Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Reviews

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Feb 19, 2014

Nintendo's bounding ape returns again in a thumping, enjoyable but unambitious platform game.

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Guardian
Top Critic
Feb 16, 2014

[I]t's a great game – exactly what we expect from Nintendo. But in a way, that's also its problem: anyone with a Wii U would be a fool not to buy it, but so few people have committed to the Wii U, and in order to rectify that, Nintendo needs to woo the unconverted with all-new gaming experiences. And the gaming experience that Tropical Freeze provides may be rich, enjoyable, challenging and frequently hilarious, but it isn't anything conspicuously new.

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GameMAG
ACE
Top Critic
9 / 10
May 13, 2018

Thanks to a new character and the release on the popular system, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has finally become available to a wide audience. This is definitely the best version of the platformer, which will please users with good difficulty, but without annoying deaths, improved graphics, fast loaf times, interesting levels with lots of secrets and hardcore mode. Moreover, now you can play Tropical Freeze in portable mode, and that's a really cool addition.

Review in Russian | Read full review

Ken McKown
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
May 10, 2018

While the new features are a nice bonus, the core game is still here and still fantastic.

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9 / 10.0
May 1, 2018

The Switch version of Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze is basically the same as the one released on Wii U four years, and that's a good thing. It was an excellent game then, it still is nowadays: fun, challenging, full of ideas and tough, like the best games of the past.

Review in Italian | Read full review

86 / 100
May 1, 2018

If this will be your first time playing Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, you can scarcely afford to pass this up. With a fresh set of eyes, this is an absolute home run from Nintendo.

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Dave Aubrey
Top Critic
7.8 / 10.0
May 1, 2018

Fun to revisit, but hardly essential.

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Feb 16, 2014

Building on the success of its forebears, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze look great, features some excellent boss battles, lots of well designed, challenging levels, and enough secrets to keep you coming back for more.

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83 / 100
Feb 17, 2014

Platform gaming fans would be silly to pass this one over; however, the rest of you may want to "proceed with caution" as although it is a very good game, it is far from being an easy one to master.

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Ken McKown
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Mar 7, 2014

Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze might be a disappointment in theory, but once I started playing it, I couldn't help but fall in love. The level designs are some of the best I have seen in the genre, the soundtrack is stellar, and the difficulty is tough but never unfair. For the audience that owns a Wii U and desires platformers crafted to perfection, this is a must-own. Nintendo continues to pump out stellar releases for its console; I just wish the audience was there to purchase them.

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8.5 / 10.0
Feb 17, 2014

Familiarity be damned, this game feels like a deliberate labor of love from Retro Studios.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 18, 2014

Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is a master class in the art form of 2D platformers, but it's way too difficult for its own good and this makes the inherent flaws and limitations of the genre all the more obvious. Tropical Freeze is probably the best side-scrolling platformer we'll ever see from a technical standpoint. Now it's time for Nintendo to stop making them for a while and actually do something new.

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9 / 10.0
Jun 5, 2018

Tropical Freeze is easily one of the best controlling games I've ever played. If you get stressed out by bottomless pits, disintegrating platforms and precision jumps, then get down on all fours and run away from this game as far as you can. If you welcome such challenges and love old-school platforming and goofy characters and bosses, however, then you'll go bananas over Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Funky Kong's addition to the Switch version is also a nice touch that makes things a bit more manageable.

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9 / 10
May 10, 2018

Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze has been seen before in previous years but this Nintendo Switch version does not miss out on anything compared to its predecessors. Thanks to its stunning visuals and amazing soundtrack, as well as to a fine level design and a difficulty level that makes it accessible to all audiences, this new version for the Nintendo Switch turns out to be yet another essential game for Nintendo's latest console.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Will Greenwald
Top Critic
May 31, 2018

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is another excellent Wii U game that has found an even better home on the Nintendo Switch.

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83 / 100
May 1, 2018

Tropical Freeze is still a Jump & Run highlight, that will now also attract younger players due to its Easy-Mode.

Review in German | Read full review

90 / 100
May 7, 2018

Its now or never, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for Nintendo Switch is probably one the best 2D platform experiences available for the console. While as a port it doesn't receive many extras, the overall experience is fun, challenging and now portable. If you didn't play it on the Wii U, we tell you its a must-have.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

4.5 / 5.0
May 9, 2018

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was already a strong title on the Wii U, and the Switch version simply makes it even better. Those that may have been turned off by the difficulty before can now feel free to jump in with Funky Mode, and the improvement to loading screens really does make a difference. It's yet another strong checkmark on the list of growing titles Switch owner need to have.

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8 / 10
May 1, 2018

There is nothing better than a beautiful trip into the wilderness to rekindle primal platforming instincts, and Donkey Kong Country : Tropical Freeze gets even more cool through this Funky, yet still challenge heavy "Switchmake".

Review in French | Read full review

GameXplain
Top Critic
Loved
May 1, 2018
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