All in all this is a great update to the ideas brought about 20 years ago. You can change this during a game, and your choice also changes the other controls - either using Y/X or L/R for rolling, pounding the ground, or blowing - you can blow dandelions to get bananas or hearts, and pounding the ground serves to daze nearby enemies or access hidden areas below you. Controls have two options - using the analog stick of the D-pad. Sadly you can't switch between the two modes within a save, but the cartridge has 3 save slots so you could sample both if you want to try without losing progress. I'm also playing it in "original mode" for the best challenge, but the game does come with a "New mode" which makes the game easier for those that want it. The enemy placement and movement patterns, high inertia on DK himself, and tricky platforming will challenge you. During this time, you will face many difficulties even from the first stage. The levels are expansive, taking several minutes to complete each one. The HUD also uses the 3D depth well, floating as it does above the main game. The HUD has some nice intergration with the game, such as the health bar in the top left shaking as you pound the ground.
It's only occasional, so doesn't distract too much, but does take a few seconds to right itself when it does happen. This is on New 3DS with Super Stable 3D enabled. Unfortunately I have also found that I struggle to maintain focus on the 3D such that it wobbles about and flickers on occasion, more than in any other game. The 3D effect is the best I have yet encountered, especially when you find yourself shooting deeper into the screen in some short sections of the levels (you will experience this towards the end of level 1-1, so you don't wait long to see it. In some ways this lacks the amazement of the originals, which anyone old enough will remember were really quite special on the SNES, but they are certainly amongst the crispest, prettiest graphics on the 3DS.
This game captures the style and flavour of those games, but of course with much prettier polygonal 3D graphics. Mario vs.I haven't played the Wii version, but I have played the original DKC trilogy on SNES, so this review will naturally include comparisons to I haven't played the Wii version, but I have played the original DKC trilogy on SNES, so this review will naturally include comparisons to those.Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis ( Prototype) Create-n-Send a Donkey Kong Country Family PortraitÄiddy Kong Pilot ( Banjo-Pilot Prototypes).Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Mario Bros.There are more loading screens, and the background does not scroll during level transitions.Models and textures are of lesser quality in the 3DS version.The Wii version runs at a relatively stable 60 FPS, but the 3DS version is capped at 30 FPS and unfortunately is much more unstable than the original. Unfortunately, all these additions come at a graphical cost.Like Super Mario 3D Land, the game encourages players to take a break after a few levels.If the player does not use items they selected for a level, said items are returned to their inventory.The Super Guide becomes available after five deaths, instead of eight.The player can now use up to three items in a single level.Also, for those who are too lazy to collect all the K-O-N-G letters, after defeating Tiki Tong, the Rare Orbs become available in the shop for 50 banana coins each. Cranky's shop has a few new items, and all items are much cheaper than they are in the vanilla game.The player has three hearts instead of two in regular play, and two instead of one in Mirror Mode.
New Mode includes various changes that make the game easier than the original: