The trilogy ends with a whimper. DKC 3 tries so hard to be a Mario game (especially with its over-reliance on a phony world map) that it sheds the series' promising unique flavor. The level order feels thematically cobbled, without the natural dramatic build of DKC's first half (the sunset-night-morning progression of 'Kongo Jungle' is neither equaled nor attempted here). And despite developer Rare's efforts to up their graphical prowess, this final game boasts the worst visuals of the bunch: blurry, low-contrast, overly-textured models in lieu of the first game's aesthetic clarity.