Nintendo made a ton of announcements during E3 2013 and among them was that Donkey Kong
Country Returns would be getting a Wii U sequel in the form of Donkey Kong Country Tropical
Freeze
And they didn't just show off a trailer but we even got to play it too!
So we figured we'd do what we do best and analyze everything we've seen to see what
secrets the footage might be hiding.
And with that, let's get started.
So right off the bat, we can see the game is very similar to DKCR Returns.
Of course, both Donkey Kong and Diddy are back, only this time sporting a super nifty
fur effect, And based on our play-time, we can say that they play nearly identically
too, whether together or separated.
You can still roll, jump, roll-jump, cling to grass to cross over chasms, as well as
use Diddy's peanut-gun and jetpack to hover.
But they're not completely identical.
For instance, you can no longer blow on things, which was used to reveal objects hidden in
flowers or blow out candles in the original game.
But, Donkey and Diddy have gained a new ability to make-up for it, and that is they can now
pluck objects from the ground to reveal hidden things or changes the environment in some
way, such as by revealing an entrance here
In addition, the characters can finally swim again, like in the original series!
And you can even perform a sprial-attack to take out enemies--which is the first time
they've been able to attack underwater without the help of an animal buddy.
On top of that, it also provides a quick speed-boost, which you migh very well need given that there
is now an air meter that limits how long you can stay underwater, but you will be able
to collect air bubbles from discarded scuba diving helmets to replenish your aie supply.
Beyond the mostly similar moveset, we can see that the background interactivity of DKCR
is back too, such as with the ships here that unload small horde of enemies.
But Tropical Freeze takes it even further by introducing a dynamic camera that provides
a much deeper sense of immersion, such as during this barrel-cannon sequence, which
offers viewpoints far more cinematic than those of the original game.
Moving on, Tropical Freeze also marks the return of Dixie Kong who hasn't been playable
in a platformer since Donkey Kong Country 3.
And like before, she can use her hair like a helicopter to increase her air-time, even
while riding piggyback on Donkey Kong.
But she works a little differently this time around.
Instead of simply allowing you to glide as in past games, it actually gains you some
altitude, which will be useful for last-minute saves or reaching high ledges.
In fact, according to one of the game's producers, there will even be secret areas that can only
be reached by certain characters
Unfortunately, we don't know much else about her as she wasn't playable in the demo.
But Dixie Kong's far from the only returning element from past games, such as the collectibles,
like bananas, balloons, and Banana coins, which likely means there's a shop of some
kind in the game where you can again purchase help-items.
And we wouldn't be surprised if Cranky Kong is once-again serving as the shopkeeper.
Then there are the four hidden KONG letters in every level.
And if they operate anything like the ones in Returns, that could mean you'll again have
to find them all to unlock a secret level in each world.
And Puzzles Pieces as back too, and based on the demo, it appears there will again be
a varying amount hidden per level, such as 5 or 9, But since Returns also had a third
option, being 7, we're guessing that'll be the case here too.
And if they serve the same purpose hereas in Returns, that means they could be used
to unlock bonus content in the game, like music tracks or concept art.
And of course the DK barrels are also back, which like before, allows you to regain a
lost partner.
But there's something different about them this time...if we take a look at the one in
this clip, we can actually see it has DD written on it instead of the "DK" seen elsewhere in
the footage.
And we're guessing it's shorthand for Diddy since that's who pops out.
In addition, we can see Donkey Kong actually finds a barrel with DX written on it as well,
which as you might have guessed, houses Dixie Kong
SO it seems that the barrel actually now displays which character is trapped inside of it, as
in the gameplay we've seen, Donkey Kong only finds DD barrels, whereas Diddy only finds
DK barrels.
But this only applies to the barrels found within the levels themselves, as the ones
that appear when a fallen player uses a life to respawn have the classic DK letters on
them.
So why the change?
Probably because there's no longer just two-characters, with the addition of Dixie.
In fact, according to the game's producers, there will actually be a fourth character
as well, though we have no clue who it might be.
But we'll get back to that in a second...
So now that we know the barrels' display the names of the Kong inside, we can't help but
wonder if this might mean that the KONG barrels you find could be dependent on the level you
play.
In this respect, they may actually be more like Yoshi in Super Mario World, where you
would find different colored ones depending on the level, but could take them with you
to any level you wanted to as long as you didn't lose them.
Though the game's producer did note that you'll be able to choose the character you play as,
so maybe you'll actually choose your players before the level even starts, which would
then change the barrels you encountered throughout the level.
Now let's get back to that mysterious fourth character...could that mean that the game
might actually offer 4-player multiplayer?
Maybe, but the official fact-sheet provided to the press only lists 1-2 players, so it
does seem unlikely.
But either way, we're guessing that the character might be on the larger side physically so
that Diddy & Dixie would have someone else to pair up with--which again would make perfect
sense if the game is indeed 4-players since you'd have two teams of two
And though we don't know who that 4th character is, we do have one theory: Kiddie Kong, since
he's not only DK-sized, but Dixie Kong previously paired up with him in Donkey Kong Country
3.
Now he hasn't typically been the most favorably looked-upon Kong by fans of the series, so
maybe Retro will take the opportunity to age him a few years past the infant-stage.
or of course, it could just be someone else entirely
Regardless of who it is, we still don't know how any of this fits into the story.
In fact, we don't know much about the story at all besides the fact that Donkey Kong's
home, fittingly known as Donkey Kong Island, has been commandeered by group of vikings
from the North Sea
Wait, Vikings?
Yep, just like Donkey Kong Country Returns before it, Tropical Freeze introduces an entirely
new type of enemy.
This time in the form of a variety of arctic animal types decked out in Viking gear, such
as penguins who'll come in a ton of forms like normal walking ones, bigger walking ones,
flying ones, bouncing ones, helmeted ones who are protected against your first hit,
but can then be picked up and thrown, horn-helmeted ones that we're guessing you won't be able
to jump on at all, archer ones who fire dead fish at you, bomb-carrying ones, and these
spear-guys who we can see are alerted to your presence when you get close.
Beyond the penguins, there are also walruses--who apparently take a few hits to take down--
owls, which come in small and giant varieties Then we also can see that rabbits will be
here too, and at least one Sea Lion, who's a boss.
And did you notice many of them are wearing what appears to be their people's insignia
In fact, we can see that insignia all over the levels shown off so far, such as on tents,
ships, various banners, and boxes
Now according to the game's producers, Donkey Kong will Actually have to fight his way across
5 different islands in order to get back to his home of Donkey Kong Island
ANd this is actually in-line with the original trilogy where only the first game took place
on Donkey Kong Island, and the others, starting with the second one, took place largely elsewhere
And that's not the only similarity.
As you might recall, the second game in the original trilogy, Diddy's Kong Quest, had
pirate-themed enemies.
And Vikings are also pirates--only scandinavian ones.
Are these similarities entirely coincidental, or could it hint at a deeper connection?
I mean, Dixie is back after all, and the second game is where she got her start.
So we wouldn't be surprised if an Animal Buddy or two from that game is also back, like Rambi
from the first DKC in Returns.
And speaking of which, the trailer actually doesn't show a single animal-buddy at all.
But now that underwater areas are a thing, could enguarde the swordfish be in the cards?
But let's get back to the story for a second.
One of the levels in the demo was actually the very first level of the game, and here
we can see Donkey Kong pounding his way out of the cockpit of a crashed plane.
So wmaybe that plane is is how Donkey Kong and Diddy get to the first island?
Were they shot down?
Well, if we replay the intro in slow motion, we can actually see Donkey Kong and Diddy
dropping in from the sky and into the airplane.
So were they blasted out fo the plane during its crash-landing and are just now catching
up to it?
Or maybe the two events are completley unrelated--Donkey Kong is known for making an entrance after
all, and that plane sure looks like it's been there awhile.
Maybe they were blasted from Donkey Kong Island all the way here?
Either way, this opening is fairly similar to the opening of DKC Returns, which also
involved pounding his way through a door.
And though we don't have footage of it, you can head right back inside to find a secret
area with TVs that you can turn on by ground-pounding which displays the game's logo--again, just
like the previous game.
And it seems crashed planes will be a theme in the first world, as if we take a look at
level 1-4 from the demo, we can see Donkey Kong and Diddy pass by several different wreckages--some
of which are still on fire and are probably pretty recent.
What's going on here?
Are the Vikings shooting them down?
And later in that same level, DK travels through a destroyed a cargo ship, complete with boxes
loaded with bananas, at least if the icon on them is any indication.
And it's not long after where we see some cargo containers with a banana bunch icon
as well.
So are those Donkey Kong's bananas?
And who took them originally?
After all, we doubt the Vikings are flying planes.
Okay, that's enough about the story.
Let's talk a little bit about the levels themselves.
Now as we mentioned, Donkey Kong will be visiting 5 different islands on his way back to Donkey
Kong Island, which would make for 6 total.
So assuming each island is a world, does that mean the game will only have 6 worlds compared
to the 8 of the previous game, excluding the secret one?
Maybe each world will be longer this time around to make up for this?
Or perhaps some of the islands will be sectioned off into separate worlds?
Or maybe the game's actually does just feature fewer levels, with perhaps each individual
level being longer to compensate--the one's in the demo certainly seemed pretty lengthy!
And speaking of the demo, we have a pretty good idea of the first world's theme since
3 of the four levels available take place there.
And unsurprisingly, it's a jungle.
Plus if we take a look at the trailer, we can see yet what appears to be another Jungle
that introduces a new gameplay mechanic: jelly-platforms that can be used like trampolines.
And since they come in a variety of colors, we wonder if they might have different properties
too, such as providing different bounce heights.
And we also know from the demo that the boss of this world is this Sea Lion.
ANd did you notice his penguin henchmen are sitting in the passenger seats of one of the
crashed airplane?
That's a pretty cool detail.
Okay, so we now know there's the jungle world--duh, it's a DK game.
But the demo's fourth level takes place in World 2, and this one appears to be themed
to a cliff-type area similar to World 6 from DKCR.
In fact, the level here is called Cannon Canyons, and DKCR had a similarly titled level, Crumble
Canyon, so we're pretty sure Cliffs will indeed be the world's theme.
And another clip also reveals a new new mechanic in the form of these giraffe & zebra platforms
that you can climb like a rope.
And this clip from the trailer seems to offer a glimpse of yet another level from the Cliffs
world
So that's potentially 2 of the 5 non-DK islands down, but what about the others?
Well, a few other scenes in the trailer might just provide an idea of what to expect.
Like this forest for example.
Now although there were forest in DKCR as well, this one looks quite a bit different
In fact, judging by the background, it may actually be more of a mountain region, as
it seems you'll be using this new balloon platforms to reach them, as they even extend
into the background.
And a clip soon after even shows shows you using them in that same mountain region
And while we're on this clip, did you notice the faces carved in the mountainside?
And then there's the nearby door and in another clip, we can see a house on a ledge.
They're just small details, but they really make the whole area feel a little unsettling.
Finally, we have this frozen area.
But we don't think this is the one of the 5 islands.
Instead, we think it's actually Donkey Kong Island that DK's trying to work his way back
to.
ANd we think this for a couple of reasons.
For one, we can clearly see that this used to be a tropical environment based on the
frozen palm trees.
ANd this ties directly into the game's namesake, being Tropical Freeze.
So we're guessing that the Vikings not only took DK's land from him, but froze it over
too somehow.
Supporting this idea is the fact that we can see a couple of Monkey Statues which are very
similar to the ones from DKCR here.
Plus there's also a frozen flower spring from DKCR's forest world . And to top it all off,
during the Nintendo Direct, the frozen footage was shown at the exact same time that Iwata
talks about DK's home being taken from him.
Okay, but what could the 4 and 5th Island themes be then?
The footage does seem to reveal at least one more level type, which appears to be a cave,
so these could be the one of the final two themes--but they could also just be subsets
of an existing world.
We really don't have enough footage of them to say either way.
Assuming they are just part of an existing world though, if we used DKC as reference,
the remaining themes could also be a Beach., Ruins, Factory, or Volcano.
Okay, we're almost done here, but as usual, there are just a few final details left.
Like the few additional enemy types besides the vikings that we haven't yet pointed out,
such as fish, jellyfish enemies, birds, grasshoppers, snails, turtles, insect-like flying creatures.
and these piranha plant platforms.
Then there's this giant catfish, which judging by the fact there's an air bubble dispenser
right here, means you'll probably be battling him too, so perhaps he's a mid-boss?.
Plus it looks like the wall on the right might be destroyable, so perhaps you'll have to
agitate the catfish enough--maybe by pulling his whiskers--to have him knock it loose for
you.
And speaking of enemies, did you notice the penguins casually walking around in the background
of the Cliffs area?
It's a small detail, but one that really helps bring the world to life.
And while we're talking about details, did you notice the underwater cave section resemble
the silhouette levels from the original game?
Could they be back too?
Or maybe the levels now switch between the two styles dynamically, as seems to be the
case here.
And in case you didn't notice, the bosses appear to remain as individual levels again,
and still come complete with a cinematic intro.
And there are still a few more returning elements we haven't yet pointed out, like vines, barrel
cannon--including ones that launch you automatically and the ones that self-destruct--checkpoints,
complete with pigs, bulbous flowers that reveal hidden goods, and of course, hidden bonus
rooms that contain puzzle pieces.
ANd though the objective is still the same--collect all the goodies--they are notable tougher
than before.
Oh, and of course Mine Carts are back too, as you've probably noticed.
Could this mean the rocket-barrels from DKCR might be as well?
Finally, in the the E3 demo, both characters had three hearts, but every scene in the trailer
shows them with only two, which suggests the game's taking a page from the 3DS version
of DKCR and features at least two-difficulty levels, with one granting extra health and
maybe additional help items
And with that, we're done covering everything we could dig up on Donkey Kong Country Returns
Tropical Freeze.
As always, let us know if we missed anything by posting in
the comments.