Wrestling With Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

To say that I was disappointed when Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was announced would diminish just how deflating that reveal was. Retro Studios--the creative mastermind behind the extraordinary Metroid Prime--should not churn out something so disposable. The shackles inherent to sequel development seemed to have stifled any potential for brilliance, and it was a waste to have such prodigious talent used in that manner. And yet, when I finally held the GamePad--guiding the formally dressed gorilla through gorgeous locales--I could not deny the joy rising in my heart. Does innovation matter when the expected can be so enthralling? It's a question that has stayed with me for the last few months, and after playing even further into Nintendo's ape adventure last week, my feelings are even more muddled than before.

Reggie Fils-Aime's recent announcement that Cranky would be a playable character in Tropical Freeze was greeted by loud guffaws. After we spent weeks concocting elaborate scenarios that could make tuning in to the VGX awards ceremony bearable, we were treated to an inconsequential tidbit for a game that had already failed to spark our imagination. In many ways, pulling the curtain off Cranky was similar to showing off Jungle Freeze itself for the first time; we want so much from a new Nintendo announcement that when we're given only meager crumbs, we whimper like a lonely orphan desperate for more gruel.

But just like Tropical Freeze is every bit as beautiful and exacting as you would expect the sequel to Donkey Kong Country Returns to be, so too is Cranky an important addition to the banana-collecting escapades. Cranky mimics another elderly hero well-loved within gaming's universe: Scrooge McDuck. The two anthropomorphic explorers make excellent use of their sturdy canes to leap high into the air, landing on hidden plateaus, vanquishing diminutive baddies, and treating spikes as mere decoration. There's a freeing buoyancy to Cranky's movements that serves as a welcome pace change from the heavy DK. Every leap and roll as the titular simian feel as though you're coaxing a stubborn mule to take just one more blasted step. It's a struggle, to say the least, and though DK's weight provides a nice contrast from the obscene nimbleness of other platforming stars, it's nice having the option to move quickly in Tropical Freeze.

Does innovation matter when the expected can be so enthralling?

Cranky doesn't play by the rules set by his formidable costar. Spry would be an understatement--an insult--to the monkey who treats gravity like a minor irritant. There are plenty of expected obstacles that make excellent use of Cranky's agility. Pogo across a dangerous bramble patch to reach a secret cove, or bounce high in the air to nab a token that had lain tauntingly out of reach for Donkey Kong. There is no denying that Cranky's addition allows for more expansive and diverse stage design, but that's not what made his appearance so enjoyable to me. With Cranky at the helm, movement is so much less restrictive that I was more willing to take risks. Sure, the difficulty is somewhat abated considering that you don't have to be nearly as precise when your leaping ability has been doubled, but the added excitement of bounding joyously through the worlds made up for that dip in challenge.

Guiding Cranky and Dixie, whose ponytails let her drift through the air, makes playing cooperatively more enjoyable than it was in Returns. Mechanically, the relationship between the person controlling Donkey Kong and whoever takes the reins of his sidekick (Dixie, Cranky, or Diddy) is very similar. You still decide to leap upon the big guy's back or go on your own depending on the situation, but there's enough flexibility in level design to make separation more worthwhile than before, instead of just adding a bit of chaos to progression. Plus, if you have a mean streak, you can grief your friend to hilarious results. When my cooperative pal needed to cross tricky paths, he would grab my Dixie so he was imbued with her floating ability. During one challenging stretch, I leaped off his back, and his shocked face as he fell into the abyss made me laugh with sadistic glee.

Every moment I spent playing Tropical Freeze was incredible fun, which makes sense given how excellent Returns was. However, once I had left Golin Harris' office (Nintendo's PR firm), that joyous feeling seeped away. And that's the dilemma I now struggle with. It seems as though Retro has created another well-executed adventure that should please anyone who wants a traditional platformer starring a trio of Kongs. I know that I will play through the entirety of this adventure come February, whether or not I'm assigned the review, because it's exactly the kind of game that I want to spend my free time playing. But there's no impact once I've put the controller down. Tropical Freeze isn't doing anything that we haven't seen in dozens of similar platformers, so its fun is fleeting. Shouldn't Retro be crafting something that resonates throughout the industry, whose ripples transcend genres and inspire designers? Aren't they ignoring their potential to work on just another Donkey Kong?

It's a situation that only the most talented developers would ever have to face. For many studios out there, making something uniformly excellent and undeniably fun would be a huge achievement, something worthy of celebration. But there are only a few large development teams who have proven they have what it takes to do something that truly matters, that causes everyone to take notice--and take notes!--by creating something previously unseen. We're talking about a studio that, with Metroid Prime, took one of the most venerable franchises around and not only transcribed its greatness into a 3D space, but trumped the original design in too many ways to count. In my mind, Retro has no limitations, at least the Retro that revitalized Metroid with three inventive games that took plenty of risks. Years have passed since their heyday, but I still believe that they're better than mere fun. They're better than this.

I wish that I weren't so stubborn in this situation. I wish I could let that moment of sheer enjoyment last instead of dwelling on what could have been, should have been. I wish that I could play Tropical Freeze like I had played so many games in my youth--happy that there are people out there so dedicated to my enjoyment. But like Donkey Kong Country Returns, Tropical Freeze follows a timid design philosophy that offers tons of excitement but few surprises. I've become greedy in recent years. I want more than just fun, more than just a pleasant way to pass the time. I want to experience something entirely new, that makes me think about games in a new way, and pine for other developers to discover the passion that brought them into this industry to begin with. I want the innovators to take charge, the people who won't play by the rules, who would rather die with ambition than thrive playing it safe. And in my hour with Tropical Freeze, I just don't see anything that makes this game special. Sometimes fun just isn't enough for me.