'Nintendo Music' Adds Another Donkey Kong Soundtrack, Here's Every Song Included

I will always defend this game. It doesn't deserve any of the scorn it gets. I like that 3 returned Donkey Kong Country's music to a more atmospheric approach like the first game rather than mostly sticking to a pirate theme like 2's. Just because David Wise didn't return doesn't ruin it at all. It's personally funny considering I first played the GBA version that had Wise's work in it when I was a teen, and of course there's some good stuff in that OST, but I ironically still prefer the original SNES. Eveline Novakovic did a great job.

Here are my top five tracks:
1. Rockface Rumble- Perfectly captures the vibe of scaling a dangerous cliff over a massive canyon. I love the drums!
2. Cascade Capers- So soothing.
3. Hot Pursuit- Sure gives the impression of taking a tense drive on some vehicle.
4. Stilt Village- That's one happy horn. It's hard to stay still to this upbeat ditty.
5. Crystal Chasm- I might not have cared for the puzzles, but this track in isolation is pure chill and vibes to the core. I'm so glad it's extendable.

. . .why?

Even as someone who has 3 as their second favorite DKC game, why would you do this?

Kind of having that moment of, "Oh yeah, DKC3 had a soundtrack." I kind of get what it was going for but it really doesn't fit a Donkey Kong Country game.

Hope the Mario and Luigi Brothership soundtrack is added to Nintendo Music. It's so good to listen to ingame.

The SNES version? Ew, that one is mostly garbage. GBA version's is vastly superior and far more fitting.

Despite how wonderfully atmospheric this game's music is, I don't get why the underwater and forest themes are so scary. They make sense for exploring a dark underwater reef or getting chased by a giant saw up a tree, but Water World and Treetop Tumble sound so haunting. They're still cool, but I do prefer Wise's GBA versions of those...

Brothers Bear is CLEALRY not inspired by Disney's Country Bear Jamboree!

@Bolt_Strike Tell that to the snow levels that had stupid yodeling sounds. Complete trash compared to the SNES version.

@Bolt_Strike @Lizuka Sorry, but I won't stand for this slander of Eveline Fischer's work. 3's soundtrack is fantastic, even if it's not on par with the first two. I some cases, I feel it fits DKC better than the GBA version of 3. Wise's work on that wasn't bad, especially given the circumstances behind it, but to me it kinda felt it was missing the atmosphere and slight dread that was present in the SNES version. Doesn't fit the context of the levels very well imo.

@Dev1024 it ironically was the first game I played in the DKC trilogy (I actually played the trilogy in reverse), so it has some nostalgia for me, but even next to DKC 1 and 2, 3 is still a solid game with a solid soundtrack.

Cannot speak for the GBA version music, but from what I heard of it, I feel some songs kill the vibes of the stages they play on.

@abbyhitter The snow level is no worse than the SNES' dull, moody sounding tunes, whereas some of the GBA's other tunes are utterly GLORIOUS. Stilt Village, Mill Fever, Enchanted Riverbank, and Water World are amazing in the GBA version (granted Water World is just an Aquatic Ambience remix, but still a good one).

@Bolt_Strike Having listened to both versions, I like some of the GBA tracks better, like Stilt Village, Mill Fever, and Water World. But too many of the other tracks have long sections of nothing but ambient sounds, which the SNES tracks did not have.

Also, Treetop Tumble fits the treetop stages infinitely better in the SNES version compared to the GBA version, especially in the level Ripsaw Rage.

Easily the worst OST of the three. But I guess it had to be added at some point, eh?

@N00BiSH An atmosphere of dread doesn't really fit the game though. There's little to nothing that's particularly dark about the game, it's just a bit mysterious because of DK and Diddy going missing. The GBA is far better at portraying that sense of mystery.

@SuperBro64 Fair point that some of them are a bit on the long side, but they're so good that I'd tolerate it.

But Treetop Tumble not fitting? Nah, Treetop Tumble doesn't really make much sense to be gloomy.

I started listening to some of the songs and I forgot how good they were! Not as good as the first 2 DKC OSTs but still some of the best on SNES!

@Bolt_Strike Well, perhaps "infinitely" was a bit much, but at the very least the GBA Treetop Tumble being cheerful and bouncy does not really fit a stage where you are being chased by a giant tree-cutting saw IMO.

@SuperBro64 I'll give you Ripsaw Rage (although I'd argue that the music not fitting adds to the feeling of chaos that Ripsaw Rage provides), but the GBA version fits better for the other treetop levels.

@Bolt_Strike I said SLIGHT dread my guy, which does fit for a game where you're venturing out into the vast unknown that is the Northern Kremisphere, something Fisher nailed right from the get-go.

Wise's take is fine, but it sounds too video gamey, and the GBA's soundchip doesn't do it any favors.

Been waiting for this release for the last couple of weeks. My favorite game of the trilogy, awesome soundtrack, very underrated game overall.

@N00BiSH Fisher's tracks are far more than slight dread, she took the dread up to 11 for many of them. They feel like they belong in Dark Souls more than DK. The ambience of Wise's tracks in the GBA game nail the mystery far better.

@Bolt_Strike There's not really much ambiance in Wise's takes on tracks like Frosty Frolics, Enchanted Riverbank or Water World(which is just a remixed Aquatic Ambiance). Like I said, the music to me just doesn't fit the context of some levels and GBA soundchip only contributes to that. I feel the GBA is better for individual listening while the SNES tracks feel better suited for what's going on in game. That's my take at least.

I played this for the first time a couple months back and enjoyed it for the most part. Bit crazy difficult in places and not as good as the first two but still a solid game. Soundtrack’s decent too.

@Bolt_Strike Yeah, thinking about it more, GBA Treetop Tumble is fine in those other stages, and other than that, that's really the only musical dissonance I remember in the GBA version.

My main problem with the GBA soundtrack is as I said above how many of the tracks have "empty" sections of ambient noise, at least six of them:

• Stilt Village
• Frosty Frolics
• Enchanted Riverbank (Ground)
• Rockface Rumble
• Cavern Caprice
• Jungle Jitter

Ambient noise isn't inherently a bad thing, to be clear. It just happens a little too frequently in the soundtrack for my tastes, especially since you hear these level themes multiple times throughout the game.

But I agree with you that various other songs in the GBA version do sound better, like Mill Fever, Water World and Cascade Capers. Honestly, I'm about half and half on it.

P.S. I hope you don't think you're being attacked here for your opinions, you have every right to them. Just trying to have friendly discourse about it. =)

The moody, bassy, atmospheric vibe of Eveline's original soundtrack plays a big part in why I like DKC3 so much, so I'll always stand by the SNES soundtrack. For as much as I respect Wise and will praise the DKC2 and Tropical Freeze OSTs to high heavens, I think the GBA soundtrack was a real miss on his part and most of the new tracks feel like they completely miss the point of the original, from tracks like Frosty Frolics and Treetop Tumble sounding way too chipper, to Water World just being an Aquatic Ambience remix.

Still waiting on my Star Fox: Assault soundtrack. I'll be repeating this until they finally release it.

I actually kinda love how Mill Fever is so blatantly just a SNES rendition of Fever.

My least favorite game of the trilogy and definitely my least favorite music out of it too.

@N00BiSH I'll give you Frosty Frolics, that was one of the worst tracks in the GBA, but the other two? Absolutely not. Enchanted Riverbank has a lot of animal noises in the base version and a glorious, echoey sounding rendition in the underwater version. Water World is just a remixed Aquatic Ambience, but it still sounds appropriate for a water level.

And no, I feel the GBA tracks fit the tone of the levels better (with the aforementioned exception of the GBA Forest theme for Ripsaw Rage). SNES Stilt Village sounds too derpy and cartoonish, whereas the GBA version sounds ambient and mysterious fitting the seaside level. SNES Mill Fever is barely passable but a bit too lighthearted, whereas the GBA version again goes for a more ambient and mysterious echoey sound. SNES Treetop Tumble sounds nightmarishly dark and has no business being so in a DK game, whereas the GBA version sounds bouncy and whimsical which fits the non-Ripsaw Rage forest levels much better. SNES Enchanted Riverbank is kind of lacking the "enchanted" feeling and once again feels a tad too derpy. Water World feels more like an underwater graveyard than the vibrant underwater locales in the game. Cascade Capers is okay in both versions, neither is super great but I like the GBA version slightly better. Nuts and Bolts is also a tie, but both are good this time. SNES Pokey Pipes is okay, but the GBA version is so much better at fitting the mood with its echoey sounding melody. Rockface Rumble is the only one I'd say is a clear winner in the SNES version, but again sounds a bit darker than necessary whereas the country feel of the GBA version doesn't quite sit right. And neither version of Jungle Jitter or Cavern Caprice really makes me feel anything. There's a few SNES tracks that are good, but most of them are super gloomy, dull sounding melodies that just don't feel appropriate to the game, IDK where you're coming from that those actually fit.

Sweet! Underrated soundtrack of a perpetually underrated game. I think on the whole, Eveline Fischer (alongside David Wise's few contributions) did quite a good job with this one, despite a few songs being duds. It might not reach the heights of DKC2, but DKC2 is a Nintendo/RareWare magnum opus so that's kinda unfair. I like her usage of bass and electric guitar samples in this specifically. A few collected thoughts:

Northern Kremisphere - a nice little atmospheric track to introduce the game world (btw, I LOVED the overworld map of this game, and I really wish some of Nintendo's other 2D series' entries took a cue from the exploration, interactivity and interesting semi-openness of this game's overworld.

Stilt Village- one of the few tracks I outright dislike in the game. The levels where this track features are gorgeous graphically and fun to play, but I honestly think that the Stilt Village OST is what gave many first-time players a bad first impression of DKC3's soundtrack, and the game itself, compared to its predecessors. One of the few tracks where I prefer the David Wise GBA track.

Water World- one of the best tracks in the series. Each water theme in DKC 1-3 is amazing in its own right, each exuding a different presence/aura. Aquatic Ambience is reflective, Lockjaw's Locker is bombastic and tense, Water World is eerie, gloomy and melancholy.

Nuts and Bolts- I really like the muffled electric guitar samples in this one. One part of the melody reminds me of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir".

@Bolt_Strike There are some good strong ambient tracks(Jungle Jitters and Cascade Capers), but to me those are execptions and not the norm.

If I were to sum my issues with the GBA OST, it's that it is very inconsistent. All the melodies are catchier and more pronounced overall which, while nice, means they run the risk of sounding too over the top and missing the point most of the time. The "super gloomy, dull sounding melodies" as you put it, work in the SNES version because the OST is more focused on conveying a specific atmosphere in all of its levels and contributes to the bigger picture of the game - the idea of exploring the untamed and mysterious wilderness which isn't always happy and pleasant. To lump them all together as being the same is just kind of wrong and dismissive of the work put in.

Water World GBA is only good because it's based on a track that's well, good. Water SNES fits better because not all the water levels in 3 are pleasant and leisurely; they get dark and foreboding and even a little toxic in some cases. Aquatic Ambiance is the sea's beauty, Lockjaw Saga is the sea's sense of adventure, and Water World is the sea's unknown.

Treetop Tumble GBA doesn't fit at all, sounding like a menu screen or something, compared to the more appropriate SNES version, which works wonders alongside levels like Ripsaw Rage and Swoopy Salvo. You could argue that the juxtaposition in the GBA was deliberate, but I'm inclined to disagree.

Pokey Pipes is...honestly, I think both versions suck, I got nothing nice to say.

I don't want this to get any longer, but my point overall is that the SNES version is more carefully designed in it's music choices, which I feel gives it the edge above the GBA version, which has good tracks that all feel disconnected - like they were just made to fun video game tracks and nothing more.

This is all the time I'm going give you on this. I don't expect you to agree but I do hope you at least understand where I'm coming from. If not, then you do you.

As much as I like the DKC Trilogy's music, if I'm listening to it at all, it's through Jammin' Sam Miller's restored soundtracks.

Donkey Kong Country 3 doesn't have a bad soundtrack persay. It just has a soundtrack that was tasked with following up Donkey Kong Country 2, which for most people is GOATed (and with good reason.). Booting up DKC3 and hearing that awesome fanfare at the start you're expecting something on that level and instead you get this almost experimental ambient soundscape behind you the whole time. That said I am really looking forward to revisiting it as a listening experience, so thanks uncle Ninty

@N00BiSH I legit have to wonder if we're listening to the same soundtrack. The SNES' soundtracks don't really evoke the feeling of exploring untamed wilderness. It sounds more like navigating a post-apocalyptic hellscape. The GBA version does a much better job of fitting the mood. It's happy and lighthearted in the brighter looking levels, it's moody and atmospheric in the levels that are darker and more ambient.

The water levels aren't all that dark and foreboding, they're largely fairly normal. Honestly the DKC1 levels feel more foreboding since many of the enemies there are more threatening.

Treetop Tumble doesn't fit Ripsaw Rage, but that's the only one it doesn't fit. The rest of the forest levels are relatively lighthearted with cartoony enemies. The bouncy sounding GBA theme is more appropriate for that as opposed to the SNES version which is far too dark sounding for the forest levels.

Apparently I'm in a minority here, but this one is my favourite of the three: soundtrack and games.

What I love most about 2 and 3 is that they both have such a clear identity! 2 is infiltrating the dark homeland of your Nemesis, 2 is going on a mission in, what to my uncultured behind, feels like the Rocky Mountains or somewhere gorgeous in Canada.

This soundtrack is so good! And if you just appreciate the songs for what they are, not what level or because they don't sound like the GBA one, you'll here the quality too I think!

Amazing addition this week!
Next week: a game that no one wants/ small release.
In two weeks: must be Windwaker, the last of the promised soundtracks! 🥳🥰

And I can't be the only one thinking this would have come out at Christmastime. It has a jingle bells mode!! 😂🤎

I never got the hate for this game or the soundtrack. I find this game was the best in the trilogy and the music was just so perfect! I was upset when the GBA did not have this and even though it was Wise doing that version, I find it was his weakest.

Oh doctor,
we've seen razzle dazzle here today.

I'm glad we're back to Tuesday soundtrack releases. Nintendo do skipped 31.12. so I was slightly worried that they might stop, but it looks like weekly drops are back, yay! I'm always happy to get anything, even if it's a game I haven't played before. I give each soundtrack a try and most of them are really good.

@Dev1024 Nice selection, Stilt Village is my favorite

When we have 3 of the 5 DKC games but not a single 2D Zelda. Man this app keeps on finding new ways to disappoint

Cool! I hope they can add the DKC3 GBA soundtrack too.

This soundtrack, despite what some people say, is really good.
Some of my favourites (in no particular order) include Rocket Run, Big Boss Blue, Jangle Bells, Stilt Village, Jungle Jitter, Crazy Calypso, Sub-Map Shuffle, Frosty Frolics, Water World, Rockface Rumble, Cavern Caprice, Krematoa Concert, Cascade Capers and Chase.

Out of the three Country games, 1 has the only soundtrack I listen to regularly.

@echoplex The problem is we're trying to apply a normal streaming service mindset to something that is significantly cheaper (to most people using it, it may as well be free). When you step back and look at the actual business proposition here, the value is very evidently there since even with such a limited selection, you're getting access to things that are far more valuable than what you're paying.

What I'm trying to say is that while the app isn't very ideal considering what people want it to be, there's also no way what people want it to be would happen without it being significantly more expensive. There is the argument that since Nintendo owns the rights to most of these songs it shouldn't be a problem, but even a less problematic business such as Nintendo would never be so charitable.

To go and little further, what a lot of people are missing is that Nintendo hasn't really changed in that they're still pretty clearly not interested in the worldwide music business. The purpose of Nintendo Music is to bulk up Nintendo Switch Online and Nintendo Accounts, and generally to connect people further with Nintendo IP, not to directly make money off of their music.

Alright, so now we are transitioning from "I hate they only release one soundtrack per week" to "good lord, I'm glad they are still releasing soundtracks weekly"

Awesome soundtrack, Eveline Fischer is an amazing composer! Have had this in my MP3 collection for many, many years!

I can't wait to fire this up because part 3 is the only one I cannot remember much music from. None of the music has ever been bad from the original series, so this will be a treat.