Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, known in Japan as Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze (ドンキーコングトロピカルフリーズ), is a side-scrolling 2.5D platform game developed by Retro Studios for the Wii U. It is the fifth game in the Donkey Kong Country series and the direct sequel to the Wii game Donkey Kong Country Returns. Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong appear as playable characters, in a role similar to that of Diddy Kong in Donkey Kong Country Returns, who is again available to play as. Each of these characters have unique abilities whom they exploit to proceed in difficult situations. The main antagonists of the game, the Snowmads, are based on stereotypical Vikings and appear as antropomorphic, (sub)polar animals ranging from penguins and walruses to owls and hares.

The game was originally slated for release during November 2013 before being pushed back to December 6; it was later pushed back again to February 2014. It can be purchased at retail stores, or digitally from the Nintendo eShop, with the digital version requiring 11300 MB (approx. 11.3 GB) of memory to be installed. Standard set Wii U consoles do not have enough internal memory to have this game downloaded on them without an external storage device, but deluxe set Wii U consoles do.

Story
The story begins at Donkey Kong's hut, where the Kongs are celebrating his birthday. Suddenly, one of the balloons flies off the Kong house and over the sea, where Snowmad ships are stationed. Far away from the island, a Pointy Tuck watches over them, locating the Kong house and relaying info to their leader, shrouded in a dark silhouette. Upon the leader nodding their approval, the Pointy Tucks bring him a horn which he blows, creating a large amount of wind, as well as an ice dragon.

Just as he is about to blow the candle out, Donkey Kong notices a mysterious snowflake appear and put out the candle on his birthday cake. He turns away with a frustrated look on his face as he hears an uproar, and he and the other Kongs exit the house. The ice dragon from earlier flies toward Donkey Kong Island, turning the sea under it to ice. The Kongs are then blown away from the island by the ice dragon's intense winds, landing on the Lost Mangroves island. Afterwards, a large ship stations itself where the Volcano from Donkey Kong Country Returns used to be, and the Snowmads seize Donkey Kong Island for their own, turning it into a frosty area with continuous snowfall.

After traversing across 5 islands with each posing its own threats, the Kongs finally arrive at Donkey Kong Island under control of the Snowmads. The Kongs make their way through the frozen fortress until they encounter the leader of the Snowmads, Lord Fredrik, who challenges the Kongs to a final battle deep in the depths of the volcano. After a long battle, Donkey Kong delivers the final punch to Lord Fredrik, which sends him flying out through the roof of the Snowmad's ship, destroying it in the process. The Kongs wander out of the remains of the ship and look out from the mountainside to see the end of Lord Fredrik's fall. Lord Fredrik crashes into the remainder of the Snowmad ships out in the seas of the island, defeating the entire Snowmad clan and freeing the island from their control. Donkey Kong then notices the horn that was used to freeze their island fell out of Lord Fredrik's hands during his fall, which he catches and blows into, producing a breeze of flowers that carries the Kongs to the bottom of the island. The Kongs watch and rejoice as the breeze of the flowers flutter around the island, melting all of the ice and snow, returning Donkey Kong Island to its former glory.

New features
The gameplay of the title is very similar to that of its predecessor, Donkey Kong Country Returns, but features more playable characters. These are Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong. The former Kong can execute the Helicopter Spin with her ponytail in order to propel herself up in midair. Cranky harnesses the Cane Bounce by using his iconic rigid cane to combat or overcome some obstacles otherwise (potentially) dangerous to stomp on, such as urchins and thorns; the Cane Bounce can be seen as a substitute to Dixie Kong's Helicopter Twirl, as Cranky can bounce off the ground with his cane and take off to increased heights. With the inclusion of more than two playable characters in the game, a premiere feature in the series, the variety of Buddy Barrels has been invigorated. Players can stumble upon Diddy, Dixie, or Cranky barrels, with each displaying their name abbreviations – DD, DX, and CK respectively. These barrels are usually found separated from each other, while other constantly rotate and change their content, each time indicated by the cited abbreviations. In the standard mode of play, Donkey Kong can only carry one partner at the time; after freeing a completely new partner while transporting another one, the latter will cast itself out and make room for the other on Donkey's back. If the character in the chosen barrel is already seated on Donkey Kong, the primates can regenerate their health bar upon destroying such an item.

The game also presents ice and underwater levels, which were absent in Returns. The Kong's ability to swim has been restored, even though it is more altered from the Mario-styled swimming controls present in the original trilogy. In effect, the swimming mechanics are similar to those of the New Play Control! version of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, where instead of pressing the jump button to gain momentum, the player has to move the stick /  buttons. The Kongs are now given limited air while underwater, requiring them to seek out air bubbles to survive. A Corkscrew attack has been added, with which the player can defeat certain enemies or collapse less durable structures while underwater.

In a vast number of areas in the game, players can encounter orange handles fixed on the surface of platforms. The Kongs can pull these handles to uncover their roots from under the ground, which can be either bonuses or Barrel Cannons that launch them to other places. Upon plucking some of these objects, the Kongs are bound to assist to certain phenomenons that manipulate the contacted environment in some way or another.

The plucking function can help transport several objects, such as items, where the possibility to be carried and thrown exists - barrels, DK Barrels, and Watermelon Fuse Bombs are the most common items to be transported. Some can be taken directly from the ground, but other are buried under it and obtainable only by plucking handles. The player can actually haul even enemies, specifically those that are relatively small and wear orange helmets, like Tuff Fluffs and Tuff Tucks. Portable items and enemies are sometimes necessary in order to destroy hinderances, bags with precious content, and tough foes.

The ability to pick up enemies and throw them, and overall the plucking capability, was, as the producer Kensuke Tanabe states, inspired from Super Mario Bros. 2, which he directed.

For the first time in the series, the camera angle can change dynamically in some levels where Blast Barrels or minecarts are found, showing more areas and perspectives of the scenery. A new feature in this game is the Kong POW attack, which turns all enemies on-screen into items. This move can only be performed when 100 bananas have been collected, as well as when there is a partner by Donkey Kong's side.

Time Attack
A mode originating in Returns, Time Attack of any level can be accessed only after the player has hit the Slot Machine Barrel at the end of it at least once. It is available on single player and is a completely optional mode, meaning it does not unlock extra content in the game, nor contribute to its completion percentage.

Before entering Time Attack, players are given the option to select a type of Buddy Barrel for the course of the chosen stage. During Time Attack, players have to guide Donkey Kong and, eventually, his partner to the level's finish barrel in the fastest time possible. Three time limits are set during the course, each corresponding to one of the gold, silver, and bronze medals. Should the heroes reach their destination before the stopwatch count surpasses one of these time limits, they are rewarded with the medal accordingly. The primates start off every race against time with a stopwatch count set to zero displayed on the screen and a chance of winning a gold medal; as the count advances and time elapses, the gold medal eventually switches to silver and, ultimately, to bronze, unless the players time the Kongs' movements so they reach the goal before one of the medal's time limit is struck. A special shiny gold medal can be obtained if the Kongs manage to reach the finish barrel at a particular time within the standard gold medal time limit. The milestone times for shiny gold medals are never displayed nor made clear.

It is to be noted that, unlike in other modes of the game, the Kongs do not lose a life after their health bar has been drained completely during Time Attack, further proving that exploring the game this way has no virtual effect on general gameplay.

While the aspects described above were previously present in Donkey Kong Country Returns, a noteworthy difference in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is marked by the absence of Checkpoint Booths during the Time Attack mode. In the former game, if the Kongs would have lost all of their hearts from the health bar while racing in a level, they would be transferred back to the last checkpoint reached, with the stopwatch resuming its count and their health bar refilled. With the lack of checkpoints in Time Attack of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, the heroes are prompted to restart the whole stage with the count reset to zero every time they fail progressing.

Additionally, in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, if the Kongs finish a level in Time Attack mode without taking damage, their achieved medal will be accompanied by a heart icon. This icon is permanent until they achieve a better medal.

Despite Checkpoint Booths being unavailable during Time Attack, Professor Chops retains his role as referee. During every race, he first shows up at the beginning, waving a small green flag in the rhythm of the countdown. After the Kongs break the finish barrel, he springs on the scene with a chequered flag, indicating the race has been terminated.

Time Attack Leaderboards
If connected to the Internet and signed into Nintendo Network, players are granted the possibility to upload their Time Attack records on a worldwide leaderboard. These records are associated to their Nintendo Network IDs. The global Time Attack rank of any level in the game can be accessed by selecting the "LEADERBOARDS" section on the Time Attack menu. The rank displays other player's time records on the said levels, as well as the Kong partner used and, occasionally, a replay of their progress to be observed.

Hard Mode
When players have collected all the K-O-N-G Letters in the game and have subsequently completed every level, an additional game mode, Hard Mode, is unlocked. Hard Mode can only be played with one Kong, marking the only occasion in the game aside from multiplayer sessions when one can take full control of Diddy, Dixie, or Cranky. Nevertheless, the characters are given a single heart to go along the selected level, and have to reach their destination without taking damage at all in order to complete the stage. Layout differences during Hard Mode are established by the removal of checkpoints. In order to complete the game 200%, every level in the game has to be finished in Hard Mode. During Hard Mode, the K-O-N-G Letters of each level are recolored from red to blue. Collecting them again in this mode replaces the red star icon next to a chosen level's name (marking that all letters have been previously obtained there) with a blue one, although it is not necessary for 200% completion and does not unlock anything.

Controls
The game can be played with either the Wii U GamePad, the Wii Remote alone and held horizontally, or the Wii Remote held vertically and connected to a Nunchuk. Below is a list of all controls that trigger the actions in the game, each for every style of playing.

Note that the moves marked with the color blue are abilities that are only utilised underwater.

Solo & Co-op modes

 * Left – walk, run, crouch, swim
 * or – jump, Barrel Jet hover (button should be held while playing as/having Diddy), Helicopter Spin (button should be held while playing as/having Dixie), Cane Bounce (button should be pressed before landing on a platform, playing as/having Cranky), Swim Boost, Jet Blast (while playing as/having Diddy), Ponytail Propeller (while playing as/having Dixie), cane attack (while playing as/having Cranky)
 * , – Ground Pound (while standing), Roll Attack (while moving), Kong Roll (while moving and having a partner), shoot popgun, Corkscrew
 * or – grab (enemies, objects), transport (button should be held - if released, the element transported will be thrown), pluck (handles)
 * or – Kong POW
 * or – enter pause menu
 * – enter HOME Menu

Co-op mode only
or – carry partner (for player 1), mount/dismount Donkey Kong (for player 2)

Solo & Co-op modes

 * Left – walk, run, crouch, swim
 * or – jump, Barrel Jet hover (button should be held while playing as/having Diddy), Helicopter Spin (button should be held while playing as/having Dixie), Cane Bounce (button should be pressed before landing on a platform, playing as/having Cranky), Swim Boost, Jet Blast (while playing as/having Diddy), Ponytail Propeller (while playing as/having Dixie), cane attack (while playing as/having Cranky)
 * or – grab (enemies, objects), transport (button should be held - if released, the element transported will be thrown), pluck (handles)
 * , – Ground Pound (while standing), Roll Attack (while moving), Kong Roll (while moving and having a partner), shoot popgun, Corkscrew
 * or – Kong POW
 * or – enter pause menu
 * – enter HOME Menu

Co-op mode only
or – carry partner (for player 1), mount/dismount Donkey Kong (for player 2)

Solo & Co-op modes

 * – walk, run, crouch, swim
 * – grab (enemies, objects), transport (button should be held - if released, the element transported will be thrown), pluck (handles)
 * – jump, Barrel Jet hover (button should be held while playing as/having Diddy), Helicopter Spin (button should be held while playing as/having Dixie), Cane Bounce (button should be pressed before landing on a platform, playing as/having Cranky), Swim Boost, Jet Blast (while playing as/having Diddy), Ponytail Propeller (while playing as/having Dixie), cane attack (while playing as/having Cranky)
 * Shaking – Ground Pound (while standing), Roll Attack (while moving), Kong Roll (while moving and having a partner), shoot popgun, Corkscrew
 * – Kong POW
 * or – enter pause menu
 * – enter HOME Menu

Co-op mode only
– carry partner (for player 1), mount/dismount Donkey Kong (for player 2)

Solo & Co-op modes

 * – walk, run, crouch, swim
 * – jump, Barrel Jet hover (button should be held while playing as/having Diddy), Helicopter Spin (button should be held while playing as/having Dixie), Cane Bounce (button should be pressed before landing on a platform, playing as/having Cranky), Swim Boost, Jet Blast (while playing as/having Diddy), Ponytail Propeller (while playing as/having Dixie), cane attack (while playing as/having Cranky)
 * or – grab (enemies, objects), transport (button should be held - if released, the element transported will be thrown), pluck (handles)
 * Shaking and  – Ground Pound (while standing), Roll Attack (while moving), Kong Roll (while moving and having a partner), shoot popgun, Corkscrew
 * – Kong POW
 * or – enter pause menu
 * – enter HOME Menu

Co-op mode only

 * or – carry partner (for player 1), mount/dismount Donkey Kong (for player 2)

Bosses
The bosses of this game are each faced at the end of every world. Below is a list of all bosses in the game, with their respective level and the world they are encountered in mentioned inside parentheses.
 * Pompy, the Presumptuous (Big Top Bop, Lost Mangroves)
 * Skowl, the Startling (Mountaintop Tussle, Autumn Heights)
 * Ba-Boom, the Boisterous (Triple Trouble, Bright Savannah)
 * Fugu, the Frightening (Fugu Face-Off, Sea Breeze Cove)
 * Bashmaster, the Unbreakable (Punch Bowl, Juicy Jungle)
 * Lord Fredrik, the Snowmad King (Volcano Dome, Donkey Kong Island)

Snowmads
Below is a table containing all the minion sub-species enrolled in the Snowmad army, classified into categories. They are followed by a brief description on their behavior and combat. The first and final in-game level appearances of each enemy is also mentioned.

Other enemies
Along with the mischievous Snowmads, there are also many other foes the Kongs have to fight or avoid throughout their adventure. Some of the enemies may only change in appearance, but otherwise act the same. Below is a table whose content is composed of all of the enemies that are not related to the Snowmads. The syntagmas written in bold and atop every section of the table belong to the worlds the enemies listed underneath them are first encountered in the game.

Objects
Below is a table containing all collectables and projectiles found in the game. What goes under the name of "collectable" is a gameplay element which can be collected and stored to a specific counter. Usually, when this counter reaches a certain number or magnitude, a special gameplay-related event will take place. A projectile represents an item which can be either picked up and used as weapon.

Mechanisms are objects which trigger actions or uncover items after the Kongs affect them. Vehicles refer to certain apparatuses that are used as mandatory ways of locomotion during select levels of the game.

Worlds and levels
The game has seven total islands, consisting of six "main" islands and one secret island (Secret Seclusion), which serve as the game's worlds. Though the course of each world, the Kongs can visit Funky's Fly 'n' Buy item shop, where Funky Kong sells life balloons and other balloons, portable partner barrels, Banana Juice, Heart Boosts, Crash Guards, and figurines of characters in the game that can be obtained through a capsule toy machine.

The table below lists all of the worlds and levels in the game, including their respective music theme and number of Puzzle Pieces. Since not every musical composition in the game has been given a name, several of the ones shown are either described as covers from the past Donkey Kong games, or merely marked as conjectural with a pointy line.

Note that the titles of the musical themes which are succeeded by an asterisk (*) in the following table are stated in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Staff
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze notably marks the return of long-time Donkey Kong Country composer David Wise, whose last soundtrack for the series was for the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! in 2005. Wise was specifically brought on board by Retro Studios president Michael Kelbaugh.

Pre-release and unused content
Early footage of the game, specifically the one from the E3 trailer, showed heads-up display that was a bit different from the current version. The place where the life counter is did not feature anything behind the hearts; in the final version, there is a wooden plank icon. There was also no possibility to see whether the player can perform the Kong POW move, as the banana bar was missing.

In Levitation Station, if DK jumps towards a block as it is forming, he may hang in the air beside it until it is ready to return to the background.

When a player finds a Schnautzel near a Tuff Fluff in Horn Top Hop they need to make sure they that it's slightly facing the background and keep rolling into it. If done correctly, the Schnautzel will be knocked out falling into the background instead of the foreground.

References to other games

 * Donkey Kong: Donkey Kong's 8-bit sprite, holding a Wii U GamePad, appears at the end of Aqueduct Assault stage.
 * Donkey Kong Jr.: The levels in Secret Seclusion feature music that originated from this game.
 * Donkey Kong 3: At the second checkpoint of Fruity Factory, the background features a replica of the first stage.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: A tank resembling those from Bowser's military forces, originating in the said game, can be seen in the background of Frosty Fruits.
 * Donkey Kong Country: The music theme "Aquatic Ambience" is covered. In the Canopy Chaos level, Cranky's record player from this game can be found and when ground pounded in front of it, it plays this games' title theme. The music theme "Jungle Groove" has two covers: one during the loading screens between levels and another during some levels. Part of the music in the level Frozen Frenzy contains a cover version of the music theme "Fear Factory". Part of the music in the Crumble Cavern level contains a cover version of "Cave Dweller Concert" from this game.
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: Dixie Kong returns from this game which marked her first appearance. Bramble levels, swamp levels and beehive levels return. The music theme Lockjaw Saga is covered. Part of the music in the Frosty Fruit level contains a cover version of "In a Snowbound Land" music from this game. The music theme Stickerbush Symphony is covered. Part of the music in the level Frantic Fields contains a cover version of "Run, Rambi! Run!" from this game. One of Dixie Kong's idle animations in multiplayer involves her playing some air guitar could be a possible reference to her playing her electric guitar from this game.
 * Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble: Water skipping returns.
 * Mario Kart Wii: Funky Kong's logo from this game reappears on a plane in the background of Big Top Bop.
 * Donkey Kong Country Returns: Being a direct sequel to this game, the levels in Secret Seclusion have a remix of the music from the single Golden Temple stage in this game (which itself was remixed from Donkey Kong Jr.). Also, the design of Donkey Kong Island is based off its appearance in this game; all of the worlds from this game can be seen. Finally, a number of sound effects from this game are used. In the level Blurry Flurry, Mega Squeekly has a cameo still alive in the background while frozen solid in an iceberg. The giant Eyeball from Handy Hazards makes a cameo in the background of the level "Frozen Frenzy" frozen in place. Mugly makes a cameo in the diorama of Donkey Kong Island frozen under the ground. Also, one of the logos seen in the cockpit of the plane Donkey Kong crashes into in the beginning of the game has the logo for this game. Snaps, an enemy from this game, makes a cameo on the title screen.
 * Super Mario 3D Land: One of the games Donkey Kong plays on his Nintendo 3DS during his idle animation is this game. During the animation, he can be heard passing a Goomba and collecting a coin.
 * Mario Kart 7: Donkey Kong sometimes plays it during his idle animation. He is heard playing as himself, picking up a Super Leaf item, and avoiding a Green Shell.
 * Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D: The Crash Guard, Green Balloon, and Portable DK Barrels originated in this game. Also, this is one of the games Donkey Kong plays on his Nintendo 3DS during his idle animation. He is heard in Cranky Kong's Shop, as well as activating a secret path in a level.

References in later games

 * Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: A number of Snowmads appear as Trophies. Additionally, the music that plays in Mangrove Cove and in every second temple level are playable in the Jungle Hijinxs stage under the names "Mangrove Cove" and "Swinger Flinger" respectively, despite the latter originally playing in the level Bopopolis and every second level after that.

Trivia

 * The name "Tropical Freeze" is a pun on the term "tropical breeze".
 * In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Donkey Kong's idle animation shows him playing a Nintendo 3DS with one of the following games: Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.
 * Funky Kong makes a The Legend of Zelda reference for the Crash Guards (very similarly to how Cranky Kong does in Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D with the DK Barrels) by saying, "Vehicle troubles? It's dangerous to go alone - take one of these!"
 * This is the only installment in the series without a handheld port.