Hey guys. So if you’ve been in the gaming community long enough you know of the Donkey Kong Country games by Rareware and Retro Studios. They are some of the most beloved 2D Platformers to grace their platforms. I’m sure we are all aware of that by now with the millions of essays on why DKC 2 for example is a great game.

And while I won’t deny DKC 2 & Tropical Freeze are really damn solid titles and honestly some of my favorite platformers ever made, I often get the feeling DKC 3 is treated as a lesser game in comparison to even the first game on Super Nintendo.

I say because depending on who you ask in the Donkey Kong fandom either DKC 3 is considered a really good game but not as good as DKC 2 or it is considered a disappointment compared to what’s came before. But to me, the quality really isn’t that far off from DKC 2 in a lot of ways.

Why do I feel that way? Well, in today’s subjective essay I will explore the aspects of DKC 3 that I feel should be more talked about often in the DKC game discussion circles. This will primarily be talking about the Super Nintendo edition.

I haven’t played the GBA version but I do know there are enough differences to distinguish the two editions as two different interpretations of the same game.Actually, before we jump into what I really like about DKC 3 I might as well give my own history of what DKC 3 and the whole series means to me.





My history with the DKC franchise:

My first exposure to the Donkey Kong Country series was actually the third game on Super Nintendo believe it or not on Wii Virtual Console.(When it use to be on there.) As a kid in 2008-2009 when I first played DKC 3 it honestly was a rather cool game.

As a kid, I never really thought about stuff like the objective quality of games. But more just what impressed me personally. I remember DKC 3 just impressing me with how much it was able to convince me that what i’m playing feels more immersive and more believable then your average Super Mario game around the same time.

Don’t get me wrong, there is room for that discussion but for me i’m not gonna focus on that for now. But more on the subjective aspects that I like a lot about DKC 3. And why I really like it a lot.

I didn’t even know for the longest time that there were a lot who thought DKC 3 was a disappointment til I watched videos about it from lots of YouTubers years later. The same can be said for DKC 1 & 2. I also played those on Virtual Console later on but I played them in reverse order weirdly lol. (Which is usually not the case with DKC fans I meet)

I also played DKC Returns and Tropical Freeze when they came out on their respective release dates. Although the main point I want to get across is that DKC 3 is my first DKC game. There probably is some nostalgia bias in there i’m willing to admit but I think I can recognize that while still saying DKC 3 is a rather solid entry in the series.

And just to note, the only GBA remake I played to date is the first one. So I only have a frame of reference for the first one in terms of the remakes of DKC. So please don’t be mad i’m not focusing on the GBA version. I just can’t talk about it that well outside of what I know it does differently.




What people think of DKC 3 compared to DKC 1 & 2:

Generally speaking, it has a rather divisive reception in a lot of regards. There are critics like Implant Games that love almost everything it brings to the table. And one of my friends Alec Alger thinks it is a rather solid entry in the series. He’s also a critic on YouTube. Link will be here: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSideQuestGamer


On the other hand, critics like The Geek Critique and Exoparadigmgamer are more mixed about the game and bring up DKC 3’s faults such as being easier or the bonus levels not being as great as DKC 2’s.

There are also a lot of random complaints that I see looking through DKC 2’s OST comment sections from years ago. Like how DKC 3’s music sounds not as great as the best of David Wise’s work. Or that Kiddy Kong is too “silly” for the DKC series.

Or that DKC 3 even is too cartoony for certain people. I think these complaints are rather dumb. But I will explain why in the next section. Point is, DKC 3 is not quite as beloved as DKC 1 & 2. Even in terms of essayists like Postmesmeric it is often pointed out DKC 3 while good doesn’t have that kinecism of DKC 1 & 2.

I mean I won’t lie and say DKC 3 is absolutely the same quality of DKC 2 or Tropical Freeze in every regard. But I think there is more to it than people are willing to give credit for. Now that you got an idea of what the general reception of DKC 3 is. I want to highlight the things I find it does really well as a DKC game entry in general.



The underrated aspects of DKC 3


To start us off, let's talk about the world maps of the DKC trilogy. (Retro Studio’s world maps are more like DKC 1 & 2 anyways) Usually in the DKC games they are divided in a linear set of 8 worlds where you have to complete levels from point A-B at the very least.

The first game you explore the entirety of DK Island. Exploring a lot of environments that resemble naturalistic themes such as jungles,caves,forests,tree tops,snowy mountains,factories,water levels and so on. This is not a bad set of varied level themes since it is the game to emphasize the most naturalistic environments in the series. But it won’t break the mold of level archetypes since Crash 1 also has similar type themes.

DKC 2 you explore Crocodile Isle. The worlds set in DKC 2 are a lot more varied and more interesting imho. You first start off with a pirate ship theme with planks,going inside the ship, vertical levels about climbing up the ship and so on. You get the picture.

But later ones are about other type of themes as well such as volcanoes where you want to avoid taking heat damage, riding hot air balloons to not fall in the lava, exploring crystal caves, a swamp,exploring a viney type aesthetic area with Sticker Bush, exploring honey combs, riding a roller coaster,a spooky forest,a toxic avoiding vertical level set in a factory, and so on and so forth.

The variety in DKC 2 is easily the strongest in the trilogy. And it is the first game in the series to present a proper extrinsic reward for finding everything in a level. The first game you find secret caves with a Kong letter,bananas,or one ups which will count for the 100% ending.

But all you get in the first game is just another ending which I find rather lame and not even the most intrinsically fun to do for it’s own sake imho. DKC 2 though does a lot to rectify that issue. Each level scatters DK Medals and Bonus Round coins. The Bonus Round coins can be traded to a strong looking Kremling in each world to unlock a bonus level.

It gives a lot more incentive to go back to worlds and find everything because you also unlock a secret boss fight. Although one thing I will mention is that Crocodile Isle is structured the same as DKC 1. A linear overworld that is connected a lot more like how Mario 3 would be to how Mario World would do it.

I’d say DKC 2’s general idea with the worlds is variety and a Swashbuckling type adventure feel with lots of dangerous and challenging obstacles. It succeeds a lot in it’s own right. And I would never argue DKC 2 doesn’t have strong as hell variety.

And this is where DKC 3 comes in. The variety of levels aren’t as strong as DKC 2’s, but I think it is forgiven for two reasons.

First and foremost, The level types that are there are interesting with water levels being the most atmospheric and low key the series has been, (Yeah, I prefer em to DKC 1’s. Sorry guys lol.) exploring factories with a lot of clanking and kremlings using barrel firing guns at you with explosive,regular,and metal barrels,inside pipes either by the toboggan,inside caves,higher canyon levels where the waterfall you can explore behind and often get rewarded,a level set in a more river country esque area, cottage houses, and so on.

It is easy to say the variety may not be as pronounced as DKC 2’s, but I think the theme of DKC 3’s is environment degradation. And I say because as you go on, the more and more things become more mechanical and even polluted environment wise. DKC 1 & 2 also have this in common but DKC 3’s I always had the feeling the environment was almost in shambles the more you go on.

Like how in one level, the tree gets cut down literally by a saw. Or the factory levels which show more of a rise to Northern Kremisphere (Which is the southeast of DK Island) equivalent to our own with the industrial revolution but at the cost of the environment being destroyed.

I mean hell, look at the enemy designs for one second. The buzzers have that mechanical design to em that the original DKC 2’s do not. And some Kremlings later on I have the feeling have been tested on with the buffer ones to be created artificially stronger. Or the ones being put in barrels. I surely wouldn’t call it naturalistic to put in a Kremling in a barrel.

Sure, while they aren’t all like that DKC 3 makes it pretty clear at certain points that K Rool will do anything to get his revenge on those who embarrassed him twice in a row. Even try to destroy the lovely riverside country of Northern Kremisphere. It’s why he kidnaps Donkey Kong and Diddy while Dixie and Kiddie do all the work to rescue them.

Kaos is basically the one (who is also King K Rool) who is trying to destroy the environment of DKC 3. So I think while it may look a lot more “cartoony” in aesthetics, the underlying theme I get is something more sinister and lowkey. At least compared to DKC 1 & 2. Basically, the start of environmental destruction getting out of hand to increase the K Rool Enemies’ powers. I think the game not having that strong variety like DKC 2’s presents an interesting thematic choice of DKC 3 as a whole.

The other reason I find DKC 3’s interesting is that the World Map structure is different from DKC 1 & 2. Remember when I said DKC 1 & 2 were more like Mario 3? Well, DKC 3 is more like Mario World weirdly enough. In DKC 1 & 2 the structure often felt as much gamey as it possibly gets in terms of progression structure and even how little the worlds interconnect. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an inherent problem that DKC 1 & 2 suffer from, but it is different from how DKC 3 is structured.

First and foremost. The Northern Kremisphere’s locations are not isolated at all. The Brother Bears which while optional to talk to does give the location a sense of connectivity. Why? Because the Brother bears know each other and it gives the secondary inventory items like the wrench or the red flower or the mirror a sense of purpose.

For example, Blue feels lonely on his birthday and nobody has yet to give him a present. But if you talk to Blizzard he will give you a present to give to Blue and you will get a banana bird for your trouble.

Or even how you can give the mirror to two Brother Bears. One that runs a swap shop in exchange for a wrench. Or, you give it to another Brother Bear and he will decipher a clue to help you find another Banana bird.

Both result in a Banana bird but what helps is that you’re not stuck if you give it to the wrong Bear. The clue can be solved through experimentation. And well, even if you need it back just trade 10 Bear coins for it back.

Hell, you even learn of DKC 3’s Lost World through a tip from one of the Brother Bears. It’s rather neat worldbuilding that I would like to see more in the series.

One of my friends basically described it as an adventure game structure. He isn’t wrong about that. I like that aspect of DKC 3 a lot that no other DKC game has replicated before or since.

You can even find certain Banana Birds through hidden caves and do a simple mini game to unlock the Banana Bird from it’s cage. I like how the Banana birds also do connect to getting the secret ending so there’s that too. As well as just how Northern Kremisphere (even if not by a lot) does allow for more choice in worlds to tackle depending on which part of Northern Kremisphere you want to go first.

At first, it is pretty linear and the first two worlds will always go in the same order. But once you upgrade the Motor Boat into something better by Funky Kong (after beating certain bosses for items) you do get to explore more than one world at a time.

The game’s world map is more divided by junctions than a linear set of low-high type structure like how DKC 1 & 2 did it. The progression key is the items that I mentioned before defeating certain boss fights. And your vehicle more and more can navigate over dangerous terrain like rocks and waterfalls.

Hell, even going to the worlds themselves, you get the feeling there is a reason for their existence. Like one is a ski resort. Another is a country side area. Another is a water area close to rivers, and so on. Again, I have the feeling the construction of the worlds feels more considered than if it were just a regular world by world map where it doesn’t matter too much other than the themes of the levels if that makes sense.

I know it’s nothing new even for 1996, but it is rather cool. DKC 3 puts in that connective tissue and makes the world of DKC 3 a much more interesting place in terms of immersion.

It hasn’t even been followed up yet by Retro Studios which is a shame since I think the idea of going a more world map connected design like Mario World would be great for the 6th Console DKC game to kinda connect it to how the DKC trilogy worked.

At least from my perspective. I also think Eveline Novakovic is an underrated composer in the series. While she hasn’t done anything for DKC 2 SNES,Returns,or Tropical Freeze,she has done work for part of DKC 1 with tracks like Simian Segue,Candy’s Love Song,Ice Cave Chant, and so on. As well as DK Land 3 on GB.

But I think her best work is in DKC 3. I often think many of the pieces in the SNES version of DKC 3’s soundtrack range from pretty good like Fanfare,Northern Kremisphere,Stilt Village, and Treetop Trouble, to outright amazing-excellent with Water World, Nuts & Bolts, Crystal Chasm, Frosty Frolics, Jungle Jitter, and so on.

The highlight is waterworld for me. Simply because I find it rather elegant and amazing low key water music in general for the series. Again, I know most people prefer DKC 1’s track and probably even DKC 2’s but I just prefer DKC 3’s water theme the most for the water levels. It’s simply sublime and sophisticated in composition and tone.

It’s a shame she doesn't get credit where it is due. Sure, I like David Wise’s work. I think his work is amazing. And I would be interested in hearing his take on DKC 3’s music. But for me, Eveline should get more respect than she does.

I mean hell, she technically has work for DKC 1 for a lot of great tracks there as well. I just recommend if anything else, go into the soundtrack of SNES DKC 3 with a more open mind. I’m sure there is a lot of pieces that I think people would like in their own right.

Regarding even gameplay, I think DKC 3’s level design and gameplay are about on par with DKC 2’s for the most part. While you don’t have the fast Diddy Kong, you still have Dixie which she’s as useful as ever. Her twirl hair spin is great, her smaller hit box helps for some tougher bosses, she still can do a mid jump if you time it right, and so on. She controls identically to how she does in DKC 2.

I think where the controversy of the playable DKC 3 characters comes from is primarily Kiddy. Which honestly, I think he is criminally underrated. Sure, while I know he is certainly far more situational than Diddy is and I won’t deny the Water skip could have been better utilized, it is far from useless. It actually helped me win the River Race level.

And well, Kiddy can pick up things faster than Dixie. Don’t believe me? Try picking up a barrel with Dixie. It takes a few more seconds than with Kiddie. You may say that difference is insignificant on paper, but I think for certain bosses, Kiddie Kong is a better choice for certain bosses.

I’ll even argue Kiddie Kong is better than Donkey Kong Country 1 Donkey Kong. He’s too situational in the first game that the most use I remember with him is that he can jump on tougher enemies that Diddy can’t. But to me, this is just rather situational since it doesn’t really add much and feels pointless since you could have just let Diddy jump on the bigger enemies and take two hits to destroy them.

I believe the GBA remake for 1 did that at least. And well, the hand slap ground pound is just useless. There’s never any time where it comes into use. I won’t deny Kiddie’s unique moves could have been given more levels to get the most out of them, but at least they did have their use for a few levels. More than I can say for the Hand slap ground pound in DKC 1.

I just end up preferring Kiddie Kong as a more heavy weight type character. I think it’s better exemplified than in the first DKC game where I find Diddy is too damn good at almost everything.

I’m not saying this to put down DKC 1 because I love that game, but I think the character dynamic in DKC 3 while not as great as DKC 2’s is certainly a lot better than DKC 1 imo.

Besides that, you still got a lot of good level ideas. Such as one level where you avoid the lightning strikes. It’s a great test of flexible skills and it’s a later level in the game I think decently ramps up the challenge. I like the levels where you use Ellie the Elephant.

I think her squirting water out of her nose is a good way to distinguish her from Rambi. It comes into use at multiple levels to destroy certain bird enemies with barrels or to even reach harder to get at Bonus barrels.

Some people get really pissed off that she runs away from rats, but you have a level where you can destroy the rats with the barrel. And the one time you run away from them is more an auto scroller level in a sense. It’s hardly offensive at all.

I also really like the vertical tree top levels. You have one where you’re climbing up avoiding pecker bird enemies. Another you are trying to run away from getting hit with a giant saw. Both challenge you in different ways. One about navigational awareness, another about finding the right balance between not running up too high but running and jumping high enough to still get away from the giant saw cutting down the tree.

I like the Cottage house levels where you do stuff like destroy all the enemies on the wheels to access more floors and higher locations. Or the example with Ellie damaging the rats with the barrels.

The Ski Ice levels do a great job keeping you on your toes about timing jumps to hit the penguin enemies. Or even the Toboggan levels which get derided as trial and error I think are way better than the minecart levels of DKC 1. The reason why is because I find visibility and hitboxes to be a lot better.

It is in general a very solid variety of levels,obstacles,and challenges. I can’t go through them all since there be too much to mention but trust me, it’s really solid level design for the 3rd console game in the series.

And every level also has DK Coins and Bonus Round Coins like in DKC 2. I like that DKC 3 has a fixed amount of 2 or 3 per level. It keeps the player looking out for them. And like DKC 2 you use the Bonus coins to access more bonus levels. You pay a guy who lives in the Lost World area and he will blow up rocks out of your way in exchange for Bonus Round coins of 15. One cool idea I like is that some levels expect you to guard a bird that may or may not guard a bonus barrel.

I think given the game teaches you at the right time about them and shows that you get rewarded for protecting the birds from certain enemies, DKC 3 hiding a few bonus barrels around them I think is simply a great secondary challenge incentive. I mean honestly, why not? Some critics bitch about it being pointless but it’s just another way to vary up the challenge by adding another secondary thing to keep in mind if you want all the bonus coins.

The DK Coins are similar in one sense that there is one in each level. But the difference comes from a Koin Kremling enemy guarding it rather than floating in a random part of the level. Honestly, I think it was a great idea to have all the levels having one Koin Kremling enemy guarding the DK coin and you gotta time the metal barrel in the right throwing arc to attack the Kremling and get the coin. Some levels even give you one chance only.

And you get a cool reward for getting them all. Which I won’t spoil if you haven’t done it already. I find DKC 3’s extrinsic reward system for secondary items about as fun and fulfilling as DKC 2.

I think even the bosses in the 3rd game are the best in the trilogy. For context, I might as well mention the other two DKC games’ bosses prior to 3 for context. DKC 1 had the lamest bosses in the entire franchise. They were just usually bigger equivalents of smaller enemies you fought already. Or one that was just an enemy rush.

And DKC 2’s was a really big improvement from that. Krow for example expects you to time the dodge/jumping onto mini Krow enemies and hit the one that is not a fake to get a barrel and chuck it at the boss at the right time.

Or Kleever where you have to time jumping from hook to hook from both sides as well as finding the right time to throw the cannon ball ammo back at the Sword and destroy it.

Need I even mention DKC 2’s final boss? It’s legit a fantastic final boss challenge. My friend even told me people made essay videos just analyzing that one boss and how excellent Kaptain K Rool challenges the player in dodging, timing,Waiting to attack at the right time,finding enough space so you won’t get hit by canon balls or even other attacks that you can slow you down, etc. It is a great set of bosses.

Sure, there was one boss that repeated but honestly, even that one is a lot better than any DKC 1 boss and they at least kinda justified it enough by doing different challenges for the 2nd round.

How does DKC 3 fare in comparison boss wise? I say pretty well. I even dare say maybe outside of arguably the final boss of DKC 2, I think DKC 3’s boss line up is as great as DKC 2’s if not better.

Sure, the first one isn’t that hard, but I think as the game goes on, the bosses get more and more tough. For example, Squirt you have to find the right times to attack it’s eyes to damage the boss. And not by jumping, but by squirting it with water as Ellie.

The reason you can’t run up to the boss and finish it quickly is because it’ll squirt water to push you off the water fall and you die. It’s a great challenge of spacial awareness and diligence to not fall off but also find the right times to damage the boss.

Kaos is another. He has a lot of mechanical related attacks that involve some waiting, moving around to avoid it’s fire attack from under you,and the blades that’ll try to push you off if you try to jump on them. Or even damage you if you hit them below you. You gotta jump on the mechanical head to damage it and destroy it.

Lastly, is Barbos for my examples. It’s one of the trickier fights in the series weirdly enough. At first, it seems simple enough. Navigate those purple spike enemies and navigate it to the weakness point to stun it and then damage with Enguard the Sword FIsh. But by the end of it, the attacks change, and even the timings aren’t the same.

I think it’s one of the more interesting fights in the series given how dynamic it’s challenge is. The reason I believe Kaptain K Rool gets more praise than Baren K Rool is because the challenge scenario is less frantic and more diligent and methodical.

You damage the boss not by throwing a barrel directly at him, but by hitting his equipment on his back to knock him down and the lightning to electrocute him. And even some phases that are more about timing barrel throws while not getting hit by Baron or the Lightning at the bottom. I still think it’s a good final boss but I do admit I prefer DKC 2’s final boss more personally just for it’s general frantic pace. But that’s just me.

I think DKC 3’s are really representative of how much the team at Rare learned about boss design since the first and second DKC games. They started off kinda lame and the worst aspects of DKC 1. And then by DKC 2 & 3 I call them respectable enough to be a great challenge in their own right.

Also, the animal buddies are really good in DKC 3. Sure, there’s no Rambi but you got still Squitter,Enguarde,and Squawks. You even get another equivalent of Squawks more for puzzle levels in the caves. And the new ones I already mentioned with Ellie and the Parry (the secondary challenge bird to protect). It’s still a rather good animal buddy selection.

The ones that return still do the same things like in DKC 2 such as make web platforms for Squitters,green Squawks for shooting projectiles and flying, Enguarde for attacking and doing a charge up boost attack,etc.

Ellie and Parry I kinda mentioned what they do. But DKC 3 has a pretty good selection of animal buddies.

Maybe people might prefer how DKC 2 is a much more challenging and difficult game in comparison to DKC 3 and that’s fine, but idk. I still think DKC 3 has a reasonable enough difficulty curve with it’s levels,challenges,obstacles, boss design, etc.

And sure, a couple of the levels are duds in DKC 3 but it’s not even like a huge number for me. It’s like one or two dumb bonus levels that are just more failed experiments than per se, awful levels I would say.

To sum it up, I think DKC 3’s gameplay is really fun,rewarding,decently challenging,but also a satisfying game to finish as a whole.



Conclusion:

The main take away I want to get out of this writing piece isn’t to say DKC 3 is the best DKC game. I don’t really believe it to be the best in the trilogy or even the best DKC game. What I more want to communicate is that DKC 3 is a pretty solid if at times underrated and underappreciated 3rd console entry in the series.

It may not outdo DKC 2 in about every regard and certainly not the Retro Studios games but I appreciate just how wholesome the package feels to me. Like a B Team not worrying about what came before. Maybe stressed a bit about how fans would think of the 3rd console entry, but still made to stand strong in it’s own right I felt. It should be appreciated and remembered as a good DKC game and a good send off to the trilogy.

But that’s just my take I suppose. Hopefully you guys liked reading this. I tend to procrastinate and take large breaks from doing writing pieces. It’s not that I don’t think about video games I play, but I let the thoughts kinda come to me rather than force them out out of some NEED to talk about something.

For me, it’s like with any topic I come up with the spot to talk about. I think about it, what I want to say, how I want to say it, and how I want to conclude it. It’s really all I can say left. Not sure when i’ll write another one but. It’ll be something at least that i’m passionate about.