Hey, now we're talking. An improvement on Returns on every way, Tropical Freeze is one of the most exciting 2D platformers out there. Levels are constantly changing it up, with frenetic setpieces, and unique and creative world themes, and the top-notch presentation is still here and even better - it is now a high-definition game of course, but that soundtrack man. Holy shit.
It does retain some annoying things from Returns though: I'm still not sure if I like only being able to control DK, and the other kongs just serving as power-ups, and fuck they are once again stingy with those kong barrells. The collection of bosses is so much better than Returns, but the last two bosses go on for sooooooo damn long... I like the polar bear, and DK's "are we the bad guys now?" reaction, but why. And the final boss, whyyyyyyy. There is a tiny window to hit them and if you miss, gotta go through another cycle motherfucker. I thought it was awful.
I also find bonus rooms to once again give me an empty feeling. They only reward me with bananas and puzzle pieces, which are completely worthless, not even counting towards 100% completion. Again. I don't get the point.
Speaking of which, I once again went for 100%, completing every level, which meant finding all the secret exits (a great addition) and KONG letters. Some of the secret levels were among my favorites, but I would ultimately say it's not worth it - the secret world is some trial-and-error do-or-die bullshit design, and getting some of those KONG letters in the last two worlds was a big oof.
DK again feels a little too heavy for my tastes, but the level design has such fantastic flow, for the most part, that I didn't care that much this time. Though being able to play as the other Kongs only in Hard mode (where you die in ONE hit, no thanks) is some bullshit.
I don't know if Tropical Freeze sits alongside Super Mario World or Rayman Legends as GOATs of the genre (I do have a feeling it'll end up growing on me in future playthroughs), but it's definitely a fantastic platformer.
It does retain some annoying things from Returns though: I'm still not sure if I like only being able to control DK, and the other kongs just serving as power-ups, and fuck they are once again stingy with those kong barrells. The collection of bosses is so much better than Returns, but the last two bosses go on for sooooooo damn long... I like the polar bear, and DK's "are we the bad guys now?" reaction, but why. And the final boss, whyyyyyyy. There is a tiny window to hit them and if you miss, gotta go through another cycle motherfucker. I thought it was awful.
I also find bonus rooms to once again give me an empty feeling. They only reward me with bananas and puzzle pieces, which are completely worthless, not even counting towards 100% completion. Again. I don't get the point.
Speaking of which, I once again went for 100%, completing every level, which meant finding all the secret exits (a great addition) and KONG letters. Some of the secret levels were among my favorites, but I would ultimately say it's not worth it - the secret world is some trial-and-error do-or-die bullshit design, and getting some of those KONG letters in the last two worlds was a big oof.
DK again feels a little too heavy for my tastes, but the level design has such fantastic flow, for the most part, that I didn't care that much this time. Though being able to play as the other Kongs only in Hard mode (where you die in ONE hit, no thanks) is some bullshit.
I don't know if Tropical Freeze sits alongside Super Mario World or Rayman Legends as GOATs of the genre (I do have a feeling it'll end up growing on me in future playthroughs), but it's definitely a fantastic platformer.