Donkey Kong Country 3 Retrospective | (Almost) A Perfect Sequel
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
- Do it again, but... not as good. With two incredible platformers under their belt, Rare got straight to work on the third entry in the DKC franchise to close the trilogy off just before moving on to the Nintendo 64. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble doesn't seem to be as widely loved as its older siblings, so let's try to figure out why that is.
Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
2:20 - GBA Version
4:04- Plot Summary
5:36 - The Gameplay
7:08 - Level Design & Themes
10:54 - The Soundtrack
12:09 - Bonus Rooms & Lost World
14:37 - Animal Buddies & Bosses
17:44 - The Postgame
20:34 - Closing Thoughts
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#DonkeyKongCountry3 #Nintendo #Review - Hry
Might be my favorite game of all time. I don’t know if it’s nostalgia speaking but this game has everything that I want in a game.
I enjoy it's challenge. Even with the 105% Not to mention the theme, the great outdoors
do you prefer the gba or og version of the game
Same. I remember it being the only DKC me and my friends could progress in as kids. The small overworld additions made it a blast and the Lost World felt so satisfying to unlock.
always love some appreciation for DKC3 💙
Yeah this game needs all the love it can get❤
Same here 💜
Yup the entire trilogy is incredible. You can’t reallllly fully call yourself a Nintendo fan unless you beat all 3
Evelyne Fisher was the exclusive composer of DKC3 AFAIK. They got David Wise back for the GBA port.
They made a good choice there. There are a couple tracks from the SNES version that I prefer, but overall I'd say the GBA version has the better soundtrack.
that's why the GBA version sounds so much better just the sound quality of the GBA kinda holds the ost back a bit
Wise did compose some songs for DKC3.
If I recall, the reason they got David Wise back was because the GBA couldnt handle bassier sounds. The DKC3 OST is mostly base, with some songs being almost entirely bass.
I actually loved this game as a kid. My dad took me to Toys R Us and bought it for me. I have such fond nostalgic memories of DKC3 and I hate that it has received so much undue criticism.
I love DKC3 too it's my favorite, I hate how people dislike kiddy kong and the game itself just because both donkey and diddy aren't playable. This is one of the reason why there hasn't been a new dk game because hating these new characters for no reason, we can't live in the past.
I agree with almost everything you said here. I wish the algorithm caught onto your channel earlier, I loved your dedication to showing appropriate clips for your examples while keeping your info concise and to the point. Great work my man
As a kid I don't remember anyone hating on the game but rather play something else and when they would play it was the difficulty that turned them away and would just stop playing it, in my case it was the difficulty that got me hooked and also the fact that was a DKC game, I had a great time playing this title.
I actually think DKC3 is such an underrated gem. You can tell they wanted to test the tag team attacks with the weight difference Diddy and DK had in the original and it was implemented well. The atmosphere was much brighter and lighter in tone considering it was a vacation adventure. I found Kiddy pretty fun to play since he borrowed animation and barrel holding positioning mechanics from Diddy (alongside his rope grab pattern). I consistently get most of the DKC trilogy songs stuck in my head, but this one was still plenty catchy for me throughout. Out of the 3 games, I actually think this is the easiest to replay. It contrasted well with the second game for tone and felt like its own game.
The trilogy is a gem, but I hold DKC3 right up there with the second one
I’m surprised there’s not to many commentaries on CZcams about DKC. Snes really was an incredible console
Eveline Novakovic (nee Fischer) was the exclusive composer for DKC3, and she has stated in interviews that she went for a more atmospheric sound for the OST reminiscent of Wise's Aquatic Ambience from DKC1, because it was her favorite piece from the previous games. Personally, I think it works for the third game. Unfortunately, because David Wise has been so lionized in the DK fandom for so long as "*The* DKC composer" (which is not to diminish his work in anyway), I feel Eveline is often not given the recognition she deserves. Hell, she composed many memorable tracks for DKC1, but to this day, many DKC fans still treat Wise as the sole composer for DKC1 and DKC2, while often disregarding Eveline's work because she composed DKC3 - "The Bad One", and because she's not David Wise, anything she does will never be as good. You can see it plainly in any comment section for a DKC3 video when the soundtrack for DKC3 comes up - someone will always bring up the DKC3 GBA port, and how it's the superior soundtrack because "Rare (or Nintendo) were smart enough to bring David Wise back to re-orchestrate the entire game".
The criminal thing I was never a fan of is bonus barrels being tied on safely escorting Parry to the end of the stage, one screw up in that bonus barrel and you have to restart the entire level
I actually really love the music in DKC3. Not as good as Tropical Freeze or DKC2, but still awesome
Same. Some of my absolute favorite tracks of the trilogy are in this game such as Cascade Capers, Nuts and Bolts, and Frosty Frolics.
This game was my whole childhood. Well kinda, but it's probably the most nostalgic to me and is super important in my life. I played it on an emulator when I was about 3 or 4 years old. I live the graphics, the game play, the characters, the music, stages and sound effects. What makes it so nostalgic to me is that I played with it with my dad and watch him play the ones I can't beat. My dad loves imitating the Kremlin death roar and playing the belcha boss. Along with that, we jave played it in a house I lived in for only 1 year or 2. The game got corrupted and we never played it again. Every time I think about me playing that game, I think about that house and my dad. Every time I think of that house, I think of that game. I got it for the GBA but it wasn't the same. Later got myself a SNES and got DKC3 and my dad himself feels nostalgic and talks about how I loved the game. I see him light up when he sees the rare logo and hears the music the moment I turn on the game. He also would ask about Belcha and the Triantula boss level.
I'm a huge sonic fan and is obsessed with sonic. SA is nostalgic and a big part of my childhood, but it will not compare how big of an impact DKC3 was in my childhood and my dads early parenthood.
I read somewhere that the same members of rare that made dkc 1 and 2 didn’t make this one. They were assigned to work on the new N64 games so basically lower level employees of rare made DKC 3.
My DKC3 cartridge was broken when I was a kid, so the saves didn't hold. I had to replay the game from scratch and I've done it countless times as a result. The exploration aspect introduced into the maps, especially looking for the last caches when you get the helicopter, and the setting being so natural were what really got me. I liked DKC2's pirate theme, but its level archetypes were completely not my cup of tea, as I always preferred the more natural ones. DKC1 and DKC3 are probably a big part of why I love nature so much, lmao.
I have the opposite opinion on the OSTs from yours, though. I was already hating the GBA remakes when I got to DKC3's, but what they did to the music appalled me. DKC3's soundtrack might be my favorite in the trilogy because of the atmosphere it creates, and it got completely thrown out of the window in the remake. Water World is my favorite track from the whole series. Sure, DKC2's music is fantastic and 1's is good too, but DKC3's was on another level for me, because it sort of escaped just being confined to the game in my head. DKC2's soundtrack only makes me think of DKC2's dark piratey themes. Whereas DKC3's music makes me think of all the fun I've had as a kid in real life, exploring, going out in nature, etcetera. Basically you could say the music followed me outside the game. So the GBA remake pretty much induced a gag reflex and I never played much of it as a result (that and the absolutely horrendous overworld map graphics of it and DKC2).
I picked up a copy of DKC3 for Snes last year and it was better than I remembered and I thoroughly enjoyed it. DKC2 is still my favorite DKC game but I think I like 3 more than 1
Same, I really enjoyed it back when it first released but it foesnt quite beat out 2 for me either that entry is just such a great game.
I do prefer it over 1 though, as great and groundbreaking as that game was it was bettered by both its sequels.
Yea same here. DKC 2 is my favorite one, then DKC 3 and last DKC 1.
I really like DKC3, myself. It's not as good as DKC2, but I can pick it up and play it anytime.
4:55 I love kiddie kong! You’ve just never held a baby gorilla so you don’t understand.
This game is a gem! I love the soundtrack and everything about it. I appreciate every game of the trilogy. They’re all amazing.
We never had the 'latest and greatest' as kids. Tbh, we never even got the 64, actually only got the SNES because of my older brothers' dad. so I grew up on DKC3, we actually owned it. We did rent DKC2 but I didn't get to play too much before we had to return it.
I was(still am) obsessed with pirates and ships, so I really liked the early stages of DKC2, however 3 still remained my favourite. And it does to this day. 2 might be the objectively "better" game, but I just love 3. And it's soundtrack is still one of my favourites from any video games, with just Aquatic Ambience topping it out.
Super Star Wars III and Donkey Kong Country 3 hold a permanent place in my top 5 games of all time.
DKC3 is a great game, people have just nitpicked it for not being DKC2.
Its so strange how Donkey Kong isn't even playable in half of his franchise's games.
Kiddie kong can hop on water !!!! Today years old. No wonder the time trial was so hard
Possibly the best graphics of any game on the super Nintendo
17:58 I’ll just say that movie came out well after DKC3 did, haha. Aside from that, a very interesting perspective on this game - I’ve grown to appreciate it a lot more over the years, even if it’s not my favourite in the trilogy.
Oh man, you're right! 2003??? That movie feels way older than that!
Nice video Pedro, I have barely played DKC3 yet but it seems solid. I still haven’t completed DKC2 yet since I’ve been caught up with my video but eventually I will complete each game. I can’t wait for the next video, keep me updated on the release lol!
I feel like Mike Wazowski
"I'm in a CZcams video!"
Yeah, I prefer the GBA OST as well, I love Stilt Village especially, although Rockface Rumble and Water World on SNES aren't bad at all.
To this day, I don't understand what the Kiddie dislike is all about. I always thought he was cute.
It’s because he replaced Donkey and Diddy.
@@paulgilbert5278 Yeah, but Dicie replaced Donkey Kong and people love her, so there has to be something specific to Kiddie that people just hate.
Dixie was better than Donkey. Maybe not as popular as DK but definitely more liked. Kiddy isn’t better than DK or Diddy
@@paulgilbert5278 Exactly my point. Why is it that people love her so much, but hate Kiddie, when their circumstances are almost entirely the same? I agree that Dixie is my preferred character, but Kiddie is far from an abomination.
I don’t hate Kiddy. But a reason why he’s booed is because Dixie outclasses him in nearly every level
Really enjoyed your retrospectives on the DKC series. Thanks.
Your review is quite interesting and brings up many things I've never thought about. Completing these games every year have become pratically a ritual for me since the 1990s. Weirdly enough, in my experience I think the original is the most difficult one and also the less polished, while in the case of DKC3 I think it's the easiest one, but definitely not as good as DKC2, which is such a masterpiece and hands down my favorite game ever.
Keep up with these reviews. I didn't know your channel and would totally watch more!
Love your retrospective videos!
Awesome review! I'm just commenting to support this channel. 😁👍🏻
Me and my high school girlfriend basically spent all of senior year playing this game.
So Kiddy Kong is Dixie Kong's baby cousin to my understanding.
I loved th toboggan levels as a kid, and I still do.
OMG, I never knew about Kiddy Kong ability to roll on water, I just tried it on my GBA after 20 years. It blow my mind
Awesome video bro you've earned me as a subscriber and my like for sure
You have described this game perfectly. I think this entry is very underrrated (2 is still the best) but people really sleep on how good it actually is.
11:09 that's weird because I love this ost as well
DKC3 general vibe is steam punk + saturday morning cartoon themed
Steam Punk?
2 is my favorite game of all time. I like 3 a lot more than 1, but I also never actually owned 1 so maybe it's just nostalgia goggles. 1 feels kind of like they were still trying to figure out what worked and what didn't. Finding secrets didn't matter as much.
This is my favorite of the 3 SNES games
DKC3 has the best bosses in the entire series and the theme absolutely slaps 🔥
It was a black sheep because the 90s began ending that year... We all miss it and feel dead without it.
Maybe it's because I played dkc 3 a lot as a kid (more than the other ones), but I actually kinda like Kiddy Kong
I don't think DKC3 was rushed because there's a map of DKC3 overworld inside the first cabin in pirate panic
@doorgespoelde_pannenkoek It's in the first level of DKC2. Take a look at it and let me know what you think
…. I’ve beaten this game so so many times… and I’m just now learning KIDDIE CAN WATER HOP?!
I can't be the only one who thought the fire balls the birds shot were Giant Cheese balls when I was kid
I haven't even played DKC3 yet, but I'm still excited to get both this and a Geek Critique about it only a week apart!
Still have to get around to watching that one!
Great review! I love DKC3 just as much as 2. I got 103, 104 and 105% :)
The Simon Says mini game sucks as I have memory problems with stuff like that
Great review but the soundtrack for the snes version is vastly superior to the port. Dropped a like 👍
DKC 3 > 2 > 1. I don't know why this game gets put down so much. This trilogy is my top 3 games of all time, but I think they just got better and better.
I agree completely. I enjoy 3 quite a bit more than 2, but all three of the games are awesome of course.
I love 2! Love it love it! But 3 is my favorite, my older sister and I bonded with this game. I love replaying it
I highly doubt there were any issues with copyright over Brothers Bear vs Brother Bear/s, considering DKC3 was released in 1996, and the Disney movie was released in 2003.
DKC 1 was great
DKC 2 was great
DKC 3 was great
DK 64 was great
FInally someone else mentions the N64 interrupting DKC3. Heck, did no one ever realize the n64 in Wrinkly's save hut and the sm64 music?
dk 3 is the best to me & its music too.
i always felt ithis game played in Germany
The "baby" theme is what annoyed me.
Fat cheeks sitting when idle, baby whining when he dies, nursery music at game over.
Replace Kiddy Kong with Donkey Kong or with Funky Kong or maybe a Metal Kong (with a gadget for bouncing off water) that is the size of Diddy Kong but heavy? I don't know what would be best.
I feel like going from Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong to Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong was an upgrade to gameplay, while going back to a slow heavy Kong for DKC3 was a step backwards.
The overworld is neat.
Definitely a really solid entry, i think it would benefit the most from a remake if the trilogy ever gets that treatment
The reason why David Wise wasnt really involved in the game is because RARE asked him to go work on Diddy King Racing instead.
This is the only game in the DKC series that I haven't played, so this video was super interesting! Great to hear that it isn't quite as bad as some people make it out to be, but it definitely seems worse than the first two masterpieces. Excited to see you talk about the incredible retro studios games! Great retrospective!
I'm excited as well, especially for Tropical Freeze!
Dkc 3 Is way better than the first dkc simply for the bonus rooms having a meaning and collectobals
Same. I loved the game... was it as good as DKC and DKC2? No, but it wasn't a horrible game as people make it out to be. There were some good concepts and good ideas, I think like you said, it was little rushed and released real quick with a fraction of the team that they had previously.
dkc2 is stillone ofmy fav games of all time dkc3 had some solid lvls tho
Even though I know it has issues, it's still my favourite as it was my first. Ingot it in a bargain bin at a used game store in 1996 whole I was waiting to get an N64 for Christmas. Immediately I knew how special it was and went back and played the others after completing it.
PGReviews, whats a banger.
Hey @PGReveiws what’s your favorite donkey Kong song of all 5 games
Probably Mining Melancholy from DKC 2!
@@PGReviews_ my favorites are title theme rocket barrrel theme and bonus room blitz from returns
14:41 "have to keep Perry alive for the sole bonus room" HOLD IT there are two bonus barrels at the beginning. i'm not contesting having to keep perry alive is hard. i'm contesting that it's the only bonus barrel in the stage. the knitpicking knave strikes again!
If Retro Studio make DKC4, Kiddy is the Main Protagonist, & Funky is the Partner.
As a kid I had no problem and looked forward to another dkc game to play and sure dkc 2 might have more bangers but dkc 3 music is more atmospheric .
Being the prime demographic for these games when they came out, by 1996, I was 10 and 11. By the time DKC3 came out, we were all ready to move on from the 16 bit consoles. The N64 and Mario 64 was where it was at. With no Diddy and no Donkey Kong, DKC3 was destined to fail and be over looked.
I still prefer Diddy Kong to Kiddy, but compared to DKC2 I really like how different Dixie and Kiddy play and how even the Team Throw mechanics are different based on who's in the lead, it feels like there's much more incentive to keep both Kongs alive this time. I also love the settings in 3, same as you, they're my favorite in the trilogy by far! I am in the minority that absolutely adores the SNES OST though, more so than the GBA version, but that one is very good as well.
I'm looking forward to your Returns review. I recently replayed it and enjoyed it a lot more than I remembered. I'm wondering if you'll talk about the 3DS bonus world considering you mostly focused on the SNES games instead of GBA.
I'll explain more in the video proper but sadly I won't be talking much about the 3DS bonus world due to not being able to capture good looking footage of the 3DS version :(
@@PGReviews_ Fair enough, thanks for answering!
I loved this one growing up i would play it all the time
Good to know about the early levels! After playing DKC2 on my switch, I started playing DKC3 but haven’t gone back after playing the first 3 stages. Thanks!
DCK3 is . . . great. They didn't beat the second game, but the fact they made a third iteration GREAT is an amazing feat. What it lacks, for me, is a strong motif. First game has the Jungle adventure, second is Pirate themed, and this is . . . a summer holiday? The great outdoors? Doesn't matter though. It adds enough to be a worthy sequel and is full of the charm and creativity that made Rare beloved.
And Kiddy is . . . fine.
Honestly donkey kong peaked with the first 3 dkc games I wish we could of had one more in the snes Era cause it would of been good
@@mrtree1368 Donkey, Diddy, and Dixie have been captured by the notorious outlaw K. Rool the Kid. Now it's up to Kiddy Kong and his pet rock to get everything back to normal.
On the music: o think they were going for a more so ambient sound than a soundtrack.
Of all the dk countries I feel this one was the hardest
I can appreciate the GBA soundtrack as good "alternate" music, but it just sounds wrong to me as someone who grew up with the SNES version.
Ya know, I've beaten this game maybe 6 times in my life and never knew Kiddy could hop on water
I just wish Donkey Kong was in it. Just because it worked for DKC2 doesn't mean that they had to lean even harder into it for 3.
Plus, Rambi > Ellie for life.
3:51
Dude, I'm telling you, you made the right choice by playing the SNES version. Even if you do prefer the GBA soundtrack, the GBA port as a whole is just inferior to the SNES original. Swanky's minigame is completely different and completely unappealing compared to the original minigame, the overworld maps are ugly recreations for whatever reason instead of proper rendered 3d models (at least DKC1 and 2 GBA have good-looking new maps...DKC3 GBA's maps look like they were made in an image editing software with pre-existing images and textures found on the internet), the brothers bear don't look like they belong in the game anymore, there are far fewer music tracks, the rocket barrel level is even crueler than before, a lot of the level colour palettes are screwed up, some levels don't work as intended, and there's probably other things I'm not remembering.
SNES is underrated. Not that GBA is bad I think it fits more with what's going on.
A lot of this is player issue. I ran through the dkc series as a child fully completely with no walk throughs. Recently got a modded snes and reliving it all. Playing 3 now and coasting through it in completion.
So i did watch more videos after your excellent TP analysis and subbed. Love the videos. So far ive watched all the DKC ones. Im in the minority i know. But DKC2 is my least favorite in the entire series. Its still excellent, but they all are. I just dont like the pirate motif and the firs 3 worlds are kinda boring to me asthetic wise. Even tho Diddy and Dixie is my favorite duo until Tropical Freeze. DKC3 is def so underrated the levels are consistently good after world 1 as you said best bosses so far. Love this game wish it got more recognition. For the record tho my order of DKC games are DKC1 - TP - 3 - Returns - 2. All excellent all some of the best. Just something about the natural jungle dk island of the og and the flow make it my favorite. Ill replay DKC1 all day every day.
yeah nuts and bolts is amazing
Why does it look worse on GBA 32-bit than it does on SNES 16-bit?
i remember thinking why would i wanna play as the monkey chick
The fact that you started this retrospective with the GBA's Treetop Tumble is a sin against DKC3.
DKC3 one of the greatest and most hated games ever
how is the jungle called? 2:08
Loved the DKC3 SNES OST. It's super gritty, it's a refreshing change and it fits with the aesthetics. On the other hand, the GBA version doesn't fit the aesthetic of the levels at all. Seeing the saw rip through the tree while a happy tune plays? Lol.
David didn't do the DK3 snes version. He only did the DK3 gba version
I played DKC and DKC2 back in the 90s, DKC2 was my absolute favorite just as good as the first one. DKC3 was familiar but the title was far fetch. Never finished until recently. It was great but not the best in the series. Thanks for solid review!
I don't know why anyone would speedrun these games it's hard enough beating these at normal speed
To be honest
THE THIRD ONE IS THE BEST!
It’s such a bizarre game 😂
I find it pretty interesting, that both you and Geek Critic came to the same conclusion, thät the early game is bland, while still having opposit opinions on the mill levels.
Yeah, I remember watching his video shortly after finishing my own and thinking, "man, maybe I should change some of the things I say so people don't think I'm copying him" haha. I ended up not changing anything, people will inevitably share similar opinions on certain things. That's what happens when you review games that are decades old, I guess!
I beat all 3 dkc games last year and the 3rd was only OK to me and I don't think the second ending was needed since it's just a cutscene anyway
The Northern Kremisphere was based on the woods of Northern Ontario. As for the game, I think this assessment is on point. I would say the game really doesn't pick up until halfway in the second world. This is the weakest of the trilogy but worth owning.
if it was remade on cd snes it would have track with higher quality in sound. but the lack of sale of getting cd snes version.....
I like this one better than 2, but the 1st one is my favorite
The best dkc game by far :)
5:53 "He's slow."
That's not quite true. He's not _that_ comparable to Donkey Kong. We can't paint Kongs with the same brush like that.
He has the same running speed as Dixie which is the most important thing, and I think that was a smart decision so that we didn't have the same problem with Diddy and Donkey. He has a slight delay with jumping off horizontal ropes and a slower walking speed (for some reason), but they don't matter much in terms of speedrunning.
3:05 late composer? He's still alive
Lead*