Reviews from

in the past


while easier than the first two, it's still has the qualities of a country game! would recommend!



also what happend with kiddy where did he go-

Buen diseño de niveles, buenos jefes y una buena musica. Puede que sea un poquito peor que el 2, pero es excelente juego.

foi o que eu mais joguei da franquia, é meu favorito e penso muito em voltar a jogar qualquer hora.

Didn't quite have the DKC itch out of me yet (and still might not <w> ) so I decided to postpone my "current" games a little longer and do a full 103% run of DKC3 for the first time. Like with DKC2, I have beaten the game before, but never a full run of all the bonus coins, DK coins, and banana birds until this time. I have been somewhat converted over to the school of "DKC3 is the best of the original trilogy", but still think DKC2 is a fantastic game. DKC3 is largely a somewhat more polished version of that game. It took me about 5 and a half hours to do on the Japanese Wii U Virtual Console.

In refining the DKC2 formula of a more meta-goodie-focused DKC, DKC3 does a much better job than 2 of designing levels and barrels that all fit well with each other. None of the bonus rooms or DK coins (which themselves are now a special enemy and not just another coin lying around) feel unfairly hidden, and the challenges you have to do to get them all feel better thought out and interesting than in 2 where a good handful of them feel like filler. The roster of animal friends have also received a slight change again, as Rattly the snake has been completely removed (while he was fun, I feel 2 really exhausted his potential), and the purple Skwaks the parrot who in 2 could only descend as well as not spit eggs can now both fly upwards as well as pick up barrels. Finally, the overly invincible (yet very fun) Rambi has been replaced by Ellie the Elephant, whose water spitting mechanics and fear of mice have her as the star of many of the more unique levels.

DKC3's best points, as far as the series go lie in these refinements and uniqueness of levels. Very rarely do two levels feel much alike in this game, as each one tries to do something in a way you've not yet seen. Sometimes it falls flat and is a bit miserable, like the rocketship level or Ellie's stampede level, but most often it provides a new challenge in an interesting way, like Ellie's mouse-avoidance level or the level where you need to keep a hungry fish fed behind you. This extends to even the boss fights, which also break beyond the mold of the more typical "dodge and smack with barrel" that 2 had mostly carried on from 1. All this on top of a really well thought out difficulty curve really do make the general quality of 3 stand above the other 2 original DKC games and puts it definitively as one of the best platformers on the system for me. Where 2 was as much of a sequel as it was a re-imagining of what DKC could be as a franchise, 3 is everything a sequel should strive to be in how it succeeds in innovating on the good ideas and paving over the not-so-good ideas and mundanities of its predecessor.

But no game is perfect, and neither is DKC3. In trying to innovate so hard, it does occasionally fall flat in some quite annoying ways. This mostly lies in the occasional gimmick that doesn't work quite right, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, as sometimes that drive to innovate struck on an idea that just didn't work as well as it needed to in its execution. That problem is most present in the final boss and secret final boss fights, which rather than feeling like tests of platforming skill and timing like they do in 2, feel like boring memorization tests with battle mechanics not always very clearly explained.

The other source of this also comes up with something I mentioned in the DKC2 review in the inherent problems with making a game with two main playable characters. Kiddy (or as he's amusingly called in Japanese, "Dinky") is a clever re-imagining of a "heavy" kong like DK was in the first DKC weaved into the throwing and partner mechanics expanded on in 2. However, this also just gets in the way of playing the game quite often. Dinky largely succeeds in feeling like a worse kong to be stuck with than Dixie, as he not only can't hover but also isn't faster like Diddy. He's also worse than Diddy in that he's physically larger, and the issue with the kongs being less pixely and more-animated makes Dinky's hitbox really difficult to judge compared to Dixie's, and this can make some of the trickier boss battles and enemy dodging really frustrating at times. They also made it so that Dinky's throws do the platforming leap like is done in DKC2, but Dixie's throws slam Dinky onto the ground to both attack enemies and break open the very occasional floor-hidden secret (not unlike slamming into the ground from a great height can do in DKC1). It's a neat idea, but the throwing for height is used SO much more often that it just makes it annoying to have to switch between the kongs so often.

Edit: Another important thing I forgot to mention; this game has very noticeable slowdown where DKC2 does not. The waterfall levels are quite pretty with how you can go in front of and behind the falling water, but if you have more than one or two enemies on screen while one is on screen, the game is gonna start to chug. It doesn't happen too often, but one bonus room in particular is made FAR harder because you're fighting against both the slowdown and the challenge of the room itself.

Verdict: Highly Recommended. DKC3 isn't a perfect game, but it's still a fantastic one. Even its biggest problems are still minor at best, and barely get in the way of an otherwise very fun experience. If you like SNES platformers, this is definitely not one to overlook.


Nunca tinha jogado esse DK antes. Apesar de perder um pouco de toda a personalidade encontrada no 2, as texturas são bem mais trabalhadas aqui...

This is the weakest entry of the trilogy. It's a good game, it has a few new original mechanics, some bosses are the best of the trilogy (more than just jump on the head or throw some barrels). But we are far from the improvement seen between DKC1 and 2. The overworld was a bit disappointing and some of the last levels had artificially increased difficulty with bad gimmicks.

Probably the most beautiful game in the original trilogy. I love the setting of the game and they do a lot of unique stuff with it. But this one is ultimately my least favorite of the Rare Trilogy. Some of the level gimmicks, like that water level that reverses your controls, are so goddamn frustrating and they drag down the experience for me. Still a really solid platformer though.

Not much to say here, it feels similar to DKC2 but a bit worse, mainly because the difficulty is toned down for most of the game. I found that the game to be a lot easier than the first one for most of the game but then the last two areas had somewhat of a difficulty spike. Sometimes the levels felt less fun due to its challenge and more tedious, especially with the Animal Buddies once again. Those levels that mainly use the Animal Buddies just weren't fun to me, especially Krack-Shot Kroc which was a worse version of a level I already didn't like in DKC2. The bosses were also just really tedious, most of them aren't very visually clear or have really annoying gimmicks I don't like dealing with, and some of them even change the gameplay style which I wasn't too much of a fan of. Regardless, it's still DKC which all three were pretty solid platformers, but I personally found that each new game was a score less for me, so hopefully Returns and Tropical Freeze don't follow that pattern (especially since I've been anticipating playing those two for a while). Overall, I find DKC3 to be weaker than its predecessors, but it's still a solid game on its own.

World 1 - Lake Orangatanga: 8/10
The first level is probably the lamest in the entire game, funny how that works, but you know what? might prefer it over Pirate Panic, at least it has SOMETHING to keep my interest with the ropes (I'd mention the bonus stages but I'm of the belief you shouldn't have to rely on optional content to make your game good) either way DKC 1 actually has the edge in terms of a stage opener. We're already off to a good start with the second level (Doorstop Dash) introducing the pulleys but really making you get use to them before progressing. it makes for great thoughtful puzzles with having to open shutters with them, Tidal Trouble brings back the first theme (kind of the same as what 2 for it's first world) the thing that makes this better is that rather than just being subtley better, no this is much, much better, Enemy hazards are everywhere, I feel like you can already feel the tension of the world of this game. 1st snow level is relatively basic, but introduces everything it can while being well rounded. Now the games already one upping itself with Murky Mill being the best one so far. Having to think about where to to throw the barrel when there's a searchlight makes for very involved gameplay.

World 2 - Kremwood Forest: 8/10
Ascending tree level is NUTS with you having to avoid so many NUTS... Riverside Race introduces the unique riverside levels you would see for the rest of the game, the game is quite smart about making even the basic levels not feel underwhelming. The wheel rat level you have to think constantly for, but you can easily keep the flow up and you should figure it out your first try (that's if you know to fall through the trap doors, lol) Tree level comes back with not much overly new. I gotta say though it's placed pretty well...Bobbing Barrel Brawl uses a few barrel sections to get you use to the elephant controls, this level isn't as good but it still accomplishes what it should.

World 3 - Cotton-Top Cove: High 8/10
Mostly water and barrel levels, water levels are nowhere near as annoying as they were in DKC 1 and the barrel levels have an 'ascending' twist that makes platforming on them far more interesting.

World 4 - Mekanos: 9/10
This is where the game ALREADY gets factory like levels, probably some of my favorite Donkey Kong theming, it actually feels like everything is new going from level to level here. While having some of the most interesting platforming sections imagine eg using the spider webs on a brief time period that is nowhere near as easily abusable as it was in web woods, or having to avoid a SAW at the bottom of the screen. Also vehicle level is tense but trust me, you get used to it. I felt more satisfied trying to learn that than I ever did with Mine Cart Madness.

World 5 - K3: 8/10
The platforming of this game has gotten wild, seriously DKC 3 knows how to keep things fresh, while using rope gimmicks for the millionth time, everything just feels so unique, you know, When I previously played this, I was going to complain about the snow vehicle level, I felt it was too fast, but this time around I managed it just fine, I swear there's a way to control the speed somewhat by pressing the d pad left but I couldn't tell you that for sure, all I know is that I was satisfied with the level and had a great time, It's just really, really tough. Give it a good few tries I'd say, even if your really tempted to quit. Barrel level comes back and is the same deal as before with only subtle differences. same with the factory level where you play as the spider but even more challenging. Latter snow level is consistent with the sliding enemies. It seems simple but it makes a lot of sense and It's done so your not too frustrated with it being spammed. Actually makes sense to be brief.

World 6 - Razor Ridge: 8/10
Buzzer Barrage is one of the most satisfying experiences I had in recent memory. What seems like a generic cave level is elevated to a phenomenal status by how memorable the design is, you have to tread carefully everywhere because enemies are designed in a way where if you take one wrong turn with your controls when your picking up barrels and solving out multiple puzzles with them, you'll lose a life for sure. It's pure tension, I should mention that contrary to popular belief. None of these gimmicks have broke the pace of the game at all. You could say bonus rooms, but that's only if you go for 100% and not everyone is gonna wanna do that, and would rely on the base games core platforming focus instead. Which should be what matters. although it's important they get the bonus room content right too, and they did, even if it takes you a good few tries, which just goes to show how much more engaging the design of this game can be than the first two. I've saw some people criticise Kong Fused Cliffs, and I'm not convinced by their arguments at all. It can be annoying if your not used to it but what matters is that I think if you stay on the bit of the rope most spared by enemies, you should be mostly fine as long as you give it the patience and endure. It's not a problem that it's an autoscroller level since there's plenty of enemies throughout to keep you entertained. I didn't like it at first, but I always knew that was just kind of a me problem and not the games fault, and now I can enjoy it for being one of my favorite levels as someone whos got the timing down. Did not take me too many tries. Although more than 5 for sure. There are quite a few water levels in the game, and they all feel different enough to feel substantial and different. While having a lot of the same ideas. These water levels are a lot better than the first two games ones as they feel like mazes, conceptually I prefer 2s searchlight water gimmick, but that didn't get a lot of time in the light anyway. pot hole panic is admittedly a bit forgettable (I feel like some people confuse this for the much better Buzzer Barrage) though it's still a good level, honestly at worst it's a decent breather. I kinda like the water and enemy hazards also. It's oddly memorable. Ropey Rumpus is awesome since you need to pay special attention to where giant enemies are on ropes. It's also got a timing flow, especially with that banger music man. Cool that it's a more focused version of the previous variation.

World 7 - Kaos Kore: 9/10
Konvoyer level is unique and there's something I like about the aesthetic, enemies are relentless here also, which makes the platforming more tough, trying to time those barrels in the cave is hard, Lightening Lookout is wild, I was JUST able to manage it, I'm gonna imagine it's gotta be hard for people to stomach, remember there is a background effect you can see and that it's timed around your speed. But it's still hard to get around. Especially when it happens extremely fast and frequently, possibly the most tense level ever in a platformer. Admittedly the conveyer level return is just flat out underwhelming, as we've seen everything that level has done before in another level already. On it's own it doesn't have much to offer asides the bonus rooms, There's not much you can really criticize about Poisonous Pipeline other than it having inverted controls, which is obviously the entire point, it's to screw with your head. I like it, since it mixes in better with the gravity control anyway. It's a way of the designers saying 'just take it as your own pace and you'll be fine' With the exception of Koindozer Klamber, all of these levels are phenomenal.

Might as well mention that this is the only Donkey Kong game with good bosses, not earth shattering but actually thoughtfully designed ones, some are better than others, of course. Mostly they get better as they go along, I wouldn't usually bring up bosses for platformers like this, but since I actually like them here, even if not a focus. I'll leave this in. For extra DKC 3 brownie points as you can see, because if it's not obvious I'm a huge fan of this game.

World 8 - Krematoa: 9/10
Stempede Sprint: the camera for this level is perfectly fine lol it's brief too, what a sick level
Criss Kross Cliffs: tough but not impossible, you just gotta have very precise timing, there's only so many barrel sections, you will make it if you stick with it, honestly brings out the best in the games most tense design, hard for all the right reasons. You heard me.
Tyrant Twin Tussle: the most underwhelming of these since it doesn't add much new to the whole cave concept, though everything feels quicker so you have to be 100% fast thinking for this level.
Honestly I'm so glad they brought the tree back for this world, I was starting to miss it, and it's just as satisfying as any other version.
Rocket Rush: What a way to end the game. Seriously. Honestly I always enjoyed this level a lot, I find it much more enjoyable than those garbage ones in Returns, plus it's only used here for one brief sendoff to the game. It's exactly what it should be, this world SHOULD be hard, even if you think it feels cheap, I'd rather that than have an easy, confused and forgettable bonus world coughs while saying lost world from DKC 2

DKC 3, while having some repetition left over from imo just decent previous 2 games, managed to win me over with a lot of platforming substance throughout. None of the things people frequently complain about I take issue with, this might be because I gave up on the idea of 'difficulty design' is everything but honestly even then I can tell you as someone who plays a lot of cheap games, this just doesn't have those problems. Give it the patience and I think you'll find that DKC 1 and 2 were just as guilty of both difficulty and not living up to potential in terms of level ideas or theming. Without question the best in the trilogy and a game that people who give it push back, just can't understand and think every donkey game has to be 'on the move, which again, I think you can keep the flow up just as much as the first 2 anyway.

Good game, not exactly a good sequel-- hear me out. Visually the game is gorgeous and I love the canadian-like theming (i'm biased lol) although it doesn't go as far as DKC2 with it. I think the game has too many hit or miss gimmick levels and it struggles with its identity because of it. The music is a bit bland too when compared to the other entries. I doubt i'll replay it without a friend.
Kiddy's cool, though.

There is not a single donkey kong in this donkey kong game

Not my favorite in the series but still pretty fun.

La jugabilidad es muy buena, pero no conecte con el juego al nivel de los 2 anteriores.

I don't understand the hate for this one. It's inventive and tries new things all the time. I definitely think the levels are a bit more interesting than DKC 1 but it loses some points for an arguably less interesting theme. Kiddy Kong is also terrible, and the spider boss too.

É o mais fácil dos três da série, ao mesmo tempo foi o que me mais me divertiu.

El más débil de la trilogía, no es malo, pero incluso se siente un tanto bajon del 2do, eso si el mapa mundi es muy wapo.

DKC3 had a number of things against upon release in late 1996: the Nintendo 64 was already out, 3D games were all the buzz then, overall interest in side-scrolling platforming was very low, and this was the third entry in the DKC series (5th if the Game Boy DK Land games are counted) so there was a bit of burnout among fans of the series.

Even with so many things against it, I had a good time playing this back in the day (rented it from Blockbuster) but it was clear to me that this game was nowhere near the masterpiece levels that (IMO) DKC and DKC2 achieved earlier. DKC3 didn't really do anything wrong but at the same time it didn't really do anything new. Sure, the setting was different (focus on a northwestern forestry setting but with diverse climates and themes sprinkled throughout the worlds), new enemies and characters were introduced (beginning with Kiddy Kong), and gameplay variety between levels is probably the highest in the series, yet the game felt very familiar in a been-there-done way. Not necessarily a bad thing considering the quality of previous games but definitely not good enough to propel this game into the same level of appreciation.

Graphics, gameplay, and sound are all very familiar and based in previous games for the most part with new collectables, mascots, and some level design ideas that were fairly interesting but not mindblowing.

All in all, DKC3 is a very solid platforming game that was released perhaps a bit too late in the SNES life cycle and therefore lost the spotlight and interest that the other games carried.

El más flojito de la franquicia, el cambio de tono choca mucho con los dos anteriores. Y aunque el soundtrack no es malo, no es tan memorable como los dos primeros.

Fuera de eso, sigue siendo divertido, el diseño de niveles sigue siendo bueno y los minijuegos están bien.

Kiddy Kong es el mayor pecado de este juego.

As a fan of the DKC series, this game ended up being disappointing. I've always heard this was some underlooked gem. It's some people's favorite which I can kinda understand. It has an interesting setting with its lakeside resort setting. While I don't like the overworld map all that much it is interesting and I don't really see a lot of 2D platformers trying to do what it does. There are even a couple of good levels! Where the gimmicks were actually cool and made me smile in the way the developers intended.

I just find so much of this game dull. The first two DKC games just have this excellent momentum to them. Short but dense levels with rhythmic and challenging platforming. They also feel grander than a lot of 2D platformers I've played. There is a sense of sincerety to its general themeing and music that makes them special. DKC3 just has none of these aspects, and while I didn't regret playing it, I felt the experience was that of a really bog standard nintendo platformer.

This game has a limited assortment of level themes they recycle through every world, so it's kind of like dkc1. I personally think dkc1 utilizes that better, there is a real sense of place to dk island and they pace out the stages better. DKC3s level themes get repetitive very quickly. I got to the point where I nearly wanted to shut the game off when I saw yet another boring treetop level. The music doesn't help either. Eveline Fischer is a great composer, but I just didn't feel most of her compositions here. Everything just feels too subdued. I understand it's going for like a laxidazical mood what with the Kongs being on vacation. But it's just a little too much in my opinion. It's storytelling is also lacking. It just has no sense of direction to it, and both of the games endings just left me scratching my head. Again it's missing the clear and sincere storytelling of the first two.

Maybe this is a little bit unfair, but the gameplay just feels entirely worse than DKC2. I think they were going for an overall slower pace, so they made things less fast and more heavy (even for Dixie). There's just nothing that feels cool to do. It's functional, but it doesnt have that crunchy feeling from dkc2 like when you jump and roll into enemies. There is technically no levels in this game that have the same gimmick. I think that in itself has merit but the length of the levels are too long, and the gimmicks themselves were largely pretentious. The bonus rooms are easier but more frustrating than dkc2(?) I found a lot of them easy to find and retry but they keep on recycling the same three game types and they all just got repetitive.

Boring is the operative word for this. I wish I can see what others do in DKC3 but it just felt like busy work by the end of it. DKC is full of games that had some kind of lasting effect on me. This one didn't, in fact it felt like it was trying everything in its power to not have an effect on me, which sucks.


DKC3's reputation as being disappointing when compared to its predecessor certainly isn't without merit.

...But honestly, what could ever hope to compare to DKC2? This game deserves to be cherished for its own achievements. It's still an above-average platformer produced by Rare in its prime at the end of the day.

Não posso colocar como completo porque tem a droga de uma fase que eu não consigo passar de jeito nenhum! E nem meu namorado consegue!!!! Não é jogo pra criança???? Porque é tão difícil? ME SINTO UMA INÚTIL!

The environment art is some of the most gorgeous I've seen in a game, let alone an SNES title. This is the only positive thing I really have to say about Donkey Kong Country 3. Without getting into an overly long negative review, every level feels like an unpolished first draft of a DKC2 level. I didn't enjoy any of them. Every boss has some different weird collision issue that makes it frustrating (seriously, it's uncanny). They changed the sprite of every enemy to an uglier one. Characters don't control well and objects never throw where you want them to. A serious downgrade in every way from the prior games.

Eh, even as a kid when I managed to have it borrowed and played I didn't thought as a really masterpiece. But it's no bad game for sure. It's just not nearly as amazing as the previous 2 games.

Some worlds are visually awesome and the soundtrack is quite good. Others felt really bland.


ce jeu c't une folie je le trouvais trop dur