Donkey Kong Country Games Ranked, From Worst to Best

Gamers have been breaking their controllers over theDonkey Kong Countryseries ever since 1994 . Fans were happy to put up with the vivid difficulty and challenge due to the awing graphics ( at the meter ) and the enjoyable 2D platforming . With the release ofDonkey Kong Country : Tropical Freezeon Nintendo Switch , the serial publication is still sound substantial 20 class later . That ’s an telling feat , even if the series lease an extended abatement during the 2000s .

While none of the games in the series have been truly bad , Donkey Kong Countryhas definitely had its fair contribution of ups and downs with regards to quality . Some titles in the catalogue have aged quite badly and some of the early portable offerings were n’t that good to set out with . Retro Studios ' recent vent have been equilibrize that out , thanks to them necessitate over the series that was originally create by Rare . Both of their recentDonkey Kong Countrytitles have been really first-class and have yield the series a Renaissance in popularity . And to celebrate Nintendo Switch ’s tardy liberation , here are all theDonkey Kong Countrygames order , from worst to skilful .

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7. Donkey Kong Land Series

If you ’re unfamiliar with theDonkey Kong Landseries , it was essentially larboard of the three Super NintendoDKCgames for the Game Boy . It ’s a lawful technical wonder , but the games were hinder by some terrible design alternative . ( For exercise , role player had to collect the KONG letters in parliamentary law to save the plot in the original . ) They ’re in spades neat , but none of them were better than their console opposite number , and they do n’t do anything unique enough to warrant any additional discussion . Considering all three SNES games got excellently ported to Game Boy Advance a few years afterwards , there ’s really no understanding to ever look at these titles .

6. Donkey Kong Country

It might be shocking to see the originalDonkey Kong Countrygame ranked so humble , but it has n’t age all too well . It was impressive back in 1994 due to its telling 3D faery and graphic style , but that does n’t exactly play all that well in 2018 . When you plunder aside the nostalgia , all that ’s allow for is an confessedly enceinte soundtrack and some mediocre platforming .

Most of the level are built around gimmickry that is more of a test of patience than skill . It also features the least polish of the three SNES titles . That order , it did establish a solid formula , and introduced serial ' linchpin like the mine - cart levels . It in spades had its time in the limelight , but those daytime are well over .

5. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie’s Kong’s Double Trouble!

By the third installment , theDonkey Kong Countryseries was reaching the breaker point of diminishing returns . Dixie Kong ’s Double Troubleplays much well than the original secret plan , but it certainly did n’t feel fresh when it follow out . It simply felt like more of the same , even if Rare strain to add in a few new thingumabob . Plus , Kiddy Kong is by far the worst character to ever be playable in aDonkey Kong Countrygame .

4. Donkey Kong 64

Despite pop opinion , Donkey Kong 64actually is n’t a bad biz . While it ’s certainly not the best 3D platformer on Nintendo 64,Donkey Kong 64doesn’t merit the painful rap it seems to have picked up over time . The biz definitely has issues in term of lead " collectathon " gameplay to the extreme , but it still feature solid fundamentals and some truly great moments later on . Those that stuck outDonkey Kong 64 ’s ho-hum scratch line were rewarded with one of the N64 ’s most graphically telling titles . That does n’t sound like a biz that receives so much hate .

3. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest

Get it?Kong Quest . Conquest . It ’s a pretty good pun , but that ’s not whyDonkey Kong Country 2ranks the highest of the original trilogy of Super Nintendo statute title . It ’s a considerable step up from the original game . Not only does it feature much effective level design , but it also has improved collision spying that vastly improves the core gameplay . Rare clearly learn lessons from the first title and they go through all of them here .

The only literal knock againstDKC2is that it ’s in the end aDonkey Kong Countrygame without Donkey Kong as a playable character . That pronounce , it ’s nice to see Diddy Kong get some prison term to glow , and it permit for the platforming to be more or less faster paced as a result . Change is n’t always a bad affair .

2. Donkey Kong Country Returns

People were surprised whenMetroid Primedeveloper Retro Studios revived theDKCseries , but they certainly did n’t disappoint . Donkey Kong Country Returnsbrought back the classic 2D platforming , the echt challenge of mine - cart and rocket levels , and delivered it in an incredibly polished package . It also look incredible despite being a Nintendo Wii title , and has some tremendous art direction that really hides any technical shortcomings .

Those that prefer playing game on the go were treated to a Nintendo 3DS port a few class later calledDonkey Kong Country return 3D. Not only did this remove the motion - restraint facial expression that bogged down the Wii version , but it also added a whole Modern world satisfy with extra levels . There ’s a graphic quality declension , but other than that , it ’s the definitive edition .

1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Retro Studios can basically do no wrong at this point , andTropical Freezeiterated on what players loved aboutDKC Returns . There were more character , include the one and only Cranky Kong , a grand soundtrack , and even more degree variation . It ’s flat out one of the ripe 2D platformers in years and a true joy to play .

The freshly released Nintendo Switch variant is even better . It adds in a new character , Funky Kong , has faster load times , and runs at a high resolution . Nintendo has taken the bestDonkey Kong Countrytitle and improved upon it , so who can be upset about that ?