Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a 2.5D platforming game for the Wii U. It is the fifth installment of the Donkey Kong Country series, and the sequel to Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii. It is also the second game in the series to be developed by Retro Studios, the first to use HD graphics, the third to feature Dixie Kong, and the second to not feature the Kremlings.

Plot
At Donkey Kong's Treehouse, the Kong Family are celebrating Donkey Kong's birthday with a banana-themed cake. While the four are celebrating, one of the balloons detatches from the exterior of the house and drifts out towards the ocean where a fleet of ships, sailed by vikings called the Snomads, are stationed. On the fleet, a Tuck spies on the Kongs, as it locates their house and warns their mysterious leader. More tucks appear, giving the leader, Lord Frederick, a large misty horn. By blowing it, he sends out an intense, cold wind, along with an icy bird.

Meanwhile, back at the house, the camera briefly focuses on Diddy Kong, who is blowing a kazoo, before focusing on Donkey Kong, about to blow out his candle, when a snowflake suddenly appears and extinguishes it for him. Enraged, DK and the others look outside, to see the icy bird as it freezes everything it flies over. The strong wind it produces blows the Kongs all the way to the Lost Mangroves, dropping them into a plane-wreckage that's sitting in a tree, (while the bird continues to turn Donkey Kong Island into an icy paradise). After traversing this unfamiliar location, plus four other islands, (with each island being its own world with a unique theme), the Kongs make it back to the island, and must get their home (as well as their Banana Hoard) back by beating the evil conquerors.

Upon traversing the many regions of DK Island once more, DK and co. enter the newly-created base on top, entering a large room where Lord Frederick is sitting on this throne as many Tucks blow horns. The angered gorilla jumps down onto the icy floor, his fist making it crack. After revealing his true appearance, Frederick jumps down onto the ice sheet, causing it to shatter completely. Fortunately, the trio land down on some footing inside the Volcano, (where the lava is still intact). After a final showdown, Frederick is blown out of Donkey Kong Island and into the sea, where his girth causes the entire fleet of ships to get destroyed. The four Kongs rejoice as Donkey Kong catches the large saxophone-like log and uses it to restore Donkey Kong Island to its normal state. Afetrwards, DK, Diddy, Dixie and Cranky are seen on DK's porch, (playing Frederick's horn, a set of bongos, a guitar, and a bass respectively) before the credits roll.

Gameplay
The Kongs control similarly to their previous appearances in the DKC series. As in the previous game, the player is able to play a local co-op mode, and enter Time Attack mode on completed levels. Though this time, players can chose which partner character's barrels appear in the level, and save replays of their performance to share online with friends. Easy mode from Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D will also return. In addition, there will be collectibles and secret areas that can only be reached by certain characters, similar to Donkey Kong 64. The swimming mechanic makes its return in this game, though this time players have an air-gauge, and must grab bubbles to stay alive. During swimming sections, the player can now perform a spiral attack in the water, to attack enemies and get a speed boost.

There is also a new "Pluck" move, which enables players to pull items out of the ground to alter the environment, much like Ground Pounding the DK Plates in DKCR. Another new move called the "Kong Pow" is introduced, enabling player(s) to destroy all on-screen enemies after filling up a meter with 100 Bananas. All defeated enemies will turn into items, which vary depending on which characters are being used. Due to the capabilities of the Wii U, the game features unique graphical touches, which includes translucent ice, a dynamic camera, offering more in-depth visual angles, and a fur effect used on DK and his sidekicks. Silhouette Levels return in this game.

Kongs

 * Donkey Kong: Controls exactly as in Donkey Kong Country Returns. He can no longer blow, as that move was replaced with the Pluck. He is the only character whom other Kongs can mount on.
 * Diddy Kong: Can hover with his Barrel Jet, and use his Peanut Popguns to stun and sometimes kill enemies. He can "carry" DK, by using his Barrel Jet while partnered with him. The Popgun Pound returns.
 * Dixie Kong: Can spin her ponytail to stay airborne for longer, though unlike DKC2, she now gains additional altitude when doing this. DK can use this ability if he has her on his back. Dixie now has a Gumball Popgun that fires multicolored gumballs to stun enemies (similar to the Peanut Popgun). She can also whack her ponytail on the ground to perform her own version of the Ground Pound. Additionally, she has her own version of the Barrel Roll, where she spins forward while grounded, whacking foes with her ponytail.
 * Cranky Kong: Cranky's first playable appearance as his old self in any game. His version of the Ground Pound involves whacking the ground with his walking stick. He also uses the walking stick as a pogo stick, allowing him to jump higher, damage spiky enemies, and hop across dangerous solid terrain safely. He also has a new Denture Popgun used to stun foes. As with the other characters, he can be carried by DK, and can utilize his pogo ability while joined up.
 * Funky Kong: He is non-playable and operates the game's item shop instead.

Snomads

 * Tucks
 * Speedy Tucks
 * Pointy Tucks
 * Trench Tucks
 * Archys
 * Soarys
 * Boom Birds
 * Tuff Tucks
 * Painguin Tucks
 * Papa Painguins
 * Hootzes
 * Hot Hootzes
 * Pufftons
 * Tufftons
 * Blue Hootzes
 * Waldoughs
 * Walnuts
 * Walbricks
 * Chum Chucker Charlies
 * Fish Poker Pops
 * Big Sphens
 * Fluffs
 * Tuff Fluffs
 * Hareys
 * Harolds
 * Lemmingtons

Other Foes

 * Pink and blue dodo-like birds with leis around their necks
 * Mantises that behave like Frogoons
 * Dragonflies with monocles
 * Blue turtles with goggles, which retreat into their shells like Koopa Troopas
 * Green plants similar to Chomps, which carry leafy platforms on their heads, which can be stood on
 * Blue and red fish with pointy teeth
 * Glowing jellyfish
 * An enormous catfish, who hides in the dark background of a certain level
 * Purple sea urchins
 * Snaggles
 * Large purple and blue eel-like fish that eat the minecart tracks
 * Flaming blue owlets
 * Flaming Screaming Pillars
 * Red porcupines that set their quills on fire when provoked
 * Buzzard-like birds that swoop around
 * Large warthogs that breathe fire out of their snouts
 * Fat fuzzy bees
 * Purple buffaloes that charge around
 * Mimics
 * Squiddicus
 * Orange rats
 * Eels that can teleport itself and fire electrical projectiles
 * Toucans that roll around on cacti balls
 * Blue lizards carrying strawberries
 * Buck-toothed caterpillars that drop goo bubbles
 * Orange blowfish similar to Puftups
 * Fat green fish
 * Red Chomps with yellow lips

Bosses

 * World 1: Pompy, the Presumptuous
 * World 2: Skowl, the Startling
 * World 3: Ba-Boom, the Boisterous
 * World 4: Fugu, the Frightening
 * World 5: Bashmaster, the Unbreakable
 * World 6: Lord Frederick, the Snomad King

Levels and Worlds
The game features six islands, including the frozen DK Island. Each island serves as a single world. Due to not having as many worlds as the previous game, the individual levels are made longer, with some of them even having multiple ways to complete them.

World 1: Lost Mangroves:

 * 1-1 Mangrove Cove
 * 1-2 Shipwreck Shore
 * 1-3 Canopy Chaos
 * 1-4 Trunk Twister
 * 1-Boss Big Top Bop
 * 1-A Zip-Line Shrine
 * 1-B Busted Bayou
 * 1-K Swinger Flinger

World 2: Autumn Heights:

 * 2-1 Windmill Hills
 * 2-2 Mountain Mania
 * 2-3 Horn Top Hop
 * 2-4 Sawmill Thrill
 * 2-5 Aqueduct Assault
 * 2-6 Wing Ding
 * 2-Boss Mountaintop Tussle
 * 2-A Crumble Cavern
 * 2-B Rodent Ruckus
 * 2-K Bopopolis

World 3: Bright Savannah:

 * 3-1 Grassland Grove
 * 3-2 Baobab Bonanza
 * 3-3 Frantic Fields
 * 3-4 Scorch 'N' Torch
 * 3-5 Twilight Terror
 * 3-6 Cannon Canyons
 * 3-Boss Triple Trouble
 * 3-A Rickety Rafters
 * 3-B Bramble Scramble
 * 3-K Precarious Pendulums

World 4: Sea Breeze Cove:

 * 4-1 Deep Keep
 * 4-2 High Tide Ride
 * 4-3 Amiss Abyss
 * 4-4 Irate Eight
 * 4-5 Sea Stack Attack
 * 4-6 Current Capers
 * 4-Boss Fugu Face-Off
 * 4-A Rockin' Relics
 * 4-B Shoal Atoll
 * 4-K Spinning Spikes

World 5: Juicy Jungle:

 * 5-1 Harvest Hazards
 * 5-2 Reckless Ride
 * 5-3 Fruity Factory
 * '''5-4 Panicky Paddles
 * 5-5 Jelly Jamboree
 * 5-6 Frosty Fruits
 * 5-Boss Punch Bowl
 * 5-A Beehive Brawl
 * 5-B Jammin' Jams
 * 5-K Platform Problems

World 6: Donkey Kong Island:

 * 6-1 Homecoming Hijinxs
 * 6-2 Seashore War
 * 6-3 Alpine Incline
 * 6-4 Blurry Flurry
 * 6-5 Forest Folly
 * 6-6 Cliffside Slide
 * 6-7 Frozen Frenzy
 * 6-8 Meltdown Mayhem
 * 6-Boss Volcano Dome
 * 6-A Dynamite Dash
 * 6-B Icicle Arsenal
 * 6-K Slippy Spikes

Bonus World (World 7): Secret Seclusion:

 * 7-1 Levitation Station
 * 7-2 Rocket Rails
 * 7-3 Crazy Clouds

New Items

 * Unnamed roots sticking up from the ground, which can be pulled to alter the environment
 * Unnamed scuba-diving helmets that release Air Bubbles
 * Golden Hearts

Returning Items

 * Bananas
 * Banana Bunches
 * Banana Coins
 * Hearts
 * K-O-N-G Letters
 * Puzzle Pieces
 * Minecarts
 * Red Balloons
 * Green Balloons
 * Blue Balloons

Barrels

 * Wooden Barrels
 * DK Barrels
 * DD Barrels
 * DX Barrels
 * CK Barrels
 * Slot Machine Barrels
 * Arrow Barrels
 * Rocket Barrels

Animal Buddies

 * Tutorial Pigs
 * Rambi the Rhinoceros
 * Squawks the Parrot

Trivia

 * In Mangrove Cove, the first level of the game, the player can go inside the damaged airplane-cockpit after knocking it out of a tree. Here, they can find TVs that can be turned on and display the game's title screen. A Red Balloon can also be found in here. This is a throwback to the previous DKC game.
 * The game's title is possibly a pun on the phrase "Tropical Breeze".
 * Unlike Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3, Dixie Kong carries items with her hands instead of her ponytail.
 * Dixie Kong's Gumball Popgun alludes to her idle pose in the second and third Donkey Kong Country games, where she would blow bubblegum.
 * During the in-game cutscenes, the character animations depend on which character(s) are being used (e.g. Dixie slowing her fall with her ponytail and Cranky rolling a few times before falling, as opposed to Diddy simply crashing into the ground).
 * This is the first Donkey Kong Country series game since Donkey Kong Country 3 to feature elaborate names for the worlds.
 * This game currently has the most playable characters of any DKC game, having four as opposed to the two of all four predecessors.
 * The game features a variety of idle animations depending on the character combination in use, featuring a larger variety than all four predecessors:
 * Donkey Kong alone: Briefly scratches his armpit after a short time. If the player waits a little longer, he will look around and start playing a blue Nintendo 3DS XL, playing either Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 (as himself), Animal Crossing: New Leaf, or even Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.
 * Diddy Kong alone: Diddy's animations are all in a random order. He might remove his cap and sing dramatically, or stretch while making one of three different yawning noises.
 * Dixie Kong alone: Dixie's animations are all in a random order. She will either do a handstand, (using one of three different voice clips each time), or play air-guitar as a reference to DKC2.
 * Cranky Kong alone: Cranky only has one animation. He will stand in place, using his cane to dig in his ear briefly.
 * DK and Diddy: Diddy will help Donkey check to see if the coast is clear, and then sit on his back, constantly switching which of his shoulders to grip as he watches him play.
 * DK and Dixie: Dixie will help Donkey look around just like Diddy. When he starts playing the 3DS, Dixie will start grooming DK.
 * DK and Cranky: Unlike the other partners, Cranky does not help DK check if the coast is clear. As Donkey Kong plays his 3DS, Cranky will show disinterest in watching and read a newspaper instead.

Gallery
Gallery: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze