Muncher Marathon: DK's Finest, Frightening Chase -- Designing For Donkey Kong December
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- Опубликовано: 11 июн 2024
- Donkey Kong Country Returns has fallen a bit by the wayside when it comes to discussion of the franchise as a whole, knuckling up celestial bodies aside. However, the game remains loaded with excellent level design concepts more than worthy of celebration, with Muncher Marathon being among the finest. Chases in DKC had been alright before this, but the munchers provide not just a great, horrifying setpiece to run away from, they create one of the whole series' best levels using nothing but simple level design concepts and weaponizing fear against the player.
Donkey Kong December Playlist: • Designing For: Donkey ...
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Patreon: / designingfor
Twitter: / designing4games
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Director/Writer/Voice Over/Footage: Tommy Eyler/Pyrrhickong ( / pyrrhickong )
Video Editing/Additional Direction/Script Editing: Goombachi/Zachary Frisbee
Intro Animation By: / @tarvouldsquest
Intro Theme By: / tracks 
Игры
Returns is kind of Peak 2D level design alongside Tropical Freeze, and that’s no coincidence. RetroStudios hosted a competition for which groups can design the best levels. You can imagine which levels made it into the final game as a result.
Agreed, but I think having the Kongs move faster by holding the roll button (like a sort of run button) that makes them run as fast as their rolls would’ve been a great addition.
@@Harrymation-productions Absolutely not, you can already infi-roll with Diddy or the others, and you can extend the roll's momentum either with enemy bounces or Cranky's cane.
@@YellowScar2014 but what about when you don’t have a partner. That is exactly where it would be necessary.
@@Harrymation-productions If you don't have a partner AND can't chain enemy bounces, then maybe you *shouldn't* be going fast. At least not as DK.
Yea. Returns is, in my opinion, up there as one of the most well-designed platformers of all time. If not games in general.
8:28 the Beach world deserves more credit than that. There’s a level where a giant octopus chases you followed by a super hard stage with tsunamis coming right at the screen. Way more creativity than a normal beach world, and there’s no water levels.
Don’t forget it contains one of the few instances in the series where you get to face of against the boss of that world before the boss stage, in form of the first rocket barrel level! Damn this game was fun!
I think Returns' place in the series is reinventing DK platformers with newer tech to power them. One thing they couldn't emphasize before and really emphasized in Returns was everything breaking around you as you traverse the levels (taken to extremes in probably my favorite world, the cliffs). I have always felt that it tied really well into DK's character that he lives not in civilization but in nature, where things fall apart, crumble and settle into the bed for new things to grow from, and no individual thing is permanent or expected to be. I think DK breezing through environments that always fall apart around him really brings out the wild side of his character, something that sets him apart from human characters.
I love Muncher Marathon. I do agree that this has to be one of DK's best chase levels with Ripsaw Rage being a close second. The flight response works even better with the spiders chasing you since arachnophobia is one of the most common phobias. Even if you aren't afraid of spiders, the feeling of being chased while trying to get all of the level's collectibles is heart-pumping anxiety. To any arachnophobic people who had to play through Muncher Marathon, you have my condolences.
I also feel bad for the kids who got arachnophobia from this stage.
@@KoulroPhobia15 thanks, we appreciate it.
Weaponizing fear is very effective.
I LOATHED this level as a child. It was horrifying.
As soon as I read the title I KNEW EXACTLY what this video was going to talk about even though I haven't seen ANY DK level titles in like 9 years. It was like some uncovered trauma or something lmao
This was the first road block for me in that game
Seriously I'm terrified of spiders but holy hell this might be DK's worst nightmare next to losing all his bananas
a giant horde of carnivorous spiders chasing you
THAT'S A NIGHTMARE!
Indeed, it has blowing, but what this game shows is that Donkey Kong's breath is one that could become a significant and useful energy source is produced in large quantities and with more force. Imagine that him and the other Kongs blowing together, easily powering a small city with nothing but monkey breath. Impressive world building. Or something.
I was just think about Returns today. It’s such a good game stuck in the shadow of a great series. I was remembering how great songs like Gear Getaway are because this game does have some really good hits.
I replayed it for the first time this month and got all Kong letters and puzzle pieces, it's really good but not enough people talk about it. I'm gonna start my replay of Tropical Freeze soon to see how it improved everything, i remember it being even better, i can't wait.
Muncher Marathon's music also is cleverly done well with the way it uses the main motif for World 5. A friend explained this to be better than I could, but I digress. Forest Frenzy is one of my favorite pieces in the entire DKC series, so I was incredibly surprised to learn Muncher Marathon was a remix of it. Speaking of which, for a remix to be good, in my opinion, it needs to do one of two things: Reinvent it, but still have it be faithful to the original, or completely recreate it to be an almost entirely different song. Muncher Marathon is one of the greatest examples of this in DKC4 in terms of the thematic narrative and gameplay of the level, as that iconic, whimsical, flute melody at the start of Forest Frenzy is turned into this fear inducing strings melody, prevailing throughout the entire song. The composers basically took a part of the original that represented peacefulness and adventure and turned it into one representing darkness and fear, almost corrupting it, in a way, and in my opinion, it's really well done and Retro Studios did an amazing job making this level memorable. To take something that represents things we love and corrupt it into something that represents things we hate, raising the tenseness of the situation even more is something I love seeing in video games, movies, books, and other media. As someone with crippling arachnophobia, this could just be a personal thing, though, but I'm curious to how it sounds to someone without arachnophobia. Speaking of which, I love all the moving parts in the song. Notes are often very short and quick, representing the scuttling of the spiders, which I again think amplifies the fear induced by this song. Without a doubt, though, the best part of this song is easily around 40 seconds in. Go ahead and listen to it! It really gave me chills the first time! The theremin's otherworldly sound in conjunction with the quick swells of the other notes create this terrifying feeling, especially with how quickly it repeats, almost making you feel as if you're trapped, all ending with this incredibly tense strings line that loops the song perfectly. I usually like a cohesive melody in pieces, but I have to make exceptions for those who nail their atmosphere that well. Being the most fearful person I know, this isn't something I'd listen to too much in my free time, but it's still one of the best songs in the game. What do you think? :D.
You're absolutely right on this. I did feel a lot of Returns' pieces simply paid lip service to what they were reimagining - excellent tracks brought back to life with modern instrumentation, each fitting their world and atmosphere excellently, but the embellishments were only there to really augment what came before. There are two major exceptions to this - Palm Tree Groove, which takes DK Island Swing and turns it into more of a speakeasy vibe with a greater focus on its bassline and jazz philosophies than the original's swing inspiration coupling with the sounds of the natural world, and as you pointed out, Muncher Marathon. As someone who really loves spiders... no this is still incredibly spooky and the track SELLS that tension incredibly well.
I wish DK videos would be coming 365 days a year. I enjoy them so much! Thanks a lot for all the work
I remember me and my brother struggling so much to beat this level. While being utterly horrified at the same time
Same
I feel like haunted hall deserved a mention in the chase portion.
I loved and still love this game, and this level was one of the most stressful levels I’ve played in this series.
I feel I need to express this thought;
The first thing you say is donkey Kong country returns doesn’t have a niche of its own to make it special……except it’s literally the only game that rekindled the entire franchise. It’s the first post rare donkey Kong country game. That’s MASSIVE.
I would name it The Comeback cuz that’s what it was. The other two after it wouldn’t exist without it. That’s monumental.
Thanks for making a positive video about returns!
I feel like mentioning that returns did a great job modernizing the older game’s mechanics and style, while stilling having a unique vibe in comparison, not to mention that the game has great art direction, especially given it’s the first 2.5d game in the dk country series
2:20
HIS NAME IS SQUIDDIQUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Those Crash Bandicoot chase levels prepared me for Muncher Marathon
I loved this game as a kid! I wish it got a switch port.
Best I can do is 3DS.
Upscale plus no waggle controls would be an easy selling point
And harder bosses?
Oh, man! It has been years since I last played Returns, so this awoke that sleeping memory. This was a terrifying chase level! It was like a horror game mixed with Donkey Kong! I recall struggling to collect everything due to pure panic! Returns' levels were generally pretty forgettable, but, yeah, this one definitely stands out amongst them!
3:34 THATS A SPIDER MAN VILLAIN CALLED “THE THOUSAND”
It's been years since I played DK Country Returns yet I still clearly remember this stage (especially the music).
dk has been one of my special interests since birth essentially and dkc returns is one of the most underrated games of all time in my opinion, not to mention nobody ever talks about how hard the soundtrack goes????? its so good when you listen to it on its own
I remember encountering this level for the first time when I was a kid. I was trailblazing through the forest world, feeling pretty good about myself as I went along. I wanted to finish the world and beat the boss before going to bed, BUT... this level happened.
It was unironically the most terrifying level I've played in any game at that point. Didn't help that it was hard for me at the time, so I gave up and went to bed without finishing the world... or sleeping for that matter.
Didn't cha hear? Donkeykong Decemeber is canceled, forever!
Gotta be honest, m'dudes. Growing up, I only knew about 3 DK games: DK Country, Diddy Kong's Quest, and DK64.
I never knew about DK3, Tropical Freeze, or this game!
Saying this bc I wanna thank Designing For, for introducing me to the games I missed out on.
Keep on gaming, lads.
"Kackle from Haunted Hall & the demon from Creepy Castle mine cart chase" Wants to Know Your Location
1:15 "there might be smog clouding my view, but nothing's gonna cloud my view of the cash!" Mr Game and Watch
The tornado level in DKC TF was pretty great.
it's called frantic fields
Easily one of my favorite levels in DKCR, it's just so fricking scary while also being a very well designed level to platform on too! I can't forget the time when i first played this level with my brother, we both got greatly caught off guard from the spider's that started chasing us and had a amazing time trying to beat this monster of a level, DKCR may be flawed but i still really love this game to my heart
Muncher Marathon is definitely the scariest level I played...
I was just talking about this being one of my fav levels yesterday! Dkcr is my personal fav game in the series.
If it was 1 spooky skeleton ghost or a million spiders to get chased by, I'd pick the ghost.
LOL, love the lowered stat sound when you say "all they do is slow you down a bit," XD.
Excellent video and analysis! I love the DKC games too! :D. I grew up with the original three as a kid on GBA and this one as well as playing the SNES version of DKC 1 on Wii as a teenager and DKC TF as an adult and I love all of them!
Haunted Hall has always been my favorite chase level in any game, but I completely forgot about this level. I forgot everything about DKCR lol. Remaster without shake spin when? (I know about the 3DS port but my hands are too big for the platforming to feel good.)
You can olay it on Dolphin
I can agree that Returns struggles a bit with having a whole identity to call its own, but I do think it does a solid job of capturing the strong points of the first three games (easy to pick up and play, demanding platforming challenges, unique level gimmicks) without feeling like it’s just copying what came before like a lot of revival games tend to do. And while TF did one-up it in terms of the spectacle and scope of the levels as your video on that game’s first world pointed out that could be a bit of a double-edged sword at points when the levels got a bit too bloated at points where some faster or leaner levels would have served the game’s pacing a bit better. So I still find Returns worth coming back to on its own merits, even if it stumbles in a few spots.
Dkcr was the very first game I ever played and I was 5 years old. When I got to that stage I got traumatized by those spiders.
I thought the gimmick was that it was the one with motion controls?
One thing I always thought would work well for pretty much any Nintendo product is a series of wordless animated shorts. I imagine it as something like a small market of Hyrulians suddenly being attacked by an army of Moblins and Link showing up at the end and putting them down. It would probably end with Link using his sword beam, whiting out the screen which fades in the Legend of Zelda logo. They could be cute (Samus taking care of the alien pets she picks up and selling the upgrades she finds to feed her personal zoo / extended family), silly (Luigi on a dangerous mission to deliver a package to Princess Peach and in the end it is revealed that he's the one who makes her cakes), or badass (like the Zelda example). Making something like this free on their official RUclips would hook kids and have older fans salivating for their favourite under-appreciated franchise to get a quick spotlight.
They probably wouldn't be too costly to make either. They could just use the models from newer game cutscenes or have the teams who are working on the next game do some extra animations. they wouldn't need to do anything crazy, just let the audience see the world in a new way for a few minutes.
DK's would be a great character for it and Muncher Marathon could make great inspiration for a suspenseful or funny chase episode. It would be cool to see how all these game character, enemies and bosses would interact.
"THAT ISN'T SUSHI!!! THAT ISN'T SUSHI AT ALL!!!"
How can you talk about chase levels throughout the Donkey Kong Country series and not mention Haunted Hall?
My brain, for some reason, refused to include auto-scrollers in that list when I was making this. Hard to make a Top 3 between Haunted Hall, Muncher Marathon, Ripsaw Rage, and Irate Eight!
@@DesigningFor
I have made Smash Bros stages based on 3 of those. Hooray!
I feel Croctopus Chase and Nautilus Chase are underrated.
Just watching the chase level gameplay is making me nervous, haha. I appreciated the quick silly jokes and sound effects more than ever in this video, the tension was gonna be unbearable for me otherwise. Wave of spiders. Gonna getcha. Oh gosh.
DKCR actually DOES have a few niches of its own contrary to your words: The best classic gameplay, the best difficulty progression, and most importantly: LEGENDARY MUSIC!! (Do you not realise most videos you did for the series came from THAT game!)
Good stuff, I love Donkey Kong Country Returns.
And seeing someone analyze a level from it is something I wouldn't have expected but is very impressive and in-depth how you did it. Well done!
I had genuine night terrors over this level. I think its because I used to be extremely scared of ticks(Pennsylvania is hell on Earth for Lymes Disease) So much so that after hearing the music in my DK Best Hits playlist at work it make me break out into a cold sweat. Good shit 😂
Nice to see Returns get some love for once - even Dunkey skipped it! It's living in the shadow of TF, even though most of what makes TF good started in Returns. It should've been part of the TF remaster! Especially to get a version without motion controls.
Hot take, but I prefer Returns over DKC1 and TF. It just feels so snappy going through most of the levels (until the volcano). I wish it and TF went for a tag team approach like the original trilogy instead of secondary Kongs just being powerups, but besides that they're excellent follow ups.
When I was a kid playing this level, this was the only reason I never got inside the temple. Maybe I should replay it and try again.
All I have to say about DKC Returns is that I hope it gets an HD upgrade to be released on the Switch, adding the 3DS exclusive levels and also adding a second hit to the mine carts and rocket barrels like in Tropicla Freeze. That and the proper Switch DKC game (not a port) would make a perfect closure for a new DKC trilogy.
I remember raging on this level because I kept dying but thankfully I beat it and I don’t need to deal with it again
This feels like Fuzzy Time Mine but before it existed
I winced and got screeped out when i first reached this level, but man was it unforgettable.
I replayed Returns this month and got all Kong letters and puzzle pieces and man was that tough to do in this level.
This is definitely one of the highlights of DKC Returns, though I enjoy the game in general (except you, world 4)
Ah, Muncher Marathon. Also known as the "SO MUCH NOPE" level.
Returns is by far my favorite in the series. The extreme difficulty of the game is great. The music goes hard. Also, your roll into midair jump is vital in this if you want all collectibles. And, man play the Wii version, it's just so much better. If you blame waggle, that's disappointing. You're missing on a LOT of challenging donkey kong goodness here.
That thumbnail.
Yeah, this level still scares me...
I must say Muncher Marathon was a Really good chase Level and i liked the Treetop rock remix at the first stage and how it was in the video said the End is Freaking cool
This level scared me as a child. Granted, I was scared of the level where you fall down a drain in the SpongeBob Wii game, but still
Legendary terrifying level. What's that movie clip? Reminds me of a hypothetical horror film someone suggested in a review called Spiders and Motorcycles.
I actually love this game! One of the weaker DKC titles, but the series was so good that even the low tier releases are still great
Woo more DKCR content for DCD!
DKC Returns' rank within the whole franchise: it's the HARDEST. And that's what I'm lovin' it for.
Great video BTW, but why the 3DS footage / 3DS version you talk about? In the Original Wii version, there is no save point at the end of the chase sequence.
Checkpoint is still there in the Wii version as far as I can tell? And no real preference, I just had a 3DS completed save file easily accessible as the Wii I played Returns on is solidly dead.
@Designing For thanks for your answer. That's a simple as well as understandable explanation :)
Regarding the checkpoint: Shame on me, I just re-checked, and you're right ... honestly, I've completed DKCR around 10 times in my life, and I NEVER noticed the checkpoint there. Obviously has to do with the fact that it's almost impossible to f*ck up at THIS point of the level ...
So, I must say sorry. I was definitively wrong. Thanks for the lesson though :)
Honestly I prefer irate eight but this is runner up for my second favorite "chase" level
i can not say for myself, but I worry that anyone with arachnophobia might have just turned off the game and never touched it again after seeing this
I would say ripsaw rage is a good chase level, i'll be it vertical. If the level was you running from a hallowed out tree being sawed, something like in rayman legends then it would work out better I suppose. The verticality does add some stress as you can't see whats always coming, tho banana trails and cliffs do a good job guiding you (better then kong-fused cliffs)
You know what this game has? The best boss fight! Or close to it! Thugly is GREAT, and I can't put in to words exactly why
Lore of Muncher Marathon: DK's Finest, Frightening Chase -- Designing For Donkey Kong December momentum 100
donkey kong country returns was so good it raised my standards vs new super mario bros wii
See, the issue with this level wasn't that I couldn't do it normally. I could. I just couldn't get all the kong letters while doing so for the longest while. I think it was the "N" that ruined me constantly.
Ah yes the level i had to use the beat it for me feature on as a kid. Not because it was so hard that i could not beat it but because i was to scared to even play it
I guess you could say that Returns is a return to form? XD
I personally prefer Returns over Tropical Freeze. Granted, the difference is like a 89% and a 90%, but still. I think Returns is underrated
I remember this always was my favorite level becous of those reasons. + I actually love spiders.
returns is labeled as the one that awoken the kongs
Yeah R. I. P
World 3 is underrated imo
loved the part where you return to the beach there briefly for the crabs to give one last hurrah
Where did you find the level's 3d model shown at 8:22?
Now one question remains, what's the last video of DKDecember gonna be about? Donkey Kong the original or Donkey Kong '94?
What's the "Get Out!" voice line at 1:26 from?
Donkey Kong 64, plays in Angry Aztec when you steal a Golden Banana from one of the temples.
Cool, thanks!
A moment of sympathy for those with arachnophobia.
i played tropical freeze prior to returns and for some reason I liked returns better, both great games tho
I subscribe to u since ur love of D.K rivals that of mine
Yeaaaah
Let's get this video to a lot of views in the first hour so that it gets love from youtube
Algorithm bless this video which i liked even before watching it because it's that good
Seriously, sometimes i end up pissed off because i can't like it again after watching it, fix that youtube
Lots of words lots of engagement, yadda yadda
I like spiders but thats way to many! And them chasing u is intense! But i do wish they were ants. A swarm of ants makes more sense 2 me.
The new games camera is too zoomed out
My fav game ever
Yeah so laaaame
You're telling me forcing motion controls on a 2d platformer isn't a great niche?
Why use the 3ds graphics thou ;-;
you should at least mentton that you used the 3ds version.
DKC Returns is the best DK game. Also Tropical Freeze is overrated.
Donkey Kong Country Returns blows.
did DKCR actually look that garbage or was this a low rez transfer?
This is mainly footage of the 3DS version, as it was much easier for me to record at the time of the vid's development.
I feel like I'm going crazy. Returns and Tropical Freeze aren't DKC to me. The movement is all wrong, we're missing the Kremlins, and the Kongs other than DK are nothing but powerups.
I don't understand how people that enjoyed the old SNES games have fun with the new ones
I think Returns and Tropical Freeze are good games (TF especially) but I agree. The Retro games feel more like harder Mario than they do genuine DKC. The movement and physics are very different, there aren't any Kremlings, Rambi is the only Animal Friend (and he's only used in a small handful of levels), and the other Kongs are power-ups rather than playable characters like they were before. I'm still waiting for a REAL return myself. At the very least, David Wise came back for TF and gave us a freaking amazing soundtrack. His music was the most authentically DKC part of the game.
DKCR is better than DKCTF, but both are vastly inferior to DKC 1-3.
Candy Kong is so freakin hot