Creepy Castle: Donkey Kong 64's Fabulous Finish -- Designing For Donkey Kong December
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- Опубликовано: 26 дек 2022
- Donkey Kong 64 struggles at times, I don't think even fanatics of the game would debate that point. For the incredible good it does in characterization, personality, and funny sound effects, it's got some major level design issues that plague its runtime. However, the game finishes STRONG, with a fantastic final boss, great final sprint in Hideout Helm, and Creepy Castle, a stage that mitigates all of the worst DK64 has to offer and lets its best elements shine all the brighter. We dare to explore what a DK64 with level design like this all over would've looked like today!
Donkey Kong December Playlist: • Designing For: Donkey ...
Veegie's Donkey Kong 64 Analysis: • Donkey Kong 64 Review ...
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Director/Writer/Voice Over/Footage: Tommy Eyler/Pyrrhickong ( / pyrrhickong )
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Intro Animation By: / @tarvouldsquest
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I think what happened is, they wanted to design the game entirely like this, but one of Rare’s higher ups said “Put in. More things” in what I’m imagining is a deeply distressing baritone.
I loved dk64 as a dumb kid and even now I've still got huge nostalgia for the game regardless of what anyone says, BUT it says a lot that as soon as Creepy Castle was brought up I knew the exact points that were gonna be brought up. I suppose the wonky and haphazard design of the levels effected me even as a kid.
My back log of games to play is huge, so I probably won't ever play it again. (maybe in VR) But I'm glad I beat it at least once. Some good memories having a really long decent enough game to pour hours into.
Exactly my words
As a kid, I never even got past Gloomy Galleon, so when I played Creepy Castle as an older teen I was legitimately surprised that the last stages were easier for me than the middle ones.
I'm honestly blown away by the amount of hate this game has been getting in recent years. I always remembered DK64 being regarded as a classic alongside the other Rareware titles from the era.
Being able to instantly change Kongs at any time would definitely help mitigate a lot of the games problems, the DK barrels should've been your respawn/teleport points (since you could swap characters whenever you would no longer need the numbered teleporters)
There is a game mod for Donkey Kong 64 that allows you to tag in any Kong instantly using the D-Pad. It does make the game infinitely more playable.
They could have done the same thing by just having the entire game doable with the tag team of DK and Diddy. The other Kongs should have just had their abilities folded into DK and Diddy.
@@mattb6522 I've seen that one, it's rather nice
@@Vmac1394 very true, maybe add Dixie Kong just because
It would be better if they made all bananas yellow. The tag barrel adds strategic complexity.
DK64 is legally the funkiest video game of all time and I shall die on this hill
Toejam and earl would like a word
The level design really is the kiss of death for DK64. The Kongs don't feel acrobatic or nimble, tearing through the jungle like in the Country games. Everything feels plodding and tedious, with most challenges boiling down to, as you say, "Put the Lanky Shaped Key in the Lanky Shaped Lock." It becomes less of an action 3D Platformer, and more of a meandering Adventure Game where you're left grumbling that you can't get ye Chunky Shaped Flask.
A relative of mine actually got DK64 as his first N64 game in the early 2000's, expecting it to play like the Country games. I think he told me that he returned both the game and the N64 when he found that it wasn't really anything like Country.
Yes, pretty much everything that made the 2D Country games amazing as platformers was lost in the transition to 3D. It literally became a game of flipping switches and stomping on buttons. But realizing what DK64 really is is only half of it - it took playing Rayman 2: The Great Escape for the first time for me to fully realize everything DK64 wasn't, but could have been. I like to joke that Rayman 2 is my favorite 3D Donkey Kong Country game.
If anyone reading this hasn't played Rayman 2, it's a real treat if you're into swift, arcadey platforming with a lot of momentum. It also did some stuff way ahead of its time. The scope of the game isn't as grand as something like Banjo, the story isn't as epic, the characters aren't anywhere near as amusing or iconic, and there's no fancy overworld, just a linear level select screen - but truly none of that matters, because the gameplay is EXQUISITE from beginning to end. And it's a pretty perfectly bite-sized ride; it doesn't overstay its welcome at all.
That is actually a problem with Rare's 3D platformers as a whole. Mario is quick and acrobatic in Mario 64, movement is a huge reason why that game is so fun... while Banjo and the Kongs feel slow and cluncky in comparison. I loved these games as a kid, but nowadays I gotta admit that their gameplay isnt the best.
@@caioleite5579 BANJO feels clunky in comparison. Kazooie and her Talon Trot feels quick and nimble. And it's the ability to switch between precision and speed at a moments notice that makes Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie work where the Kongs fall flat.
I really enjoy DK64. It has huge problems but it's pretty fun on a more intrinsic level where it's just fun to run around and use the abilities. The biggest problem is of course that the five Kongs are identical making the Kong switching an annoying time waster, and that the levels usually just feature hubs with arbitrary gates (either gun panels, instrument pads, or simian slam pads), one for each Kong. The rainy area in jungle japes, the get out house in Angry Aztec, both the R&D and packaging room in Frantic Factory, the sunken ship in Gloomy Galleon, the mushroom in Fungji Forest, both the cabins and the igloo in Crystal Caves.
I think that the most interesting thing about DK64 is that, coming back to it as an adult, the things I dreaded as a kid are the things I'm excited for as an adult. The Beetle races? The seal race? The owl ring track? It's exactly what I want to do when I play the game.
I've beaten this game a dozen times, many of those 101%, and I find this fascinating. Because this is like...bottom tier for me, gloomy galleon being my least favorite and probably fungi forest as my favorite. Seeing this helps me understand what people do and don't like about the game, as it's hard to get most people past "too many collectibles, game bad." Maybe the desire to swap kongs anywhere if you're lucky. People going further are usually delighting in hating the game, throwing in exaggeration for entertainment, so I find myself getting defensive. But you actually pretty good faith about what you like and dislike really helped me learn. Thank you!
...I mean, my lesson learned is mostly that I'm not bothered by or enjoy what people hate, some of the minigames being the exception, but still good to reconfirm occasionally.
Ohhh man, I wanted to like Fungi Forest. Chunky's mine cart section is probably the most visually interesting in the game, the boss is great, the giant spider practically serves as a second boss, and the day/night theming is a great idea. But that level just feels practically overly big for me, while not being particularly dense with its collectibles outside of the giant mushroom. I FEEL the traversal time with every Kong as I change the time and go to swap them out and need to change Kongs to go through one of the transportation hallways to get more bananas. The traversal time ends up being so long that if the eventual payoff ISN'T the cool Chunky mine cart or the surprisingly decent DK level puzzle, I'm a lot less forgiving to it! Rare's other platformers of the time are a lot more concise and focused, Kazooie stimulating you EVERYWHERE with more compact maps and faster movement via the Talon Trot, and Tooie less focused on that and being very Metroid Prime in its stylings of "how do I get Solo Banjo to this point I already reached with the duo together to unlock this door?" DK64 is an awkward middleground of the philosophies for me that I do think Creepy Castle and Hideout Helm really let shine at times, but for whatever reason the midgame of DK64 drags INCREDIBLY hard for me.
With all that said, absolutely, if you love this game, love it. There are good things in here that if you enjoy 'em enough, all this grumbling I'm doing is insignificant. I just wanna praise the elements I like and sort out what I don't, or what would be ideal for me for DK64 to do! Thank you very much for the comment!
No the real reason Metroid Prime doesn't get as much flack is that the execution is simpler. In DK 64 you have to free a Kong and then go back through with that Kong to catch up. Then when you have all the Kongs you have to keep cycling them through the same level to collect everything.
In Metroid Prime you're one person all the time, and usually when you're back tracking you have some new ability to access some area you previously couldn't, and you're not barred from picking up specifically colored powerups. It's just less tedious.
I’ve been watching this channel for over a year and have checked out all of Donkey Kong December. I watch this one and within the first 15 seconds I randomly see one of my videos… what a surreal feeling… from one small creator to another, awesome video man!keep at it!
as someone who 100% dk64 for the first time about 2 months ago and had played it since childhood. creepy castle really is standout for how it has actual level design that makes sense and not random junk thrown everywhere and is fun to go through. but it's actually the worst level because it has beaver bother twice like jesus christ that was disgusting
To be honest, I've never even got close to finishing DK64, even as an adult. Completed Banjo Kazooie and Tooie several times, but never DK64.
DK64 is just less cool than Banjo in my opinion. It's a good game, but Banjo is just the best
I’ve gotten like 98%. That’s good enough for me. Means I don’t have to do CC Beaver Bother, the owl, or the Rabbit Race
Imagine playing Banjo-Tooie and having to go back to Mumbo's Skull every time you wanted to change Egg Ammo.
@@Cyberguy64 What's this in reference to?
@@Cyberguy64 My god.... That would've been awful to do.
IMHO you need to be patient for this game. Imagine the completion of a puzzle out of 5001 pieces. This kind of patience, without any help. Not everyone is made for this. The others can enjoy DK64 for a long time.
I can definitely agree with that. I think that my main gripe is that I prefer putting the puzzle together in something like Banjo-Tooie. There, all the pieces are spread out even wider than DK64, but it's less "bring Lanky to this location to do a quick challenge", it's "figure out how to get the more limited solo Banjo to this location, and then solve a challenge". Tooie more elegantly weaves the in-between time into its challenge and feedback loop, whereas I feel a lot of downtime in DK64 that takes away from simply exploring the level. That bit I do feel is inelegant, and how in-your-face a lot of the collectibles are takes me out of the immersion quite a lot. But I do agree, coming back to this game in an era where people wanna beat it as fast as possible instead of immersing themselves in its world does it few favors and throws it under a lot of criticism it was never meant to address (and, in fact, does not hold up to those who played it and just enjoyed their time rather than griping that they have to swap to Chunky now to save the rabbit they hate from the fire monsters). Good insight!
I snorted at “DK being unfazed by walls of books because he doesn’t know how to read”, like wait that’s not the reason- “mys-ter-y pill-ar. …what’s is your purpose?” My goodness that was funnier than it should’ve been!
I'm literally the guy that made DK64 - Bad Game Design and I agree with this video wholeheartedly. The layout and warp system of Creepy Castle changes the entire feel of how the rest of the game COULD have functioned, best level in the game by far
I would like to thank whoever added the snapcube reference to the video
You know, I remember the creepy castle being a memorable experience to a ten year old me, but was never able to understand why. I think this video explained what I felt as a kid: going through the level wasn't a total slog.
I never see this brought up, but the warps in dk64 don't help traversal as much as they could. How are you meant to remember what warp 1 goes to? It's so arbitrary. Banjo tooie letting you warp to any pad from any pad and giving you a name for the location makes navigation so much easier
I think if we got another 3D DK akin to 64, I think they should have Creepy Castle serve as a basis for its levels.
Thank you for the lovely shout-out, and fantastic work this entire month!
IMO this is easily the most memorable level in DK64 to me. Say what you want about the gameplay: it's the atmosphere and music that bring home the bacon for me. Every time I enter those catacombs feels like I'm unwrapping a birthday present, and my life would be complete if the Mine Cart challenge of this level was made into a real, rideable attraction.
I couldn't say it better myself!
Been watching your Donkey Kong series of videos with no particular order this last week and I love your efforts on these videos bud. It's not all positivity or negativity, its actual effective analysis often crushed down to manageable watch times.Your channel concept is fantastic and one that really scratches an itch few channels graze. I just wanted to say this before I watch this or another video and neglect to do so, but thank YOU and anyone associated (film provided, editors, etc) for the time and effort on these! Please continue to provide us viewers, new or old, with great results. Have a wonderful day/night! ^_^
They made 64 Donkeys Kong in such a short amount of time!
That's why the game felt like it popped out of nowhere. It was made between 1998's Banjo Kazooie, and 2000's Banjo Tooie.
dk64 has imo the best rollercoaster-like sections in video game history.
the way the camera is framed and the level design is so visual and cinematic and energetic and ooooo i love it!!!!
it feels like I'm at an actual amusement park, it is that immersive
having waited what seemed like decades between dkc3 and DK64 as a kid, I was very excited to get my hands on DK64 and thoroughly enjoyed the entire game. I replayed it during the pandemic for the first time since it's release, and goddamn is it tedious. I probably wouldn't enjoy it at all if it weren't for my love of Donkey Kong and pre-microsoft Rareware. Regrettably, I never played hideout helm because I was so nervous about the time limit and softlocking myself to a game over.
I love your editing style. The little sound bites always get me!
I can’t believe the eras of the internet included in this video with both a Snapcube Fandub reference AND a Darkseed 2 reference.
I wouldn't say DK64 is a bad game, but it definitely could use a remastering to not just bring such a rough gem back into the spotlight, but it could also bring some well needed QoL changes.
This game needs a remake or something!
We'd probably have it if Microsoft didn't buy rare. All their non-DK N64 games got remasters or ports on xbox, but I'm guessing there's some weird copyright thing going on where both Nintendo and Microsoft own it and would have to come to an agreement, which ain't happening.
I didn't even know this was a level in the game until today. Also, I found your channel today and have been binging all day, happy to have caught an upload on the same day!
DK64 was the first video game I ever played when I was like 6 and it took me actual years to get 101%
Just wanna say that I really love your video style and I've been on a binge of your vids lately ^^
Perfect Halloween stage for October
I absolutely loved this game growing up. Must've been the perfect age or something
6:43. A little snapcube reference. I love it!
That Darkseed 2 soundbyte really brought me back to simpler times.
The Dk doesn't read, therefore can't be hurt joke made me laugh a lot for some reason
I didn't play DK64 as a kid, my first time playing was when it released for Wii U virtual console, and I didn't manage to finish it then. I got an N64 and an Everdrive years later, and still didn't finish it until a third attempt in 2020. A lot of my nostalgia for Banjo saw me through this game, since so much of DK64's DNA is shared with Banjo.
I think the issue is the color coded collectibles more than anything. I still love Banjo Tooie even though it too is a pretty damn huge game with lots to collect, but the only hinderance as to weather or not you can collect an item at all is weather or not your character can reach it. If you can get to a Jiggy as Mumbo, you can collect it. Yes, some characters refuse to give Mumbo any respect and withold stuff from him, but the point is that no collectible just becomes transparent and unable to be grabbed when you are playing as him. With DK64, there's plenty of things I can reach, but can't grab, all because i'm not playing as the right Kong. If you ask me, the only hinderance to the Kongs really should be what abilities they have. Even the coconut/grape/pineapple/peanut/feather switches were too much imo.
A lot of people say giving the player the ability of swapping kongs on the fly would fix the game but that just feels like a soulless solution that doesn't feel natural. I just think any Kong should be able to get any collectible, maybe reduce the number of Kongs to 3, and design the levels in a way that there's a few areas that only they can reach, and there's no puzzles other Kongs can't overcome should they decide to go that way as well.
It also took me a really long time to beat DK64 fully - had the guide which I read cover to cover, loved Jungle Japes outside of draw distance issues with one of the coconut switches, fell off pretty quickly after that (especially since kid me found Gloomy Galleon before Frantic Factory). I think what really makes Tooie shine is how it presents its world - almost everything is accessible with the Banjo-Kazooie duo, they're incredibly flexible and feel good to play. But then they drop a pad on you that only Mumbo or Solo Banjo can activate, and the challenge is not "do you have the right character now? Congrats, here's the prize!". It's trying to figure out HOW to get these more limited and specialized movesets to that same point. DK64 doesn't have anything akin to, say, the Stomponadon plain, where you have to get each permutation of Banjo & Kazooie across the two-hit death field with their unique moves. As you said, the Kongs are too close to each other in capabilities that they only get to shine when required to. I do think Creepy Castle alleviates a lot of this and creates the best interplay between the five, where all actually get to contribute to each others' success, capped off with the boss fight exemplifying that (honestly Hideout Helm and K Rool also do a really good job of this), but yeah, I'd call DK64's characters a design novelty, whereas Tooie's split up and Mumbo/transformation variants I would call a design philosophy,. Really strong comment, thank you much for sharing!
First time I entered Creepy Castle the character I used was Donkey Kong, had no idea that the bananas I would first see would be yellow.
I seriously can't recommend Veegie's DK64 vids enough. Absolutely the best videos about the game.
My mind is blown 😮 this video just revealed to me that Chunky can punch into that tool shed for the first time and I’ve played DK64 for over 20 years 😂
It’s no Mario 64 or Banjo Kazooie but DK64 gets way too much hate. The average open world game today has more pointless busywork I’d argue.
Interesting how diffrent I am. Love DK64 to death, and never had any complains about the backtracking. I can underrstand the oints and changing kongs instant would be a huge pain relief for many. (like lego city undercover). The atmosphere, music, story, cut scenes, characters are just so perfect. Love every detail about it.
Honestly the only thing about Creepy Castle I didn't like, outside of the beaver bother minigames, was the boss. Not because I thought it was hard or anything, it's pretty easy. But because I always thought it would have been better if we fought the Demon from the minecart race instead of a cardboard cut out of K.rool.
Good video brother :) finally subscribed today! I mean I had to, if you are gonna make a video everyday on my favorite game series.. id be an animal if I didn't
It's interesting that the first and last stages are the best ones. Maybe the developers proposed those parts of the game? It makes sense, given that the player's first and last impressions of the game are some of the most important.
7:47 Chunky Kong did you murder Rita?
There really needs to be a remake of DK64 that irons out all those iffy design choices and makes all the levels as fun to play as this one. Maybe an "easy mode" where you could swap Kongs at any point at nearly any time would help.
my favorite thing about creepy castle is the music. there's an easter egg in its OST that calls back to the original donkey kong arcade
The boss fight in Creepy Castle is where I got stuck as a kid I just couldn't figure out what to do it was so funny to realize I was one boss away from the final level so long afterward.
Ironic at how the ONLY REAL LEVEL in the game is the spookiest one.
i like this video. i should watch more of your videos!
Donkey Kong 64 is my favourite game of all time lol. 100% Nostalgia based I’ll say right off the bat. From a game design perspective I’ve come to understand and recognize the flaws this game has and can completely understand why someone would hate it. But for me it’s always my go to when I need a nostalgia rush. I’ve done the 101% run more times than I can count and I always have a blast doing it. Frantic Factory and Creepy Castle will always be my two favourites.
It’s always funny watching the game get dissected and torn apart and all I can ever say is “I mean, I love this game” xD
Honest curiosity here: how do you survive the minigames with your sanity intact. What advice do you have
@@pluspiping well to be honest, none of them except Beaver Bother and the second beetle race in crystal caves ever bugged me too much. But when they did I just walked away for a few hours then went back to it lol. Also constantly repeating the phrase “it’s just a game, your life already sucked before this” helped too 😂
@@TheERobertGaming ah, resignation, then? That's fair. Godspeed!
I haven't played this game in more than 20 years but specifically recall the stage being far more interesting to me personally than the rest. This could have been my over-active imagination, but I was always incredibly interested in the stage as a piece of lore. I recall it being presented as if the Kremlings recently found the castle (a cultural site from their past, perhaps) and have been in the process of repairing and restoring it for unknown purposes. As a stronghold? Experimentation center? Because it holds some powerful, dark secret? Who knows.
surprised no one's talking about that Dark Seed 2 voice clip at 7:46
Creepy Castle has lived up to it's name, until you crash the, "last minute", boss. Lmao!
The crocodemon from Creepy Castle: "HEYYY!!! DONKEY KONG! IT'S MEEE!!! THE DEVIL FROM... you know... THE BIBLE!!! ... I LOVE YOU!!!"
Funny to me, cuz this was the level as a kid I finally had enough of the game and turned it off forever. I remember seeing the trail of Tiny's bananas and had the realization that I didn't want to play another minute.
But I needed that expansion pack later for Majora's Mask and Perfect Dark so it all worked out in the end I guess.
As someone who has 101% this game countless times and likes to play it a few times every year. I am shocked to hear people hate it lmao. I loved this game growing up but I guess you like what you like
I remember hearing the youtuber Lonely Goomba saying multuple times in Twitter that actually all the levels in the game are like Creepy Castle if you play them correctly and people are just playing the game wrong (kinda, not exactly in that way). I'd like to see him expose that defense to the game more clearly one day, since is the only person I have heard saying that.
I doubt he will. Sounds like a very contrarain take made exclusively to generate engagement by having people disagree with you and share your account to dunk on you.
Adding that Fungus Forest was originally meant for Banjo Kazooie.
DK64 having been the first 3D game my brother and I played and first in general we've finished, a lot of the apparent flaws never seemed to phase us. In fact it's only been in recent years that I've been surprised to learn it's garnered such a bad reputation. I can see why, logically, and would agree this and Hideout Helm are better than most of the other levels, however it does seem some go a bit overboard when tons of other games pull very similar stunts. Guess it all really depends on context and what tends to bother you specifically as a player, especially taking into consideration those fine with just playing casually and those that need that 100%.
Comparing to other contemporaries at the time, well, tbh I didn't get to play many other platformers back then, probably just Kirby 64 which was extremely different. Played Mario 64 much later on the Wii, not a fan of its super slippery controls and awkward camera on top of some levels being just as repetitive. Sonic Adventure is still too different to really compare. I will say both the Banjo Kazooie games are far better deigned, but even Tooie seems to get similar complaints whereas I find it Rare's best work ever.
Comparing DK 64 to Metroid Prime. Now that is a sentence I thought I would never hear in my life. Hard to take anything seriously after that.
I know, I'm sorry to insult DK64 like that.
As a kid, I got 199 gold bananas. The last two were the two Beaver Bother challenges on this level. I gave up. To this day I have not forgiven that poorly designed minigame 😂
A remake for DK64 could have five doors for each kong and have the kongs play a section of the level dedicated to them and make sixth door for the boss room kinda like crash 3 remove the Nintendo and rare coins make the moves have a special quirk (like the handstand making you faster or diddy’s headbash stoping after hitting a wall or ten enemies) make more animal transformations and it’s going to be PERFECT.
Man people say that games don't have enough collectables and imaginative stages but as soon as one person said that they didn't like Donkey Kong 64 a bunch of followers who never played the game beat this game down
Great analysis. I've beaten this game, 2-3 times, I think 100%ing all of them. I hope if they'll remake it someday. It has so much potential and can benefit from modern engines (like, having King Kut Out catapulting Kremlings who use their ghost sheets as parachutes, and other creative touches). But updating the collectibles and navigation experience alone would be very time-consuming and costly. Maybe if they made another 3D DK they could reuse some assets and mechanics... probably not.
I just got to this level cause I'm trying to beat this and lemme say, I saw that banana trail I really did but then saw a diddy barrel and immediately went up.
Dk64 is a game that benefits greatly from being played on emulator. Save states medicates all the difficulty spikes (beaver challenges, beetle races). That's how I had fun playing.
here's hoping that Veegie video gets more attention
Great video. What a way to get introduced to your channel. Also: 6:44 ha
I liked DK64. I never had problems with it.
This level looks the best with the swap barrels, I kind of think the jungle japes level is a perfect way to show off what you'll be in for me personally I think dk 64 will be a alright game if not for that arcade game segment.
The irony that the (second) best designed level also has constant flashing lights lmao
My eyes hurt
As a kid I always hated that level, I liked the exploration and coming back later
I never made it this far in the game when playing when I was younger and I hope they put it on the switch so I can maybe one day finish it and see this level finally. Even fungi forest I haven't played.
The snapcube audio sent me
Idk I just replayed metroid prime after not playing for like 15 years and it was much better than I remembered. Dk64 on the other hand...
I still think it would’ve been an awesome game if collectibles and switches weren’t Kong specific and Kongs could be switched on the fly. Majora’s Mask did different characters with different abilities perfectly
"yo Dawg I heard you like hub worlds, so we put a hub world in your hub world so you can home base while you home base"
Wait, so Funky Kong is actually an arms dealer? I thought that was just a one-off gag from an SMG4 video
Hilarious effects when selecting tiny around 4:45 lol probably emulator stuff
It's very fun when they do that when you swing on ropes and the rope stops existing because you became an infinite square.
I could get a better take, but it's too funny,
This is one of the best finales in ANY game if youre looking for more than a participation trophy
I always played through DK64 by completing as much as the level as I could as one kong, then switching to the next. I personally found crystal caves to be the highlight in terms of level design
To me, this stage defines the whole game. Frantic Factory was the only one that comes close.
DK64 is a frustrating game to think about because it has so much going for it: Great music, amazing graphics (for N64 standards), a sense of humor, the DK rap, cool boss ideas, great characters, tons of ambition and gigantic scope... It's just that, for the vast majority of the time, it's absolutely no fun to play lol.
It's a great game. Screw the haters.
What’s up Donkey Kong sins right
I think DK 64 deserves a modern remake like Donkey Kong Country Returns
Kids today are always badmouthing older generation media. DK64 is a masterpiece.
Could never find all red bananas in Creepy Castle, so I hate it.
More videos need Dark Seed 2 references
Yeah that sums it up the game is a zillion times more playable with "Tag Barrel Anywhere" mod because of how arbitrarily hard they make switching characters combined with the glacial maneuverability. Nothing is gained having to back track every 5 minutes.
I like this game and mainly the dk rap
huh always had the opposite opinion, this is the world I dread the most when I replay it lol
Yeah, Creepy Castle was probably my favorite world in the game. It just takes time to finally get to it and probably many players will have given up on the game before they even set foot in Creepy Castle. It does many things right and doesn't feel as much of a slog as some of the previous levels. Although, it may be a moot point since you still have to play Beaver Bother _twice_ !!
Don't you mean, "Au Kong-traire, my friend?"
I liked Jungle Japes personally.
I really enjoy the levels in DK64 (except Galleon, screw that level.) I think the biggest problem with the levels in DK64 is with the Tag Barrel System, because with a Tag Anywhere mod, every level is much more enjoyable to traverse through (again, except Galleon, screw that level,) because whenever there's a roadblock, you can easily just switch to the Kong that can overcome it. If this game ever gets a remake, the one thing I would want from it is the option to Tag anywhere (except for Kong exclusive areas,) since the levels are way more enjoyable without any pitstops (again again, except Galleon, screw that level.)
I think that and removing a lot of the excess stuff that's just there to fill quotas so the kongs have the same number of collectibles. Hell just getting rid of the different collectible colors would improve the game a whole lot.
I just can't see the game as bad... and it's not just nostalgia
The amount of years it took me to beat the game was more than long enough for popular opinion to become "game bad", but I still loved it. The bananaporters were rarely that bad, i could collect items at my own pace, since I'm not always a completionist nor a speed runner
DK and Tiny's alternate attacks also made them feel far less slow without the need for spamming long jump which is pretty useless otherwise, the tag barrels are almost never inconvenient. Outside of maybe 2 places, all group doors for multiple kongs are just a quick stroll to and fro, and most bananaporters not just for collecting collectables for 1 Kong end up near a tag barrel. Very few important items are hard to find, half the minigames arent that bad (only half, I'm not that soft. Shooting golden bananas gave me more PTSD than beaver bother...)
Coins aren't even necessary for true completion, the hidden dirt mound found like, 3 years ago is proof of that.
The levels ate fun
The jungle level is nostalgic
The aztec level is well paced as a difficulty spike
The forest level has a fun day night gimmick, family making up for genuinely being a bit heavy on the backtracking more than any other stage
The water level...
The cave level has a sense of danger that makes you feel accomplished once you permanently defeated the kremling causing the earthquakes
Creepy castle has the most going on, bring rather intuitive most the time
And hideout helm is easily a front finale
Oh and the factory is theming at it's best
All the bosses except the dragon fly rematch and the puffer fish are fun
Tho some major flaws are the American version glitching you out of 100%, a golden banana becoming glitched to be harder if you have sniper mode on, lanky's races being obnoxiously hard, saving that rabbit bring tedious, the DK arcade game being painful when going for thecoin, which is mandatory to end the game, unless your a DK arcade expert, as well as 2 or 3 other needlessly difficult bananas not from barrels, you can count all those on 2 hands
The water level exists, both animal buddies are wasted, the tinyporter is used 2 or 3 times total, and again, half the bonus games are a pain, not including the tutorial and K. Rool bonus games.
Other than that it's a really solid game
Feel free to disagree, but I probably won't agree with you either on most things
The minecart stages were actually good, unlike in the DKC trilogy.