The last time we met up, I discussed my love for Donkey Kong Country. Many games get terrible or inferior sequels that change too much of the formula, and those changes are bad (Castlevania, Zelda), or change too little to justify the necessity of a sequel (Ninja Gaiden). There are certainly plenty of games in which the second in the series is the best (Mega Man, Mass Effect, Half-Life), and that represents a really magical accomplishment. While all of the games I mentioned managed to have VERY good first entries, they all suffered in some elements, and manage to improve in those areas to create a masterfully crafted and immersive game experience. DKC2 is certainly among the pantheon of truly great second sequels, and not because of huge changes, but because of little tweaks.
On it's face, DKC2 shouldn't work. It's a Donkey Kong game without Donkey Kong. He barely appears in the game at all, and isn't playable at all. At least in Donkey Kong Jr. you can see him on screen while you attempt to rescue him. I don't think DK appears until the very end of the game, when you (spoiler alert) rescue him from King K. Rool. The two player characters play very similarly to each other, except for Dixie having the ability to glide through the air. They move at largely the same speed, jump the same, and have the same level of strength.
So why is it better than DKC? First, the music is among the best on the SNES. I'd put it up there with Mega Man X, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 3 (U.S.)...the real greats. There are a ton of tracks, and almost all of them are super catchy and interesting.
Second, the character sprites remain beautiful, but the backgrounds are even better than DKC, and the levels are bigger and more detailed.
The game is really hard, but curves really nicely, giving you the chance to learn and adjust to the difficulty as you grow more proficient at controlling the characters and discovering the layout of the levels. If I never play Bramble Scramble or that last level where you have to bounce to the top on the snake again, I will have a much less stressful life, but also less enjoyable! It's hard, but the difficulty is fair, and they give you a ton of extra lives, giving you a fighting shot at learning the levels through iteration.
And the end boss is just fantastic. Perfectly challenging, well designed, and even a little funny (seeing him blow himself up with his cannon is great). All in all, DKC2 will be an excellent 10-15 hours of your life spent. If you don't enjoy it, I'll be stunned. The main negative game is the disappointing similarity between the two characters, which was one thing that DKC did really well (and DKC3, although we'll get to that next post). It basically makes it so that there's never a reason to play Diddy, unless Dixie is dead.
Anyway, I'd give it a 9.5/10.
-TRO
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