I remember playing the original Donkey Kong Country for SNES at my cousin’s house when I was a kid. I loved the trickier platforming compared to the Mario games, the hidden areas and bonus rounds, the levels that extended high in the air, underground, or even underwater. The minecart level drove me nuts but 25 years later I remember it as my favorite part. The soundtrack was great. The whole game felt challenging, expansive, and really fun.
Tropical Freeze is all of that, with updated graphics and new game mechanics. The level design over 6 islands is really creative. My favorites were Bright Savannah, which felt Africa-inspired, and Juicy Jungle, which featured tough platforming among fruit-harvesting machines and explosive melons.
There were a few minecart levels which were so much fun. Sometimes the perspective would change from side-scrolling to more head-on, and you’d need switch tracks (left, right, or center), similar to Subway Surfers. There were other levels where you pilot a flying rocket barrel, only controlling the upward thrust as you dodge obstacles. Even though they could still be quite tricky, those two types of alternative levels were a nice break from some of the more frustrating platforming sections. Frankly, I would pay for a game that was just minecart levels.
The boss battles were sometimes frustrating but ultimately manageable, especially with the feature where you could purchase power-ups like an extra heart or banana juice (temporary invulnerability) and bring them into the level with you. Those boss battles, and really the whole game, were an exercise in learning from my mistakes. I died, and died, and died, sometimes got a little bit farther. Then I beat it.