I usually try not to mention 'Strawmen Arguments' when I talk about this sort of thing since I feel it muddles from your idea's more than it adds to them. I feel like mentioning this in regards to DKC3 because it's got a really weird reputation online. It's ironic how DKC3 gets treated like the weird cousin of the DK series when it's the only game to feature Kiddy Kong, the weird cousin of the DK family, but I digress. Kiddy Kong Rules. He's hilarious. People who shit on him have never heard his death animation. Do yourself a favor and run into one of the sawbee things that's close enough to the ground to hear his tantrum. It never fails to get an honest hearty chuckle out of me.
The Northern Kremisphere of DK isle is probably the most overlooked videogame local I can think of. The game captures the feeling of Northern fall perfectly. Brisk is the immediate word that comes to mind with cozy following in suite.
DKC3 is like the last hurrah of Rare era Donkey Kong. DK64 couldn't capture the feeling this series had, and Diddy Kong Racing had spun way off into it's own thing. It's the swan song to this era of the company. After Banjo, they'd have to fully commit to the saturated and cartoony aspects of their brand given the quality of textures that were available on the n64. We wouldn't see that sort of style with grit again until Conker.
I make it a habit to play this game through every fall, and I hope when the season's line up, you'll do the same. It's charming, distinct, and most importantly, will put a smile on your face.