I put it up there with the underwater dam level in the original TMNT for NES. You’re required to navigate tiny, deadly corridors using the clunkiest controls in the game. One of the later rocket-barrel levels was so frustrating, it’s not only my least favorite level in Tropical Freeze, it’s one of my least favorite levels, ever. “Difficulty in Tropical Freeze is unrelenting, but almost never feels cheap, with one major exception. Once I sat down on my couch with a controller, I… still struggled, but less so. Likewise, I struggled to beat the final boss with the Switch in handheld because picking up and throwing stunned enemies is a huge part of the process. Sometimes I’d accidentally throw something because there isn’t as much play in those shoulder buttons. I had difficulty with the smaller shoulder buttons on the Joy-Cons, used to pick up barrels and stunned enemies.

The controls are tight and jumps are easy to pull off, but I found playing in handheld mode harder than playing with the Pro Controller. If that wasn’t enough to take the edge off the difficulty, Funky Mode also gives you an extra heart for each level, and hearts to replenish your health appear more often during levels. He also needs no help from Diddy, Dixie, or Cranky. Funky’s surfboard also makes him briefly immune to spike damage, and brings the total level of tubularness in the Switch version to a place unheard of on Wii U.

Thanks to a surfboard that lets you feather your falls, Funky’s jumps are much more forgiving than even the jumps possible with Diddy’s rocket or Dixie’s ponytail helicopter. With his wrap-around sunglasses, belt-fastened jorts, tank-top, and bandana, he’s the cool uncle who knows a lot about living, and a little about love. It lets you play as either Donkey Kong or the titular Funky Kong, the coolest of all the Kongs. You can’t cheese your way through any of the levels or battles, you just get a few extra chances to correct your mistakes. The precision jumps and timing are still there. “The much more accessible Funky Mode is the biggest change to the Tropical Freeze formula, and it’s a welcome one because it makes things easier without feeling like a mode for babies.

Download dk nintendo switch