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.

DKC1 will still be the best to me but this game is probably the best sequel I have ever played. It improves DKC1 in almost every way possible. The devs went totally insane with the difficulty, the last world was really hard but was so satisfaying. There was also some memorable soundtracks. A must play. I clocked around 3h30, but real playtime might be around 6-8h, I died a lot.

This was a replay after 20 years. The game is as good as the first day. The cel shading didn't age at all and the soundtrack is amazing. If one takes time to explore the sea throughout the game and not only when a certain infamous quest asks you to do it, then it is not a chore at all. Anyone ready to embark on a colorful and chill journey on the sea should play this game.