The best 2D platformer ever made. This game is meticulously crafted to a degree I didn't even know was possible for a linear sidescroller. Similar to DKC2 before it, Tropical Freeze subtly reinvented the principles of platformer level design in ways that people sadly seemed to overlook through the years, but it's absolutely set a new standard that future developers and games in the genre should be compared to.

To this day, this is only level-based platformer I've ever seen that specifically prioritizes the individual LEVELS as its main design focus. Each and every level in this game is so distinct and fleshed out from one another, from both an environmental and mechanical standpoint, that I'd even go the length to say that any of this game's individual levels contain just as many ideas as you'd find in an entire WORLD of any standard platformer. Alpine Incline, for example, takes you on an entire journey from the base of a mountain to the skies. This massive level is just ONE of the nine levels in world 2, all of which live up to the same degree of scope and design genius.

To this day, I feel that Tropical Freeze is the only example of a true "AAA" 2D platformer, one that gives the genre a level of production, craft, and attention to detail that rivals any of the biggest blockbuster games from the modern era. It truly is the next evolution in platformer level design, but it's one that can only be executed by the most creative minds in the industry.

Also, thank you David Wise for blessing my ears. Love you

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is an exceedingly polished, stunningly presented, and unbelievably creative title, and, in my opinion, the best 2D platformer ever made. Every single level showcases Retro’s incredible game design principles by establishing a new idea and ramping its complexity up until the stage ends. Each of the game’s six main worlds have at least two stand-out, damn-near perfect, levels that contain smarter, more fleshed out ideas than entire other games in the genre. The gradual increase in intensity and incredible stage design lead to a sufficiently challenging platformer where deaths are caused by decision-making errors rather than pixel-perfect precision, which helps deaths feel genuinely fair. Tropical Freeze is one-of-a-kind, and has more perfect stages than all other platformers I’ve ever played combined. It’s possibly the easiest recommendation for a video game I can give, no one on Earth will dislike this title.

Also quick shoutout to David Wise for writing possibly the single best soundtrack in video game history. It's just a shame that only DK fans are aware.

Another game that's probably in my S tier.

DKC: Tropical Freeze is one of the most inventive platformers I have ever played. I had no interest in playing this game when it came out, as it just seemed like another DKC game and Returns when I played it was kind of uninteresting. My eyes only got turned to it after I watched the Game Maker's Toolkit Video about this game's level design. I knew I needed to play it immediately afterwards.

What Mark is saying in that video is absolutely true - the level design in this is the kind of stuff they should be teaching in game design school. Every level doesn't throw one or two things at you independently, it throws 4 things at you that bounce off each other in a way that makes this game a blast to play. These mechanics are all diegetic as well, as they fit the world design and aesthetic choices perfectly. This rides that line perfectly for difficulty, having the challenge of an old school Donkey Kong platformer without some of the more annoying aspects those games had.

The fact that this has gained a cult appeal from it's slightly disappointing performance at launch is testament to its quality. If you are even slightly interested in platformers, you are doing yourself a disservice not trying this.