Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze's Switch File Is Almost Half The Size Of The Wii U Version

Really hope this compression doesn't affect the music quality or lengthen the loading times which were already pretty long in the WiiU version.

I’d much sooner get the Wonderful 101 or Pikmin 3 than this pleasant but rudimentary 2D platformer. Maybe those two are also coming. Won’t be double dipping on this one, but I hope those who wanted to play it but missed out because they refused to purchase a Wii U, will be afforded the opportunity at a price they can afford.

Purchase for sure. Best 2D platformer in the last 5 years.

If Super Mario Odyssey's file size is only 5.7GB, surely DKCTF can manage with 6.6GB. The fact it was double that size on WiiU kinda baffles me.

Maybe they didn't remaster it to 1080p

Cool

Really excited for this bad boy.

@ottospooky sorry, but there is no way you finished that game and considered it rudimentary.

I skipped the WiiU as first time i skip a Nintendo console, didn't regret that decision at all especially now that I'm blessed with a second chance to play all these awesome WiiU games with no extra cost of dlc (mk8d, hopefully smash for sure)
I need a fatal frame remastered please.
Have a good day everyone

I will be double dipping. Mainly to finally clear the extra levels and get all collectables on the go.

@NewAdvent The Wii U version is now a Nintendo Select at £20. I would absolutely love it for that price on Switch but Nintendo tax means this will be £40

@DrScottnik they haven't needed to compress. The Wii U version was bloated to help load times.

It was a great game on the wii u
But hope they shorten the loading time on switch
way to long on the wii u
I might get again on switch

Still searching for the C-button on the Switch controller.

@Yookatonic duplicated assets from the Disc on Wii U

@Dom Sounds great! Looking forward to this game - missed it on Wii U. However just a question - Why does it bode well for other games? In relation to the Switch storage needs do you mean? Just not sure what that comment was referring to. I think it’s great that they managed to reduce the size mind you, but just wasn’t sure why this ‘bodes well’ for other games.

I'd wager that most 3D games of that magnitude easily could be reduced to half the file size without noticable difference in quality of graphics and sound.

For Tropical Freeze there might even be no difference at all, or even improvements.
It's all about streamlining and sorting your asset reuse, being aware of your data formats, and getting rid of stuff that don't show on screen anyway. Realtime decompressing of certain files might be a thing here as well.

@Yookatonic
Games grow big becasue the creators lack the experience and knowledge of creating economic assets, or they are in a hurry sometimes to get things working, and they lack the time for later optimization. Gotta meet deadlines.

It's all about time, skill, and priorities, but luckily (you could say) storage space isn't as constraining a factor as it once was, so many more people can make games without being tech wizards. And those that are can now make games much faster than previously.

I wish they’d release an offical soundtrack. Very wise to get David Wise!

Hey Nintendo, share that sweet compression technology with third party companies to get their games onto cheaper carts without the download.

Can't wait! Never got it on Wii U for some reason so glad to get it now.

Great game I highly recommend it , the only set back I see with it is the price I have to say it seems over priced for a game this old and the only new content is another character I think 29.99 would have been a fair price for this title, non the less it is a gem and a must play for Donkey Kong Country fans

@FTL If developers are able to drastically reduce file sizes for games as big and impressive as DKC:TP, then it means they can do more with less space. Leaves an exciting precedent for developing for a platform that uses expensive carts

@DarthMarth @NewAdvent Bad news I'm afraid, it's not even £40 it's £50.A tenner dearer than the Wii U version was at launch.

@Trikeboy it hasn't been compressed dude

A masterpiece, I absolutely love it on Wii U. Funny my son has been playing the Wii U version again just recently. I recommend it to anyone who missed it first time around.

@OorWullie

It's £40 on Amazon though i'm in no rush as i have it on WiiU and got a backlog on Switch to get through.

Nintendo and their game compressing magic, I don't care about file size as long as the game play just as good as the original on Wii U.

What I get a kick out of (and the fact that some people on here state that nintendo is not out for your money...which is a lie), is how the game is down to $20 on Wii U and they're charging a full $60 for it when it comes back out. To me, it should be a $40 game, but nintendo is nintendo, and charging it full price to never go down in price for 3-4 years. Oh well, it's not really one that I'd play again...would rather play the original Super NES titles instead and the Kirby Star Allies is enough for me. Can't really wait to see what's in store for E3 to showcase...hopefully a new Mario Golf title for Switch, or Eternal Darkness remastered (doubt this one, but can hope). Would love for a new Chibi Robo, but that's another 'no and never'.

I would double dip on this if they added a new world with extra levels like the DKCR port on 3DS.

funky kong looks good for trying 100 percent runs. If they have new stages suited to funky kong that would be nice too. And not sure if its me but it looks nicer than the Wii U version. Yer i know 1080p and 60 fps. And playing this on the go will be awesome you know what Nintendo consider me tempted!.

That's not compression, that's something else. Outside of video and audio, compression techniques haven't made THAT much progress in 20 years.
Unless they originally stored the audio and graphics in the most uncompressed formats available, I think they've gone and deleted a bunch of unnecessary/duplicated data.

@Prizm that's exactly what they have done.

I may get this again. Sad to say I'd get a game twice😒... but it was SO damn fun.. and good... and-- and fun🙂🙂🙂

@JLPick yeah but get this... no one has to buy it👍

The more people get to hear David Wise's glorious soundtrack to this game the better!

If it gets a physical release I’ll be buying it

I’m still a bit baffled that they’re selling this five year old port for ten dollars more than they did when it was brand new nearly five years ago, but on the other hand, this gameplay compilation reminded me of just how incredibly beautiful and fun this game is. I’m so psyched to play it through and 100% it again.

Too bad it's not half the price of the Wii U version as well.

Gotta make it all fit on an 8GB cartridge somehow.

I recall DKCR3D being a beefy download as well.

@thesilverbrick because Nintendo like to milk that cash cow for all its worth when it comes to their IPs.

Best 2D platformer with best soundtrack in years. Desirable price: € 39,99.

@DarthMarth Yet they still would be milking it and making a tidy profit if they sold at $50 instead of 60. They considered it profitable to sell the game five years ago at $50 (after a lengthy development process), and with minimal additional development, this simple port is going to be pure profit. Artificially adding $10 to the price is just shameless.

@thesilverbrick I 100% agree. I wish someone would pointedly ask a Nintendo PR guy how the hell they come up with some of their pricing, especially for games from their back catalogue. I don't think its too much to ask that they don't take the proverbial every time they re-release something

I simply will not buy full priced Wii U ports. Especially this one considering it was $49.99 when it first came out. Shame on Nintendo.

Oh hey, just noticed now that Funky replac es DK, and isn't a sidekick like the others.
Pretty good for an easy mode, I suppose.

@DarthMarth they want to defend the value of their games. I think it’s as simple as that.

Rightly or wrongly a lot of people correlate price with quality or ‘worthiness’. Price a game low and they assume it has no value and no worth.

Plus if the market were flooded with cheap old Nintendo games then they wouldn’t be able to sell new games for full price and their whole business model collapses.

They’ve got it wrong in this case (it’s at least £10 too expense) but personally I think the logic behind their pricing is sound.

@ottospooky
Hey! Never thought of a W101 port. I would of love to play that game on the go. Great game hope it can have a second chance on the switch.

Now that the game fits on an 8GB cart, Nintendo can't blame the inflated price on the extra cost of using a larger cart.

Despite being one of my favorite Wii U titles, I can't justify spending $60 just to 200% the game again.

Might double dip!

The masters of optomization and compression do it again. Never picked this up on Wii U so I'm happy to pay $46.60 on Amazon US for this via Prime and Amazon card, then get those 60 cents of gold points for some smaller game on the eshop. Videogames and paper money are both worthless, unless they have worth to you. I think my monies will be well spent on another piece of Nintendo entertainment that will enrich my life, then they can take that $46.50 and add it to their gold vault to swim in, or more likely pay their employees a decent wage and put some back into designing more games. I'm cool with any of those 3 because I'll have Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze. If you don't think it's worth your money, don't buy it.

@DarthMarth yup Nintendo would somehow find a way to charge full retail for Fortnite

@kingsandyravage, it is physical.

I already preordered this. I can't wait.

This game shall finally be mine. Not a bad file size at all. Nintendo are masters of compression.

This should be a double pack with Returns.

@DrScottnik : That will unfortunately be the case for many games on Switch as it is one of the easiest ways to cut corners in order to squeeze games onto smaller cartridges.

One comparison that I have noticed is that between Just Dance 2017 and 2018. 2017 shipped on a 16GB cartridge while 2018 is on an 8GB cartridge. Ironically, the A/V quality of 2018 on Wii U is likely to be superior to the Switch version (and the compression of the videos was apparent).

Can’t wait to play this again. My favourite game ever

@Dev Agreed. I am getting this b/c I only got to the 3rd world and the game was too stressful for me to devote more time to, so I gave up. DK is my favorite character. I have double dipped on Rayman and MK8. I think this will be my last and I will pass on Toad.

@ekwcll in UK? Thought they hadn’t confirmed yet?

If Nintendo hadn't gone bonkers when setting the price, I'd be double dipping.

@ottospooky what you talking about rudimentary

Odd

I could see this in an open world game where strategic file duplication for a game read off optical disc can help combat load times. Was a common trick on the PS3, and I suspect was used a bit on the Wii U as well.

But that certainly doesn't apply to a linear 2D level based platformer. So I doubt that explains why the size has almost been halved.

One of my favorite video games of all time, and most definitely the best 2D platformer I've ever played.

It's that good.

Dang right I'm buying this, both physically and digitally. So that file size is sweet music to my ears.

@JaxonH why physically and didge ? seems a bit silly.

@8-Bit_Superman I think the Wii U digital version was just a ripped ISO image and that's why the file size was so big.

Switch version will see them duplicate files removed. There is no way the loading times will be any longer than the Wii U version

@617Sqn
Silly to you, perhaps... But not to me.

As a physical collector I cannot pass up owning physically, especially as one of my fave games.

But I've recently come to appreciate the convenience of having all the top games digitally for instant access anywhere. So I buy all my games physically if they get a retail release, but I also buy the top 5% digitally as well. The convenience is worth it.

New levels? There are moments in this trailer making me think there is😁there must be surely. I’m so excited to play this again and again it’s sooooo good

If this ends up being the final file size, maybe a XCX port won't need the large data packs the Wii U version had.

Nice to know, but there is no way I am going to buy this game again, especially for $60.

@thesilverbrick I think you answered your own question, it's "because people will buy it anyway." Also probably something to do with inflation.

I'm tempted, because I gave up on the Wii U version for being too frustrating so the new modes look interesting. I think I'll wait for it to go on sale though.

@DanElectrode People will buy it, and Nintendo won’t feel any lasting consequences for inflating its price. That doesn’t mean Nintendo isn’t being sleazy in this case. Software depreciates in value over time. Simple ports of old games don’t get more expensive at retail than they were when they first released. This is artificial inflation. I think it’s funny that people are making excuses or saying that it’s justified. The only justification and the only reason for the price is Nintendo being greedy and they can get away with it, plain and simple.

@thesilverbrick Oh, I definitely agree. I've been taken advantage of a ton of times by Nintendo for being willing to re-buy every re-release, I was mostly just trying to make a joke.

Assuming the file size listing isn't wrong, then this game should be able to fit on a 8 GB cartridge.

Which means Nintendo has no business charging $60 for this rerelease, as the "cartridges too expensive" excuse can't apply.

@DanElectrode Gotcha. Sorry, I didn’t recognize it as a joke at first, but now that I go back and read your post, I can see that you were kidding. Sorry about that.

At the moment the price only seems expensive because the majority of readers have already paid and playec it. However as the Wii U version did not sell well generally, Nintendo wil obviously market and sell this version as a new game to those who didn't purchase a Wii U. That's the downside of being a Nintendo fan.
Perhaps when more details are confirmed about this version, people will be able to make a better judgement on it's value.

I don't think publishers cared about file sizes on Wii U. Watchdogs for example which I brought recently clocks in at a staggering near 20GB, where's the PS360 versions I bet are not near that size.

Which is fine actually, my Wii U's 2TB External Hardrive was wondering when I was going to use up all those unused bytes. XD

Pay up... for compression?

Many different methods are used for smaller size programs. Remember when Majora's Mask came out on Wii VC, & was smaller, than Ocarina? That was because MM came later, when Nintendo had better compression for their VC titles, in this case, I believe they were .wad files. Dumping duplicate data is another slimdown trick. Now, if Nintendo took the uncompressed source files for the game, they could use Switch hardware/os features that WU didn't have, to optimize the game for Switch. They could do the same with the compressed files, too.

I had, & took the option of getting this as a d/l from Club Nintendo. I have 3 d/l retail(that phrase d/l retail sounds ironic) games on my WU. I got Pikmin 3 for the MK8 WU bundle. I got DKTF from Club Nintendo. I got Captain Toad, because it was on sale. Unfortunately, I have to swap d/ls, as the retail games sit on my console, while my other d/ls have to be re-downloaded.

I know, at the time, Nintendo was "embracing" technology, by allowing d/ls to be run from an external hdd, but I really hate how they couldn't be properly run from an sd card. To save my downloads, I have to spend extra money, for a specific hdd. But, of all the real problems in this world, this is a nothing problem; hashtag first world problems - More important things in this world, to worry about.

Since when did the switch have a c button?

This is an amazing amazing game, a perfect platformer, endless infinite fun. but no I can't double dip on it. Just no.

Have missed this game on Wii U (missed the Wii U altogether, except some play sessions now and then with my cousin who had one), and so I'm reaaally looking forward to this amazing game now for the Switch.

@ottospooky this is the greatest platformer ever made.

And over double the price!

Jokes aside, I’m looking forward to replaying this gem when it gets a bit cheaper.

@ottospooky
Dude, How about Pikmin 4? I know you're talking ports but it would be nice.....

@Joe-b bring on Pikmin 4!! That game series has done more for my sanity than probably any other in existence!

Man, I just really love this game. Can't wait to get it on Switch.

@DrScottnik If this file size is accurate, I would assume it's a matter of optimization more than just arbitrary compression solely aimed at reducing the file size. The Wii U version has some serious issues with load times, and a few other performance hiccups here and there, and none of it was ever really addressed with patches. So, hopefully they've taken the time to clean up the game's raw data and make it much more efficient. The Switch is supposedly much easier to develop for, so it may be that they were able to simplify some things.

Either way, I'd be extremely surprised if the Switch version were somehow compromised compared to the original on Wii U. It wouldn't behoove Nintendo to port a game over to their new system and release it in an inferior state compared to the version on its previous system. That's my two cents, anyway.

@ottospooky haha! Yes. It will be nice If they would announce something.

I just want to remind some that in no way are you being ripped off or fleeced if Nintendo is being absolutely clear about the price of the game (or any of its games) and people want and are willing (not forced) to pay said prices

@ottospooky This "rudimentary 2D platformer" can beat the crap out of those games you mentioned and even most (if not all) the triple A third party industry games. When videogames turned their heads towards storytelling vs gameplay, we the players lost massively.

An eye watering $80 😭

Hope we don't have another Rayman Legends on our hands.

But I do trust Nintendo with their own hardware. They were able to get the original game to look great at 60fps on the Wii U, after all.

Straight up this is the best Wii U game. Wonderful 101 is a close second but the joys of Tropical Freeze are unmatched in my book.

If you missed it I seriously recommend giving it a look.

Cutscenes using HEVC(h.265) compression can easily reduced file size over 4x. Nvidia Tegra X1 has HEVC hardware decoder built-in.

great game!

@kobashi100 We're talking about a level based platformer. I doubt there was a ton of duplicated files to limit disc access times, PS3 style.

@DrScottnik The music files in the Wii U version only took up around 400MB of space, as they were stored in Nintendo's custom ADPCM-based audio format.

So it wouldn't make any sense for them to compress it any further...

Using Switch's more modern features can easily reduce the file size outside of duplicate asset reduction. As another mentioned, the change to encoded videos is a plus. Wii U uses AVC/h.264, whereas Switch can use HEVC/h.265, providing equal quality at roughly half the bitrate. Textures converted to native Switch formats like ASTC will see a drop in size too.

I think $40 would be a fair price for this game. I am tempted to just pick it up on the Wii U for $20. I still use mine almost as much as I use my Switch.

New to me, and well worth £40 from Amazon with free delivery.

Never played the game but I'm looking forward to doing so. And I'll be able to get it for under $60 brand new. The Best Buy Gamer's Club is a pretty damn good deal.

Game was amazing but I'm not getting it again, same goes for hyrule warriors, toad treasure tracker I only got bayo 1&2 special coz 3 is out on switch sometime lol

Doesn't matter, Nintendo can get away with anything. Even if they cut the game short and double the price.

@OorWullie you can get it at £40 most places though - Amazon, Smyths, Base...

If Nintendo don’t compress the price, then I’m not interested. I’ve already skipped five years of its existence; I can wait another five until it comes down in price.

The only way to show game developers that their goods are overpriced is via your wallet. So take a stand, and keep it shut. If enough people do the same then there’s a chance that games will be priced in line with other consoles - otherwise you’ll be paying Nintendo tax ad infinitum

I’m not surprised that we get WiiU ports, but I’m surprised that this and Hyrule warriors are coming. I’d prefer if we got Skyward Sword or Pikmin 3 ports instead

@kobashi100 "bloated to help loading times"

I think you mean uncompressed because the storage media allowed it to not have to be compromised with cut corners (i.e. compression) like the Switch version has to do to get it onto a smaller media.

@Whalehome Skyward Sword isn't a Wii U port.

@DrScottnik I'm fairly certain they wouldn't release a port on more powerful hardware and sacrifice either of those. On 3DS maybe, not Switch. I don't think it's something to worry about.

Never played it but will probably get this !

@Saego it was ported to Wii U then... what does it matter? Doesn’t change the fact that that would be a better game to port to Switch than DKC:TF

Half the size, three times the price. Pros and cons, right?

I never picked this game up on wiiu & it looks like a great game but turned off by the price. I'd be a buyer at $40.

Looking ahead at the announced games through June is so disappointing. Some so so games but nothing that makes me excited. I hope I don't end up buying this game just because there's nothing else that interests me.

@formulas666 If that was the case they wouldn't be porting it to the Switch due to the fact that the Wii U would have sold many times better, as well as this game.

@Whalehome I don't agree. There isn't a Donkey Kong game on the Switch, while there is a big audience for 2D platformers.

We already have a Zelda game on the Switch.

Busted Bayou. The best level and the best music track of the whole game. I’ll never forget playing that level on a hot sunny Saturday afternoon. Think I replayed it a few times in a row just to keep hearing the music.

Haven't had a chance to play this one. I played DKCR and what a barrel blast it was. It was actually a challenging platforming game. I'm looking forward to the Switch release.

If this file size is right, for someone who prefers digital downloads, I might buy this game again. Played it to bits on the WiiU, but this time around the Funky Kong mode might be something for my daughter to enjoy and worth both space and money. Nintendo has some weird power over me when it comes to re-releases :/

@icebear80 I was thinking the same thing about Funky mode. I wasn't interested in it at first but my wife and I will have a blast playing it without her getting frustrated.

@electrolite77 I didn't own a Wii U, so I don't care about the semantics of it being a port or whatever. Nintendo.com has a Wii U and Wii version listed on their website with different box arts. Idk what you get outta defining one over the other. And yes, the Zelda SS has a much higher composite rating and better sales figures than DKC TF, which is why I say that it would be a better game — because it seems like the majority of scores agree with that.

@Saego There are plenty other platformers on Switch. Shovel Knight, Celeste, Shantae, Slime-San, League of Evil, etc... I feel like the switch is swimming with 2D games with platformers and games with platforming elements as opposed to action-adventure titles like Zelda. There's OceanHorn and Lego City Undercover... what else really?

To be fair, when I compress a large video file, say make a 16gb one 4gb, the quality difference is super hard to discern.

I really think these Wii U ports are for a crowd that missed out on the Wii U. To them these games are brand new. It would've been a nice gesture of Nintendo to offer a discount to the owners of the original games on Wii U... like the system they used with upgrading your Virtual Console titles on Wii to Wii U.

Unfortunately, the Wii U version was more than enough for me. I don't think I will be double dipping on this one. Great game though.

@arrmixer all they need to so is add a mirror control mode like pikmin 3 should have had aswell. Try drawing circles and lines with your right hand when your a leftie like me 😂
Made the games very difficult and unnaturally difficult to play.

Now, if only it were half the price! I kid, I kid....sort of. I will pick it up if it drops in price.

@cowntsikin No they have stated it is a 1080p remaster. The Wii U ran this at 720p. The problem with the video above is the fact that Youtube 1080p HD looks like garbage. I mean even looking at video of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Youtube is drastically different than what the actual game looks like. "1080p HD" visibly looks like 720p on Youtube, so it's a tough sell based on Youtube footage unless you actually see the remastered game in person.

@sleepinglion Nintendo are masters of compression and have been from the beginning.

@lemonjellydude If you haven't played it you're in for a treat. This is Donkey Kong at his best in my opinion. I love the soundtrack by the original David Wise himself. I bought this back on the Wii U and I'll be picking this one up day one.

Cranky Kong seems to be enjoying himself a lot given his name. #NotMyCranky