DKC Atlas Forum

What do you think.

One was the best! It was the most original. I loved the last world. I don't know if you could call them factory levels, but I loved the music and the way they were sat up. I also liked the balloons that you could jump on. They were DK head-shaped ,too! Two and three were pretty much just Game Boy versions of DKC.

I have a really hard time deciding this one, because they're all good in different ways.

A lot of people like DKL for being the most original. After all, a lot of the levels have new gimmicks -- one level has you collect Kong letters as platforms, another has a giant shellfish chasing you, another has tornadoes all over. A lot of the levels also take place in different kinds of settings, like a skyscraper or underwater ruins. Not to mention, there are new enemies, and a lot of the music is original and awesome. But it also got rid of a lot of content too -- there are only two animal friends here (Rambi and Expresso), no non-playable Kongs (Funky and Candy are missing, and Cranky is only mentioned in the manual), and is also the shortest game in the series (it is possible to get 100% in slightly more than an hour), since it has few levels. It is also buggy and the physics are weird -- although I can cope with them much better than I can in DKC GBC.

A lot of people bash DKL2 for being the least original -- it's often described as a watered down port of DKC2. While a lot of the levels are similar to those in DKC2, including almost all the level names, and got rid of a few things (like a few enemies and one boss), it's also the most "faithful" one too. It has the most animal friends (losing only Glimmer), so there's six if you count Clapper. It also retains a lot of non-playable Kongs, including Wrinkly and Funky (DKL2 is the only DKL game with Funky in it). It's also longer than DKL, and a lot of the challenge is still here. So it still feels a lot like DKC2, which is good. Now if only they didn't get rid of some of the best music (like Forest Interlude!).

DKL3 is an interesting one. Not a lot of people liked DKC3 for some reason, and DKL3 is based off of DKC3, so I wouldn't be surprised if people didn't like this one either. I liked it, though. I liked how DKL3 retained some gimmicks from DKC3 but changed the levels around, including the level names, enough so that it feels like a new game. Various gimmicks, like having to get past Klasps when crossing ropes, dodging Minkies when climbing trees, dodging Karbines that follow you, etc. are still here, and a lot of enemies that originally were only found in one level are found in multiple levels this time (Karbine, Kuchuka, Bazza, etc.) The only animal friend that was removed as Parry, so that's not bad. Ellie isn't as bad here either, due to having infinite water and not being scared by Sneeks. Kiddy is even less useful here though, since he can't water skip or throw Dixie this time (he's only really good for jumping on Krumples now), although he isn't as sluggish either. Also, this game is the least buggy DK game of all, and unlike the other two DKL games, dying due to screen lag is almost a non-issue. There are only a few minor, obscure bugs here. One problem with this game though: it's way too easy, and even less skilled players won't have much problem beating it, other than a few bonuses. I really like the time attack feature though, DKL3 is the very first DK game to introduce it, so it was a new thing at the time (plus I like it better than DKC3's item fetching quest with the Brothers Bear). Seabed Shanty is a huge pain in the neck, though...

So... which do I like the best? It's a tie for me. I like them all in different ways.

I think DKL3 is the best.

I've never even played DKL3 so I wouldn't know about it. I choose DKL because DKL2 wasn't that great.

The first one for sure, had some original archetypes, all new level names, enemies and worlds too! I know all of the DKL series had 8-bit music, but hearing Aquatic Ambiance in 8-bit is like hugginag a unicorn OR EATING A TWINKIE OR BOTH AT THE SAME TIME GOD IT IS SO EPIC!