In my lasting
crusade to fill this Blog with fun and engaging content, let me
introduce you to a new weekly format. And as you guessed from the
title, it's a simple Top List. Everyone does it so I'll also give it
a try. Hopefully you'll enjoy my insights into different topics and
maybe share your own.
For starters I
thought I'd go with my absolute favorite Game for the Wii-U. Donkey
Kong Tropical Freeze is the perfect platformer, as far as I'm
concerned. The levels are just overflowing with atmosphere and are
expertly crafted.
It was no easy
task selecting only five of them to populate this list, but I didn't
want it to get bloated. So without further ado here are my Top 5
Favorite Levels in Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze.
5 : Homecoming Hijinx
This level
perfectly sets the stage for the final world of the game. Returning
home to Donkey Kong Island and seeing everything crumble and dying
under the unnatural ice creates a strong desire to stop the Snowmads.
The genius musical score by David Wise and Kenji Yamamoto further
enhances this. The level also does an expert job at teaching you it's
main mechanic. Because of the unnaturally cold temperatures
everything on the island crumbles under weight. Platforms start to
fall apart once Donkey Kong jumps on them. You only have a brief
period of time to advance before you fall to your doom. The mechanic
forces a fast paced play style in this level and is thematically
fitting. It also creates a sense of urgency to stop the Snowmads or
there won't be much left of the Island you once called your home.
These tricky jumps under a time limit coupled with the fact that the
whole level only features one Kong Barrel at the very start create a
great, challenging and visually stunning level. One I love to return
to every time I start the game.
4: Amiss Abyss
This level is pure
relaxation. At least from a graphical and musical perspective. It
starts in a damp underwater cave but you quickly dive right into the
deep sea. And what a beautiful deep sea it is. This level is one of
the few silhouette stages in the game, giving it a surreal, but
beautiful atmosphere. Again the great music by David Wise and Kenji
Yamamot further enhances this. After taking in the great view you
then advance with the help of small fish, which illuminate the area.
And even though electric jellyfish and sea anemones are scattered
throughout the level this never creates a hostile environment. Still
the level is quite challenging with several timed sections, where you
have to escape the floor and ceiling closing in on you. It's by no
means an easy deep sea travel.
Diving deeper into
the sea also provides you wit some simply breathtaking views. Sea
Horses which glow in the Darkness. Ancient sunken structures. Alien
looking corals. It was not a small amount of my deaths, which were
caused by a distraction in the background of this beautiful and
soothing level. It is simply a great experience from start to finish,
which will surely help you relax after a long day of work.
3: Fruity Factory
Exploring a huge
factory deep in the jungle gives me a true sense of adventure. The
first barrel sequence gives you a good overview about the size of
that whole place. Being partially overrun by jungle plants further
enhances the feel of exploration. This is the place where the giant
fruits from the surrounding jungles get turned into juice. Huge
carving knives, rotating blades and a juice extractor, which provides
two exciting chase sequences provide a challenging time while
traveling through this huge place. The fact that there aren't to many
enemies in this stage and most of them are carnivorous plants further
mystifies this factory. It has been overrun by the jungle, but still
operates. It looks old and worn down. It's a great place for
adventure and exploration.
This also marks
another rise in difficulty in the game. The ground is unstable.
Either because it's a conveyor belt pushing you towards your doom or
because it's no real ground. On several stages throughout the level
you have to cross huge chasms full of deadly rotating blades. Luckily
these blades cut up some fruits and you'll now have to use pieces of
these fruits, that are flung into the air, as means to reach safe
ground. This place proves that even something as simple as a 2D
Platformer can create mysterious place of adventure, which I love to
explore again and again.
2: Sawmill Thrill
My absolute
favorite world in this game is the second one. I come from a country
full of mountains and I simply love the majestic view they provide.
While the first view levels in this world let you explore the lower
parts of the mountain, this level marks the start of your ascend into
the rocky heights. At the start you leave the leaf trees from the
previous level behind and head into a beginning thunder storm. You
hop into a minecart and race down a cliff dotted with tree logs until
you finally enter a huge building.
This level is just
one amazing experience from start to finish. The moment you enter the
gigantic sawmill the music and atmosphere change completely. An
threatening and exciting tune accompanies you through this dangerous
place. While the storm outside may be rough, it is nothing against
the action inside the Mill. Again, just like with the Factory, the
size of this place is awe inspiring and really makes you wonder who
built something like that.
But soon you leave
the sawmill as your minecart breaks down and is replaced by a log,
which serves as a boat. You head outside into the storm, but the
music calms down. After the frenzy from before this section serves as
cool down. Again the atmosphere is simply breathtaking. Deep hanging
clouds, a dense forest in the background and huge beaver dams
splitting up the lake into sections. It's hard to concentrate on the
action with such gorgeous surroundings.
But the outdoor
part comes to an end, and your log is used to build a new minecart.
Thus you head into the final frenzy. You travel by huge warehouses
full of logs in the background, while the place starts to break down.
A saw falls off and starts to chase you, cutting up the path behind
and creating new obstacles in front of you in the process.
A great thing
about this level is it's perfectly attuned music. Each part of the
level is accompanied by a specific part of music, which firs
perfectly.
All in all Sawmill
Thrill is a rollercoster ride of the best caliber. It's quick. It's
fun. And it's a definitive staple each time I play the game.
1: Alpine Incline
The soothing
music, the fog curling around the treetops, the fact that the whole
forrest feels wet following the storm in the previous level. I love
every part of this level. It creates the perfect atmosphere and every
time I play I wonder how it would be to live there. The thick, deep
hanging clouds create an evening atmosphere. The world feels like
it's slowing down. Coupled with the amazing second part, which truly
makes me feel the height Donkey Kong and his friends have already
reached, this makes Alpine Incline the perfect experience for me. You
start the level and quickly move onto several platforms, which are
suspended in the air via a system of ropes. You can also see the next
part of the level in the background, which is always a huge plus for
me, because it creates a feeling of depth. It feels as if Donkey Kong
explores a living, breathing world and not only a set of levels.
Tropical Freeze does an excellent job in capturing that feeling.
The second part of
the level then marks a tonal shift. Not as jarring as in the previous
level between sawmill and outside, but still pretty strong. After you
shoot through the clouds onto the highest peaks the music changes
from soothing relaxation to a more ''bouncy'' tune, which really
helps you feel the height. In this part you use several hot air
balloons to bounce your way towards the goal. This is also were the
levels grows slightly challenging, which also serves as a great
distinction from the previous part.
And while this
paragraph may be shorter than others Alpine Incline is without a
doubt my most favorite level. It's highly subjective I know and
mostly based on the atmosphere in the first part of the stage, which
I adore, but this is the level I always play when putting Tropical
Freeze into my Wii-U. It's just perfect.
And that was my
list. Do you have any thoughts on it? What are your favorite stages
in Tropical Freeze? Let me know in the comments.
And as always
thanks for reading
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