Game looks and sounds quite nice, but compared to the level design in the original DKC1-2 and Returns, I didn't particularly care for how many levels from the third world onward force you to keep moving forward without any breaks by having the level fall out from under you.

I finished the game (not 100%) back in 2015 on the Wii U, but I probably did it a disservice by playing it in multiplayer, which might have exacerbated my issues with it; might be worth revisiting by myself at some point down the road.

This is probably one of my most replayed games of all time. I love the world. The music. The feel. All those tiny little details that go by in a fraction of a second. The developers truly made something special with this and basically no other 2d platformer reaches the same quality as this one.

This doesn't mean that this game is perfect. Firstly my biggest criticism are the boss fights, which are just all right. They're not bad but the boss fights feel kinda bland and forgettable and they are often times the reason I stop playing. In Donkey Kong Country Returns they somehow felt a bit cooler for me. Maybe because they were more connected to the overarching narrative. Or Maybe because they felt a bit more diverse.

Another criticism I have is that Dixie Kong is way better than Diddy or Cranky. There literally is no single reason to choose anyone other than Dixie unless you want to diversify your playing experience.

To summarize I just want everyone to play this game and realize they slept on the best platformer from atleast the last 10 years. The team of Retro Studios created some of the most incredible environments, platforming and audio and made some of the most beautiful scenes in all of gaming.