6. Donkey Kong Nation 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Hassle! (1996)
On the twilight of the Tremendous Nintendo’s lifecycle, and after the Nintendo 64 had already launched, Uncommon launched one ultimate Donkey Kong Nation recreation for the SNES: 1996’s Donkey Kong Nation 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Hassle! Simply as Donkey Kong Nation 2 ditched Donkey Kong himself, its sequel additionally discards Diddy, changing him with the brand new playable character Kiddy Kong. Collectively, Dixie and Kiddy got down to rescue Donkey and Diddy from Baron Ok. Rool in a northern area with its geography impressed by Scandinavia and Canada.
Although Donkey Kong Nation 3 would be the weakest entry of the unique trilogy, it’s in no way a nasty recreation and brings some contemporary adjustments to the sequence, particularly, an open hub map and automobiles. However the recreation simply doesn’t fairly really feel as impressed as its two predecessors, even with the protagonist swap to introduce Kiddy. A stable if seemingly compulsory coda to the unique Donkey Kong Nation trilogy, Donkey Kong Nation 3 retains the core attraction because it goes by way of well-worn territory.
5. Donkey Kong Nation: Tropical Freeze (2014)
Relegated to being a supporting character for years, Cranky Kong makes his playable debut with 2014’s Donkey Kong Nation: Tropical Freeze for the Wii U, joined by a returning Dixie. The sport has Donkey Kong’s birthday celebration interrupted by the attacking Snowmads, a military of arctic animals plotting to beat Donkey Kong Island and plunge it into infinite winter. The Kongs battle their manner again to the center of their native island, defeat the Snowmads and defrost their house from its newly icy situation.
Tropical Freeze is an all-around enchancment over Donkey Kong Nation Returns, considerably refining the gameplay mechanics and degree design. On the identical time, the problem stays as excessive as ever whereas the general variety of ranges is diminished from its predecessor. A stable addition to the sequence, the definitive Tropical Freeze expertise is its enhanced remaster on the Nintendo Swap, including Funky Kong as a playable character.
4. Donkey Kong Nation (1994)
To anybody who was round and taking part in video video games in 1994, the unique Donkey Kong Nation was an enormous deal when it debuted on the Tremendous Nintendo that 12 months. With its crisp, pre-rendered graphics, there was nothing else that seemed that good on the console market on the time, serving to steer the trade in direction of extra 3D aesthetics. The sport’s story is easy: King Ok. Rool raids Donkey Kong Island and steals Donkey Kong’s huge stash of bananas, prompting the ape and his nephew Diddy, in his first look, to get better their purloined fruit.
If it was nearly that preliminary wow issue from its pre-rendered presentation, we wouldn’t nonetheless be speaking about Donkey Kong Nation over 30 years after its launch. However extra than simply its eye-catching visuals, the sport fully redefined Donkey Kong all the way down to his character design and reestablished him as a core Nintendo property. That legacy stems from a mix of spectacular technical presentation, an instant-classic rating composed primarily by Grant Kirkhope, and an enticing side-scrolling platformer expertise that this primary recreation all brings to the desk.
