They should've called this one 'Funky Edition'.
The core of the game remains the same, 2-D platforming action, every stage feeling very different from the next, except maybe the flying stages, and each stage is filled with bonus stages and things to collect, some stages even have hidden exits that open up secret stages. The game is divided into 6 worlds, most worlds have 6 stages and a boss, 4 stages on world 1 and 8 on world 6, as well as three hidden stages, two that can be accessed by finding the hidden exists and one that is unlocked if you find every KONG letter on every stage of the world. While the total stage count is a bit shorter than your average Super Mario entry, stages in this game are rather lengthy and creative, so it evens out.
The game does away with motion controls, praise the lord, but it does have another control issue... swimming stages. Turning around while swimming feels delayed and clunky, which made swimming stages feel unfair. The game is very generous with lives, by world 2 I was hoarding 80 of those, and while the game is tough, it never felt unfair... except for the swimming stages. And there's an entire world built around swimming stages. These felt like the game's lowest point. I think running out of oxygen was a complaint among players, but I don't think I ever died due to oxygen cost, but due to poor controls? I did get a lot of those.
Basic controls and movement remains the same as Returns, but joining Diddy are Dixie and Cranky Kong. Much like Returns, and unlike the original Country series, unless you are playing in two player mode, the other Kongs are just tools for Donkey Kong, and you can only play as him, which I find disappointing, but it is what it is. Each Kong offers different abilities for DK to use. Diddy gives Donkey a small hovering ability thanks to his jetpack, Dixie twirls her pigtails offering him a hover+ a higher jump and Cranky lets DK bounce over spikes and spikey enemies. Every Kong also gives him a benefit while under water, Dixie and Diddy offer him boosts(Diddy's a bit faster) and cranky offers some offensive staff swipes. There's also a new SUPER gauge, that when full, lets you use a super move that turns every enemy into a something. Dixie turns them into yellow hearts that either restore your hit points or adds armor(Bonus hits over the 4-hit maximum), Diddy turns them into extra lives and Cranky into money. Yeah, for all intents and purposes... Dixie is the best partner in the game. Very rarely is Diddy's hovering ability better than Dixie's high floating jump, being able to reinforce your health bar is much more useful than bonus lives, which are already plentiful, or money, which is also rather plentiful. The only other way to extend your hit points is by using money to purchase one-time use extra hearts before a level starts. And Dixie's abilities even stack with that item, making her ability even better. So, in the end, Diddy feels pretty much useless, in comparison, while Cranky is situational at best. I think the better idea would've been to give Dixie just a high jump without the hoover, so that picking between her and Diddy actually made sense.
The one thing I kinda didn't like, was that checkpoints, as welcome as they are... usually don't have Kong barrels around, so you restart without a helping Kong and must go through the rest of the stage as Donkey Kong alone. It's, in a way, rather harsh. Mind you, the entire game can be completed as Donkey Kong along, except, maybe, some of the introductory stages that slowly teach you about each Kong, so they aren't necessary per say, but still.
This Switch port adds Funky Mode. You can only pick Funky Mode when creating a new file, so if you pick Normal Mode you can't just switch to Funky without starting a new file. Funky Mode is the Easy Mode of the game, in this mode you get 5 hearts by default instead of only two. And you can also opt to play as Funky instead of Donkey Kong. Funky Kong has all the benefits of all 3 Kongs built into him, and you don't lose them upon taking two hits of damage. He also gets infinite oxygen while underwater. If you ever thought the game was too hard, Funky Kong is the answer.
Tropical Freeze is yet another excellent Donkey Kong entry. It's not without its flaws, but I'm really enjoying what Retro Studios is doing with the franchise.
8.5
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