You know, i think i've always preferred "Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!" more than "Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest". Not just because of the varying mechanics/elements between these two games but also personal nostalgia. The reason must be because i got "DKC3" as a christmas present back in the year 1996 when it was released. Somehow, i managed to skip "DKC2" entirely in its release year 1995 but finally got it later in 1997.
"Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!" used to blow my mind from the beginning of the game. Never before had i experienced such a game. The game's atmosphere was unbelievable due to its deep ambiance, sounds and graphical design. It was also surprisingly very relatable due to its northernmost landscape theme with mountains, lakes and conifer forests. After all, i've spent my entire life in Finland so the landscapes are pretty much the same here, minus the mountains. Kind of "exotic" to think that Rareware changed the jungle theme so drastically.
Like in "Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest" Donkey Kong has been kidnapped once again but so is Diddy Kong as well. Dixie Kong returns from the previous game as the main character but she brings along a new character Kiddy Kong the baby gorilla. In "DKC2" Diddy and Dixie were both equally nimble and lightweighted although Dixie can use her ponytails to hover for a limited time. In "DKC3" Kiddy is a heavyweight so each Kong's abilities are different, much like how it was in "DKC" with Diddy and DK. Kiddy can do somersaults and stone skip on water surfaces about three times in total. The ability needs some practice to master but it's a good ability to reach bonus barrels and hidden places. He also holds barrels in front of him whereas Dixie holds them upwards with her hair. When the Kongs team up Kiddy can carry and throw Dixie to higher places with relative ease but Dixie carries Kiddy slowly and can't throw him as far. However, Kiddy's mass can break hollow floors and Dixie can run on top of him when thrown forward. These ability changes are a fresh addition to the game.
I love this game's overworld design. In my honest opinion it's perfect in every aspect and probably my favourite overworld i've seen in videogames. Unlike in the other "DKC" games, this overworld isn't just about following specific routes to travel to different worlds. You can actually choose your movement when crossing water areas. Swimming, however, limits your progress quite a lot, so in order to progress further in the overworld the player has to visit Funky Kong's boat rental shack. At first, he only loans a wooden motorboat with a turbo and a horn. To get better vehicles, one must search specific key items, usually achieved by beating a boss from each world. Once the game has progressed enough the player can have an access to use a gyrocopter that makes every corner of the overworld reachable by flight. The overworld also includes secret places such as hidden Banana Bird crystal caves with a memory puzzle and even a very well hidden Lost World named Krematoa. Add a fantastic music in the background and the game's immersion becomes astounding. This blew my brains out back in the day because when i realised there can be an endless amount of hidden stuff anywhere. Come to think of it, the overworld's game design reminds me of Rareware's older game "Cobra Triangle", a motor boat NES game from 1989. I believe this must have been intentional, though. Like in other "DKC" games, the level design borrows lots of ideas from the "Battletoads" games surprisingly often.
Each world also has a versatile design with hidden areas, five basic levels and a boss, save caves, a Brother Bear hut plus Swanky Kong's ball throwing minigame tent with Cranky Kong as an opponent. From riverbanks to forests, underwater, caves, snowy mountains and even factories, this game looks very beautiful and feels somewhat mysterious to some extend. "DKC3" level design works mostly the same as in "DKC2": Each level has KONG letters lying around, usually two hidden bonus barrels and golden DK Coins scattered everywhere. With excellent level design and well hidden bonuses it keeps the player hooked. Some hidden world map areas can be accessed if you know where they are located, however, sometimes you'll have to come back later once these specific key items have been collected. Speaking of these "key items" i mentioned earlier, "DKC3" introduces a new group called the Brother Bears. A group of bear characters that provide you access to new places and can even give you hints. Some want bear coins, some want these special items that can be collected from the (over)world maps or by trading other items. You can check the game progress and inventory when saving a game at Wrinkly Kong's Save Caves. Completing levels in previous games was rather difficult because many people actually didn't know that having an exclamation sign in a level name meant every bonus level was 100% completed. However, in "DKC2" a DK coin icon was shown next to level name once it had been collected. In "DKC3" every new level now has a flagpole, decorated with a black flag with a letter "K" on it. Every completed level has either a pink or baby blue flag swinging on top of a pole, depending whether Dixie or Kiddy has finished a level. A golden flag means the DK coin has been collected and a fully swinging flag means all the bonus coins have been collected. These additions make bonus coin hunting a little bit easier than in previous games.
Some of the Animal friends such as Squitter the spider and Enguarde the swordfish make a return. "DKC3" also introduces new animals such as Ellie the elephant and Parry the Parallel Bird. For example Ellie is an expert with holding barrels and water with her trunk but she fears of rat enemies. In one level the game takes an advantage of this phobia mechanic and makes Ellie sprint uncontrollably to the other side of the level and every corner includes enemies or bottomless pits. Not all levels include animal friends but in some levels the animals are found from animal boxes or it can be possible to transform into one once the Kongs have gone inside an animal barrel. Some boss fights require to transform into an animal friend so make sure to master each one before fighting the big guys.
To some people "DKC3" may not be as groundbreaking as "DKC2" was, probably due to the fact that the third game might have felt like it may had been running out of new ideas. However, "DKC3" still provides a brand new game with a lengthy adventure and challenge, and as a SNES trilogy this series is definitely a must have and an excellent addition to the SNES library. Funny thing though, i used to complete "DKC3" first, then "DKC2" and then "DKC". That doesn't mean the third game is easy. It's tough as nails and it takes lots of time to master the game. Overall, "DKC3" has always felt special since the day i got it as a christmas present back in 1996.
Even today i still think this game is my all-time second favourite video game right after the original "Donkey Kong Country".
Years later "DKC3" was also released on Game Boy Advance but with drastic changes. The graphics (minus the character/enemy sprites), minigames and even the music was all different, an old boss character was replaced to a new one and so on. However, a completely brand new world with new levels was also added. Not other GBA "DKC" games were changed this much before when they got ported to GBA so it makes me wonder why change the game design so much. Not to be surprised i pretty much dislike this version quite a lot due to these massive game changes but i do have to admit i really enjoy the new world and its levels. The rest is debatable.
ABOUT THE MUSIC: Before talking about the game's music, i've read that many people who criticize the SNES sound chip mostly note out the SNES games oftenly had a soundtrack with a lot of unnecessary reverb in their music. Capcom's games were probably the most notable example ("Megaman X", "Street Fighter 2"). With today's technology it is easier to create music but back in the day developers had to use a limited amount of memory to cram everything on a game cartridge. Fortunately, some developers managed to use this reverb effect as an advantage. The "DKC" trilogy is a good example and thanks to the wizards working at Rare the results were outstanding. Even today it's still shocking how good the music sounds even though SNES was just a fourth generation console.
The music of "DKC3" is one of my all-time favourite video game music soundtracks. It manages to add ambiance with a massive amount of unique sounding echoing bass structure in the background, making it sound grand, mysterious and even playful. Unlike in other "DKC" games, the music was mostly composed by Eveline Fischer with a minor help by David Wise. Fischer makes a surprisingly fine job and managed to compose music that can compete with Wise's work, although, she relies on ambient elements whereas Wise's music is more melodical. Overall, the music of "DKC3" was an instant favourite to my eight year old mind. Before that i never knew about the genre of "ambient music" but i've always enjoyed the music style. I remember listening to the overworld theme ("Northern Kremisphere") and the world map theme ("Submap Shuffle") nonstop without playing the game at all. Just sitting and enjoying the game world and thinking about all the millions of possible hidden places it included. The repetitive synthesizer melodies, low pitch drums samples and low bass ambient patterns are a irresistable immersion to the game and this "three element symbiosis" repeats in several other levels as well. Alongside, there's a hint of jazz and 90's dance music elements from the original "DKC" which makes the entirety more versatile, even playful. Some levels use radical electric guitar riffs as well. Speaking of guitar riffs, "Rockface Rumble" has an excellent mixture of echoed drums, double bass and guitar riffs that it matches perfectly when playing the game's mountain climbing levels. "Rockface Rumble" used to get stuck in my head quite a lot.
Funny thing though, some of the game's music was also scary back in the day. I remember muting the game when i was playing the "Pokey Pipes", the level with the low gravity mechanic. Also, the world theme of the lost world "Krematoa Korncerto" used to get stuck in my head and therefore i couldn't get sleep because of the harrowing atmosphere. If the music makes someone scared it definitely has achieved something, am i right?
Definitely one of my favourite video game soundtracks.
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Note: Unlike reviews, comments are considered temporary and may be deleted/purged without notice.I really like the more experimental levels though. The graphics are also just bonkers for SNES, maybe peak for the whole console.