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Sunday 20 January, 2008
GAMEPLAY:
The game got a lot more challenging because new monsters, harder levels, and interactive environmental gadgets were introduced. The hooks, as an example of an interactive environmental tool, are very easy to use but having to jump from one hook to another with precise accuracy wasn't as easy as I thought. I ended up having to use Dixie's slow-fall to navigate through the series of hooks for an easier time. Another one of these gadgets are the animal boxes. There are characters, such as a rhino, snake and spider, that help Diddy and Dixie on their quest within special predefined animal zones. They help you traverse through the level easier and help you get to secret stages you could never reach otherwise. I like these animal characters because they add new color to the game, making new challenges if you lose the animal while within an animal zone.
Some levels I encountered started requiring both Diddy and Dixie to be present in order to get to secret levels or to get certain items, such as tokens or block letters. When I couldn't locate a DK barrel to revive Diddy or Dixie, I got upset and wanted to start the level over. Even though I didn't want to go to such extremes, I wanted to collect all the items I possibly could. This challenge I made for myself added depth to my game play experience, but it made me feel like crap if I couldn't do it. But never before did I appreciate the Diddy/Dixie duo so much.
I noticed that the first couple of levels did an excellent job introducing you to the controls of the game. What surprised me was how little had to be learned to use the controls, but mastering them took a while. As levels increasingly grew difficult, I had be extra careful when controlling the characters. Jabbing buttons in this game does you no good. The connections between the characters and the controller made me feel like I was in the game. When I died I thought, "Gosh, that was MY fault for doing a horrible move." I would secretly punish myself for doing a bad job then continue on playing. To me it's never the character's fault, even though they too are separate entities. I never felt this way in any other platformer. Having to control two characters added a lot to this experience.
DESIGN:
The first thing that needs to go on this list is the fact that there are two characters to control. Diddy and Dixie work together hand-in-hand and they have different skills that need to be used when encountered by specific tasks in the game. The two also work together as a team to reach goals. The creators of the game were well aware of the balance that the players would have to use between the two Kongs. The innovative element of having a different variety of movements with the two characters also leaves the game very open ended when it comes to attacking challenges. Because one task can be done using Diddy, Dixie can do it another way as well. Whichever way is easiest is determined by how the player interprets the difficulty of controlling each character.
Donkey Kong Country 2, just like any other platform game, has a general path that leads to the end of a level. Any player would assume that going straight (from left to right) will eventually lead to a dead end and completion of a level. However, the use of space in this game adds adventure. The existence of secret levels to collect bonus tokens makes the game that much larger and exciting. These levels are sometimes tricky to get to and one of the most popular ways to indirectly lead the player in a correct secret track is to lay a trail of bananas. A player would never fall down a random pit because death is almost certain, but if there is a trail of bananas that lead you to another area, the player almost always will follow them.
The designs of each level is highly dependent on the location of the level on the world map. If the level was at the top of a pirate ship near the sails on the map, then some physical designs of that particular level featured sails and a lot of sky. Not one level was designed like the next because the details of locations were different on the map. Some levels also have different mechanics. An example of that would be a level where lava or burning water rises as you continue traveling. The player is then forced to race against the clock in order to survive. The multitude of levels keeps the player on his/her feet because what's to come is unexpected.
The tone of the game is very cheerful. There's no blood or violence and the most that ever happens to an enemy is a bonk on the head. There's the occasional explosion of TNT barrels, but the enemies only fall through levels of platforms and disappear. The design of the avatars is very cartoony and is suitable for all ages to play. The music is very energetic and the sound effects are comical. Overall, the color schemes of the game are fairly bright and vibrant and there are occasionally some darker complimentary colors that try to portray evil.
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