DKC Atlas Forum

[DK4Ever]

Well, since we know that some if not most or all of the Kong Helpers are going to be returning in DKCR, why don't we get down to doing a bit of fun speculation as to what their roles may be.

Right now we've got limited knowledge of the game, but that's what makes it fun!

OK!

First things first, let's talk Funky. He's had alot of attention lately, mostly in Mario sports games, and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe Nintendo really likes him, and who knows, maybe Retro really likes him, which could mean big things for that Main Monkey we know and love.

Will he be limited to taxi service as was his role in the first two games (And somewhat in the third as well, kind of) or will he be given a different role (Like he had in DK64 as an ammo/weapons dealer) or maybe even become a playable character? I'm sure Retro has some fancy surprises like that in store, but who knows?

Personally I think he'll get a bigger role. Taxi services seem like a waste, when, as we saw in DKC3, the main characters can just as easily go where they please on their own. I'd like to think he's being given a bigger role, probably because I like him so much, but yeah.

So whada'you guys think?

[Jomingo]

Actually, I believe it was Paon that first started promoting Funky as the 'fourth kong' if you will. Anyway, the only Kong that has been explicitly hinted at is Cranky Kong, so I'll discuss him first. I think that he's going to be either giving advice as usual, or handling the unlockable levels and stuff that you get from collecting jiggies puzzle pieces. Next, there is guaranteed to be a save Kong, as useless a job as that is, and it's most likely either Candy or Wrinkly, though Cranky could take this role too if they so desired. I'm leaning more towards Candy, seeing as Wrinkly's dead and seems more and more out of place with each game, and they seem to be pulling influence from DKC more than anything else. Next, Funky is practically guaranteed due to his popularity, and assuming he's not part of some competitive Dixie/Funky mode (SO UNLIKELY, at least for this game), he's probably running the flights/garage. It's a basic feature of having a World Map, and they are going to want a Kong to help you traverse it. There's no need for an Armory, and this is his classic DKC role.

Nobody else is really necessary, or likely. It would be nice to have Swanky or the Brothers Bear just for variety, but it probably won't happen. The three DKC Kong helpers are the ones I'm expecting, which along with DK and Diddy being playable would make this a very DKC centric game. Perhaps the sequel can expand with others of the clan just as the DKC sequels did.

[DK4Ever]

Yeah, if they're really going for the original DKC feel, they're likely to choose Candy over Wrinkly, especially since Candy didn't have quite as much time in the series as others did, even Wrinkly.

I could see the Funky/Dixie mode in this game, something like being able to unlock Protoman in MM 9. Maybe, if not, they're bound to do sequels.

However, given Retro's thoughts about such things, I don't think we HAVE to see things like save points or flight stations, since all of those things are easy to work around. I sort of predict they'll avoid those and give the Kong Helpers new roles. But you might be right, who knows.

[Jomingo]

My only problem with the idea is I can't really imagine what new roles they could have, although I'm sure Retro could come up with something. Unless the NPC's take some queues from the Brothers Bear and incorporate some item collecting/puzzle solving into the World map, which I'd be perfectly ok with.

[DK4Ever]

I can see that, maybe those puzzle pieces will be connected to one or more helper Kong. (That seems kind of far-fetched though)

Actually, I was doing some thinking and decided that you're probably right about Save Points staying as part of the world map, since I think Save Points accomplished the one thing I think having the ability to save any time doesn't, and that's difficulty.

As I understand it, Retro still plans to make the game challenging just like it's predecessors, and not being able to save all the time added a bit of tension to it. (C'mon, that 4 level gap until the save point in Gorilla Glacier was just nerve-wracking sometimes.) It can really add to the feel of the game, and I think that's something that's definitely needed.

That's always a possibility for a Hard Mode, if they disagree slightly.

And I still think Candy Kong should run it. I don't know what the other Kongs should do, besides Cranky. Funky...maybe he'll be in charge of some yet-unknown-to-us aspect of the game. I could see Swanky still doing the Bonus deal, for Extra Lives and maybe puzzle pieces/other secrets?

[Jomingo]

Yeah, Gorilla Glacier was a huge undertaking. Before you could even think about entering it, you had to make sure you had the time and the lives to last through all of it, because you couldn't get to Candy or Funky until near the end. I'm not sure if I want them to do that again. I expect that they will have a save Kong on the world map, but it wasn't really all that fun being forced to invest multiple levels before you could quit. Sometimes I just want to pick it up, play one level, and then stop. As far as Swanky goes, he's pretty much the Kong I would be most excited for if he were in the game, if only because I'm not expecting him at all. He could be awesome, seeing as they have almost limitless possibilities of what they could do with his character after so many years. A trivia game could work, but they could do so much more.

[Mr.Diddy]

Nope, Funky's not in it of course, same with Candy. It seems like Retro tried to dissapoint everyone. Has anybody noticed how Funky's bandanna changes from purple to red with poka-dots?