Donkey Kong has aged pretty well over the years. The erstwhile villain of the early ’80s arcade classic that bore his namesake, Mr. Kong has been the hero of his own tale ever since the Donkey Kong Country series launched during the mid-‘90s. The latest installment, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, from Nintendo for the Wii U, finds him and his extended simian family living the good life, until their island comes under attack by Viking penguins and other adorable hostiles.
Like previous Donkey Kong Country games, this one is a side-scrolling adventure with lots of lateral movement, jumping, rolling into a deadly ball, and throwing barrels at whatever gets in your way. Yet the game does occasionally throw a banana-shaped curve at players: In the first level, there is a point wherein play shifts to swimming, during which Mr. Kong can move in any direction and spin his way through objects. There is also one breathtaking level that involves a runaway railway car careening down a mountainside, in which the camera constantly switches angles to reveal danger around each fast-approaching bend.
During the game’s early stages, Mr. Kong has a pretty clear advantage thanks to his speed and maneuverability, not to mention frequent power-ups in the form of Diddy Kong and other Kong family members, who get on his back and allow him to jump higher, float in mid-air, and more. The difficulty level seems to be correctly calibrated to match the all-ages rating: Young and inexperienced players may have to replay certain levels a few times, but none of the earliest challenges are insurmountable.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze boasts colorful visuals, fluid animation, and a whimsical tone overall. Nintendo didn’t monkey around when it came to making a worthy new title for one of its most venerable characters.
