Originally published on Pixelitis.net on Feb. 17, 2014.

When Nintendo announced Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze as a follow-up to Retro Studios’ Donkey Kong Country Returns at last year’s E3, some fans felt bummed that it wasn’t the developer’s glorious return to the Metroid Prime series.

I think they’ll be singing a different tune once they start playing the game.

There’s no monkey business behind it; the game’s style and feel are largely the same as its 2010 predecessor. You’re still ground-pounding, rolling, shooting out of barrels and collecting bananas and coins. Nevertheless, there are a number of improvements that are readily apparent in this Wii U sequel, and Cranky Kong’s celebrated reveal is only a small slice of the proverbial banana.