Source: Pure Nintendo
Hey Steemit!
OSTs are really underrated but they're so good, so I thought I'd share a song a day and my thoughts about it! I highly recommend listening while reading! 😊
If you didn't catch the last few posts, I'm dedicating this month to island-themed songs! Since I've been religiously playing Animal Crossing New Horizons for almost a month now (>130 hours according to my Switch), I thought island songs would be fitting, especially since almost everyone else seems to be playing it too.
Source: Polygon
Bit of a sidetrack here, but I just remembered the phrase "no man is an island", which expresses the idea that human beings do badly when isolated from others and need to be part of a community in order to thrive. And I think it ironically applies to what we're dealing with right now. While super introverts like me are doing alright, many people are struggling with being cooped up at home for days on end. But it's for everyone's safety, so I hope everyone is coping well! Play some games with friends and stay safe and healthy all!
Anyway, the song I want to share today is from a game called Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze!
Source: pixelz.cc
If you've never heard of this game before, don't be surprised because it was released on the WiiU. 😅 But anyway, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Retro Studios, with assistance from Monster Games, and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The fifth installment in the Donkey Kong Country series, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is the direct sequel to the 2010 Wii game Donkey Kong Country Returns, and was released in February 2014. An enhanced port for the Nintendo Switch was released in May 2018.
Source: Nintendo Life
Plot-wise, Donkey Kong and his family must venture across five islands to save their home, Donkey Kong Island, after it is frozen over by the villainous Snowmads—a group of arctic invaders from the northern seas. Like its predecessor, the game received mostly positive reviews. Praise was directed at the level design, gameplay, and soundtrack, although its high level of difficulty received more mixed opinions.
So I actually wrote about a song from Donkey Kong Country Returns (DKCR) 2 years ago! I really loved playing through DKCR on Wii and was actually looking forward to getting Tropical Freeze, but somehow I guess I didn't. I was excited to get it on Switch but found it a tad too expensive (70 bucks for a 6 year old game c'mon).
Source: Than Friends Productions
But now that I'm watching a playthrough of it on youtube (by the adorable MasaeAnela), I'm kinda regretting it because it looks soo good! The visuals are astounding, and the music is phenomenal! There are also some very interesting new gameplay mechanics. I'd say it's definitely a worthy sequel; everything is improved upon DKCR, from the 3D models of the main characters, to the background art, even the graphics!
Source: Gaming Reinvented
And a really cool thing they introduced is playing in different perspectives! So in DKCR it was solely a 2D sidescroller, but in Tropical Freeze, the point of view sometimes changes depending on the stage. It's not a player-controllable change, so the perspective changes are all scripted, but nonetheless it's a really cool touch.
Source: Eurogamer
Look this POV makes it seem like you're on the mine cart rollercoaster with DK!
Anyway, the song I chose for today is from the special K stage in world 2, called Bopopolis. I think this song plays in all the special K stages (where you have to collect KONG letters in every stage of the world before it unlocks) actually, but here it is:
This is actually a remix of a classic song from Donkey Kong, called DK Island Swing, which I believe was in the original Donkey Kong Country for the SNES.
This song starts off like the original, with the classic bongo drums, (but I think this version has the added timpanis in the background) and the synth-sounding harmony before the bass comes in with the beats and the brass takes over with the melody. Which it absolutely nails, by the way. The clarinet with the harmony and the consistent drums in the background are so well done and harmonised as well. The song then transitions into a calmer version for the bridge with marimbas for a little bit before going back to the grand brass melody again.
Source: WallpaperMemory
I'd say this comment sums up the song pretty well:
I definitely agree with B-Burn on the song being more catchy than ever, and the sax definitely jazzes up the theme a lot (I think it's the reason why I especially love this version), giving it a whole new feel. But I have to disagree with him on the second half of the song. I think it's a good transition, just like the original, but the shorter duration is a good choice. I get that it's quite a big contrast to the big jazzy melody, but I like that. And I definitely feel this is the best version of DK Island Swing too.
Anyway, David Wise, the composer for this soundtrack knocked it out of the park with this game. There are just soo many good tracks! Anyone familiar with Rare's games or any of the DKC titles will know his work and agree that he's practically a god of video game music composition, alongside Koji Kondo.
I'm shocked that I've gone so long since writing the last DK song; I'll definitely share more of Wise's songs in due time so stay tuned!
Thanks for reading!
To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!
