The game’s environments get increasingly varied as you leave the ship, but everywhere you go you get a much stronger sense of identity with DKC2 than with the first game. The tone has changed drastically for the darker, which almost sounds ridiculous considering that this is a game about monkeys rescuing a gorilla from a crocodile dressed like a pirate. From the moment the introductory screen fires up, you know well that this game isn’t concerned with being cool or hip to the trends of the era, but is much more preoccupied with being epic, and it feels much more timeless than the dust-covered artifact that spawned it as a result. DKC2 begins with a cascade of sparkling treasure, a pirate ship leaving DK Island behind, and the first few ominous drum beats of the map’s march. DKC begins with a thinly veiled message of youth in revolt against the un-hip-ness of old age, a funky tune, a dancing gorilla in shades, and an exploding boom box. So how exactly does DKC2 surmount DKC so unquestionably? It starts with its atmosphere. While essentially utilizing the same engine, it sufficiently makes DKC look like an awkward and unfinished experiment. Each character has a different victory dance at the end of each stage, with Diddy hauling out a boombox and Dixie wailing on a guitar, which are some nice touches.Īt its core, it is built quite clearly with the skeleton of its predecessor, but on top of that is a much thicker layer of muscles for it to flex in every single element of its design, from its mechanics to its aesthetics. Dixie can spin her ponytail like a helicopter in mid-air, easing the speed of her descent. Diddy can cartwheel, moves faster and can jump slightly higher. The basics of the game are essentially the same, except Diddy Kong, the sidekick of the previous game, now takes the starring role, and his female friend, Dixie Kong, tags along as the parner. Every now and then, though, a sequel comes along and not only demonstrates the same sense of mastery that the first game did, but improves upon it in every facet, creating something superior even without having the advantage of that sense of innovation and breakthrough the first game had.ĭiddy’s Kong Quest represents this elusive ideal incarnate.ĭKC2 doesn’t reinvent the platformer as we know it. Finding the right balance is a nuanced feat and an art of video game craft unto itself, and a great deal of games have suffered greatly for not tweaking things properly. Change too little and you’ve squandered the game’s potential.
Change too much and you’ve alienated your audience or bastardized the game in their eyes. Being in charge of making a sequel to a hit game does not seem like an enviable task.