kong Island by anthropomorphic enemies in boats called the Snomads, our hero has to travel across six islands in order to reclaim his land. [link]

Underwater levels are back with a vengeance and we can see the focus on dynamic camera angles during platforming action sequences. Anyway this looks like another great game by Retro Studios.

October update: The game's launch has been delayed from December 6th, and is now scheduled for a February release.
December update: The game's launch is officially scheduled for a February 21 release!

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has been released — let's play!

Previous post content:

Spoiler!

"Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze" was just announced this morning on Nintendo's E3 presentation!!!
Dixie Kong is back
and the game will be out THIS YEAR!!! ← no longer true, sadly
Check these videos out for gameplay and developer insights! (now the official Nintendo videos — Qyzbud)
EDIT: We have an official US release date — December 6!
EDIT 2: The release had been delayed until February 2014
[...]
EDIT 19: Noted Cranky's confirmed-playable status, the release date, and a countdown!
The above countdown will be updated when we have a solid release date; for now, it can stand as a tantalising reminder of how close the release should have been!

[Gaz]

Woot! . Time to get my country club on! It said Retro wasn't interested in another DKC game. I wonder where Dixie is...

[EvangeliKong]

Oh Cool.

[Kiddy14]

'Announcement' (merged in from other topic):

Spoiler!

During Nintendo's E3 Nintendo Direct they announced a new DKC game being developed once again by Retro Studios.

The new game is playable on the Wii U and as Iwata said…

THEY HAVE FUR! =B

Here's a video (warning SPOILERS):

*Video moved to first post*

If you don't want to watch or can't watch the video (SPOILERS again):

Spoiler!

The playable characters are Donkey, Diddy and Dixie.
Dixie works differently from Diddy, she uses her ponytail as a propeller and is able to take Donkey and herself to new heights.
You can only play Donkey/Diddy and Donkey/Dixie from what it seems, so only a max of 2 players.
The water isn't dangerous anymore, they can swim! They also have oxygen meters.
There are dynamic camera angles, it seems to be different from the multiple layer of the past game in that the camera can now rotate.
The tikis are since long gone, now there are vikings! And it seems they just froze over all of DK Island and other nearby islands.
The Kongs will be exploring several of these islands too (Iwata says five other islands, but I don't know if he means only those islands or DK Island too).

What do you think? Too early for a new game? Did you prefer a new Metroid or a new game from Retro other than a new DKC? Or are you on the other hand so excited that you can't wait for November this year?

I must get a Wii U now

…the fur thing reminds me of the new DKC2 renders Rareware made, where the Kongs' fur wasn't just textured to look like it but had actual fur (though it looked like a coat at some points).

EDIT: So I stumbled upon the DKVine and it seems David Wise is going to compose the music for this title. David Wise Returns? You bet

[Qyzbud]

OUTSTANDING!

Now, the footage I've seen shows some new ideas, HD graphics, water levels and DIXIE KONG!!! ...but overall, it looks to me like a previous-generation game. That said, Retro are amazing, and they have months up their sleeves to supercharge Tropical Freeze and inject it with awesomeness, so I remain cautiously optimistic that we'll have a truly brilliant Donkey Kong Country game on our hands this November.

*Video moved to first post*
I'd better get the "DKCR series" atlases up to speed by DKCTF's launch, eh?

[CountryFan]

DIXIE!!!

[Markster]

David Wise and Dixie are returning? True epicness!!!

[Simion32]

Wow, this was out of nowhere. It seems Nintendo got their priorities straight once more.

!@#$ YEAH DAVID WISE!!!!!!

And YES DIXIE KONG. Finally.

I totally have my Wii U ready for this.

[Simion32]

Moderation: Merged the two topics.

[Markster]

Many people are pissed about this game on IGN, they want Metroid... WTF is there problem!!!
Forget what I said, I actually like Metroid, I just think that people need to stop being spoiled.

[Gaz]

Wait, David Wise joined Retro Studios? I do find that the original three DKC games are the best as I grew up with those on the GBC and GBA. I still have to admit, this is indeed excellent! 2013 is DKC year (DKCR 3D's release and Tropical Freeze's upcoming release.) Metroid is okay Markster, not the biggest fan.

[Soniccuz]

Now we're talking!
First welcome back Dixie! Second water stages, weren't an issue for me last game but, I know at lot of people missed them. I already spot what looks like a giant fish boss, or maybe it*s a giant mook, it Kind of brings Squirt to mind.
Still no sign of the Kremling hoards, however, I really like the designs of these vikings much more than the Tikis I stress. I could actually get behind these guys.

This is looking like my reason to go Wii U this gen.
Maybe wait to see more levels before making that call... Oh who am I kinding I want this.

[Simion32]

No offense to anyone, but Metroid sucks.

Correction, Metroid Other M sucked.

The Metroid Prime trilogy was freaking awesome.

[Markster]

I wonder if the controls will be better, I didn't really like DKCR's controls.

[Soniccuz]

Map roll to an honest button, 70 percent of the work done right there, and after the way Other M was recieved I wouldn't expect them to turn out another Metroid this quick.

[Qyzbud]

I thoroughly agree about the controls; if we can roll at the tap of a button (and preferably pick up barrels if holding that button as we run/roll past them), that alone will be worth the price of admission.

[Qyzbud]

I've been loving some of the new art! Here's a nice shot of our three heroes:

I can hardly wait to play as Dixie again!

[DKCplayer]

Great, so when DKCR was coming out, I eventually bought a Nintendo Wii. Now the Wii U was released and THIS is announced? Darn it Retro, banana coins don't grow on trees you know!

Anyway, the game looks awesome at the moment! While it would've been cool see the Kremlings again, the plot and the enemies look quite interesting. It's awesome to see Dixie back in action as well!
Also, this Developer Interview provides some more news and information about the game:

Spoiler!

A fourth playable character, huh? Will Kiddy make his return?

[Soniccuz]

It feels good to see Dixie rendered beside DK, and Diddy for a core platformer. Is the banana forzen? Thought it was plastic wrap for a second.

Spoiler!

Fourth character? A.) Placing my bets for Funky now. B.) This would point to more character combinations. Going back to A if Diddy and Dixie are both light weight chimps, if stands to reason, fourth is probably physically similar to DK I point back to Funky.

Some of the mecanics are based on Doki Doki Panic/Super Mario Bros. 2, awesome.

[Markster]

I bet the 4th character is Kiddy Kong.

[Qyzbud]

Oh man, I hope so... he is so overdue for an appearance it's not funny.

[Tompa]

While I certainly like that there are more DKC games coming, I must say that I was very disappointed to see this being announced.

Why? Because Retro have already revived the DKC franchise with a new 2D game. I had rather see them work on a different title, another franchise. As there are so many old games that need some kind of sequel.

That said, I am of course looking forward to playing this too. As long as they fixed that you don't have to shake to roll as in the first DKCR, as that was the most retarded gameplay choice made to date.

[sonosublime]

Seeing this has made my day! I might have to buy a Wii U just for this game.
Dixie is back? Underwater levels? David Wise is back.

I really would have loved to see pirate Kremlings as the bad guys, but vikings freezing over the island certainly sounds interesting. And I believe I heard something about travelling between 5 different islands? Sounds epic!

[Blaziken257]

After being disappointed in Nintendo overall for more than two years, having no reason to get a Wii U (until now), and seeing ports of three-year-old games like DKCR, I am really excited to see this. Finally, I have a reason to get a Wii U! It looks great -- the dynamic camera angles will allow for interesting level designs, swimming is back (Which means we may FINALLY see Enguarde, my favorite animal, again! Besides DKCR, the only other game where Enguarde didn't appear was DKL, so seeing him absent is simply odd), and Dixie is also back! Dixie has not appeared in any major games for a while, so this is nice to see. Only thing is... what can Diddy do that Dixie can't? In Rare's DKC games (not DKL), Diddy's main advantage was his speed and jumping, so I'm guessing it will be the case here too. Or maybe it will be his jetpack... who knows.

And having David Wise compose the music is just awesome. I'd love to hear subtle remixes of existing songs, and new, original ones. The music in this game will be great -- I know it!

Finally, if you live in the US (maybe other countries too, I don't know), there will be playable demos of a few games at Best Buy on Wednesday at 4-8pm, and Saturday at 1–5pm, and DKC:TF is one of them. There's one in my state, so I plan to check it out on Saturday. If I go (which is likely), I will let you all know what I think of it!

[aperson98]

Gameplay looks good so far all Retro needs to do now is add a player select and it will be perfect for me. This game, Smash bros 4, Rayman Legends, and Sonic lost world are all I need to convince me to pick up a Wii U now which is more then I can say for the lackluster PS4 showcase and the awful Xbox One.

[Stone]

It's cool to see Dixie and David are back in the team!

I have heard about David's return on Twitter and wasn't sure if this info was legit.
Nice that you guys have found enough proof to back this up! Makes me even more exited!

As long as they fixed that you don't have to shake to roll as in the first DKCR, as that was the most retarded gameplay choice made to date.

Good point! I still wonder how this feature survived the testing department...

[Simion32]

Someone at Retro forgot to distribute a transparent PNG logo render, so here's an edit:

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze [PNG Logo] (WARNING 6MB!!)

[BlueTronic]

YES!! YESSSS!!
Time to actually get a Wii U now

[Soniccuz]

Good point! I still wonder how this feature survived the testing department...

A lot of games for System have it tacked on. I imagine they felt pressured to make use of the motion control even though a game like this doesn't call for it.

[nintendobarn]

Hope they keep the difficulty level of DKCR. The pure challenge was what kept me going.

Have to agree with Qyzbud that the graphics are outdated but I guess we cant expect miracles on the Wii U

[Blaziken257]

I also hope this game is as difficult as DKCR. After playing DKCR, then subsequently playing the previous games, they feel too easy now. I also got used to the motion controls after a while -- and from what I heard about DKCR 3D's ridiculous button mapping (pressing R to grab, seriously?), I would actually prefer the motion controls.

Also, I forgot to mention this before, but I don't have an HD TV. I really hope the game screen isn't going to be too tiny on my SD TV. I guess it will be like DKCR in that it will be letterboxed in 4:3 mode. Right?

[Mr.Diddy]

I also hope this game is as difficult as DKCR. After playing DKCR, then subsequently playing the previous games, they feel too easy now.

I don't know why, but I always found the original DKC games slightly more difficult than DKCR. (yes, I have played the original DKC games recently.) I just never really liked the fact that they gave you two hits per character. About the enemies, I do have to say that the vikings seem much more likeable than the tikis but I am still dissapointed that they still don't want to bring back the Kremlings. Sometimes, I just don't think Retro knows what the fans want. Although I am very glad that they are bringing Dixie Kong back, I just don't feel that they are using her correctly. I feel that they shoud make Diddy Kong's jet pack fly up a little and than burn out like they are having Dixie Kong and make Dixie Kong's pony tail act similar to Diddy Kongs jetpack in DKCR except being able to glide forever like in DKC2. I really hope that they allowing Diddy alone, Dixie alone, and Diddy and Dixie together (they ARE boyfriend and girlfriend) because I felt that not being able to be Diddy alone was really pretty dumb, but seeing that Diddy/Dixie is riding DK's back, I sort of doubt it. I am happy that they are bringing back the water levels, but they just don't look the same. Firt off, you have an air meter which means that there won't be any water-only levels because you have to go up to get air (although it looks like there are bubbles that give you air like in Sonic the Hedgehog) and that you can attack underwater, making the difference in between water and land even more subtle. I think it will be extremelly rediculous if they don't bring back Engaurde considering he is pretty much an underwater Rambi. All in all, I don't think this is going to be a bad game, but I just don't think this is going to be the DKC game we have all been waiting for. I'am just not going to get my hopes up like I did with DKCR until I see that this game is trully worth all the hype it's been getting.

[Phyreburnz]

I don't really see the point in adding other Kongs when all they do is ride on DK's back. I don't know why they wouldn't stick to the DKC formula and have you be able to switch characters. I really hope they do something and switch that... but I don't see that happening.
Also, the Metroid fans don't really have the right to complain, in my mind. How many Metroid games have they gotten compared to how many DK games we've gotten?

[nintendobarn]

I think many of the design decisions är questionable like nog being able to change characters. But with that said I also belive we have to see this as a whole different series, much like Prime is in relation to Super Metroid. This is the interpetation of DKC that Retro made and I respect them for not wanting to do the exact same thing as Rare did back in 1994.

[Tiptup Jr.]

Wow, okay. First off:

I don't really see the point in adding other Kongs when all they do is ride on DK's back.

More Kongs = better.

I don't know why they wouldn't stick to the DKC formula and have you be able to switch characters. I really hope they do something and switch that... but I don't see that happening.

It is very well possible we might get to control the Kongs separately. Likely? Yeah, I dunno, but let's not rule anything out yet.

Also, the Metroid fans don't really have the right to complain, in my mind. How many Metroid games have they gotten compared to how many DK games we've gotten?

I'd say they absolutely have a right to complain. I'm happy we're getting more Donkey Kong but Other M was crap and they deserve better.

Anyway, this looks leaps and bounds better than "Returns." I'll be okay with the Kremlings not showing up here because these Vikings actually look badass. The Tikis just sucked. Dixie, David Wise, water levels, and some other fourth Kong? Cool! Here's hoping they go balls deep and have shitloads of helper Kongs, animal buddies, and really delve into the mythologies of the various islands. I wish the blowing mechanic was back in. That crap was awesome.

There is also one thing that this game absolutely, positively, without a doubt must have or I am seriously not buying it: Continuous roll through enemies when you are just being Donkey Kong. That is all.

[Phyreburnz]

More Kongs doesn't mean it's better... that's just silly. I'm also not completely ruling out them allowing control of other Kongs.... but I really don't think it's likely considering the video just shows them riding on DK's back... again... (which I still think is super, super weird looking....)

Metroid fans have gotten so many games and DK fans have gotten so few. Metroid fans can complain all they want... but they've still gotten tons more games than DK fans.

[Markster]

After all the mistakes Retro Studio done with the first game, I think that Tropical Freeze might actually come closer to the original DKC games, they better get rid of the shake to roll, that's just stupid.

Don't get me wrong, I love Donkey Kong Country Returns, I just hate having to shake to roll.

After all the complaints they have gotten, they will probably make a roll button.

[CountryFan]

No, what was stupid was that jumping in the water = dead ape.

[Qyzbud]

Yeah, it's a bit weird that jumping in the water = dead ape, but it happened a fair bit in DKC2, so it wasn't a complete shock. Personally, I found this aspect a lot easier to accept than the shake to roll control scheme... I'd like to think Retro have considered the shake a mistake, and will return to more traditional controls for Tropical Freeze.

More Kongs doesn't mean it's better... that's just silly.

Actually, I'm inclined to agree with Tiptup here — but more specifically Kongs we know and love; all of the 'Country Kongs are welcome, but DK64's 'replacement clones', Jungle Beat's anti-Kongs and any other such 'new and terrible' Kongs would just be getting in the way of our nostalgia. Bring back all things SNES and I'll be happy.

Also, I thoroughly agree with Mr.Diddy that Diddy and Dixie's special abilities need to be swapped and tweaked a bit for them to make any sense whatsoever!

As for Metroid fans, though; until all of Nintendo's other franchises have been given stunningly beautiful reboot-trilogies by Retro, I think they should consider themselves very fortunate indeed. Heck, even if Retro never makes another Metroid game (which I personally think is fair and likely), they've got a lot to be thankful for in the Prime series.

Here's hoping Retro see fit to eventually grace us DK fans with a third return of DKC someday down the track.

[Tiptup Jr.]

I mean, hey, Metroid is a great series. My brother is a big Metroid fan and (though he also likes Donkey Kong) was a bit disheartened that the franchise was nowhere to be seen. I kinda feel the same way. DK's been doing alright these past couple years (though I still hated Returns!) but I just want every fanbase to be happy.

I noticed there's an oxygen bar and you have to pick up bubbles this time around! I wonder what happened to the invisible oxygen barrels. Seriously, in a DKC novel in the 90s they use that as an explanation to how the Kongs can breathe underwater. Heavy stuff.

Man, I hope they give the soundtrack a proper release and not some Japanese Club Nintendo bullsh*t!

[Cyclone]

This new game looks promising. Better then the original DKC Returns. As for metroid I would rather see that then a dkc game that is not as true to the orginal dkc games... Dkc Returns didn't have much atmosphere. I found the levels and lighting/effects/archetypes bland. although still a fun game just not as fun.

Anyone played Rayman Origins? That is better then DKC R in my opinion.

[CountryFan]

[quote="Qyzbud"]Yeah, it's a bit weird that jumping in the water = dead ape, but it happened a fair bit in DKC2, so it wasn't a complete shock. Personally, I found this aspect a lot easier to accept than the shake to roll control scheme... I'd like to think Retro have considered the shake a mistake, and will return to more traditional controls for Tropical Freeze.


Hmmm. I only recall that happening in the swamp levels.

[Phyreburnz]

I see what you mean, Cyclone. I really don't think that retro should have called these games "Donkey Kong Country" when they look more like a sequel to jungle beat or something... to me, the deviate too far from the originals for me to consider them a part of the "country" series. That's not me calling them bad games or anything, I just don't think they are closely related enough to the originals.

[Blaziken257]

Whoa, in the first new video (in the first post), the part starting at 1:05 definitely reminds me of Chase from DKC3 GBA. I wasn't expecting that. Awesome that Wise is subtly remxing parts of past songs into new ones! (Though this isn't the first time this has occurred, either )

[Phyreburnz]

I just watched some videos of gameplay... it looks like you still can't switch between characters.


The more I watch videos of the retro DK games, the more uninterested I am in playing them, honestly They just don't look that fun... they look more frustrating than anything. If I'm playing a game, I want to do it for fun... I don't need to be frustrated and pissed off even more when I'm trying to have fun and play a game.

I also for some reason just can't stand the animation, either. It just looks so... weird and fake (yes, it's a game and I know that it is fake)... but I know Rare studied how gorillas walked and acted.

[Qyzbud]

The more I watch videos of the retro DK games, the more uninterested I am in playing them, honestly They just don't look that fun... they look more frustrating than anything.

Personally, I found DKCR incredibly fun; I think the speed and challenge of the gameplay was a big factor in making it so enjoyable, and I don't see Tropical Freeze lacking in these aspects — especially after so many gamers and reviewers praised them. The only source of frustration for me was the appalling roll control, and there's every chance we'll be spared the pain of having to shake the controller like a polaroid picture this time 'round.

I must admit I haven't even noticed the 'fakeness' of the game's animations — although maybe I shouldn't try to see what you mean, as I don't want to realise that it's bad, and be unable to 'unsee' it.

It seems a bit sad to me that you're so nonplussed by these games; it's like we've finally got a developer onboard with the talent and the interest to give us new, Rare-quality Donkey Kong Country games, and for all the brilliance, it's only the negatives* that you see.

*I don't necessarily view these aspects as negatives, just... 'deviations' from the DKC formula.

[Blaziken257]

Earler today, I went to a Best Buy that featured a demo of DKC:TF, and I was able to play it for five minutes. (The line that I waited in was ridiculously long, by the way -- I waited for two hours!) The first thing that I will say is that the demo only used the Wiimote/Nunchuk, just like DKCR. I don't know if this is because this is planned this way, or gamepad controls simply haven't been implemented yet. The controls themselves are exactly like DKCR, right down to the button presses and physics.

The demo had four levels; however, I only got to play the first (1-1), and whoever played sometime after me (there was only one other group who played after me, since the majority of people chose to play MK8 instead) also chose the first level. On the level select screen, though, each level was marked with icons.

Spoiler!

One of them had a minecart icon; the others were rather cryptic.

The music is absolutely awesome.

Spoiler!

You've all heard the music in level 1-1 (the Simian Segue remix), but I've heard of two others. The title screen is naturally a remix of the DKC SNES title screen (much like DKCR's title screen), and when finishing a level, the music is similar to DKC3 SNES's title screen. Nice!

Also, Dixie Kong is not playable in the demo -- supposedly she hasn't been fully implemented yet. Oh well.

Now I'll get around to mentioning what the first level is like... when I'm not lazy and tired. Please be patient! But I will say for now that I'm very impressed with the gameplay. If you like DKCR, you'll love this!

[Phyreburnz]

It seems a bit sad to me that you're so nonplussed by these games; it's like we've finally got a developer onboard with the talent and the interest to give us new, Rare-quality Donkey Kong Country games, and for all the brilliance, it's only the negatives* that you see.

*I don't necessarily view these aspects as negatives, just... 'deviations' from the DKC formula.

It's just that I have certain expectations with games, especially when you specifically try to relate the title to a previous game... and it's not just DK games, either. I grew up with Spyro and Crash games. Then some game company comes and completely takes everything about Spyro and changes it entirely to the only reason it is at all remotely related to any other Spyro game is that it has a purple dragon in it. Pretty much the same thing happened with Crash Bandicoot (less dramatic change than Spyro). They did the same thing to Sonic with those "Unleashed" games. Now, Spyro was the worst, but they did change the title from having "Spyro the Dragon" in it to "Spyro a New Beginning." Crash is more easily related to the new DK games in that "Crash Bandicoot: ..." (As in "Crash Bandicoot: Warped" or "Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant") is still in the title and it's nothing like the old Crash games.

I just don't understand why developers will sort of try to make a game fit with the series, but not really.... kind of at all... and make sure they have the name of the series. It just doesn't make sense... I understand using a familiar character for a different style game, because then you'll get more sales. Like, why would I buy a tennis game? But if it's Mario tennis, people will be more likely to buy it. But you're not going to buy the next Mario tennis game and expect to find that most things have been changed except for the basic characters and *some* of the visual style.

I'm just saying that with a Donkey Kong Country game, there are certain expectations that I have. I wasn't expecting a DKC game out of Jungle Beat, for instance, because it wasn't labeled as a DKC game.

[sonosublime]

I agree that it is very annoying that Retro just wont include the damn tag-out option. I love DK and all, but I like playing with Diddy and Dixie more.
And also the animations and graphics look kind of cartoony, but you can't really blame Retro for that. The stupid goofiness of the DK universe started with DK64 (another reason I hate that game). The gritty, realistic atmosphere of the SNES games is what made them so great.

But other than that, this is looking to be an amazing game. The vikings look awesome (almost as cool as the Kremlings, in my opinion), and I can't wait to hear the tunes David Wise is cooking up.

[Soniccuz]

I am certainly glad to see someone other then Paon handling the franchise, and that It's seen as such a disappointment in so many fans eyes is really a let down. I find it funny how much stock we put in a name. Jungle Beat got away with so much in my eyes, despite looking like something trying so desperately to ape the Country games. It seems to get away with it all because it doesn't bill itself has "Country". It surprises me that it doesn't garner as much vocal criticism all because of that.

The gritty, realistic atmosphere of the SNES games is what made them so great.

Yeah, I've never considered the series "gritty". That sounds like a hard case to make.