Topic: Donkey Kong Country (Series)

Wowsers. Some of these checkpoints/save points are tough in DKC1. That got me thinking, what are the checkpoints in the modern DKC games? Are they by level? Because surely if so, that makes collecting bananas and extra lives kind of pointless and makes it a bit easier, no? I enjoy the gauntlet of levels before saving. Anyways, be good to have the option of setting a checkpoint difficulty position at the start of game;

Easy (start of each level)
Moderate (start of each world)
Hard (no checkpoints, have to complete the game with no game overs)
Very Hard (one life only, for the insane gamers out there)

I do this with the original Super Mario Bros too. Completed it on moderate but haven’t gone all the way through without a game over yet (hard difficulty).

@Oswinner The modern ones save after every level, and have multiple checkpoints within most levels, but I think they are harder games overall. They both also have unlockable hard modes with no checkpoints and one hit kills.

Man, all this DKC talk makes me want to go back to Tropical Freeze. I unlocked hard mode after beating all the levels and getting all the stuff, but I really don't know if I can beat a lot of the later levels with only one heart and getting all the letters in one go.

@rallydefault I normally don't like high difficulty in games but I loved hard mode in Tropical Freeze, you really have to learn the levels and take it slow and steady if you can. Very satisfying to master those levels.

The only problem is I couldn't do the final boss because half the time when you jump on his head you take damage instead, so I'm stuck on 199% in that game

@Green_Shyguy
Dang. And the later mine cart/ log flume levels seem like they'll be really tough, too.

@Green_Shyguy @rallydefault Tropical Freeze hard mode is very rewarding but very frustrating. The levels and boss fights are really long, and without checkpoints it can be a bit of a slog. I think the game keeps track of when you get the K-O-N-G letters in hard mode too, so there's still collectibles even.

That last boss was the WORST. I had a hard enough time on standard difficulty. His timing and hitboxes are just....weird.

Edit: if I remember correctly, once I started playing the game on hard I played it backwards. Started with the end levels and got them out of the way. Made me feel like it would only get easier from that point. It doesn't lol, not always at least. But it boosted my morale.

Hardest levels in DKC series:

DKC - Tanked Up Trouble: I dont think DKC 1 is too difficult, but this level always takes me a few tries regardless.

DKC 2 - Animal Antics: To this day I'm unsure if I've completed this level without save states. It's a brutal gauntlet. The section with squawks gets me every time.

DKC 3 - Probably Rocket Rush, but honorable mention to Poison Pipeline. Both stages change the way you play.

I'd have to put some thought into the hardest levels of the Modern DKC games since I haven't played them as much.

Hardest thing in DK64? Probably getting the golden banana from the Donkey Kong arcade machine. There's probably harder things, but I have PTSD from that machine.

@Oswinner I remember being so thrilled with finally completing the first Gorilla Glacier level - the barrels gave me a heck of a time - only to be confronted by the frustration that is Slipslide Ride lol. I think I got past it maybe once as a kid by dumb luck. Part of the difficulty for me was that I don't believe you could leave the area until you got to Funky's Flights, so I'd blow through all 99 lives with no way to replenish them.

Out of the later levels, overall I like KremKroc Industries, but I'm not a fan of Chimp Caverns. I like a lot of the previous worlds, but I guarantee a good chunk of that is nostalgia lol.

When I replayed the old DKC games on NSO I was surprised how difficult they were, and yet they were extremely successful selling over 10 Million units. Why do most modern developers assume that there is no audience for difficult games? Even Tropical Freeze is very easy compared to the old DKC games.

@Tyranexx yes it’s very tough with all the tough save points. The snow barrel level was tough but I found a way to skip the end section by pure chance, lol, as one barrel sends you all the way to the end. Slipslide Ride was tough but I found it a really nice level, one of my faves. I’m currently on the next gauntlet of levels (Really Gnawty Rampage thru to Elevator Antics) and bloody Trick Track Trek is driving me mental haha.

Well this is very obviously untrue.

Are you kidding? The original games are a cakewalk compared to the modern ones! Tell me you didn't rage on the secret levels! I bet people saying the old ones were harder didn't even bother to unlock those bonus stages in the new games. Heck some of the regular levels had me pulling my hair out! Don't even get me started on the final bosses!

Yeah I'd have to say the modern games are harder at least on level design. They're more forgiving in that you have a health bar and items you can buy to make it easier. But taken as a whole (hard mode, time trials) they're ridiculous.

@Losermagnet Oh man, that part frustrated me as a kid. Only one life when starting, and they make it so that it must be cleared twice to get the Nintendo Coin (which, along with the Rareware Coin, is required to face K. Rool). Were these guys for real??? The Donkey Kong arcade game was rather difficult at first too...that was the sole reason why I never beat DK64 as a kid. Granted, I did beat it years later, but man was that part tough as nails.

Some of the minigames were pretty frustrating too - especially Beaver Bother. The less I talk about that, the better.

Do you think this DK door at Super Nintendo World hints at a new DKC game later this year? I heard rumors that the team behind Mario Odyssey is currently working on a new Donkey Kong title.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/japans-super-nintend...

@Oswinner Oh gosh, you think that's bad? Wait until you get to Animal Antics in DKC2 and Lightning Lookout in DKC3. I played 3 a month or so ago, and Lightning Lookout is fresh on my mind. I don't throw controllers as I know the consequences well, but I was itching to lol.

@Tyranexx haha. I look forward to playing them. Just reached the 5th Candy point. Onto Poison Pond...

@dionysos283 The thing that bothers me with Nintendo of Japan's treatment of DK is he's used more as an extension of Mario's franchise rather than his own. Mario Odyssey is the first time in ages I feel like they acknowledged the Rare developed characters in a substantial way.

If the Odyssey team developed a Donkey Kong game I'd go bananas (sorry, couldn't resist).

@MarioLover92 oh i forgot about that. I love DK64 but it was lousy with mini games.

@dionysos283 @Losermagnet
There is SO much potential in a DKC "open world"/adventure game (I hate open world games but you get my meaning). I really do think there are some things that can be kept from DK64, but add in some Odyssey, some Bowser's Fury, some old-school DKC platforming. Yum.

@rallydefault i think most of Nintendo's franchises would benefit from a 'Breath of the Wild' or 'Odyssey' style reimagining. It may be a "hot take" but I don't think characters like DK and Kirby should just be in standard 2D platformers cause they're getting stale.