I found this draft in my blog. I started working on it on 10/10/2009, and it seems I was making notes for an article on Donkey Kong Country. I still think it deserves a closer look, but I might as well share these notes.
The game looks good, which is how I remember it as well, but I didn’t remember the sound being so good.
Seems to focus on finding “secrets,” with some being much more secret than others. I think they give you easy secrets so you know how they’re hidden. Later secrets are hidden better.
Extra lives actually matter. They hand them out pretty easily, but you can lose them easily too. I’m sure this would be more of a challenge if I wasn’t as good at platformers as I am.
Cranky Kong is amusing. Kandy Kong is amusing, but more at the fact that they thought she was a good idea rather than her actual character.
It’s interesting that barrels, an obstacle to Mario in the original Donkey Kong, become such great tools for DK and Diddy in DKC.
The animals you can ride are amusing and seem to serve three purposes. First, they increase you speed, second they allow you to take an additional hit (because taking a hit means losing just the animal), and third they allow you to step on enemies that would normally hurt you.
Mine cart level manages to still be a game about moving forward and jumping, arguably a platformer, but increase the game a lot. It’s a pretty good “obligatory mine cart level,” and while it doesn’t fit perfectly in the game (because they never do), if you accept the concept of an obligatory mine cart level for this type of a game, it does a fantastic job. It’s quite challenging too!
The first boss seems odd. It might have been too simple. Then again, most of the levels are relatively basic and teach little.
The water levels allow you to move relatively quickly, and the shark-thing you can ride makes you go fast. This is one of the few water levels in a game that I don’t hate.
Seems to focus on finding “secrets,” with some being much more secret than others. I think they give you easy secrets so you know how they’re hidden. Later secrets are hidden better.
Extra lives actually matter. They hand them out pretty easily, but you can lose them easily too. I’m sure this would be more of a challenge if I wasn’t as good at platformers as I am.
Cranky Kong is amusing. Kandy Kong is amusing, but more at the fact that they thought she was a good idea rather than her actual character.
It’s interesting that barrels, an obstacle to Mario in the original Donkey Kong, become such great tools for DK and Diddy in DKC.
The animals you can ride are amusing and seem to serve three purposes. First, they increase you speed, second they allow you to take an additional hit (because taking a hit means losing just the animal), and third they allow you to step on enemies that would normally hurt you.
Mine cart level manages to still be a game about moving forward and jumping, arguably a platformer, but increase the game a lot. It’s a pretty good “obligatory mine cart level,” and while it doesn’t fit perfectly in the game (because they never do), if you accept the concept of an obligatory mine cart level for this type of a game, it does a fantastic job. It’s quite challenging too!
The first boss seems odd. It might have been too simple. Then again, most of the levels are relatively basic and teach little.
The water levels allow you to move relatively quickly, and the shark-thing you can ride makes you go fast. This is one of the few water levels in a game that I don’t hate.