All Purpose Donkey Kong Thread

[BirthNote]

Y'all see these moves? This Kong can get down!

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

This isn't directly related to DK, but Geek Critique has put out a great video looking at how gaming fundamentally shifted in 2001, why the Gamecube struggled with longtime Nintendo fans, and how the latter eventually emerged as a major favorite among young fans. I think it puts into context why that aughts era was so frustrating for the DKC fandom; it wasn't just that Nintendo was failing to make better use of the IP, it was also that the larger gaming scene had so pivoted away from what the SNES trilogy was in a lot of ways.

 

[Quillion]

This isn't directly related to DK, but Geek Critique has put out a great video looking at how gaming fundamentally shifted in 2001, why the Gamecube struggled with longtime Nintendo fans, and how the latter eventually emerged as a major favorite among young fans. I think it puts into context why that aughts era was so frustrating for the DKC fandom; it wasn't just that Nintendo was failing to make better use of the IP, it was also that the larger gaming scene had so pivoted away from what the SNES trilogy was in a lot of ways.

Haven't watched the video, but IIRC, the sixth gen was the time when the "games trying to be movies" storytelling trend started to pick up. Sure, the PS1 had Final Fantasy and Metal Gear, but the sixth gen made it a larger industry standard outside of, of course, Nintendo.

I've grown in recent times to be vocal about "conventional storytelling" objectively (or at least mostly) being bad for video games, and the decline in popularity of more atmosphere/personality-driven games (until FromSoft's Demon's Souls/Dark Souls mildly repopularized them) can be added as a reason why.

 

[InASnowBoundLand]

In case you missed it.

Ex Retro developers discuss development of Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze. Check out the Youtube comments for the timetags for specific subjects.

Podcast out now with @vonkoz artist on Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze. WATCH HERE https://t.co/vZIRYOtD8P pic.twitter.com/BgNW9lkwPQ

— Reece “Kiwi Talkz” Reilly (@kiwitalkz) May 28, 2022

Podcast out now with artist @Pixel_Possum aka Ted Anderson. We talk at lengths about his work on the Donkey Kong games and Mario Kart 7 during his tenure at Retro Studios.

WATCH HEREhttps://t.co/O7r5H6UMlH pic.twitter.com/nlDRQyXrun

— Reece “Kiwi Talkz” Reilly (@kiwitalkz) May 14, 2022

 

[BirthNote]

In case you missed it.

Ex Retro developers discuss development of Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze. Check out the Youtube comments for the timetags for specific subjects.

Podcast out now with @vonkoz artist on Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze. WATCH HERE https://t.co/vZIRYOtD8P pic.twitter.com/BgNW9lkwPQ

— Reece “Kiwi Talkz” Reilly (@kiwitalkz) May 28, 2022

Podcast out now with artist @Pixel_Possum aka Ted Anderson. We talk at lengths about his work on the Donkey Kong games and Mario Kart 7 during his tenure at Retro Studios.

WATCH HEREhttps://t.co/O7r5H6UMlH pic.twitter.com/nlDRQyXrun

— Reece “Kiwi Talkz” Reilly (@kiwitalkz) May 14, 2022

One thing I LOVE about the Retro DKC's was DK's running animation. It's so true to a gorilla's stride but also feels whimsical and chill at the same time. There's a lot of personality to the way he runs

 

[Diddy Kong]

One thing I LOVE about the Retro DKC's was DK's running animation. It's so true to a gorilla's stride but also feels whimsical and chill at the same time. There's a lot of personality to the way he runs

Running animation was on point yeah, especially compared to DKC1. Even though the developers went to the local zoo often to study animals, gotta wonder which animal they looked at for DK's running animation there, as it resembles a horse more than a gorilla lol. The walking animation was great though.

I also liked the jump attack animation of DK in the Retro games

 

[BirthNote]

Running animation was on point yeah, especially compared to DKC1. Even though the developers went to the local zoo often to study animals, gotta wonder which animal they looked at for DK's running animation there, as it resembles a horse more than a gorilla lol. The walking animation was great though.

I also liked the jump attack animation of DK in the Retro games

Yeah! I don't have a source but I remember someone saying they based his run on a horse back in the day.

 

[MA_DA_Oh]

I really hope Retro gets a shot at a third game making a full trilogy for the Returns era, the games are good and theres untapped potential when it comes to movesets of the Kongs and things they can pull that imo are still to be explored

 

[Quillion]

I really hope Retro gets a shot at a third game making a full trilogy for the Returns era, the games are good and theres untapped potential when it comes to movesets of the Kongs and things they can pull that imo are still to be explored

I have no doubt that if they weren't roped back into working on Metroid Prime 4, they would've been working on the third game in their DKCR trilogy.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Their involvement in MP4 was years after Tropical Freeze though. They had all that time in between to come up with something. I wanted a 3rd DKC game by them as much as anyone, but it’s too late now. I hope we someday learn whatever it was they were working on that got cancelled between DKCTF and MP4 at least.

I was curious as to how a Prime game by a team other than Retro would’ve worked out, but Tanabe couldn’t make it happen to Nintendo’s satisfaction, so he returned to Retro for it.

DKC could’ve had another team work on some kind of game though, but it just went on a hiatus again for no good reason, and we’ve been at a longer period without a new game now than we were in between the Rare buyout and DKCR, only this time with no spinoffs or anything in between. Filler games be of those things you don’t appreciate till it’s gone I guess.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Not that it would have completely satiated appetites, nor would I want it to allow for an even further absence of a new game, but it's a pity we didn't get something like a DKC Returns port on Switch circa 2020/2021. Something that took the extra content (and non waggle controls) of the 3DS port, with 60FPS of the Wii version, all with HD graphics and a bonus unlockable for the Switch variation (Dixie?) would have really been the definitive version of that release.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

I mean, I’d been wanting a Metroid Prime Trilogy port on Switch, but accepted that it’s not happening despite what rumors still say. Switch only does ports of Wii U games for the most part, so I get it. DKC at least has every other mainline game on the Switch in some form though, as well as DK64 coming to N64 NSO eventually, not that I’ll bother with it there.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Not that it would have completely satiated appetites, nor would I want it to allow for an even further absence of a new game, but it's a pity we didn't get something like a DKC Returns port on Switch circa 2020/2021. Something that took the extra content (and non waggle controls) of the 3DS port, with 60FPS of the Wii version, all with HD graphics and a bonus unlockable for the Switch variation (Dixie?) would have really been the definitive version of that release.

Another idea is adding King K.Rool as a hidden boss. Or a total new different world where you have Kremlings that's unlocked post game. Couple that indeed with unlockable extra Kongs as Dixie and Cranky, and that would be a decent amount of love to make up for this long drought.

I mean, the idea was already there if we are to believe the same sources that say a new DK take is coming. Apparently K.Rool's massive succes was responsible for a meeting surrounding what to do with the character, and Retro wanted to add K.Rool as extra boss in the Tropical Freeze rerelease on Switch. But the idea was denied because the plan was to go with a playable appearance in Smash.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Saving K Rool for Smash was all well and fine, but they've been killing the momentum his reveal gave since then, with Nintendo otherwise still treating him and such characters like they don't exist. If there is another DK soon, let alone with K Rool, they've just been doing a poor job of building it up. Separating Mario characters and DK characters for current spinoffs and such is quite a caveat when the DK series just hasn't been getting anything.

 

[Dinoman96]

I honestly never believed in those "K. Rool was planned for TF Switch" rumors, just always sounded like fabricated fanfiction to me.

Just like the whole idea of EPD making a DK game.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

I made another #RPG mockup, But this time with Donkey Kong!! This one took longer than expected but i had a Lot of fun working on it #pixelart #ドット絵 #DonkeyKong #DiddyKong pic.twitter.com/YJmvMYIHpe

— Scarlet Ray🎄COMMISSIONS CLOSED (@ScarletSunArts) July 19, 2022

As I've mentioned before, there's a hell of a DK RPG title waiting to be made in the right hands.

 

[Quillion]

Another idea is adding King K.Rool as a hidden boss. Or a total new different world where you have Kremlings that's unlocked post game. Couple that indeed with unlockable extra Kongs as Dixie and Cranky, and that would be a decent amount of love to make up for this long drought.

I mean, the idea was already there if we are to believe the same sources that say a new DK take is coming. Apparently K.Rool's massive succes was responsible for a meeting surrounding what to do with the character, and Retro wanted to add K.Rool as extra boss in the Tropical Freeze rerelease on Switch. But the idea was denied because the plan was to go with a playable appearance in Smash.

Eh, the Kremlings need to be the focus of a game of their own, not an add-on to an existing game.

I made another #RPG mockup, But this time with Donkey Kong!! This one took longer than expected but i had a Lot of fun working on it #pixelart #ドット絵 #DonkeyKong #DiddyKong pic.twitter.com/YJmvMYIHpe

— Scarlet Ray🎄COMMISSIONS CLOSED (@ScarletSunArts) July 19, 2022

As I've mentioned before, there's a hell of a DK RPG title waiting to be made in the right hands.

Looks like something AlphaDream could've done if they hadn't gone under.

 

[Laniv]

So I've been brainstorming a Dixie Kong moveset, and I've got a question: how much is too much when it comes to "attack with ponytail" as a theme? Cause I've got an idea where her up smash would have her ponytail split into two and clap together like a bear trap. Is that going a little too far?

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

So I've been brainstorming a Dixie Kong moveset, and I've got a question: how much is too much when it comes to "attack with ponytail" as a theme? Cause I've got an idea where her up smash would have her ponytail split into two and clap together like a bear trap. Is that going a little too far?

A lot of it comes down to personal preference; I've always seen Dixie's variety of hair moves ideal for A/Smash attacks and maybe her up special, but with the special moves proper being based around other elements from the DKC series.

 

[BirthNote]

So I've been brainstorming a Dixie Kong moveset, and I've got a question: how much is too much when it comes to "attack with ponytail" as a theme? Cause I've got an idea where her up smash would have her ponytail split into two and clap together like a bear trap. Is that going a little too far?

That is such a cool idea, I wouldn't have thought of that and it's pretty creative . The hair bear trap is fine in my book, it's cool and cartoony.

Personally I think she should primarily rely on her hair, like a swordsman relies on their sword. There can be other sources of attacks for versatility but the ponytail can cover most of the basics.

 

[Laniv]

A lot of it comes down to personal preference; I've always seen Dixie's variety of hair moves ideal for A/Smash attacks and maybe her up special, but with the special moves proper being based around other elements from the DKC series.

That is such a cool idea, I wouldn't have thought of that and it's pretty creative . The hair bear trap is fine in my book, it's cool and cartoony.

Personally I think she should primarily rely on her hair, like a swordsman relies on their sword. There can be other sources of attacks for versatility but the ponytail can cover most of the basics.

Thanks everyone! I'll go ahead and include the hair bear trap move.

This still leaves me with a couple more moves, namely the F-throw and her specials. With f-throw, I face the question: cargo throw or no?

And as for her specials... I have no idea where to start. All I've got down so far is the obvious spin-hair-to-fly Up-B and a move where she blows a bubblegum bubble that can either trap and reflect projectiles, or temporarily stun attacking opponents.

What do you think?

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Thanks everyone! I'll go ahead and include the hair bear trap move.

This still leaves me with a couple more moves, namely the F-throw and her specials. With f-throw, I face the question: cargo throw or no?

And as for her specials... I have no idea where to start. All I've got down so far is the obvious spin-hair-to-fly Up-B and a move where she blows a bubblegum bubble that can either trap and reflect projectiles, or temporarily stun attacking opponents.

What do you think?

As I've mentioned before I think the major gameplay elements from the DKC titles have gone largely unexplored in Smash. Use of animal buddies and/or barrels are just two potential areas in regards to depth. Something like summoning Rambi for a side special and if you ride on him long enough without getting hit, a "no animal" sign pops up and you now have a barrel to use against enemies. Or just barrel summoning in general that could very with the steel one, explosive, standard, etc. Kong Pow attack is an easily possible Final Smash if done right as well.

 

[Laniv]

As I've mentioned before I think the major gameplay elements from the DKC titles have gone largely unexplored in Smash. Use of animal buddies and/or barrels are just two potential areas in regards to depth. Something like summoning Rambi for a side special and if you ride on him long enough without getting hit, a "no animal" sign pops up and you now have a barrel to use against enemies. Or just barrel summoning in general that could very with the steel one, explosive, standard, etc. Kong Pow attack is an easily possible Final Smash if done right as well.

I can't believe I forgot about the barrels! Definitely using the iron barrel as a side-b

Oooh, I do like the Kong POW idea! It'd be a simple, yet effective screen clear move (in theory), and it gives me a reason to include Kiddy Kong!

Thank you for your input!

 

[BirthNote]

Thanks everyone! I'll go ahead and include the hair bear trap move.

This still leaves me with a couple more moves, namely the F-throw and her specials. With f-throw, I face the question: cargo throw or no?

And as for her specials... I have no idea where to start. All I've got down so far is the obvious spin-hair-to-fly Up-B and a move where she blows a bubblegum bubble that can either trap and reflect projectiles, or temporarily stun attacking opponents.

What do you think?

Not bad at all; like LiveStudio said the DKC elements are pretty much untapped ATM, and DKC3 especially has nothing referenced besides K. Rool's UpB. There's a lot to draw from all 5 DKC's and even Diddy Kong Racing DS if you get real creative. Plus, all those movesets (not just mine, seriously) in the Dixie Kong thread can inspire stuff that none of us thought of before.

I recommend brainstorming ideas; even if you come up with 5 different DownB moves you can use them as a stepping stone for other ideas, even tweaking them to fit a different attack category until it becomes its own thing. Sometimes having an overabundance can help you narrow down your moveset to the ideas you like the most.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Found a great DKC remix

 

[Laniv]

Drew up King Krusha K. Rool.

Knock 'em out, K. Rool! Croc 'em out! pic.twitter.com/NNouVjUwmx

— QuackNSketch (@QuackNSketch) August 8, 2022

 

[Diddy Kong]

So what's taking so long for this new game to come out? Sure I might just be impatient, but these rumors are age old by now. I take some comfort in knowing that games like Breath of the Wild had 5 years of development time, and it's sequel is shaping up to take almost as long but still.... I just wanna collect bananas and shiny objects and traverse through jungles and caves and mountains as the Kongs while I beat up bipedal crocodiles, is that so much to ask for ?

 

[fogbadge]

So what's taking so long for this new game to come out? Sure I might just be impatient, but these rumors are age old by now. I take some comfort in knowing that games like Breath of the Wild had 5 years of development time, and it's sequel is shaping up to take almost as long but still.... I just wanna collect bananas and shiny objects and traverse through jungles and caves and mountains as the Kongs while I beat up bipedal crocodiles, is that so much to ask for ?

the dev team were told to switch to Metroid prime 4?

 

[Mushroomguy12]

If nothing else, in the Theme Park arena, at least DK is getting it's own section in Super Nintendo World, the second Nintendo franchise after Mario to get a major section of the park.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Harry Potter is apparently getting a section at said park too though… Scrap that and insert some of other Nintendo IP’s alongside DK!

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Assuming there is another DKC title (and that its not one developed by Retro studios) then there's two possibilities; that its done and Nintendo is waiting for the ideal time to release, or that its had a long development cycle.

For the former it could simply come down to the company having a specific schedule in mind for major releases; perhaps seeing another Country game as ideal for a spring release circa 2023 as the major platformer that year.

If its the latter then it could be that their perfectionism at work in getting every bit of the game right. If the speculation about Nintendo EAD working on it is correct, then the timeline would make sense; work potentially beginning after Mario Odyssey's release, delayed a bit due to the pandemic and now possibly nearing completion. Moreover the only major DK game the core Nintendo team has developed before was Jungle Beat, which while a solid title, was still in the post Rare era where incorporating elements from the 90s games was not on the table and having to be designed around the Bongo Drums. Even if it was a test to see if this new brand of DK could take off, it was still developed at a very different time for the franchise and Nintendo itself given the sales struggles of the GC.

Now however with the Switch doing big numbers, the major marketing of Retro style DK for the theme park, and the relative popularity of the most recent games demonstrating the clear market desire for Country style platformers, a new game is one that would likely necessitate a lot of work to take advantage of that entire context. A big coming out for Donkey Kong like Kirby had with Forgotten Land and kicking off the next major direction for the IP going forward is a momentous project and one Nintendo would not take lightly.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Assuming there is another DKC title (and that its not one developed by Retro studios) then there's two possibilities; that its done and Nintendo is waiting for the ideal time to release, or that its had a long development cycle.

For the former it could simply come down to the company having a specific schedule in mind for major releases; perhaps seeing another Country game as ideal for a spring release circa 2023 as the major platformer that year.

If its the latter then it could be that their perfectionism at work in getting every bit of the game right. If the speculation about Nintendo EAD working on it is correct, then the timeline would make sense; work potentially beginning after Mario Odyssey's release, delayed a bit due to the pandemic and now possibly nearing completion. Moreover the only major DK game the core Nintendo team has developed before was Jungle Beat, which while a solid title, was still in the post Rare era where incorporating elements from the 90s games was not on the table and having to be designed around the Bongo Drums. Even if it was a test to see if this new brand of DK could take off, it was still developed at a very different time for the franchise and Nintendo itself given the sales struggles of the GC.

Now however with the Switch doing big numbers, the major marketing of Retro style DK for the theme park, and the relative popularity of the most recent games demonstrating the clear market desire for Country style platformers, a new game is one that would likely necessitate a lot of work to take advantage of that entire context. A big coming out for Donkey Kong like Kirby had with Forgotten Land and kicking off the next major direction for the IP going forward is a momentous project and one Nintendo would not take lightly.

Assuming it's the development team of Nintendo EAD that's responsible, it really takes a long time for it to be released. Taken they started after the development of Mario Odyssey, that's already 4.5 years away from now. Breath of the Wild had 5 years of development, and I think we all know why.

It's just concerning, the rumors have been around for a longggggg time. They might maybe struggle because they aren't used to working on Donkey Kong themselves maybe? Or they are indeed waiting for the right moment to release the game. But why would they withhold releasing it? If this is the case it might just be dropped randomly in a Direct with a quick release date.

I sure how that whatever is coming is worth the wait. I was lucky in this regard to play Tropical Freeze for the first time on the Switch. In fact, it was my reason to get the system. The old games are great but, man, would it kill them to throw us a bone once in a while? A remake of DKCR alone would already be nice at this point...

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

I mentioned this in the Nintendo Off My Chest thread, but I've been thinking about how Good Feel would make an for an interesting developer for a DKC title. Their Nintendo platformers have all been visually fantastic, and even their weakest game (Crafted World) was still very distinct and charming in its own way. While none of them are quite like the challenging but kinetic games that Country titles have been, the special worlds in Woolly World do demonstrate some real skill in creating difficult (while fair) levels, and a few do almost feel like DKC like (Curtain Call especially) in being based around quick reaction time to tricky sections.

I don't know, I just think if Retro are busy and Nintendo EPD can't/won't develop a Donkey Kong game, they might be a decent fit for the series, at least for one game.

 

[fogbadge]

How about playtonic?

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

How about playtonic?

I mean given how well Impossible Lair turned out, I'd be all for it. Whether Nintendo would be willing is another matter entirely, but Playtonic with a real budget could work wonders, especially if things like the Quill system and overworld map from IL were expanded on in DK sequel.

 

[BirthNote]

They're putting a Mario Kart Tour track in MK8D. Maybe one day Dixie and Funky will be dlc?

 

[Diddy Kong]

With Diddy not even being around ? Very unlikely. No DK again this Direct, and at this point am not even making time watching them. Yeah I liked seeing more about Zelda, I like the new Fire Emblem too, but... All these "leaks" about DK , and still no sight of it? I'm getting seriously disheartened by it. I'm not believing it anymore to be honest.

 

[StrangeKitten]

I really tried, y'all

Spoiler

Hopefully my donkstagram and summoning circle work better next Direct

 

[Ridley_Prime]

With Diddy not even being around ? Very unlikely. No DK again this Direct, and at this point am not even making time watching them. Yeah I liked seeing more about Zelda, I like the new Fire Emblem too, but... All these "leaks" about DK , and still no sight of it? I'm getting seriously disheartened by it. I'm not believing it anymore to be honest.

Diddy in Strikers is nice though.

Was also pleasantly surprised at Goldeneye... Now I'm contractually obligated to get N64 NSO at some point. Makes me more confident too about Diddy Kong Racing online somewhere down the road. Surprised DK64 wasn't added sooner though, but they may be saving that for a future DK event. Who knows at this point.

And yeah, this is why I stopped following leaks long ago. It got tiresome with DK, Metroid, and whathaveyou. Leak culture just rubbed me all the wrong ways after awhile, and it's okay to not know everything Nintendo has planned. They'll show whatever new game when they're ready. I'm with you though far as not really putting the time of day into watching Directs in their entirety anymore. I was busy today with irl responsibilities, so could not watch it when it was live anyway, and had someone else catch me up on it.

 

[StrangeKitten]

There's also the Mario movie with DK and Cranky, and I haven't looked into it in quite some time, but there was that gate thingy in Nintendoland that heavily implied a DK section will be added eventually. Come to think of it, next year might be a better time to announce a DK game, since the movie will renew interest in the character and IP. And now I'm wishing even more that we had gotten a trailer for the Mario movie. I'm dying to know whether I'll love it for being pretty good (tbh my standards aren't even that high), enjoy it ironically, or heavily dislike it. The announcement was such a trail mix of wut that I still don't know how to feel about it. Fingers crossed that it'll be good!