Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Reviews

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10
May 21, 2018

"Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze" is a successful port, which sees itself as a fine tuning of the original Wii U version. A successful presentation, dreamy pieces of music, a varied gameplay and funny boss fights round off the game. The tricky levels have a fair amount of difficulty, but thanks to Funky Kong they are also more accessible for beginners. Pros can continue to play in the classic style and explore the jungle with Donkey Kong and his family. Only a new theme world would have been desirable for connoisseurs of the title. All in all a fun porting, which appeals to a wide range of players thanks to different modes.

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Top Critic
8 / 10.0
May 1, 2018

As a strict port, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze has its pros and cons. If you missed out on the Wii U version, fetch your wallet. But if you’ve played the original, re-investing is simply optional and you won’t miss out on anything new. After completing the game on 99 red balloons, I have a real need to play Donkey Konga. Now, where did I put those Bongos?

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8 / 10
May 9, 2018

At 60 dollars, Tropical Freeze seems to be massively overpriced for a ported title that has nothing new to offer other than the Funky Mode. But nevertheless, it’s one the best, most completed platformers you’ve ever experienced.

Review in Persian | Read full review

May 10, 2018

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze makes its debut on the Switch, and it's still worth going bananas for.

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8 / 10.0
May 5, 2018

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was and still is a fantastic 2.5D platformer, but having it at full price without any new content other than funky is annoying.

Review in Arabic | Read full review

8 / 10
May 10, 2018

Regardless of the asking price this is still a supremely well designed platformer with controls to match, and a generous variety of challenges and levels. And with the new Funky Kong, it is more accessible than ever.

Review in Arabic | Read full review

Adam Riley
Top Critic
8 / 10
May 1, 2018

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a real delight to play, holding its appeal even several years after its original Wii U release.

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David W.
Top Critic
May 1, 2018

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is delightful and easy to recommend.

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Mar 28, 2014

More or less a collection of lengthy obstacle courses with a tendency to break apart and tumble around you and with you, 'Tropical Freeze' accomplishes much in the way of satisfaction and difficulty. Though more an expansion of old ideas than anything blatantly new, what small additions there are, from new sidekicks to subtle level twists, are undeniably positive ones. Accompanied by excellent visual and audio design, it's a successful sequel, bolstered especially by the Wii U's extra bit of power (think about it from Retro's perspective). The studio isn't making waves with this reboot series as they did with 'Metroid Prime,' but they have again delivered an ideal and genuinely exciting Donkey Kong experience.

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Matt S
Top Critic
Feb 25, 2014

I'm happy to forgive the game for being safe, because it is safely fun.

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4 / 5.0
May 7, 2018

Though it may not provide anywhere near the kind of substantial additions to convince veterans to invest for a second time, there's no mistaking the care and passion Retro Studios and company have put into making DK's most recent outing one of his best.

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4 / 5.0
May 2, 2018

Not much has been added to the Nintendo Switch rerelease of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, but it still deserves a place in your Switch library

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8 / 10.0
Feb 19, 2014

Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is a magnificent return to the series that provides replay value a million times over.

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8 / 10
May 1, 2018

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is an exceptional platformer that feels right on the Nintendo Switch. It's one that both experienced gamers and newcomers alike will both enjoy (thanks to the new Funky Kong mode), but probably not worth it at full price for those who picked it up on Wii U.

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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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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

8 / 10
Feb 17, 2014

Once again, the Donkey Kong Country series returns to the spotlight. Tropical Freeze is a worthy successor and Retro Studios has done a fine work in bringing the series to Nintendo's current generation. Loading times and underwater controls could be improved, though, as they're standing in the way of an excellent platforming experience.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Feb 21, 2014

Although the Wii U GamePad doesn't receive its due of customary prods and blows akin to SM3DW, there's more than enough ingenuity, and thoughtful nods to gaming trailblazers of old, in Tropical Freeze to forgive its lack of novelties.

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Feb 18, 2014

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a very solid game that could've been great if its developers had utilized more outside-of-the-box thinking during development. It's tried and true, but suffers from over-use of the "safe approach."

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8 / 10.0
Feb 17, 2014

"Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze" is a top-tier offering for the Wii U, but it doesn't break the mold the same way "Super Mario 3D World" did late last year. It's a Wii U exclusive, but it fails to take advantage of the GamePad. This is a good game that missed opportunities to be great.

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