Yeah, you really nailed it about the atmosphere of this game. Its sequels were superior in many ways, but none of them have that same feeling of being engrossed in a world like the original.
Another classic. This is pretty much the only game that my wife will still play, because it’s so accessible and of course the nostalgia factor. It really does hold up remarkably well!
"A man is tasked with creating background music for a monkey riding a swordfish, ends up creating a transcendent, timeless masterpiece."
I think that about sums up the whole thing.
I rented this game when it came out and beat it in a weekend. Then a friend rented it, and we beat it together over a different weekend. But to this day I've never made it very far in this game since then. I always lose momentum pretty early on. Something about the pacing, controls, and level design -- Mario and Sonic both have more lasting appeal for me.
I didn't play DKC 2 or 3 when they were current either (by then the SNES wasn't seeing much use; I had moved on to either PC or next-gen games), and to this day I've barely played them. I'd sort of like to play through DKC 2 one day, as it's regarded as the best of the trilogy, but I don't know. I have DK Tropical Freeze for Switch, that one's a lot more appealing to play with the family and strikes me as the full realization of the original DKC vision.
I feel like the best way to play DKC now is either on an original SNES or on the Switch with a SNES controller. The Switch Joycons and the Pro Controller makes the game feel... off (I say from experience). That said... yeah it's aged. Far worse than 16-bit Mario and Sonic titles.
DKC 2 is fantastic, nearly superior to the first in every way, save perhaps for the sense of immersion the first game provides. But it's also a nearly 30 year old 16-bit platformer with all that entails.
DKC 3 is... rough. I didn't care for it when it first came out and only beat it proper about five years ago. I'm glad I did, but it is certainly the least of the original trilogy.
Tropical Freeze is fun, except for those horrid water levels. I never got used to the controls for those. Also, I'm in the very very small minority, but I actually think DKC Returns for Wii (and now Switch with recent HD remaster) is a better game. Certainly offers more content.
I actually didn’t know DK Returns was on Switch. I’ve never played it, so appreciate the recommendation!
I think I mentioned before that I use the 8bitdo M30 a lot on the Switch. I’m sure the SNES controller is even better for actual SNES games, though a lot less versatile.
I never owned this as a kid, but played it at friends’ houses. Once we got an SNES Classic a few heads back, I found myself blowing through about 3/4 of the game one afternoon. It’s still eminently playable. I find the level design still holds up, but yeah, the music is truly timeless.
Yeah, you really nailed it about the atmosphere of this game. Its sequels were superior in many ways, but none of them have that same feeling of being engrossed in a world like the original.
Thanks JT!
Another classic. This is pretty much the only game that my wife will still play, because it’s so accessible and of course the nostalgia factor. It really does hold up remarkably well!
This and DKC 2 are some of my wife's favorites as well!
I read a funny remark somewhere:
"A man is tasked with creating background music for a monkey riding a swordfish, ends up creating a transcendent, timeless masterpiece."
I think that about sums up the whole thing.
I rented this game when it came out and beat it in a weekend. Then a friend rented it, and we beat it together over a different weekend. But to this day I've never made it very far in this game since then. I always lose momentum pretty early on. Something about the pacing, controls, and level design -- Mario and Sonic both have more lasting appeal for me.
I didn't play DKC 2 or 3 when they were current either (by then the SNES wasn't seeing much use; I had moved on to either PC or next-gen games), and to this day I've barely played them. I'd sort of like to play through DKC 2 one day, as it's regarded as the best of the trilogy, but I don't know. I have DK Tropical Freeze for Switch, that one's a lot more appealing to play with the family and strikes me as the full realization of the original DKC vision.
I feel like the best way to play DKC now is either on an original SNES or on the Switch with a SNES controller. The Switch Joycons and the Pro Controller makes the game feel... off (I say from experience). That said... yeah it's aged. Far worse than 16-bit Mario and Sonic titles.
DKC 2 is fantastic, nearly superior to the first in every way, save perhaps for the sense of immersion the first game provides. But it's also a nearly 30 year old 16-bit platformer with all that entails.
DKC 3 is... rough. I didn't care for it when it first came out and only beat it proper about five years ago. I'm glad I did, but it is certainly the least of the original trilogy.
Tropical Freeze is fun, except for those horrid water levels. I never got used to the controls for those. Also, I'm in the very very small minority, but I actually think DKC Returns for Wii (and now Switch with recent HD remaster) is a better game. Certainly offers more content.
I actually didn’t know DK Returns was on Switch. I’ve never played it, so appreciate the recommendation!
I think I mentioned before that I use the 8bitdo M30 a lot on the Switch. I’m sure the SNES controller is even better for actual SNES games, though a lot less versatile.
Oh that's right, you have mentioned that controller before. I'll have to actually remember to check it out next time!
Also, I was wrong, DKC Returns HD comes out on January 16th 2025, so almost not quite available.
I never owned this as a kid, but played it at friends’ houses. Once we got an SNES Classic a few heads back, I found myself blowing through about 3/4 of the game one afternoon. It’s still eminently playable. I find the level design still holds up, but yeah, the music is truly timeless.
Yeah, it's a surprisingly short game. Felt so long and vast back in '94!