Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

Sure this might be the least talked about DKC game, but don't be fooled, it's still a worthy addition to the series! There's nothing broken or wrong about this game so much as it's a lack of a strong identity or ground breaking design that keep this in the shadows of it's siblings (Also it launched just as the world was being introduced to the N64!). This game does have a solid motif, the Northern Kremisphere echoes a Nordic inspired country with mills, "stilt villages" and snowy mountain slopes (which is really neat!). But the motif sort of looses it's consistency later in the game when you start visiting generic jungles and factories and such. It's a stark contrast to the pirate infested amusement park dystopia that is Crocodile Island (from DKC2). Despite that, the art direction in this game is stunning, the "stilt village" and rocky mountain locations are particularly impressive visually and there's a lot of diversity within this world that keeps things feeling fresh even late in the game!

As far as level design goes Rare really kicked for some of the most ambitious levels in the series; like being chased up a tree by a giant ripsaw, or navigating a sewage pipe in zero G, or rock climbing as your ropes are burning from underneath you, and who could possibly forget the notorious lightning level! 0_o And for the most part each level comes through with a unique premise that makes this adventure full of surprises! I think from a technical standpoint the level designs can be a tad bit sloppy (i.e. spacing enemies too closely, off camera threats, and using bees a little too much...) But the general enemy designs in this game are pretty fun.... I did get a kick out of the kamikaze dudes wearing the explosive barrels and the dudes equipt with helicopter pants! I'll also say that it was a brilliant idea to opt with a top-down freely explorable overworld which is a step up from previous (and even later) instalments which had stiff/linear overworlds.

I can say without a doubt that the bosses in DKC3 are some of the best in the series! From an epic snowball fight with a killer snowman, to the flying robot rocket ship (with boxing gloves I might add). The buddies are back, perhaps a little less prominent than in previous games but there are 2 or 3 levels that showcase the new elephant buddy, and what I like about him is that you can suck in water or objects using your trunk and fire it back at enemies, twas very clever indeed! And even content wise, I'm pretty sure DKC3 is the longest of the original trilogy at 8 areas (important to note that the GBA version adds a 9nth area with an extra boss taboot!). There are also minigames and little side quests within the overworld that you can do if you so choose, so there's certainly tons of content here! ;D

The audio in this game is interesting, the SNES version touts a pretty ambient and dissonant soundtrack via Eveline Fischer and David Wise, which is ultimately pretty decent, but compared to the OSTs in previous DKC titles.... Nahhhhh! It's the GBA version that really runs away with the audio, with a completely remade soundtrack composed entirely by David Wise and it's just as colourful and tuneful as would be expected for the series (seriously; listen to the Waterfall theme!!!).

Donkey Kong Country 3 is a well made and meaty platformer with some of the most nutty and ambitious levels and bosses in the series. It may struggle with it's identity at times but it's still a worthy addition to the franchise! And as I eluded to earlier the GBA version has some extra bells and whistles that really make it an even more valuable experience, give this game a try if you love 2D platforming action! :D