It tried to draw in new fans with its contemporary presentation and newfound lightheartedness, but at the same time endeavored to accommodate the Old Guard by offering Kenji Yamamoto’s take on classic Donkey Kong Country tunes (which are phenomenal, by the way).ĭKCR had an identity crisis-it was trying desperately to be something new by firmly embracing its legacy. The essence of Autumn Heights’ visual theme is so perfectly captured by its accompanying score that at any moment, I was expecting Donkey Kong to whip out a pint of his favorite dunkelweizen and start a game of hammerschlagen with Cranky and company (which might actually be a more interesting and challenging alternative to the game’s strictly traditional “collect the bananas” bonus stages).ĭonkey Kong Country Returns was a blast, but in several ways, it felt unbearably close to its source material. The music is so good that the trees dance. Though I was hesitant to accept the seemingly out-of-place Kenyan choir ushering in the game’s vast Bright Savannah area (which seemed, at first, to be a dress-rehearsal for the first scene of Disney’s The Lion King), the theme of the game dawned on me, and It wasn’t long before I realized that everything the bloom-lighting touched was Wise’s kingdom. What makes Scorch ‘N’ Torch so…Scorch ‘N’ Torch-y?! David. What makes a Fear Factory so fearful? David Wise.
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What makes an Enchanted Riverbank so enchanting? David Wise (…and Eveline Fischer Novakovic). What you see and feel is eerily embodied in his melodies. The beauty of a David Wise composition is itsinnate ability to seamlessly stitch together your senses. Tropical Freeze is one of them, and it helped save the game from feeling thematically inconsistent. Still, in Double Trouble, the awe inspiring scope of the Northern Kremisphere is conveyed through a partnership between exploration and music that only a few games manage to foster. That’s especially true when you compare it side by side with, say, Stilt Village, one of the game’s earliest stages. Sure, Brother’s Bear wasn’t exactly a masterpiece, but it still managed to make substantial contributions to the overall feeling of the world it belonged too (I reiterate: Canada). The music of Diddy’s Kong Quest set a distinctively sinister and mysterious tone for Crocodile Isle, home of the Kremlings, while Double Trouble was…well, Canada. Its soundtrack was beautifully simple, often incorporating natural elements like dripping water or echoes to keep you firmly rooted in the reality of its grungy world.
#Donkey kong country soundtracks series
However, the one element that I believe holds together all of the seemingly fragile aesthetic choices of Tropical Freeze is the music that accompanies Donkey Kong’s latest (and likely Cranky Kong’s last) adventure, written by returning composer David Wise, who has been with the series since its conception on the Super Nintendo.Ī thick air of tension hung around DK Island in the original Donkey Kong Country for Super Nintendo. The juxtaposition of arctic-born “Snowmads” and rain-forest raised Kongs on environments like burning savannahs and Bavarian mountains would surely lack synergy if every aspect of the game did not devote itself entirely to this worldview. No, instead, it’s all about making your way home. It won’t ask you to save a captive Kong from crocodilian evil doers, either. In fact, when Tropical Freeze begins, the Kong family is nowhere near their Island.ĭonkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze isn’t about working your way through the curiosities nestled in the nooks and K. It should promote tension, isolation, even fear! After all, these apes are completely alone on their Isla-!”Īnd that’s when it hit me: they’re not on their Island.
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“A Donkey Kong Country game should bring about some sense of scope. Yamamoto-san remade the old sound and also had to make new music appropriate to the atmosphere of this particular game.I was nearly taken aback by Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze’s delightfully vivid color palette (see above) and swanky, whimsical tone. Nintendo did the basic background music and Retro Studios did the sound effects. “But I think it must have been hard work for Yamamoto-san, who did the music. “Donkey Kong Country was such a unique game, and when people talk about the game, many of them mention the music. Tom Ivey, Senior Designer for Donkey Kong Country Returns, agreed. I think one reason so many people loved the Super NES version is that the music – in addition to the amazing graphics and fun gameplay – really spoke to them.” I don’t often do that, but Donkey Kong Country had so many memorable tracks that I bought the soundtrack CD. The music for Donkey Kong Country is in my iPod and I often listen to it even today.
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“I remember telling you during the first meeting to treat the music with care. During a recent edition of Iwata Asks Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed that he has the classic soundtrack to the original Donkey Kong Country on his iPod.