@ you’re the first person to effectively capture the “feeling” you get when playing the DKC games - especially when playing alone as a pre-teen. Makes your mind race . The visuals and the music get you almost meditative. You really put it on display with your style and approach . Keep em coming 👍
6:15 These words really struck me. I've played a bunch of difficult rom hacks for the DKC series and that closing statement sums it all up beautifully. Well done, great video my friend!
Purposeful? That goddamn first mine cart level was such a difficulty spike out of nowhere that I almost gave up at that point for good. Also the first snow level is way harder than any following level in that world if you don't use/find the shortcut. Also in that case you cannot even save before and you very likely haven't saved after defeating the previous boss. I loved this game, still do but the difficulty was just uneven.
I never felt angry at these games when i died. I felt frustrated, but never angry. Because the game never felt unfair. Every death felt like my own fault, the more i died the more unfocused i became, the mistakes i made became more and more stupid and avoidable until i just needed a break. And after those breaks, i did better. And yes, every level felt rewarding upon completion.
It's interesting, I've been seeing lots of recommendations for videos of young gamers today going through these games and speaking a lot to the difficulty. And I'm all "ah come on it ain't that hard, I can get 100% plus on each game with every playthrough." Then I realise I've been playing these games for thirty years and feel old and irrelevant to life's great tapestry.
No the problem is young gamers are not used to difficult games besides the ones that play Soulsbourne games. Yes we have 30 years of experience. But when the games just came out we didn't. I had to learn how to beat Megaman games at 6 and DKC at age 9 or 10. It was hard, but we didn't have a game catalog back then with games added every month. So you got better at the games you did have.
I agree with this statement whole heartedly, The harder you work for something the greater the reward feels when you achieve it. It' no fun if a game is easy from start to end. It would be boring without a challenge.
Yeah it confused me when it came to getting letters or that one stage at the beginning where you don't know how to jump over the big gap. The big gap i found out if you pick up a barrel, you jump higher. That was confusing and I'm like what? I just accept it now
I remember more or less breezing through DKC as a teenager but getting stopped dead by the final boss fight for some reason. The only level I remember being real trouble was the one with the gnawties chasing you in the wheels, stressful as hell :D
Love me some Monke content.😊 Your channel is great. DK in my opinion is the best Nintendo franchise and deserves all the attention. The Country games are awesome.
I would say dkc isn't too bad until the snow barrel blast. Pretty hard level at first, and there are 4 levels or so till you get to a save. Once you find the shortcut to snow barrel blast to bypass all the crazy barrel shots at the end, it isn't bad. It's probably my favorite level with the incoming storm as you progress. Mine cart levels were easy to me. DKQ had way more difficult levels. IMO. Just fantastic games. Got the 1st one as a 12 year old on the SNES for Christmas. Played it to death. Very frustrating at time but my little 12 year old self beat it lol. Btw....on the game select screen go down the the "Erase" slot and hit on your controller "B-A-R-R-A-L Nets you 50 lives.🤘😑 The R and L being the top shoulder buttons.
Not to be pedantic, but I think of purposeful difficultly as challenge and Donkey Kong County hits that stride for the reasons you mentioned here. It's also slightly why I like the GBA versions more because they fixed things like the screen crunch/sprite hit boxes. Also I have a bias for Gameboy Advanced since I didn't grow up with the SNES.
That's fair! The GBA versions of the games were what I grew up with, so I definitely have a soft spot for them and think they do some things better than the SNES versions!
I've been unable to get into and enjoy the modern DKC games because the difficulty is too high for me. I already couldn't love the aesthetic after having gotten used to the richness of the 90s graphic style. So Returns and Tropical freeze rot in my backlog. I did complete a good amount of Returns but TF just barely touched
DKC1 really isn't all that difficult in general, there's a few "skill check" levels that the game throws at you now and then. For most, the first of these is probably mine cart carnage (although some may stumble a bit on barrel cannon canyon). Once you clear that though, it's pretty smooth sailing until you reach snow barrel blast, then you have a couple of difficult levels in a row. After that though you really shouldn't have any more problems until close to the end of the game - platform perils specifically (though poison pond could be a stumbling block for some). So yeah overall, it's really not that tough, just some specific levels are. DKC2 though is consistently challenging throughout the whole game and gradually ramps up in difficulty as you progress. DKC3 is much the same, though also has a couple of levels here and there that are unexpected difficulty spikes.
Similar to the fromsoft formula, it treats us with respect. I absolutely disagree controllers weren't thrown. Good thing SNES controllers were durable.
Returns & Tropical Freeze are not Country games, and they shouldn't be part of the "series"... Donkey Kong Country is a trilogy, 3 games that share a signature and a common thread. Returns & Tropical Freeze look and play different. this series should have it's own identity
@@jimmyrodriguez5670 a lot of people don't like 3 for those exact reasons but I like it and although the graphics, and gameplay aren't quite as good... 3 is a legit sequel. Returns & Tropical Freeze are both a complete departure. both are just New Super Mario Bros clones
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Dude you are thee go-to channel for DK retrospective / introspective analysis . Takes me back to playing the trilogy for hours on end as a kid
This comment means a lot, thank you🙌🏻I put a lot into these videos and these games deserve it
@ you’re the first person to effectively capture the “feeling” you get when playing the DKC games - especially when playing alone as a pre-teen. Makes your mind race . The visuals and the music get you almost meditative. You really put it on display with your style and approach . Keep em coming 👍
@@Joee1257 I agree !
6:15 These words really struck me. I've played a bunch of difficult rom hacks for the DKC series and that closing statement sums it all up beautifully. Well done, great video my friend!
Thank you! :) Glad you enjoyed, these games really are special
Purposeful? That goddamn first mine cart level was such a difficulty spike out of nowhere that I almost gave up at that point for good.
Also the first snow level is way harder than any following level in that world if you don't use/find the shortcut. Also in that case you cannot even save before and you very likely haven't saved after defeating the previous boss.
I loved this game, still do but the difficulty was just uneven.
I never felt angry at these games when i died. I felt frustrated, but never angry. Because the game never felt unfair. Every death felt like my own fault, the more i died the more unfocused i became, the mistakes i made became more and more stupid and avoidable until i just needed a break. And after those breaks, i did better. And yes, every level felt rewarding upon completion.
Absolutely!! Well said
It's interesting, I've been seeing lots of recommendations for videos of young gamers today going through these games and speaking a lot to the difficulty. And I'm all "ah come on it ain't that hard, I can get 100% plus on each game with every playthrough." Then I realise I've been playing these games for thirty years and feel old and irrelevant to life's great tapestry.
Exactly!! I feel the same way
No the problem is young gamers are not used to difficult games besides the ones that play Soulsbourne games.
Yes we have 30 years of experience. But when the games just came out we didn't. I had to learn how to beat Megaman games at 6 and DKC at age 9 or 10. It was hard, but we didn't have a game catalog back then with games added every month. So you got better at the games you did have.
Completing DKC TF 200% is one of the or probably THE most rewarding thing I have achieved in my gaming career😅
So valid!!
I agree with this statement whole heartedly, The harder you work for something the greater the reward feels when you achieve it. It' no fun if a game is easy from start to end. It would be boring without a challenge.
Precisely!
Yeah it confused me when it came to getting letters or that one stage at the beginning where you don't know how to jump over the big gap.
The big gap i found out if you pick up a barrel, you jump higher. That was confusing and I'm like what? I just accept it now
We do not speak of Snow Barrel Blast
That was my no1 most difficult level.
I remember more or less breezing through DKC as a teenager but getting stopped dead by the final boss fight for some reason. The only level I remember being real trouble was the one with the gnawties chasing you in the wheels, stressful as hell :D
Yes!!
The Dark Souls of platformers? 😂 So glad to see the channel grow!! Here’s to DKC 6 being announced for more content! 🤞🙏
Thanks so much! I hope so too!
Love me some Monke content.😊 Your channel is great. DK in my opinion is the best Nintendo franchise and deserves all the attention. The Country games are awesome.
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoy my content :)
this is like poetry
🙏🏻🙏🏻
Love these essays.
Thank you! I appreciate that a lot
I'm convinced the original trilogy would be infinitely easier if we could play in widescreen.
So fair
7:30 now you just flexing 💪
😂
Another day, another DKC video.
🙌🏻🙌🏻
I would say dkc isn't too bad until the snow barrel blast. Pretty hard level at first, and there are 4 levels or so till you get to a save. Once you find the shortcut to snow barrel blast to bypass all the crazy barrel shots at the end, it isn't bad. It's probably my favorite level with the incoming storm as you progress. Mine cart levels were easy to me. DKQ had way more difficult levels. IMO. Just fantastic games. Got the 1st one as a 12 year old on the SNES for Christmas. Played it to death. Very frustrating at time but my little 12 year old self beat it lol. Btw....on the game select screen go down the the "Erase" slot and hit on your controller "B-A-R-R-A-L
Nets you 50 lives.🤘😑
The R and L being the top shoulder buttons.
The Crash Bandicoot before Crash Bandicoot.
Well said!!
Let’s be glad that DKC isn’t like Rare’s Battletoads
Very true
Was Battletoads really that hard? Played it for a week for at least an hour per day, then finished it.
DKC was legendary back in the 90s
Absolutely
Im curious, do you make these videos in advance or just make it then upload it right away?
Depends on the video! Sometimes I'll make them in advance and other times, like this video, I made it today and uploaded it after I was done
DKC 1 is not difficult. DKC2 absolutely is. I don’t remember if Dkc 3 was.
Not to be pedantic, but I think of purposeful difficultly as challenge and Donkey Kong County hits that stride for the reasons you mentioned here. It's also slightly why I like the GBA versions more because they fixed things like the screen crunch/sprite hit boxes. Also I have a bias for Gameboy Advanced since I didn't grow up with the SNES.
That's fair! The GBA versions of the games were what I grew up with, so I definitely have a soft spot for them and think they do some things better than the SNES versions!
I've been unable to get into and enjoy the modern DKC games because the difficulty is too high for me. I already couldn't love the aesthetic after having gotten used to the richness of the 90s graphic style. So Returns and Tropical freeze rot in my backlog. I did complete a good amount of Returns but TF just barely touched
DKC1 really isn't all that difficult in general, there's a few "skill check" levels that the game throws at you now and then. For most, the first of these is probably mine cart carnage (although some may stumble a bit on barrel cannon canyon). Once you clear that though, it's pretty smooth sailing until you reach snow barrel blast, then you have a couple of difficult levels in a row. After that though you really shouldn't have any more problems until close to the end of the game - platform perils specifically (though poison pond could be a stumbling block for some). So yeah overall, it's really not that tough, just some specific levels are. DKC2 though is consistently challenging throughout the whole game and gradually ramps up in difficulty as you progress. DKC3 is much the same, though also has a couple of levels here and there that are unexpected difficulty spikes.
Well said! DKC2 is genuinely one of the most challenging games I've ever played.
Similar to the fromsoft formula, it treats us with respect. I absolutely disagree controllers weren't thrown. Good thing SNES controllers were durable.
Haha! It must just be my experience, I never threw a controller but I definitely wanted to!
@TheJustintendo I had...less emotional control as a child and a mix of stubborn and hyper fixation. Have it in a better balance these days thankfully.
6:20 I thought the journey was about bananas
ba na na
Wing Ding? There’s harder levels than that
I am aware, but Wing Ding is very hard to me
Returns & Tropical Freeze are not Country games, and they shouldn't be part of the "series"...
Donkey Kong Country is a trilogy, 3 games that share a signature and a common thread.
Returns & Tropical Freeze look and play different. this series should have it's own identity
I never saw 3 as part of the other 2 games. The graphics were worse, and the gameplay was not nearly as enjoyable for me.
@@jimmyrodriguez5670 a lot of people don't like 3 for those exact reasons
but I like it and although the graphics, and gameplay aren't quite as good...
3 is a legit sequel. Returns & Tropical Freeze are both a complete departure.
both are just New Super Mario Bros clones
It's definitely Country, just more modernized!
@@TheJustintendo it's definitely not. Returns & Tropical Freeze have no charm.
Rare are the only team that can deliver a true Country
@@LeonDOro-i6ryou're kinda just picking arbitrary criteria based on your own personal preference and then acting like that is an objective reality.
Honestly one of the easiest games imo
To each their own lol