Wasn't sure if I'd like this or not, but it was really fun to play. I was initially kind of turned off by the visuals and hearing about its hard difficulty, but after playing games like the Mega Man series, I've been more open to trying harder games. This was definitely a challenge at times, but it was a pretty fun game to blaze through regardless of its difficulty. I had a blast with a good chunk of the game, though I wasn't a fan of most of the Gorilla Glacier levels. However, I do really like Croctopus Chase and Rope Bridge Rumble, both being levels that really stand out for me in particular. The levels in this game also have great gimmicks that didn't change much of the gameplay itself, but more of how you need to tackle each level. Great examples of gimmicks I love are the Stop & Go Barrels in Stop & Go Station and the flickering lights in Blackout Basement (which is probably my favourite level in the game). The music in this game is also incredibly good and it's another example of retro music being really damn good (like Mega Man), featuring tracks like Fear Factory, Mine Cart Madness, Gang-Plank Galleon, and my personal favourite which is Aquatic Ambiance. Speaking of which, props to the developers for creating really fun water levels. Normally I don't like water levels because they feel extremely slow, but these levels felt really good to control and play while having incredible music to really enhance the experience. Overall, I'd say this game provides a great level of challenge and fun and is a great starting point for the Donkey Kong Country series.