I will never understand why people dislike crystal caves. I'm aboslutely obssessed with the little log cabins, icy river down the middle, the tiniest hidden secrets in it, and just the general feeling that walking through it evokes is one of the most intense things, i swear. I love crystal caves so much
crystal had a really good flow for me. It was lacking a lot of the backtracking people complain about so much and just overall lates out in a way so you could easily 100% everything as each kong without switching much
It's crazy this video is making me realize for the first time just how weirdly dark/imposing so much of the level theming of DK64 is. Outside of Jungle Japes and Daytime Fungi Forest, it's moody vibes across the board.
You nailed it. Once those stalactites stop falling, it's pure ambience. Only complaint is as Joe said, it's really easy to have no clue where you're going.
I finished DK64 101% just yesterday ( i love this game, i like to play it once or twice a year) i really have to say that i like Fungi Forest, Angry Aztec and Crystal Caves a lot! Yes Gloomy Galleon is a very hard to play level, but the Music and Atmosphere is really awesome! Creepy Castle is a good last level, but nothing compares to Frantic Factory! This level and its music will always give me goosebumps! As a kid i found it so hard to navigate, so me, my sister and my 2 cousins were just lost! Just like the Kongs entering enemy territory! And now, as i can play this level with my eyes closed i still love it, even more than any Banjo-Kazooie Level.. Every time i enter it now, and i hear the winding sound from the beginning of the Song i get that feeling in my tommy, and it will always remind me of how lost we were in this awesome level! The Research and Development section is very special to me! Even the enemies, the Krobots and Mecha-Zinger are so awesome We spend hours just watching them in safe range.. i always wondered what they were typing on their arms.. we always assumed they communicate with each other, trying to find the Kongs.. to find us.. And Mad Jack is the best Boss in the entire Game! Yes i just love it! I like to pick Diddy and get myself up that numbered dice hill, just to look up and see the moon and the stars.. its just awesome
I love everything about this comment! Before we had the internet to turn to for answers, we were left to explore and admire the world around us and look for solutions on our own, or word of mouth. Great memories!
I've only completed DK64 once when I played it for the first time as a kid. I've tried to replay it multiple times for the sake of nostalgia and it's genuinely enjoyable at first but then I get to Gloomy Galleon and I'm left wondering how in the world did I manage to muster the patience to go through that mess when I was 12.
Oh man that's rough! Weirdly enough, I'm sort of the opposite with GG. As a kid I was terrified of the deep sea sections. So I would avoid them as much as possible. Upon revisiting it as a teenager/ young adult I thought "oh this isn't scary at all"
It would be way less painful if so many of the GBs weren’t exact copies of each other. No, I don’t want to swim around in the same stupid flooded cabins five times in a row. No, I don’t want to climb to the top of a pile of gold when I literally just did the same exact thing five seconds ago. No, I don’t want to have to switch to another Kong and go all the way back to those stupid instrument platforms, just so I can go back into the same stupid ship I was already in. The whole thing is just a massive, monotonous chore. It’s a shame too, because like he said, the theme is honestly done really well.
@@superjoebros64 Personally, I was afraid of going out of bounds while underwater and God knows this game is so poorly programmed it just happens by merely swimming near a wall. I hated GG for that reason alone
Yeah, this is exactly it. The game is basically good for one playthrough and then never again, or you're almost better off trying to 101% a file than playing it again.
Gloomy Galleon lover here. I really like the music mixed with the level’s design, especially with the sound effects mixed into the music that fit the environment so well. I’m unbothered by the swimming controls (especially after playing Banjo) and I’ll always love swimming around as the swordfish. I love the idea of the pirate ship always moving around the level, I love the coin room, and the exploding enemies would always make me laugh as a kid. Actually, this level creeped me out a lot as a kid, but for whatever reason I loved that about it. The inside of the lighthouse gave me shivers, summoning the mechanical fish would scare me enough to turn off the N64 and hope it’s gone when I turned it back on, and the shipwrecks were pretty dark too (especially with the skeletons). I’d say it scared me more than creepy castle, and my fear of the ocean probably doesn’t help. I love everything about this level, but I can see why so many people hate it 😂 That being said, I still think Frantic Factory and Creepy Castle are the best so it was nice to see them at the top. I find their boss fights the most creative and enjoyable too. I absolutely love all the level designs honestly, but my least favourite of them would have to be crystal caves. Idk if I was just stupid as a kid or something but I could never figure out how to kill the kosha so I found the falling rocks really annoying and even a little scary. Loved the cabin area and igloo though.
1. Fungi Forest (Love the ability to change the time of the day when doing certain tasks that require a certain time of the day to do. I wish more worlds in this game was more like Fungi Forest. Plus it includes the more improved boss battle with Dogadon.) 2. Frantic Factory (This one has some good rooms and you're able to go up or down each of the 4 floor levels. I wish this world had an elevator. That would be my only complaint, but the best part because I have gotten used to the controls now is playing the DK Arcade game in this world. Now I never had an actual Arcade so I never played the DK Arcade game for real, but when rare decided to put this game in Donkey Kong 64's Frantic Factory, I enjoyed it while playing it on my phone. And Mad Jack was a fun boss to go against. It's a fun world and I would love to revisit it sometime.) 3. Creepy Castle (I get that most DK 64 fans would choose this as their favorite level. This is one of the best for me. I say "One of," because it's nowhere near the worst, but falls just two spots down from the best for me because right at the beginning, I'm always scared I'm gonna fall off the 2×4 wedged between the two platforms. Nevertheless, this spooky world always makes me nervous about what's gonna happen next. Halloween is my favorite time of the year aside from Christmas and this world in the game also made me realize that it's more spooky inside the castle than outside. The mine cart ride using DK remind me of the Haunted Mansion ride I was on down at Disney. Or Diddy lighting the candles in the ballroom with his jet pack. The boss battle with King Kut Out was great. My only issue with the boss was it was very easy to miss and lose a Kong.) 4. Angry Aztec (Difficult level in a way if you ask me. Unfreezing the water to save Tiny was a pain to me. Because as Diddy as soon as I had him pound the switch, he had to flip on 3 tongues and walk very cautiously on one long tongue to play his instrument. And every time Diddy fell, I blamed the controls and the camera for not staying behind Diddy's tail. If the camera stayed behind and the controls weren't so difficult, maybe I wouldn't have had trouble. The one where you turned lava into water to save Lanky wasn't too difficult for me. It was easier compared to saving Tiny. The fight against Dogadon wasn't too challenging, but fun to play.) 5. Crystal Caves (This world looked as close as it could to a snow world. I imagine it felt very cold in there for the Kongs unless the fur coats kept them warm. I hate the fact that shandeliers or however you spell that word kept falling down on me and the only way to stop it is for Tiny to learn the teleport move to get to areas that are otherwise unreachable. To do this task, you must use Chunky to go to the side of the cave castle and pick up a boulder and put it on a boulder switch, then go inside one of the cave rooms to put a boulder on a moving switch. This allows the dome covering up the Tiny teleporter to break. And Tiny can use that teleporter to go up to the Kosher who is knocking all those shandeliers down and use Tiny's instrument to kill the giant Kosher. The 2nd battle with Army Dillo is slightly more entertaining than the 1st one with a few new moves, but that's not saying much as like the first time you fight him, DK has to battle him again.) 6. Jungle Japes (This one being the first world of the game is okay. It's the world for beginners. Nothing too challenging here for a first world, but there are a few complaints. I hated the fact that Rambi could only be transformed by Donkey. Two cool things you could do with Rambi is bash the huts and bash the Rambi door blocking a certain area, but the backtracking to complete this world was a pain in the ass. And the first Army Dillo fight wasn't bad compared to the other one, but timing on throwing the tnt barrels at his face can be a little tough. If you throw just barely to the side of his face, it won't count as a hit.) 7. Gloomy Galleon (What do I have to say about this abomination of a world. The only thing I liked about this world was Chunky strong punching the chests. Other than that this world is 👎. The swimming mechanics in this water world is I can't see where I'm swimming half the time and the collectibles were way too scattered all over the sea. The fight against Pufftoss didn't even look like a fight. Instead, Lanky is forced to drive a motor boat through DK stars to try and defeat Pufftoss. The whole world hands down is the worst in my opinion. I'm not gonna include DK Isles or Hideout Helm. DK Isles had golden bananas, but it didn't have color coded bananas, and Hideout Helm was K. Rool's control palace and he has a control room in there. Even though the Kongs had mini games in Hideout Helm, there was no golden banana for completing a task. Instead when a Kong completes both of their mini games, they deactivate the machine. And if you have both a Rareware coin for completing Cranky's Jet Pac game and a Nintendo coin for completing the Arcade game a 2nd time, you can get the 8th and final key. That's all.
I love Creepy Castle. It always brings back this specific memory of my family visiting friends and my brother and sister and I spending the night at our friends house… during the fall season. That level just made the atmosphere perfect and I was so hyped when I found out it had a multiplayer mode pure bliss, I wish I could go back to those simpler times 😢
I'm sad that we have to wait another bunch of months just to POTENTIALLY get dk64 on the Nso expansion pack. I thought that game was obvious to get on there. When they revealed the next bunch of games that are coming in the upcoming few months i was heartbroken to see dk64 not be there. So our chances of seeing it on the Nso are getting lower. Oh well time to PAINFULLY wait a bunch of months so we can potentially see dk64. And if they reveal another bunch of games and DK64 isn't in it I'm gonna cry. The country games are on here and dk64 was on Wii u virtual console. What's wrong here?
This game gets so much hate because the internet has allowed it to be cool to do so. But man, it's my favourite n64 game. I think all the world's are Fantastic, though I've only ever gotten up to the mushroom world. As a kid someone saved over my file so had to restart and got played out by the time I got back there. Though it took me like 3 times longer to play the game than most. I had a lot of fun just messing around as the kings in these worlds without always b lining for a banana. I think people forget how large and impressive these worlds were at the time. When I revisit as an adult I just play casually and get where ever I get. One day I might sit down and actually beat it
One of the first video games I ever played (Probably between the 5th and 10th) and it has consistently been in my top 10 video games of all time ever since, even if I couldn't get past the Mad Jack when I were like 5. Lmao *(PREPARE FOR WALL OF TEXT IF YOU EXPAND COMMENT)* I will also admit that it's probably due to rose tinted glasses a little bit but every time I come back to the game I always have a good time (With the exception of Beaver Bother, that second race with Mr. Rabbit and the classic Donkey Kong arcade). I mostly agree with your list and would only do a few slight changes. For those interested, here's my version with a few sentences (Or less) reasoning behind why: 1. Frantic Factory (High S rank), I've just always loved the aesthetic of this world to the point where it's always the world I'm most excited for whenever I do a replay. We even unlock Chunky here who is my personal favorite playable Kong in this game (He's just such a goofy coward) *and* it completes the "Kong Collection," allowing this world to be the first world to be 100%'ed. That's also always satisfying. I will say that the moving factory section is probably one of the more annoying parts of the game if you're playing randomizer. 2. Creepy Castle (Low S rank), this stage never beat Frantic Factory for me but it's still absolutely solid gold. I've always loved "spooky" aspects in video game areas (All three Luigi's Mansions are also on my top 10 list for a reason. Lol). The rain tends to lag a bit on OG hardware, so that's always a sad con for the world. 3. Fungi Forest (High A rank), I'm in the loving the day/night cycle gang. Also love the Banjo & Kazooie vibe, which makes sense since it was originally planned for that series. Probably the most common area to find in randomizer as it has way too many stage warps. Lmao 4. Crystal Caves (After the giant Kosha has been defeated (Mid A rank)), This stage is probably the most beautiful in the game when the visuals are combined with the music. It's just such a shame they felt the need to add that giant Kosha. 5. Hideout Helm (Low A rank), The music in this stage has always been one of my favorite tracks of all time for any game. It's just so mean, vicious, threatening and ominous. I especially love that it even plays instead of the tag barrel themes. It really makes you realize that this is it. It's all or nothing. The timer actually adds to that as well for me, as it's not too tight as to be stressful or annoying (At least if you get all the blueprints). A huge con is the fact that they decided the way to turn off the Blast-o-Matic was to play a bunch of minigames. 6. Angry Astec (B rank), Well, what can I say? A step up from the first world for sure and you unlock half of the Kongs here (40% if you count Donkey himself). Fun exploration and nothing too difficult. You also meet Candy Kong for the first time, and uhh... Yeah, that's a character alright. Fun fact, as a child I always believed the "GET OUT!" was them saying "GRAUT!" which is custard in my language. That really confused me but was also funny. 7. Jungle Japes (C rank), Well, it's the introductory world. It's pleasant and welcoming, as well as introducing several mechanics nicely. Nothing too overbearing but also nothing too crazy creative. 8. Gloomy Galleon (D rank), Water. 9. Crystal Caves (Before the giant Kosha has been defeated (Low E rank)), Hell. Unranked: Dk Isles (Dk Isles rank), Dk Isles. All in all a fantastic game. Nothing is in F rank here because there's always *something* fun to do in each stage! Also, apologies for the wall of text. Whoops!
This is a really solid list! You make a great point about Chunky and finally having the whole gang together. It can be annoying needing to revisit JJ and AA just to 101% complete the game. Like you said, it feels great to have all the Kongs, making FF the first world you can actually complete in 1 go.
Played this game just a tiny bit at my cousin’s house when I was a kid but never finished it. I always wanted to play it again to see if it could live up to my childhood expectations. Well, last year I bought a N64 for myself along with DK64 and few other games, and I just finished it the other day with 101% at a time of 32:18. Definitely had some low lows, but there was plenty of good fun I had in the game. I didn’t expect it to have nearly as many puzzles as it did, but there was enough variety in the game for it to be interesting all the way through. In terms of ranking the levels, honestly this tier list is pretty spot on to my own (Gloomy Galleon can suck some eggs!); only difference I’d make is bring Jungle Japes up to the same tier as Fungi Forest. JJ may be very small, but honestly it’s really compact and fun to run around in. Such a perfect little level. I’m glad I played DK64 despite the negativity it often gets. It’s true that there’s a lot of negatives to the game, and it definitely isn’t for everyone, but for people like me who find joy in the act of collecting, it was a real blast to play and experience fully. I will still never like GG though lol
@@superjoebros64 It’s mixed in all honesty. Like I said, I had a blast while playing it, and there were times while I was at work where I couldn’t help but wish I was playing it instead of working- but now that it’s over, it’s almost kinda empty feeling? I’m not sure how to describe it. Maybe it’s the knowledge that the DK crew as it was presented up until this game’s release wouldn’t return outside of spin-offs and cameos, or maybe it’s because DK hasn’t attempted 3D since DK64. It almost feels like a hollow victory despite enjoying my time all the way up to the credits. Well, I say that, and as it remains true- When I hear the DK64 soundfont and the opening lines of music- as well as that iconic jungle beat that plays when you turn the game on before you’re greeted to the DK Rap- I still get a big dumb smile on my face. DK64 is fully completed in my life now, and I guess I’m only just now coming to terms with that. I fell for the dog piling during high school that it was just a bad game with Bad Game Design (you know the video), so maybe me having fun with the game despite its flaws just didn’t feel “correct” in my brain. But I get it now. I had fun because I thought it was fun. It’s that simple. I mean, why else would I *choose* to collect everything in the game? Surely it’s because I wanted to. And there lies the simple truth- I did. I played DK64 and enjoyed it because I liked playing DK64. Something I just couldn’t wrap my head around. I guess it’s not really a hollow victory afterall.
Like the list. I personally never finished the game got to the last island but I'm playing it again and plan to beat it. My favorite has always been frantic factory and has the most badass and intimidating boss imo. Creepy castle, Angry Aztec and fungi forest are great too.
See, what made Gloomy Galleon all that worse, is the fact that it came right after the best level. For me. Leave such a high in Frantic factory, only to sink to the bottom immediately in Gloomy Galleon. By the time you're done, going to Fungi Forrest is a breath of fresh air.
I've completed Dk64 101% several times and am currently having a lot of fun with the Randomnizer. Your list was very interesting. I have a completely different opinion but it's nice to see other opinions. I'm not the biggest Frantic Factory fan but I can understand why you like this world so much.
My favorite is definitely Angry Aztec and my least favorite is Crystal Caves. I love the music of Crystal Caves but I somehow never warmed up to the world. I like Gloomy Galleon much more if I had to compare the two.
Really agree with this tier list, these levels can be pretty fun and frustrating (in a speedrun perspective since i run the game) Level designs, music, it has it all!
My list goes like this: (really long post FYI) Top tier in order 1. Fungi Forest. Love this level. I'm a big time defender of the day night mechanic. I just 101%'ed this game today for probably the 5th time and I only had to change to night about 2 or 3 times. And I guess that's the kicker. When you've completed the game before you just know what tasks require day and night so it's much easier. Anyway, I love the feel good vibe of this level in the daytime tied into the music which I think is great. And night time is fun when you get used to it. 2. Crystal Caves. I'm a lover of Crystal Caves personally. The falling rocks are annoying no doubt, but if you beat him first thing there's no issue. I like flying around with Diddy, and it's just another level I like the look and feel of. The igloos and the log cabins with the tasks are fun to me if a bit challenging. Come to think of it that's probably my biggest complaint. Some of the golden bananas in this level are super hard to get and you don't have unlimited oranges or crystals for any of the tasks. Diddy's log cabin, dk's ice maze and the beetle race are all wicked hard, but it's so rewarding when you complete it, and I guess that's why I love the game itself so much. Second tier in order 3. Frantic Factory. I hate the mechanical enemies that try to spit on you in this level and I'm not a big fan of how dark it gets in the hallways going between the areas, but I do love the factory idea and climbing it is fun even if again a bit challenging. I also liked the mini games in this level and Tiny's race so not a lot of complaints, but it doesn't give the same feeling as Fungi Forest or Crystal Caves. 4. Creepy Castle. I love the layout of the warp pads in this level. Makes navigating it easy, but I didn't much like not having the sniper for a few bananas and having to find Funky and backtrack like that. Also don't like that off the start you must walk on that skinny piece of wood just to play the level, but it's a pretty minor complaint once you're used to it. Other than that I like this level, but it's not top tier simply out of personal preference because I like bright and shiny levels as opposed to gloomy and creepy ones which I guess gives away the bottom tier of my list lol. 5. Jungle Japes. I really like this level for it's look and feel and it seems right to start the game in the jungle. The only reason it's relatively low on the list is because it's too simple for me especially with my experience playing the game. Nowadays I can't wait to get it over with to get on with the more difficult parts of the game. Bottom tier in order 6. Angry Aztec. Never been a huge fan of this level. Can't really put my finger on it, but it never struck a chord with me. Having to navigate the quicksand, and the vulture race with Diddy. Trying to save Tiny. Having to walk around a temple to shoot a switch and then back again (and obv the beetle race, but we won't go there). Never really liked the GET OUT! temples with the guards either. Level is kind of meh to me. Not on the very bottom of the list but can't put it near the top either. 7. Gloomy Galleon. 100% agree on this level. It's awful, but I'm probably biased because I've never liked any swimming heavy levels in my life in any game. Every swimming level I've ever played is just too slow of a mechanic for me personally, and this one might be the worst of all. The only bonus I guess is that you can't die from drowning unlike say a couple Super Mario 64 levels or even worse Banjo Kazooie, but it's a bad level regardless IMO. Having to explore the dark bottoms and pick up small bananas with a swimming mechanic is just terrible. A lot of the level is timed too so that's a pain even as someone who doesn't have much trouble with it. There are a few highlights like you said, but not many. The robot fish is a pain in the ass, and having to go from one side to the other for a timed challenge really sucks if you run out of time. I don't personally mind the water level issues, but I've never ever been a fan of swimming levels. Just takes too long when I could go faster on land. Sidenote: I didn't rank Hideout Helm as it's not a full level, but I like the layout and concept of the mini games against the timer. A fitting ending to an epic adventure game. And I do really like the DK Isles overworld, but again not really a level. All in all this is one of my favourite N64 games of all time despite the hate it gets which I will never understand. Some complaints I can understand, but others are just complaining for the sake of complaining, or complaining about relatively minor thing. But I'm weird like that lol. I love collect a thons and there's no such thing as too many IMO. And I don't really mind backtracking at all. To me it's all just an epic adventure. The only thing that slightly annoys me is when there are small bananas branching off in different directions for different Kongs, but it's minor. Also the game itself is really difficult to complete 101% but when you do it it's so rewarding IMO. Anyway that's my list. Sorry for how long this is, but this game deserves a long comment, and I think I like it more as time goes on due to nostalgia, but I never disliked it anyway. And if you've never 101%'ed the game and you hate it you shouldn't talk. Also if you never played this as a kid and tried to find the secrets on your own you won't understand why people like this game.
Your list is really interesting and I respect it! I'm happy to see Fungi Forest getting some love. And you make a solid point. You gotta 101% complete it! Thanks for sharing!
First of all I’d like to say bravo 👏 If I was making a video ranking the worlds on a completely unbiased basis I don’t think I would have done anything differently, except switch Fungi Forest to S. And I also don’t rank them based on golden bananas. If that was the case then Creepy Castle would be the worst. 2 BEVER BOTHERS! And Diddys Minecart mayhem is just AHHHHHH! And without further ado here’s my personal favorite list 1 Fungi Forest (Again I didn’t rank it the best world based on biases.) I just generally think it’s overall the best world lol) You nailed everything I love about it! 2 Crystal Caves. I love the music, the aesthetics, I love the igloos and cabins. And you are completely right about how it’s easy to get lost. I have played through this game like 20 times in my life. I know everything by heart. But yet this level is the only one I do actually get lost in! And I like it! It makes the level feel big and exciting for me personally! The big Kosha is the one thing I dislike. Whenever I get to the level my first priority is get rid of it ASAP. I do that first then go back to the beginning of the level and start from there and pretend that was never there. I understand why the level is disliked but not for me personally! I think it also because I always wanted to explore an ice cave irl but yeah that’ll never happen 😂 so I can live that fantasy here. 3 Creepy Castle. It was my favorite when I was a kid but I still love it! You covered it all! Nothing to dislike here nit counting the golden bananas. It was legit scary! The catacombs scared me as a kid and that’s good! That means they succeeded at what the level was going for! There’s nothing to hate about this world! 4 Frantic Factory. Again you nailed it! Great theme, amazing music, lots of cool interesting rooms, and great exploration! 5 Gloomey Galleon. Backtracking and underwater mechanics never bothered me as much as then majority does. I can handle it! I love the Sunken ships and pirate theme. I understand exactly why it’s by far the least popular, that’s why I said going on un biased ranking I’d pit it at the bottom as well. But I personally like it! 6 Jungle Japes. Everything you said here I couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s just a small tutorial world without being a tutorial. 7 Angry Aztec. It’s my least favorite of the normal world personally. And that’s mostly because I was never fond of desert themes. Deserts aren’t my kind of thing, and I didn’t really care for the Aztec theme either. I know it’s a good level it’s just not *my* kind of level. Completely personal preference here on this one. And I really don’t count the Dk Isles and Hideout Healm as real levels. But I’ll say it anyway. I like Dk isles it’s a great overworld! Lots of areas and nice places to explore and the bananas are placed well in every area! And I love the lobbies for each world and hearing the overworld music remastered in each one! Hideout healm I hate. Easily my least favorite part of the game. Everytime I play the game after I beat Creepy Castle I’m done. I don’t enjoy the pressure of being timed. And imo the area is pretty bland looking. Small and cramped. The only redeeming quality for me is because it’s an area you see in cutscenes before actually coming there yourself into enemy territory. I have a 101% completely gotten every collectible file. (Every regular banana, coins, crowns etc.) so I don’t need to do hideout healm again. If I wanna do the final boss I’ll go to my perfect file. I’ve only redone HH once before. And it wasn’t fun the second time around either lol… So just another personal preference. But again I can see why people like it! And I would rank it just as you did! And that’s all for me! Sorry that was so long 😅 But yeah again bravo 👏 you are spot on!
Hey thank you! I'm late to reading this, but you have a great list! It's hard to rank these worlds haha. It's great to see more love out there for Fungi Forest! Crystal Caves however... is going down on my list 😬 Thanks for sharing!
The only thing I wish that you gave a brief mention to the levels that had bosses like I think it's the last level you mentioned that's my favorite if I remember correctly it had a creepy boss where you have to I believe play as Lanky Kong with a cut out cardboard image of King K Rool the noicez it made and fighting that boss at night always creeped me out and I lived it. But otherwise great video.
@@superjoebros64 Oh ok I'm so sorry I didn't know thanks for letting me know I'll go watch sorry just that castle level is my favorite I looked up the boss that day turns you can play as all the kongs during the boss fight I forgot about that lol 😅
@@MadSociety-uy6zg don't sweat it! It's an older video! Had I not made that, I would have included the bosses in this video 😃 I love that all the Kongs get to participate in that last boss fight! A great twist.
I think Rare putting the "green hill zone" style level (Fungi Forest) in the middle of the game instead of the first world was a cool twist. And instead of the whole world being friendly and gentle, there's the night section which feels more like the "spooky forest". So it's like the "green hill zone" style level but with an edge
@@hectoramador6397 Kind of, but not quite. Jungle Japes is more of a rainforest level which is kind of similar to the sort of grassland/forest level I'm thinking of, but also distinct.
Loved this list; I agree for the most part, though I’m not sure if I’d rank fungi forest that high. Maybe it’s because I really struggled with that world as a child, and I’m not that big a fan of day/night cycles. I absolutely agree with your top and bottom picks though. Gloomy Galleon had a cool atmosphere for me, but the underwater segments aren’t very fun and it’s kind of a slog. As for creepy castle, my only complaint is that it seems very linear. On one hand this does prevent you from getting lost, but I also like being able to go whatever direction you want from a starting area.
Great points! I can agree, Fungi Forest is overwhelming as a kid. Have you revisited the world today? Would love to know if you think it's easier to navigate after all these years.
While Gloomy Galleon isn't my favorite level, I liked the atmosphere, especially the music. Not a big fan of water levels either, though there are some that I enjoy. The overall sense of peril effectively had me on edge (the stormy side, as a whole. the clams in the treasure chest, when you turn around as Tiny. Puftoss. The robot fish, which came out of Uncanny Valley), but I kept wanting to play.
This is my second fave N64 Game (first being Majora's Mask) but one of the few games I've come back to beat multiple times over. Just beat it today for the nostalgia since I finally bought my own copy back in March ^.^ Grew up watching my brother play this game. It came bundled with the jungle green edition N64 he got for his birthday/ Christmas back in the day so I often associate it with winter. Man does it bring me back each time T_T
I loved Jungle Japes, Frantic Factory, Fungi Forest, and Crystal Caves. I think for me it was more atmosphere than anything else, but I genuinely liked the exploration and different areas. Angry Aztec, Gloomy Galleon, and Hideout Helm were middle-tier for me. Not the best but not bad either. Creepy Castle was my most hated; tediously walking around the castle and trying to find everything in the mazes below. Just didn't enjoy that one as much. I completely understand your points on all the worlds though, including your thoughts on Frantic Factory, Gloomy Galleon, and Crystal Caves.
Fun fact: This game, along with the Gameboy port of Donkey Kong, is one of the few ways you can play the original Donkey Kong arcade game with the original Pie Factory screen!
i love dk64, despite its flaws. also running out the clock in hideout helm actually just plays the normal game over scene. which, makes complete sense as the countdown is literally what leads to the game over sequence playing.
I rank the worlds about the same, though I don't remember having issues with Gloomy Galleon (I guess I like the pirate ship and gloomy sea aesthetic). I never (as a child, at least) found switching Kings bothersome - I actually liked having so many. I also note that I haven't played the game in probably 20 years. I think Creepy Castle is certainly the best-designed stage, though I do also like Frantic Factory; because of the garden theme and the day-night thing (plants and time are more-or-less my favourite aesthetics), I do have to say I like Fungi Forest after all (it also has my favourite boss fight in the game, with my favourite Kong, so it has that in its favour, too).
I love dk64 it's been my childhood game, and till this day I have my N64 with all my favorite childhood games, n I love every level in it's own way, but if I where to do a tier list or top I would choose between the music. 1. Frantic Factory 2. Creepy Castle 3. Angry Aztec, Jungle Japes, and Crystal Cave 4. Fungi Forest Day/Night, and Gloomy Galleon Honorable mention Hideout Helm, and Dk Isle
In jungle japes, the entrance to Cranky's stormy area should have been up on the mountain. At least that way, it could explain that the mountaintop is in the clouds.
@@superjoebros64 exactly. Some convincing: It's a hidden gem, with the few reviews I seen on it giving it praise like Nitro Rads video on it. Some other cool facts about it being that it's Suckerpunches first game. (Yeah, their first game was on Nintendo). It's also the first N64 game to use a physics engine, and you notice it when you play. The game itself is like a shorter Banjo Kazooie. Basic story to get the protagonist going. It's a collectathon platformer, and that's about it.
Before watching, my list would be (based on design AND gameplay): 8. Gloomy Galleon 7. Crystal Caves 6. Angry Aztec 5. Fungi Forrest 4. Creepy Castle (the two Beaver Bothers bumed it down to 4, otherwise it might have been on second place) 3. Hideout Helm 2. Jungle Japes 1. Frantic Factory
I was a light-hearted kid so I dont like the scary level. But I gotta play the game again to see how I feel now. I like when the music is snazzy and not gloomy. My favorite level is the mushroom day night level. I love the garden feel
That's how I felt about Gloomy Galleon as a kid! The deep sea terrified me. I probably would have been scared of Creepy Castle too if I made it that far as a kid
I actually love DK64 a lot, and still replay it to this day. However, after all these years, I still have yet to even fight the final boss, and that's because of one little thing: the Nintendo 64 coin. I'm just not good enough at arcade Donkey Kong to even get the Golden Banana from the arcade machine... But I do love all the worlds for various reasons.
Its a really solid game with some glaring weaknesses. I love it but it always makes me a bit sad how much potential was missed. Wish it was another masterpiece like Banjo Kazooie.
It's the charisma in characters and worlds that will forever bring me back to this game! The game is flawed, I fully acknowledge that, but I still love it! There are mods online that bring some amazing quality of life features to this game. It changes the game from good to great!
@CoNteMpTone Personally I really enjoyed the DK64 Randomizer, made by Ballaam and 2dos. There's an option to play the game without the randomizer chaos, but keeps the new quality of life changes. (Instant Kong swap being my personal favorite!)
Something that dawned on me from this video and the comments is I wonder why this game has such a dark and gloomy vibe to it. Like you can just see by skimming through the video. Everything is dark, rainy, inside a dark building or cave, etc. I mean, shoutout to Fungi Forest's day/night system, but Angry Aztec is like the only unique level aesthetically and it's not even that great. I am a Crystal Caves enjoyer but yeah, the falling icicles and confusing layout hurt it.
Wow, that's a great point! It is rather odd that this game is dark. Someone pointed out that my captures might be darker than the game actually is. However, the game is still gloomy at the end of the day! An interesting art direction
Fungi Forest was originally intended to be the final level in Banjo Kazooie, but time constraints led to it being replaced with Click Clock Wood. While it's one of the better worlds in the game, it does feel the most out of place.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that always gets lost in crystal caves. I spend up to 30 minutes trying to find where I need to get to no matter how many times I play this game.
There’s only one change to this list I would’ve made, put frantic factory down one tier to be below fungi forest. Other than that, spot on with what I think of the worlds
@@superjoebros64 it's the idea of bringing the main world (the factory) to life. Also, The car race with Tiny is epic! And the room where Lanky press the keys to hear the gators belch-Hysterical!!! 😂😂😂
I agree Gloomy Galleon was the worst level in the game Crystal Caves scared the crap out of me when the ceiling started collapsing and music changed but I loved the level And yes Creepy Castle I had so much fun on that level except collecting colored bananas for The Boss fight which took me many attempts to beat K rool Kut out
My list is Helm>Factory>Castle>Aztec>Caves>Japes>Forest>Galleon. I personally like Helm the best because A, it gives the game the proper climax it deserves, and B, everyone feels important in it. Factory edges out Castle for me, but both are great stages that utilize all the Kongs pretty well. Aztec is also good, and Caves would be top 3 had it not been for the annoying falling rocks, but it's still good overall. Japes, while a fun level, isn't as high because only 3 Kongs have real focus, and I'm not a big fan of Forest because of how tedious the day and night thing can be, though the design is still fine. As for Galleon, screw that level.
The hole what level is better than the other is a bit silly to me it's more like wow differente even for Gloomy Galleon or heck i don't get why Creepy Castle is so beloved either other than it's a pretty good stage. To me they all range from 70 to 80 in terms of quality they all have there ups and downs And this is for someone that loves DK 64
My favorite has to be Angry Aztec; my least favorite is Crystal Caves (because it seems rather drab and dull...) I honestly kinda like Jungle Japes too, it would be the A-tier! And Frantic Factory would also be an A too; but for a different reason.
@@superjoebros64 I thought it was just your recording. When I last played it on my N64 it didn't seem dark to me I believe, though this was a long time ago. Maybe I'm misremembering. Could also have to do with the type of TV connector.
Best Music: Crystal Cave Best Boss: Jack in the Box Best designed Level: Fungi Forest. Best Kong: Tiny Worst Kong: Lanky Best Minigame: The Slide Race Worst Minigame: Beaver Bother
Great take on the worlds! I only disagree with you on Angry Aztec but that is mostly due to not liking bland yellow sandy desert aesthetic. The actual content of AA is not bad per se, but it looks garish to me and I loathe being there more than anywhere else. Gobi's Valley of BK and Shifting Sand Land of M64 are my least favorite forays of those respective games for much the same reason. AA does suffer more than most from the dreaded hallway syndrome present throughout this game. I find it hilarious Crystal Caves actually has less hallway syndrome than Angry Aztec. It is also our introduction to Scuttlebug who is either a cinch or the bane of my existence depending on the day. Diddy's jet pack and the respective Feed me/GET OUT! elements are nice touches. Candy Kong bothers me as an adult. A bit weird to have a pin up character in a "children's" game but this game has worse fouls than that. Creepy Castle is clearly the pinnacle of the game (which is a horror game mind you so this makes perfect sense) and I completely agree Frantic Factory and Fungi Forest closely trail behind in quality. They nailed Creepy Castle and similar to Banjo Kazooie with Click Clock Wood, we are given an wonderfully satisfying conclusion to the game. We are treated to the game's finest set piece in my eyes being DK's pinnacle of the SERIES cart ride with the chase by Kackle. This along with the ballroom set piece with Diddy lighting the candles for Kuh Rool's phantom party brought so much depth to the world. King Kut Out, or DK's Phantom Ganon, is an upper tier boss considering Army dillo and Dogadon are fairly lame retreads... I'd say third to the King himself and Mad Jack. The bananas trail better than anywhere else making back tracking a non-issue. If they put the care into theming the worlds as intricately as Creepy Castle throughout this title would easily be in conversation for the greatest platformer of all time. As is I don't think any game has come close to its funky feel and attitude plus the richness of expression from the characters has never been nearly expressed. This game has so much character in a landscape that needs it sorely. Love your work. I also obsessed over this game as a youth it being my first true full gaming experience and wrote about it in depth 5 years ago for its 20th anniversary. tophsblog.com/2019/11/22/donkey-kong-64s-20th-anniversary-retrospective/ Give it a read if interested (Forewarning: It is long and a tad plodding like this game can be.) Looking forward to more content dude!
Oh WOW! I have something to read during my commutes now haha, thank you for sharing! You've made some great points about AA. I'm learning that it's not everyone's favorite, to my surprise! I'm glad you enjoyed my video! I'm working on a series of DK64 videos that will release end of year. If you enjoyed this video, you're going to want to see this series 😁
If the clock runs out it plays the game over scene. I was stupid ad never went after the blue prints. After I discovered what they mean I went back and got them all.
@@superjoebros64 I just don't like the theme/atmosphere as much as some of the other levels. In addition there are some really annoying bananas like the beetle race and rocket barrel ones.
Nevertheless (comment concerning creepy Castle), Here is my list: 1. Frantic Factory (A) 2. Angry Aztec (B+) 3. Jungle Japes (B) 4. Fungy Forest (C+) 5. Creepy Castle (C-) 6. Crystal Caves (D+) 7. Gloomy Galleon (D) Hideout Helm in my opinion cannot be compared to the other Main worlds. There is (sadly) no S Tier for me in this game. It got kinda annoying after world 3, even despite the fact, that I Love collectathons.
8. Fungi forest. This one seems to have the most unecessary and arbitrary gates littered around for no reason. So many times i go to do something and i have to go back to change kong or the time of day. Frustrating. 7. Gloomy galleon. Self explanatory. 6. Kreepy Kastle. From here onwards i like all of the levels and its tough to decide. This level has TWO max level beaver bother minigames for some reason. Unacceptable. Love the boss and theme though. 5. Crystal Caves. Slightly weaker design and far weaker boss than kastle but overall much better challenges and i like to explore it. 4. Angry Aztec. Im honestly suprised by this placement but i just find it less fun than everything remaining. Great level. 3. Hideout Helm. Inflitrating the big bad lair with your fully decked out team great. Good challenges. Good reward for blueprints. This would be lower if i included the two coins here because getting them is rough. 2. JungleJapes. This level actually has the charm and fun you mentioned for forest. It feels super home-y and Rambi is sick. Great saving your first kong and is great to come back to with all 5 later. As good as first levels get. 1. Frantic Factory. Also self explanatory.
@superjoebros64 probably above Aztec. It has some other issues like lack of landmarks and the bottom level of the castle isn't super interesting but it has one of the best bosses in the game. As someone who likes to 100%, half the time in the level was spent in beaver bother. I really want to like Aztek more but there's something about it that just holds it back in my mind. Maybe its heavy reliance on buildings that everyone has their own switch to enter or the amount of empty space in it? Maybe I just don't like deserts.
I won't say I defend Gloomy Galleon, cause that level has a bunch of issues. But I think Crystal Caves is absolutely the worst level in the game. Mostly due to the stalactite mechanic, but also because it's big, dark, laggy, and hard to navigate, especially if you get knocked down into the water. Gloomy Galleon does what it sets out to do and I think that makes it better, even if it is "the water level"
That's a really great point. At least the player can mostly see everything in GG! It feels less like a punishment compared to CC. I think my list just changed haha
Wow. I’m a little embarrassed. I’ve been claiming to be a huge DK64 fan at 27, but I just realized I’ve never played past gloomy galleon. Mainly because I give up at that point and say I’ve done enough. But wow do these other levels look fun as hell 😂
I will never understand why people Love creepy Castle, No Matter how much they explain. I Love Well designed castles, which are Well interconnected. But this one is Just a straight Up Road around the castle, one room attached to another, really linear. No Castle is designed Like that, getting inside through a neverending Ramp from outside. Would be way better If designed Like in castlevania.
Worst for me is Fungi Forest. It feels out of place in DK, with its fairy tale aesthetic and googly-eyed inanimate objects. It's pretty obvious it was cut from Banjo-Kazooie, and I'm not fond of the day-night system.
@@superjoebros64 That's not just speculation on my part; Banjo-Kazooie's files contain a stage called Fungus Forest, which includes a beta soundtrack that apparently sounds like DK64's.
@@leethompson-kolar6333 to be fair, I know unused music from Banjo was then used in DK64. (Makes sense considering Grant worked on both games) So, I guess it wouldn't surprise me if the world was originally meant for Banjo as well, but didn't get used until DK64. I ser what you mean by it now!
I dislike the Factory. I'd rather swim around in Gloomy Galleon than deal with trying to climb the machine in the middle of the Factory and deal with that awful Jack in the Box boss fight.
Crystal Caves, the only world in this game I hate. It only wants to trigger me with its unnavigated route. It has the worst tasks (not only in the average, also the beatle race is totally terrifying). If you have to collect the things with Kong A, you mostly already had to had arrived with Kong B. The boss sucks (at least it was difficult, not as the boss of Creepy Castle [this is only one reason why I always play Creepy Castle (a great strucktured, easy, atmospheric fantastic and musically strong world, where the boss is very special) as world 6]). My list: 8. Crystal Caves [F-Tier] [No E-Tier because World 7 made too much hate in that I never would give it something higher than F-Tier] 7. Jungle Japes [D-Tier] 6. Gloomy Galleon [C-Tier] 5. Fungi Forest [C-Tier] 4. Hideout Helm [B-Tier] 3. Angry Aztecs [B-Tier] 2. Frantic Factory [A-Tier] 1. Creepy Castle [S-Tier]
I love Gloomy Galeon. I get everything you are saying. Nevertheless there is some magic for me in the nostalgia of the world, its ships, its light houses and its seas. Is my second favorite level right after Fungi Forest
You hint at it a bunch of times when you say "we aren't gonna talk about that golden banana". But I'm gonna say it. All the racing challenges in DK64 are terrible.
For me: F-ANGRY AZTEC☹️, I hate the sandstorms constantly blowing sand in the monkeys/kongs faces(( D-Creepy Castle, Hideout Helm + that Creepy arse Frantic Factory! Always too DARK TO SEE sometimes! C-Jungle Japes+ Gloomy Galleon! Too many beavers in the 1st, Water levels for me isn’t bad! B-NONE!! A-FUIGI FOREST-LUIGI LUREST(mushroom 🍄 DAI FOREST)! Day & Night lovely!! Most 🍌 are at NIGHT NOT DAY! S-ma favourite CRYSTAL CAVES!!!! I love this place because of the lovely beautiful CRYSTALS & can always monkeyport to the top to KILL THE KOSHA to stop the stalagmites from falling!! also that 3RD MELON from candy!! That’s important!!!
Wow your list is fascinating! I like your reasoning for each one. Dark levels could really benefit some brightness adjustments. And that 3rd melon life is game changing!
I will never understand why people dislike crystal caves. I'm aboslutely obssessed with the little log cabins, icy river down the middle, the tiniest hidden secrets in it, and just the general feeling that walking through it evokes is one of the most intense things, i swear. I love crystal caves so much
I really do love the general feeling of it!
crystal had a really good flow for me. It was lacking a lot of the backtracking people complain about so much and just overall lates out in a way so you could easily 100% everything as each kong without switching much
For me it has the most frustrating golden bananas and is just a pain to navigate
Asthetically it is great but gameplay wise it just sucks the life out of me.
The giant Kosha, that's why.
It's crazy this video is making me realize for the first time just how weirdly dark/imposing so much of the level theming of DK64 is. Outside of Jungle Japes and Daytime Fungi Forest, it's moody vibes across the board.
Great observation! Very moody indeed
As a kid it would really mess with me subconsciously
I love dk64 so much man. My favorite world is crystal caves, at least when, at the end, the ceiling stops collapsing.
Heck yeah. There's so much love for this game.
I fully agree, Crystal Caves really turns around once the ceiling stops collapsing
I always take care of the stalactites first. No mucking around.
Ye no shit I do that too: immediately go to cranky with tiny & also use chunky immediately at the start to smash the igloos ice with 🪨
You nailed it. Once those stalactites stop falling, it's pure ambience. Only complaint is as Joe said, it's really easy to have no clue where you're going.
I finished DK64 101% just yesterday ( i love this game, i like to play it once or twice a year) i really have to say that i like Fungi Forest, Angry Aztec and Crystal Caves a lot! Yes Gloomy Galleon is a very hard to play level, but the Music and Atmosphere is really awesome!
Creepy Castle is a good last level, but nothing compares to Frantic Factory!
This level and its music will always give me goosebumps! As a kid i found it so hard to navigate, so me, my sister and my 2 cousins were just lost! Just like the Kongs entering enemy territory! And now, as i can play this level with my eyes closed i still love it, even more than any Banjo-Kazooie Level..
Every time i enter it now, and i hear the winding sound from the beginning of the Song i get that feeling in my tommy, and it will always remind me of how lost we were in this awesome level!
The Research and Development section is very special to me!
Even the enemies, the Krobots and Mecha-Zinger are so awesome
We spend hours just watching them in safe range.. i always wondered what they were typing on their arms.. we always assumed they communicate with each other, trying to find the Kongs.. to find us..
And Mad Jack is the best Boss in the entire Game!
Yes i just love it!
I like to pick Diddy and get myself up that numbered dice hill, just to look up and see the moon and the stars.. its just awesome
I love everything about this comment! Before we had the internet to turn to for answers, we were left to explore and admire the world around us and look for solutions on our own, or word of mouth. Great memories!
I've only completed DK64 once when I played it for the first time as a kid. I've tried to replay it multiple times for the sake of nostalgia and it's genuinely enjoyable at first but then I get to Gloomy Galleon and I'm left wondering how in the world did I manage to muster the patience to go through that mess when I was 12.
Oh man that's rough!
Weirdly enough, I'm sort of the opposite with GG. As a kid I was terrified of the deep sea sections. So I would avoid them as much as possible.
Upon revisiting it as a teenager/ young adult I thought "oh this isn't scary at all"
I always hated Gloomy Galleon. I was felt like it was just filler.
It would be way less painful if so many of the GBs weren’t exact copies of each other. No, I don’t want to swim around in the same stupid flooded cabins five times in a row. No, I don’t want to climb to the top of a pile of gold when I literally just did the same exact thing five seconds ago. No, I don’t want to have to switch to another Kong and go all the way back to those stupid instrument platforms, just so I can go back into the same stupid ship I was already in. The whole thing is just a massive, monotonous chore.
It’s a shame too, because like he said, the theme is honestly done really well.
@@superjoebros64 Personally, I was afraid of going out of bounds while underwater and God knows this game is so poorly programmed it just happens by merely swimming near a wall. I hated GG for that reason alone
Yeah, this is exactly it. The game is basically good for one playthrough and then never again, or you're almost better off trying to 101% a file than playing it again.
Gloomy Galleon lover here. I really like the music mixed with the level’s design, especially with the sound effects mixed into the music that fit the environment so well. I’m unbothered by the swimming controls (especially after playing Banjo) and I’ll always love swimming around as the swordfish. I love the idea of the pirate ship always moving around the level, I love the coin room, and the exploding enemies would always make me laugh as a kid. Actually, this level creeped me out a lot as a kid, but for whatever reason I loved that about it. The inside of the lighthouse gave me shivers, summoning the mechanical fish would scare me enough to turn off the N64 and hope it’s gone when I turned it back on, and the shipwrecks were pretty dark too (especially with the skeletons). I’d say it scared me more than creepy castle, and my fear of the ocean probably doesn’t help. I love everything about this level, but I can see why so many people hate it 😂
That being said, I still think Frantic Factory and Creepy Castle are the best so it was nice to see them at the top. I find their boss fights the most creative and enjoyable too.
I absolutely love all the level designs honestly, but my least favourite of them would have to be crystal caves. Idk if I was just stupid as a kid or something but I could never figure out how to kill the kosha so I found the falling rocks really annoying and even a little scary. Loved the cabin area and igloo though.
I'm happy to see more and more people sharing why they like GG. It's winning me over now. I like it over Caves now!
@@superjoebros64 Muahahaha >:] Mission accomplished
1. Fungi Forest (Love the ability to change the time of the day when doing certain tasks that require a certain time of the day to do. I wish more worlds in this game was more like Fungi Forest. Plus it includes the more improved boss battle with Dogadon.)
2. Frantic Factory (This one has some good rooms and you're able to go up or down each of the 4 floor levels. I wish this world had an elevator. That would be my only complaint, but the best part because I have gotten used to the controls now is playing the DK Arcade game in this world. Now I never had an actual Arcade so I never played the DK Arcade game for real, but when rare decided to put this game in Donkey Kong 64's Frantic Factory, I enjoyed it while playing it on my phone. And Mad Jack was a fun boss to go against. It's a fun world and I would love to revisit it sometime.)
3. Creepy Castle (I get that most DK 64 fans would choose this as their favorite level. This is one of the best for me. I say "One of," because it's nowhere near the worst, but falls just two spots down from the best for me because right at the beginning, I'm always scared I'm gonna fall off the 2×4 wedged between the two platforms. Nevertheless, this spooky world always makes me nervous about what's gonna happen next. Halloween is my favorite time of the year aside from Christmas and this world in the game also made me realize that it's more spooky inside the castle than outside. The mine cart ride using DK remind me of the Haunted Mansion ride I was on down at Disney. Or Diddy lighting the candles in the ballroom with his jet pack. The boss battle with King Kut Out was great. My only issue with the boss was it was very easy to miss and lose a Kong.)
4. Angry Aztec (Difficult level in a way if you ask me. Unfreezing the water to save Tiny was a pain to me. Because as Diddy as soon as I had him pound the switch, he had to flip on 3 tongues and walk very cautiously on one long tongue to play his instrument. And every time Diddy fell, I blamed the controls and the camera for not staying behind Diddy's tail. If the camera stayed behind and the controls weren't so difficult, maybe I wouldn't have had trouble. The one where you turned lava into water to save Lanky wasn't too difficult for me. It was easier compared to saving Tiny. The fight against Dogadon wasn't too challenging, but fun to play.)
5. Crystal Caves (This world looked as close as it could to a snow world. I imagine it felt very cold in there for the Kongs unless the fur coats kept them warm. I hate the fact that shandeliers or however you spell that word kept falling down on me and the only way to stop it is for Tiny to learn the teleport move to get to areas that are otherwise unreachable. To do this task, you must use Chunky to go to the side of the cave castle and pick up a boulder and put it on a boulder switch, then go inside one of the cave rooms to put a boulder on a moving switch. This allows the dome covering up the Tiny teleporter to break. And Tiny can use that teleporter to go up to the Kosher who is knocking all those shandeliers down and use Tiny's instrument to kill the giant Kosher. The 2nd battle with Army Dillo is slightly more entertaining than the 1st one with a few new moves, but that's not saying much as like the first time you fight him, DK has to battle him again.)
6. Jungle Japes (This one being the first world of the game is okay. It's the world for beginners. Nothing too challenging here for a first world, but there are a few complaints. I hated the fact that Rambi could only be transformed by Donkey. Two cool things you could do with Rambi is bash the huts and bash the Rambi door blocking a certain area, but the backtracking to complete this world was a pain in the ass. And the first Army Dillo fight wasn't bad compared to the other one, but timing on throwing the tnt barrels at his face can be a little tough. If you throw just barely to the side of his face, it won't count as a hit.)
7. Gloomy Galleon (What do I have to say about this abomination of a world. The only thing I liked about this world was Chunky strong punching the chests. Other than that this world is 👎. The swimming mechanics in this water world is I can't see where I'm swimming half the time and the collectibles were way too scattered all over the sea. The fight against Pufftoss didn't even look like a fight. Instead, Lanky is forced to drive a motor boat through DK stars to try and defeat Pufftoss. The whole world hands down is the worst in my opinion.
I'm not gonna include DK Isles or Hideout Helm. DK Isles had golden bananas, but it didn't have color coded bananas, and Hideout Helm was K. Rool's control palace and he has a control room in there. Even though the Kongs had mini games in Hideout Helm, there was no golden banana for completing a task. Instead when a Kong completes both of their mini games, they deactivate the machine. And if you have both a Rareware coin for completing Cranky's Jet Pac game and a Nintendo coin for completing the Arcade game a 2nd time, you can get the 8th and final key. That's all.
This is a great list, thank you for sharing! I WISH Factory had an elevator! Ugh that would be pretty cool and helpful, also appropriate to the world.
I love Creepy Castle. It always brings back this specific memory of my family visiting friends and my brother and sister and I spending the night at our friends house… during the fall season. That level just made the atmosphere perfect and I was so hyped when I found out it had a multiplayer mode pure bliss, I wish I could go back to those simpler times 😢
I love this! Video games holding core memories can never be replaced!
Frantic Factory is so frickin' cool man. I agree 100%
Such a fun world!
I'm sad that we have to wait another bunch of months just to POTENTIALLY get dk64 on the Nso expansion pack. I thought that game was obvious to get on there. When they revealed the next bunch of games that are coming in the upcoming few months i was heartbroken to see dk64 not be there. So our chances of seeing it on the Nso are getting lower. Oh well time to PAINFULLY wait a bunch of months so we can potentially see dk64. And if they reveal another bunch of games and DK64 isn't in it I'm gonna cry. The country games are on here and dk64 was on Wii u virtual console. What's wrong here?
See, that's me, but waiting for a new Donkey Kong game. It's been almost 9 years.
Honestly, same. I'm just waiting and waiting for our time to come
This game gets so much hate because the internet has allowed it to be cool to do so. But man, it's my favourite n64 game. I think all the world's are Fantastic, though I've only ever gotten up to the mushroom world.
As a kid someone saved over my file so had to restart and got played out by the time I got back there. Though it took me like 3 times longer to play the game than most. I had a lot of fun just messing around as the kings in these worlds without always b lining for a banana. I think people forget how large and impressive these worlds were at the time.
When I revisit as an adult I just play casually and get where ever I get. One day I might sit down and actually beat it
I think you'll come to really enjoy it more once you've beaten the game! I know it's a lot, but it's very rewarding imo
@@superjoebros64 yea. One day soon
I love the 9 worlds in Donkey Kong 64.
One of the first video games I ever played (Probably between the 5th and 10th) and it has consistently been in my top 10 video games of all time ever since, even if I couldn't get past the Mad Jack when I were like 5. Lmao *(PREPARE FOR WALL OF TEXT IF YOU EXPAND COMMENT)*
I will also admit that it's probably due to rose tinted glasses a little bit but every time I come back to the game I always have a good time (With the exception of Beaver Bother, that second race with Mr. Rabbit and the classic Donkey Kong arcade).
I mostly agree with your list and would only do a few slight changes. For those interested, here's my version with a few sentences (Or less) reasoning behind why:
1. Frantic Factory (High S rank), I've just always loved the aesthetic of this world to the point where it's always the world I'm most excited for whenever I do a replay. We even unlock Chunky here who is my personal favorite playable Kong in this game (He's just such a goofy coward) *and* it completes the "Kong Collection," allowing this world to be the first world to be 100%'ed. That's also always satisfying. I will say that the moving factory section is probably one of the more annoying parts of the game if you're playing randomizer.
2. Creepy Castle (Low S rank), this stage never beat Frantic Factory for me but it's still absolutely solid gold. I've always loved "spooky" aspects in video game areas (All three Luigi's Mansions are also on my top 10 list for a reason. Lol). The rain tends to lag a bit on OG hardware, so that's always a sad con for the world.
3. Fungi Forest (High A rank), I'm in the loving the day/night cycle gang. Also love the Banjo & Kazooie vibe, which makes sense since it was originally planned for that series. Probably the most common area to find in randomizer as it has way too many stage warps. Lmao
4. Crystal Caves (After the giant Kosha has been defeated (Mid A rank)), This stage is probably the most beautiful in the game when the visuals are combined with the music. It's just such a shame they felt the need to add that giant Kosha.
5. Hideout Helm (Low A rank), The music in this stage has always been one of my favorite tracks of all time for any game. It's just so mean, vicious, threatening and ominous. I especially love that it even plays instead of the tag barrel themes. It really makes you realize that this is it. It's all or nothing. The timer actually adds to that as well for me, as it's not too tight as to be stressful or annoying (At least if you get all the blueprints). A huge con is the fact that they decided the way to turn off the Blast-o-Matic was to play a bunch of minigames.
6. Angry Astec (B rank), Well, what can I say? A step up from the first world for sure and you unlock half of the Kongs here (40% if you count Donkey himself). Fun exploration and nothing too difficult. You also meet Candy Kong for the first time, and uhh... Yeah, that's a character alright. Fun fact, as a child I always believed the "GET OUT!" was them saying "GRAUT!" which is custard in my language. That really confused me but was also funny.
7. Jungle Japes (C rank), Well, it's the introductory world. It's pleasant and welcoming, as well as introducing several mechanics nicely. Nothing too overbearing but also nothing too crazy creative.
8. Gloomy Galleon (D rank), Water.
9. Crystal Caves (Before the giant Kosha has been defeated (Low E rank)), Hell.
Unranked: Dk Isles (Dk Isles rank), Dk Isles.
All in all a fantastic game. Nothing is in F rank here because there's always *something* fun to do in each stage!
Also, apologies for the wall of text. Whoops!
This is a really solid list! You make a great point about Chunky and finally having the whole gang together. It can be annoying needing to revisit JJ and AA just to 101% complete the game. Like you said, it feels great to have all the Kongs, making FF the first world you can actually complete in 1 go.
Love your content, keep it up!
Thanks homie, appreciate it!
Played this game just a tiny bit at my cousin’s house when I was a kid but never finished it. I always wanted to play it again to see if it could live up to my childhood expectations.
Well, last year I bought a N64 for myself along with DK64 and few other games, and I just finished it the other day with 101% at a time of 32:18. Definitely had some low lows, but there was plenty of good fun I had in the game. I didn’t expect it to have nearly as many puzzles as it did, but there was enough variety in the game for it to be interesting all the way through.
In terms of ranking the levels, honestly this tier list is pretty spot on to my own (Gloomy Galleon can suck some eggs!); only difference I’d make is bring Jungle Japes up to the same tier as Fungi Forest. JJ may be very small, but honestly it’s really compact and fun to run around in. Such a perfect little level.
I’m glad I played DK64 despite the negativity it often gets. It’s true that there’s a lot of negatives to the game, and it definitely isn’t for everyone, but for people like me who find joy in the act of collecting, it was a real blast to play and experience fully. I will still never like GG though lol
that's awesome! happy to hear you finally completed the game after all those years. it must feel good
@@superjoebros64 It’s mixed in all honesty. Like I said, I had a blast while playing it, and there were times while I was at work where I couldn’t help but wish I was playing it instead of working- but now that it’s over, it’s almost kinda empty feeling? I’m not sure how to describe it.
Maybe it’s the knowledge that the DK crew as it was presented up until this game’s release wouldn’t return outside of spin-offs and cameos, or maybe it’s because DK hasn’t attempted 3D since DK64. It almost feels like a hollow victory despite enjoying my time all the way up to the credits.
Well, I say that, and as it remains true-
When I hear the DK64 soundfont and the opening lines of music- as well as that iconic jungle beat that plays when you turn the game on before you’re greeted to the DK Rap- I still get a big dumb smile on my face. DK64 is fully completed in my life now, and I guess I’m only just now coming to terms with that. I fell for the dog piling during high school that it was just a bad game with Bad Game Design (you know the video), so maybe me having fun with the game despite its flaws just didn’t feel “correct” in my brain.
But I get it now. I had fun because I thought it was fun. It’s that simple. I mean, why else would I *choose* to collect everything in the game? Surely it’s because I wanted to. And there lies the simple truth- I did. I played DK64 and enjoyed it because I liked playing DK64. Something I just couldn’t wrap my head around.
I guess it’s not really a hollow victory afterall.
Like the list. I personally never finished the game got to the last island but I'm playing it again and plan to beat it. My favorite has always been frantic factory and has the most badass and intimidating boss imo. Creepy castle, Angry Aztec and fungi forest are great too.
Heck yeah, fully agree. FF is great.
Hope you finish the game soon! It's such a good feeling to play through it all!
See, what made Gloomy Galleon all that worse, is the fact that it came right after the best level. For me.
Leave such a high in Frantic factory, only to sink to the bottom immediately in Gloomy Galleon.
By the time you're done, going to Fungi Forrest is a breath of fresh air.
THIS IS SO TRUE! I couldn't say it any better.
I've completed Dk64 101% several times and am currently having a lot of fun with the Randomnizer. Your list was very interesting. I have a completely different opinion but it's nice to see other opinions. I'm not the biggest Frantic Factory fan but I can understand why you like this world so much.
Can't wait to try out the Randomizer! Which world do you consider your favorite and least favorite?
My favorite is definitely Angry Aztec and my least favorite is Crystal Caves. I love the music of Crystal Caves but I somehow never warmed up to the world. I like Gloomy Galleon much more if I had to compare the two.
Really agree with this tier list, these levels can be pretty fun and frustrating (in a speedrun perspective since i run the game)
Level designs, music, it has it all!
Oof, speedrunning this game sounds like a rough time in certain areas haha
@@superjoebros64 it is, especially Crystal Caves
@@christianvega646 oh 1000% Crystal Caves. I'd be in and out of there as soon as possible
My list goes like this: (really long post FYI)
Top tier in order
1. Fungi Forest. Love this level. I'm a big time defender of the day night mechanic. I just 101%'ed this game today for probably the 5th time and I only had to change to night about 2 or 3 times. And I guess that's the kicker. When you've completed the game before you just know what tasks require day and night so it's much easier. Anyway, I love the feel good vibe of this level in the daytime tied into the music which I think is great. And night time is fun when you get used to it.
2. Crystal Caves. I'm a lover of Crystal Caves personally. The falling rocks are annoying no doubt, but if you beat him first thing there's no issue. I like flying around with Diddy, and it's just another level I like the look and feel of. The igloos and the log cabins with the tasks are fun to me if a bit challenging. Come to think of it that's probably my biggest complaint. Some of the golden bananas in this level are super hard to get and you don't have unlimited oranges or crystals for any of the tasks. Diddy's log cabin, dk's ice maze and the beetle race are all wicked hard, but it's so rewarding when you complete it, and I guess that's why I love the game itself so much.
Second tier in order
3. Frantic Factory. I hate the mechanical enemies that try to spit on you in this level and I'm not a big fan of how dark it gets in the hallways going between the areas, but I do love the factory idea and climbing it is fun even if again a bit challenging. I also liked the mini games in this level and Tiny's race so not a lot of complaints, but it doesn't give the same feeling as Fungi Forest or Crystal Caves.
4. Creepy Castle. I love the layout of the warp pads in this level. Makes navigating it easy, but I didn't much like not having the sniper for a few bananas and having to find Funky and backtrack like that. Also don't like that off the start you must walk on that skinny piece of wood just to play the level, but it's a pretty minor complaint once you're used to it. Other than that I like this level, but it's not top tier simply out of personal preference because I like bright and shiny levels as opposed to gloomy and creepy ones which I guess gives away the bottom tier of my list lol.
5. Jungle Japes. I really like this level for it's look and feel and it seems right to start the game in the jungle. The only reason it's relatively low on the list is because it's too simple for me especially with my experience playing the game. Nowadays I can't wait to get it over with to get on with the more difficult parts of the game.
Bottom tier in order
6. Angry Aztec. Never been a huge fan of this level. Can't really put my finger on it, but it never struck a chord with me. Having to navigate the quicksand, and the vulture race with Diddy. Trying to save Tiny. Having to walk around a temple to shoot a switch and then back again (and obv the beetle race, but we won't go there). Never really liked the GET OUT! temples with the guards either. Level is kind of meh to me. Not on the very bottom of the list but can't put it near the top either.
7. Gloomy Galleon. 100% agree on this level. It's awful, but I'm probably biased because I've never liked any swimming heavy levels in my life in any game. Every swimming level I've ever played is just too slow of a mechanic for me personally, and this one might be the worst of all. The only bonus I guess is that you can't die from drowning unlike say a couple Super Mario 64 levels or even worse Banjo Kazooie, but it's a bad level regardless IMO. Having to explore the dark bottoms and pick up small bananas with a swimming mechanic is just terrible. A lot of the level is timed too so that's a pain even as someone who doesn't have much trouble with it. There are a few highlights like you said, but not many. The robot fish is a pain in the ass, and having to go from one side to the other for a timed challenge really sucks if you run out of time. I don't personally mind the water level issues, but I've never ever been a fan of swimming levels. Just takes too long when I could go faster on land.
Sidenote: I didn't rank Hideout Helm as it's not a full level, but I like the layout and concept of the mini games against the timer. A fitting ending to an epic adventure game. And I do really like the DK Isles overworld, but again not really a level.
All in all this is one of my favourite N64 games of all time despite the hate it gets which I will never understand. Some complaints I can understand, but others are just complaining for the sake of complaining, or complaining about relatively minor thing. But I'm weird like that lol. I love collect a thons and there's no such thing as too many IMO. And I don't really mind backtracking at all. To me it's all just an epic adventure. The only thing that slightly annoys me is when there are small bananas branching off in different directions for different Kongs, but it's minor. Also the game itself is really difficult to complete 101% but when you do it it's so rewarding IMO. Anyway that's my list. Sorry for how long this is, but this game deserves a long comment, and I think I like it more as time goes on due to nostalgia, but I never disliked it anyway. And if you've never 101%'ed the game and you hate it you shouldn't talk. Also if you never played this as a kid and tried to find the secrets on your own you won't understand why people like this game.
Your list is really interesting and I respect it! I'm happy to see Fungi Forest getting some love.
And you make a solid point. You gotta 101% complete it! Thanks for sharing!
First of all I’d like to say bravo 👏 If I was making a video ranking the worlds on a completely unbiased basis I don’t think I would have done anything differently, except switch Fungi Forest to S. And I also don’t rank them based on golden bananas. If that was the case then Creepy Castle would be the worst. 2 BEVER BOTHERS! And Diddys Minecart mayhem is just AHHHHHH! And without further ado here’s my personal favorite list
1 Fungi Forest (Again I didn’t rank it the best world based on biases.) I just generally think it’s overall the best world lol) You nailed everything I love about it!
2 Crystal Caves. I love the music, the aesthetics, I love the igloos and cabins. And you are completely right about how it’s easy to get lost. I have played through this game like 20 times in my life. I know everything by heart. But yet this level is the only one I do actually get lost in! And I like it! It makes the level feel big and exciting for me personally! The big Kosha is the one thing I dislike. Whenever I get to the level my first priority is get rid of it ASAP. I do that first then go back to the beginning of the level and start from there and pretend that was never there. I understand why the level is disliked but not for me personally! I think it also because I always wanted to explore an ice cave irl but yeah that’ll never happen 😂 so I can live that fantasy here.
3 Creepy Castle. It was my favorite when I was a kid but I still love it! You covered it all! Nothing to dislike here nit counting the golden bananas. It was legit scary! The catacombs scared me as a kid and that’s good! That means they succeeded at what the level was going for! There’s nothing to hate about this world!
4 Frantic Factory. Again you nailed it! Great theme, amazing music, lots of cool interesting rooms, and great exploration!
5 Gloomey Galleon. Backtracking and underwater mechanics never bothered me as much as then majority does. I can handle it! I love the Sunken ships and pirate theme. I understand exactly why it’s by far the least popular, that’s why I said going on un biased ranking I’d pit it at the bottom as well. But I personally like it!
6 Jungle Japes. Everything you said here I couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s just a small tutorial world without being a tutorial.
7 Angry Aztec. It’s my least favorite of the normal world personally. And that’s mostly because I was never fond of desert themes. Deserts aren’t my kind of thing, and I didn’t really care for the Aztec theme either. I know it’s a good level it’s just not *my* kind of level. Completely personal preference here on this one.
And I really don’t count the Dk Isles and Hideout Healm as real levels. But I’ll say it anyway.
I like Dk isles it’s a great overworld! Lots of areas and nice places to explore and the bananas are placed well in every area! And I love the lobbies for each world and hearing the overworld music remastered in each one!
Hideout healm I hate. Easily my least favorite part of the game. Everytime I play the game after I beat Creepy Castle I’m done. I don’t enjoy the pressure of being timed. And imo the area is pretty bland looking. Small and cramped. The only redeeming quality for me is because it’s an area you see in cutscenes before actually coming there yourself into enemy territory. I have a 101% completely gotten every collectible file. (Every regular banana, coins, crowns etc.) so I don’t need to do hideout healm again. If I wanna do the final boss I’ll go to my perfect file. I’ve only redone HH once before. And it wasn’t fun the second time around either lol… So just another personal preference. But again I can see why people like it! And I would rank it just as you did!
And that’s all for me! Sorry that was so long 😅 But yeah again bravo 👏 you are spot on!
Hey thank you! I'm late to reading this, but you have a great list! It's hard to rank these worlds haha. It's great to see more love out there for Fungi Forest! Crystal Caves however... is going down on my list 😬
Thanks for sharing!
@@superjoebros64 Ty!
The only thing I wish that you gave a brief mention to the levels that had bosses like I think it's the last level you mentioned that's my favorite if I remember correctly it had a creepy boss where you have to I believe play as Lanky Kong with a cut out cardboard image of King K Rool the noicez it made and fighting that boss at night always creeped me out and I lived it. But otherwise great video.
For what it's worth, I have a video analyzing all the boss fights! 😄 I just didn't want to unnecessarily repeat myself in this video!
@@superjoebros64 Oh ok I'm so sorry I didn't know thanks for letting me know I'll go watch sorry just that castle level is my favorite I looked up the boss that day turns you can play as all the kongs during the boss fight I forgot about that lol 😅
@@MadSociety-uy6zg don't sweat it! It's an older video! Had I not made that, I would have included the bosses in this video 😃 I love that all the Kongs get to participate in that last boss fight! A great twist.
I enjoyed it a lot. I also liked frantic factory a lot too
Such a neat world!
I think Rare putting the "green hill zone" style level (Fungi Forest) in the middle of the game instead of the first world was a cool twist. And instead of the whole world being friendly and gentle, there's the night section which feels more like the "spooky forest". So it's like the "green hill zone" style level but with an edge
Wouldn’t jungle japes be what you are talking about?
@@hectoramador6397 Kind of, but not quite. Jungle Japes is more of a rainforest level which is kind of similar to the sort of grassland/forest level I'm thinking of, but also distinct.
I love this! It's a breath of fresh air after GG, but also it's not at all safe after switching to night time
Loved this list; I agree for the most part, though I’m not sure if I’d rank fungi forest that high. Maybe it’s because I really struggled with that world as a child, and I’m not that big a fan of day/night cycles. I absolutely agree with your top and bottom picks though. Gloomy Galleon had a cool atmosphere for me, but the underwater segments aren’t very fun and it’s kind of a slog. As for creepy castle, my only complaint is that it seems very linear. On one hand this does prevent you from getting lost, but I also like being able to go whatever direction you want from a starting area.
Great points! I can agree, Fungi Forest is overwhelming as a kid. Have you revisited the world today? Would love to know if you think it's easier to navigate after all these years.
Nice list! Mine goes like:
Frantic Factory
Angry Aztec/Creepy Castle
Fungi Forest
Crystal Caves
Hideout Helm
Gloomy Galleon
Jungle Japes
Heck yeah, that's a solid list too
Gloomy Galleon is my favorite.
No kidding!? Do tell, why is it your fav? Very curious
@@superjoebros64 I've always liked the water worlds in games. Also I guess I just don't experience the frustration you mentioned navigating it.
@@charlesrump5771 I'm so jealous lol.
I want to like the water worlds. At the very least, I like the ambience!
Agree with your list other than swapping Frantic Factory and Creepy Castle. Thinking alike I guess
I can get behind that! Both are fantastic
While Gloomy Galleon isn't my favorite level, I liked the atmosphere, especially the music. Not a big fan of water levels either, though there are some that I enjoy. The overall sense of peril effectively had me on edge (the stormy side, as a whole. the clams in the treasure chest, when you turn around as Tiny. Puftoss. The robot fish, which came out of Uncanny Valley), but I kept wanting to play.
There's no doubt GG has great tunes! It kept me going too
This is my second fave N64 Game (first being Majora's Mask) but one of the few games I've come back to beat multiple times over. Just beat it today for the nostalgia since I finally bought my own copy back in March ^.^ Grew up watching my brother play this game. It came bundled with the jungle green edition N64 he got for his birthday/ Christmas back in the day so I often associate it with winter. Man does it bring me back each time T_T
Oh man, the jungle green N64 😍 absolutely beautiful
I loved Jungle Japes, Frantic Factory, Fungi Forest, and Crystal Caves. I think for me it was more atmosphere than anything else, but I genuinely liked the exploration and different areas. Angry Aztec, Gloomy Galleon, and Hideout Helm were middle-tier for me. Not the best but not bad either. Creepy Castle was my most hated; tediously walking around the castle and trying to find everything in the mazes below. Just didn't enjoy that one as much.
I completely understand your points on all the worlds though, including your thoughts on Frantic Factory, Gloomy Galleon, and Crystal Caves.
No doubt, this game does a solid job with the atmosphere! Even if we don't like particular worlds, the design is fantastic!
Fun fact: This game, along with the Gameboy port of Donkey Kong, is one of the few ways you can play the original Donkey Kong arcade game with the original Pie Factory screen!
Oh snap, that is a fun fact!
Frantic Factory and Creepy Castle are my all time favs. I still love this game.
Ah, a man of culture 😌
@@superjoebros64 Thank you. I’m a WEMEN
apologies! A woman of culture! @@triggeredcat120
@@superjoebros64 Haha no problem! I get it all the time! Keep up the good work!
much appreciated! Thanks for watching :) @@triggeredcat120
i love dk64, despite its flaws.
also running out the clock in hideout helm actually just plays the normal game over scene. which, makes complete sense as the countdown is literally what leads to the game over sequence playing.
Ditto! And that makes perfect sense, KRool destroying DK Isle is the endgame for him.
I rank the worlds about the same, though I don't remember having issues with Gloomy Galleon (I guess I like the pirate ship and gloomy sea aesthetic). I never (as a child, at least) found switching Kings bothersome - I actually liked having so many. I also note that I haven't played the game in probably 20 years.
I think Creepy Castle is certainly the best-designed stage, though I do also like Frantic Factory; because of the garden theme and the day-night thing (plants and time are more-or-less my favourite aesthetics), I do have to say I like Fungi Forest after all (it also has my favourite boss fight in the game, with my favourite Kong, so it has that in its favour, too).
Creepy Castle was a great level, but my personal favorite was Frantic Factory; that boss Mad Jack was nightmare fuel
That laugh still gets to me. Amazing setup to a boss!
I love dk64 it's been my childhood game, and till this day I have my N64 with all my favorite childhood games, n I love every level in it's own way, but if I where to do a tier list or top I would choose between the music.
1. Frantic Factory
2. Creepy Castle
3. Angry Aztec, Jungle Japes, and Crystal Cave
4. Fungi Forest Day/Night, and Gloomy Galleon
Honorable mention Hideout Helm, and Dk Isle
Very solid list!
You can't think of one thing that you don't like about Creepy Castle? How about TWO beaver bothers? Both at maximum difficulty (15 Gnawties).
Ssshhh we don't talk about that 🤫
In jungle japes, the entrance to Cranky's stormy area should have been up on the mountain. At least that way, it could explain that the mountaintop is in the clouds.
that would be cool
Idk if you ever take suggestions from comments, but I would die for a review of Rocket Robot on Wheels for the N64.
I'm not familiar of it! It would make for an interesting first time review then!
@@superjoebros64 exactly. Some convincing:
It's a hidden gem, with the few reviews I seen on it giving it praise like Nitro Rads video on it. Some other cool facts about it being that it's Suckerpunches first game. (Yeah, their first game was on Nintendo). It's also the first N64 game to use a physics engine, and you notice it when you play.
The game itself is like a shorter Banjo Kazooie. Basic story to get the protagonist going. It's a collectathon platformer, and that's about it.
As a kid, I loved this game way more than Mario 64. Made me love respect Donkey Kong. Loved playing tiny Kong, her hair was fun to fly with.
Couldn't agree anymore! Being able to fly around with Tiny is a ton of fun.
Dk64 is probably my favorite game ever. My favorite levels are the first two
Great worlds!
Imagine if DK64 had an air meter like Banjo Kazooie!? Gloomy Galleon would then become even worse than Loz: OOT Water Temple
OOF. You make a great point. GG has gone up on my list since making this video. And this little feature is undervalued!
Question is, in response to that, does its rank remain or has it overtaken a level or two?
I think I would put it in C tier after Jungle Japes now!
Crystal Caves makes sense being bottom, Beatle Race, that stupid rotating thorn maze with DK, odd layout & those 🤬 STALACTITES!!!!
Precisely! It's officially THAT level to me now. Deserving to be at the bottom lol
frantic factory is A+ crystal caves was the biggest chore for me so ill give it a D but I don't have any F's
It really is such a chore. A shame
Before watching, my list would be (based on design AND gameplay):
8. Gloomy Galleon
7. Crystal Caves
6. Angry Aztec
5. Fungi Forrest
4. Creepy Castle (the two Beaver Bothers bumed it down to 4, otherwise it might have been on second place)
3. Hideout Helm
2. Jungle Japes
1. Frantic Factory
Very solid list! It's a shame Beaver Bother exists twice in Creepy Castle 😒
Fungi Forest has always been my personal favorite.
I was a light-hearted kid so I dont like the scary level. But I gotta play the game again to see how I feel now. I like when the music is snazzy and not gloomy.
My favorite level is the mushroom day night level. I love the garden feel
That's how I felt about Gloomy Galleon as a kid! The deep sea terrified me. I probably would have been scared of Creepy Castle too if I made it that far as a kid
I'd personally move Frantic Factory up to the top tier, right alongside Creepy Castle. Dang, now I really want to replay this game.
I can respect that!
I actually love DK64 a lot, and still replay it to this day. However, after all these years, I still have yet to even fight the final boss, and that's because of one little thing: the Nintendo 64 coin. I'm just not good enough at arcade Donkey Kong to even get the Golden Banana from the arcade machine... But I do love all the worlds for various reasons.
That's really frustrating! Sorry to hear that. I believe in you!
Its a really solid game with some glaring weaknesses. I love it but it always makes me a bit sad how much potential was missed.
Wish it was another masterpiece like Banjo Kazooie.
It's the charisma in characters and worlds that will forever bring me back to this game! The game is flawed, I fully acknowledge that, but I still love it!
There are mods online that bring some amazing quality of life features to this game. It changes the game from good to great!
@@superjoebros64 which mod can you specifically recommend thats easy to set up and get right in to?
@CoNteMpTone Personally I really enjoyed the DK64 Randomizer, made by Ballaam and 2dos. There's an option to play the game without the randomizer chaos, but keeps the new quality of life changes. (Instant Kong swap being my personal favorite!)
Something that dawned on me from this video and the comments is I wonder why this game has such a dark and gloomy vibe to it. Like you can just see by skimming through the video. Everything is dark, rainy, inside a dark building or cave, etc.
I mean, shoutout to Fungi Forest's day/night system, but Angry Aztec is like the only unique level aesthetically and it's not even that great.
I am a Crystal Caves enjoyer but yeah, the falling icicles and confusing layout hurt it.
Wow, that's a great point! It is rather odd that this game is dark. Someone pointed out that my captures might be darker than the game actually is. However, the game is still gloomy at the end of the day! An interesting art direction
Fungi Forest was originally intended to be the final level in Banjo Kazooie, but time constraints led to it being replaced with Click Clock Wood. While it's one of the better worlds in the game, it does feel the most out of place.
This is a fun fact I did not know about!
I’m glad I’m not the only one that always gets lost in crystal caves. I spend up to 30 minutes trying to find where I need to get to no matter how many times I play this game.
THANK YOU. It drives me nuts, I'm over it.
Every time I think about replaying DK64, I stop and consider whether I want to deal with Gloomy Galleon.
just get in, get out, only do what's required lol
There’s only one change to this list I would’ve made, put frantic factory down one tier to be below fungi forest. Other than that, spot on with what I think of the worlds
Very interesting! What do you like about FF that puts it higher?
Nice list.
Frantic Factory is my favorite level and Gloomy Galleon, Hideout Helm, and Crystal Caves are my least favorite levels.
That's solid! What about Frantic Factory makes it your favorite?
@@superjoebros64 it's the idea of bringing the main world (the factory) to life. Also, The car race with Tiny is epic! And the room where Lanky press the keys to hear the gators belch-Hysterical!!! 😂😂😂
@@AdriR89 LOL the belching gators is one of those challenges I always forget about. No idea why, but it's a treat when revisiting.
I agree Gloomy Galleon was the worst level in the game
Crystal Caves scared the crap out of me when the ceiling started collapsing and music changed but I loved the level
And yes Creepy Castle I had so much fun on that level except collecting colored bananas for The Boss fight which took me many attempts to beat K rool Kut out
Imagine if there was 1 more world that required all 500 bananas, holy crap haha
@@superjoebros64 Lol I will just Play Mission Impossible instead which is a favorite of mine
My list is Helm>Factory>Castle>Aztec>Caves>Japes>Forest>Galleon. I personally like Helm the best because A, it gives the game the proper climax it deserves, and B, everyone feels important in it. Factory edges out Castle for me, but both are great stages that utilize all the Kongs pretty well. Aztec is also good, and Caves would be top 3 had it not been for the annoying falling rocks, but it's still good overall. Japes, while a fun level, isn't as high because only 3 Kongs have real focus, and I'm not a big fan of Forest because of how tedious the day and night thing can be, though the design is still fine. As for Galleon, screw that level.
Haha this is an interesting list but a great explanation to it! You make a great point about Helm, I love the climax to it.
I really feel like you have to factor n the Gold Bananas for each level too.
I'm planning on doing so in future videos! They certainly change my opinion of certain worlds.
Pretty much my exact list wow
Yoooo great minds think alike
5:54: It cuts to the Game Over screen.
Ah BUMMER
You don’t usually do a tier list in order, and for further Reference you should announce there placement so we can listen without watching.
The hole what level is better than the other is a bit silly to me it's more like wow differente even for Gloomy Galleon or heck i don't get why Creepy Castle is so beloved either other than it's a pretty good stage. To me they all range from 70 to 80 in terms of quality they all have there ups and downs
And this is for someone that loves DK 64
My favorite has to be Angry Aztec; my least favorite is Crystal Caves (because it seems rather drab and dull...)
I honestly kinda like Jungle Japes too, it would be the A-tier!
And Frantic Factory would also be an A too; but for a different reason.
Crystal Caves is moving to my least favorite too, I'm over it 😒
Perhaps the N64 game with the best lighting. (Though your recording seems a little dark)
Funny you mention because I find this game to be so dark! I think it's better on emulators??
@@superjoebros64 I thought it was just your recording. When I last played it on my N64 it didn't seem dark to me I believe, though this was a long time ago. Maybe I'm misremembering. Could also have to do with the type of TV connector.
I love Gloomy Galleon :( one of the best water world in a 3d game, maybe the best
I agree it's one of the better water levels in 3D gaming! Since making this video, it's gone up on the list for me. I don't dislike it as much now!
Surprised to see Creepy Castle at top.
Curious to know what you would put at the top!
Best Music: Crystal Cave
Best Boss: Jack in the Box
Best designed Level: Fungi Forest.
Best Kong: Tiny
Worst Kong: Lanky
Best Minigame: The Slide Race
Worst Minigame: Beaver Bother
W list right here. But poor Lanky :(
@@superjoebros64 TBF he still has a god part ( The Slide Raze in Crystal Cave)
Great take on the worlds! I only disagree with you on Angry Aztec but that is mostly due to not liking bland yellow sandy desert aesthetic. The actual content of AA is not bad per se, but it looks garish to me and I loathe being there more than anywhere else. Gobi's Valley of BK and Shifting Sand Land of M64 are my least favorite forays of those respective games for much the same reason. AA does suffer more than most from the dreaded hallway syndrome present throughout this game. I find it hilarious Crystal Caves actually has less hallway syndrome than Angry Aztec. It is also our introduction to Scuttlebug who is either a cinch or the bane of my existence depending on the day. Diddy's jet pack and the respective Feed me/GET OUT! elements are nice touches. Candy Kong bothers me as an adult. A bit weird to have a pin up character in a "children's" game but this game has worse fouls than that.
Creepy Castle is clearly the pinnacle of the game (which is a horror game mind you so this makes perfect sense) and I completely agree Frantic Factory and Fungi Forest closely trail behind in quality. They nailed Creepy Castle and similar to Banjo Kazooie with Click Clock Wood, we are given an wonderfully satisfying conclusion to the game. We are treated to the game's finest set piece in my eyes being DK's pinnacle of the SERIES cart ride with the chase by Kackle. This along with the ballroom set piece with Diddy lighting the candles for Kuh Rool's phantom party brought so much depth to the world. King Kut Out, or DK's Phantom Ganon, is an upper tier boss considering Army dillo and Dogadon are fairly lame retreads... I'd say third to the King himself and Mad Jack. The bananas trail better than anywhere else making back tracking a non-issue. If they put the care into theming the worlds as intricately as Creepy Castle throughout this title would easily be in conversation for the greatest platformer of all time. As is I don't think any game has come close to its funky feel and attitude plus the richness of expression from the characters has never been nearly expressed. This game has so much character in a landscape that needs it sorely.
Love your work. I also obsessed over this game as a youth it being my first true full gaming experience and wrote about it in depth 5 years ago for its 20th anniversary. tophsblog.com/2019/11/22/donkey-kong-64s-20th-anniversary-retrospective/
Give it a read if interested (Forewarning: It is long and a tad plodding like this game can be.)
Looking forward to more content dude!
Oh WOW! I have something to read during my commutes now haha, thank you for sharing!
You've made some great points about AA. I'm learning that it's not everyone's favorite, to my surprise!
I'm glad you enjoyed my video! I'm working on a series of DK64 videos that will release end of year. If you enjoyed this video, you're going to want to see this series 😁
I couldn't make this list, everything would be in the top S or A hehe I love this game
Haha you said it best! Thank you for watching 🙂
If the clock runs out it plays the game over scene. I was stupid ad never went after the blue prints. After I discovered what they mean I went back and got them all.
Daaaaang. That's rough man.
Id go
1. Fungi Forest
2. Frantic Factory
3. Creepy Castle
4. Crystal Caves
5. Galleon
6. Japes
7. Angry Aztec
8. Hideout Helm
Oh wow. A solid list, but I'm surprised to see AA so low! Is it the quicksand?
@@superjoebros64 I just don't like the theme/atmosphere as much as some of the other levels. In addition there are some really annoying bananas like the beetle race and rocket barrel ones.
@@aidansilli4257 that DANG beetle
Creepy Castle got ruined for me because of the heavy lag. It lags...EXTREMELY BADLY
Ssshhhh we don't mention such a thing! 🤫
More dk!!
Nevertheless (comment concerning creepy Castle), Here is my list:
1. Frantic Factory (A)
2. Angry Aztec (B+)
3. Jungle Japes (B)
4. Fungy Forest (C+)
5. Creepy Castle (C-)
6. Crystal Caves (D+)
7. Gloomy Galleon (D)
Hideout Helm in my opinion cannot be compared to the other Main worlds. There is (sadly) no S Tier for me in this game. It got kinda annoying after world 3, even despite the fact, that I Love collectathons.
I happen to like Gloomy Galleon personally.
I'd love to know why! It's won me over a little this year, the theme is solid
Well, I thought the boss was fun.
@@joshuafoote5144 I appreciate the high stress factor that it offers! Not many other boss fights do that to me today
Idk my whole list but Angry Aztec is #1!
Love it! Why is it #1 for you?
I love fungi forest & creepy castle.
I hate angry Aztec - cause I got really sick and puked while overplaying it as a kid so that’s all I think of 😂
Were you okay???
HUBLOW
WOH
WOOLAHOO
HU HU HU HU HU
Kinda funny, Creepy castle is one of my least favorite DUE to the Linear path.
INTERESTING! Sounds like we have different tastes. What do you consider to be your favorite world then?
How I rank the levels
1. Creepy Castle
2. Frantic factory
3. Jungle japes
4. Angry Aztec
5. Fungi forest
6. Hideout helm
7. Dk isles
8. Gloomy Galleon
9. Crystal caves
The way that Crystal Caves is also moving lower on my list as well 👀
8. Fungi forest. This one seems to have the most unecessary and arbitrary gates littered around for no reason. So many times i go to do something and i have to go back to change kong or the time of day. Frustrating.
7. Gloomy galleon. Self explanatory.
6. Kreepy Kastle. From here onwards i like all of the levels and its tough to decide. This level has TWO max level beaver bother minigames for some reason. Unacceptable. Love the boss and theme though.
5. Crystal Caves. Slightly weaker design and far weaker boss than kastle but overall much better challenges and i like to explore it.
4. Angry Aztec. Im honestly suprised by this placement but i just find it less fun than everything remaining. Great level.
3. Hideout Helm. Inflitrating the big bad lair with your fully decked out team great. Good challenges. Good reward for blueprints. This would be lower if i included the two coins here because getting them is rough.
2. JungleJapes. This level actually has the charm and fun you mentioned for forest. It feels super home-y and Rambi is sick. Great saving your first kong and is great to come back to with all 5 later. As good as first levels get.
1. Frantic Factory. Also self explanatory.
Wow, your list is very interesting! If there were 0 Beaver Bother challenges in Creepy Castle, would the world be higher on the list?
@superjoebros64 probably above Aztec. It has some other issues like lack of landmarks and the bottom level of the castle isn't super interesting but it has one of the best bosses in the game. As someone who likes to 100%, half the time in the level was spent in beaver bother.
I really want to like Aztek more but there's something about it that just holds it back in my mind. Maybe its heavy reliance on buildings that everyone has their own switch to enter or the amount of empty space in it? Maybe I just don't like deserts.
@@rmtsapphire0 I hear ya about Aztec. There's a lot of unnecessary Kong switches!
I won't say I defend Gloomy Galleon, cause that level has a bunch of issues. But I think Crystal Caves is absolutely the worst level in the game. Mostly due to the stalactite mechanic, but also because it's big, dark, laggy, and hard to navigate, especially if you get knocked down into the water. Gloomy Galleon does what it sets out to do and I think that makes it better, even if it is "the water level"
That's a really great point. At least the player can mostly see everything in GG! It feels less like a punishment compared to CC. I think my list just changed haha
Wow. I’m a little embarrassed. I’ve been claiming to be a huge DK64 fan at 27, but I just realized I’ve never played past gloomy galleon. Mainly because I give up at that point and say I’ve done enough. But wow do these other levels look fun as hell 😂
OH NO LOL. Let's get you back into the game! You gotta experience the other worlds.
Frantic Factory Need S tier the world is such fun place plus you save chunky the music such catchy music way better the fungi forest
Factory has some of the best music in the game, hands down
I will never understand why people Love creepy Castle, No Matter how much they explain. I Love Well designed castles, which are Well interconnected. But this one is Just a straight Up Road around the castle, one room attached to another, really linear. No Castle is designed Like that, getting inside through a neverending Ramp from outside. Would be way better If designed Like in castlevania.
That's a fair point! I can agree to that
That's a fair point! I can agree to that
Sorry to disappoint you, dude. But Fungi Forest is my least favorite. Even worse than Gloomy Galleon.
Fungi Forest seems to be the world that is most split! People either love it or hate it. But I can totally see why!
Worst for me is Fungi Forest. It feels out of place in DK, with its fairy tale aesthetic and googly-eyed inanimate objects. It's pretty obvious it was cut from Banjo-Kazooie, and I'm not fond of the day-night system.
that's a great point, it does kind of look like unused material from Banjo
@@superjoebros64 That's not just speculation on my part; Banjo-Kazooie's files contain a stage called Fungus Forest, which includes a beta soundtrack that apparently sounds like DK64's.
@@leethompson-kolar6333 to be fair, I know unused music from Banjo was then used in DK64. (Makes sense considering Grant worked on both games)
So, I guess it wouldn't surprise me if the world was originally meant for Banjo as well, but didn't get used until DK64. I ser what you mean by it now!
I dislike the Factory. I'd rather swim around in Gloomy Galleon than deal with trying to climb the machine in the middle of the Factory and deal with that awful Jack in the Box boss fight.
The production room can be awfully overwhelming! I agree with you there!
Crystal Caves, the only world in this game I hate.
It only wants to trigger me with its unnavigated route.
It has the worst tasks (not only in the average, also the beatle race is totally terrifying).
If you have to collect the things with Kong A, you mostly already had to had arrived with Kong B.
The boss sucks (at least it was difficult, not as the boss of Creepy Castle [this is only one reason why I always play Creepy Castle (a great strucktured, easy, atmospheric fantastic and musically strong world, where the boss is very special) as world 6]).
My list:
8. Crystal Caves [F-Tier]
[No E-Tier because World 7 made too much hate in that I never would give it something higher than F-Tier]
7. Jungle Japes [D-Tier]
6. Gloomy Galleon [C-Tier]
5. Fungi Forest [C-Tier]
4. Hideout Helm [B-Tier]
3. Angry Aztecs [B-Tier]
2. Frantic Factory [A-Tier]
1. Creepy Castle [S-Tier]
First of all, W list here. Second, I completely agree with Caves! It's now my least favorite world. It's a complete chore to me.
I love Gloomy Galeon. I get everything you are saying. Nevertheless there is some magic for me in the nostalgia of the world, its ships, its light houses and its seas. Is my second favorite level right after Fungi Forest
Ayyye, there you are! I really wish I could enjoy it as much as you do lol. I can agree that there's some magic to it
If Gloomy Galleon had some good aspects to it (which it did), then why rate it F?
As of last year, I've raised GG higher on my list. It's slowly grown on me!
I just got to gloomy galleon and honestly water levels continue to be the worst part of video games.
It's grown on me a little bit as I replayed it this year, but MAN, water levels really flop a lot
Best Level
Frantic Factory
Worst Level
Gloomy Galleon
You get it!
All are s teir, except for galleon. That stays at d
Haha I can't argue that
You hint at it a bunch of times when you say "we aren't gonna talk about that golden banana".
But I'm gonna say it. All the racing challenges in DK64 are terrible.
I can't even deny it haha. The races are rough
forest is the worst, galleon is high tier
dang :(
Gloomy Galleon is my favorite world, but I find the starfish to being very creepy
You'd think the starfish would be friendly! Boy was I wrong lol
Creepy Castle is BY FAR the worst world. Like what?!?
I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS SLANDER.
But do elaborate.
For me:
F-ANGRY AZTEC☹️, I hate the sandstorms constantly blowing sand in the monkeys/kongs faces((
D-Creepy Castle, Hideout Helm + that Creepy arse Frantic Factory!
Always too DARK TO SEE sometimes!
C-Jungle Japes+ Gloomy Galleon! Too many beavers in the 1st, Water levels for me isn’t bad!
B-NONE!!
A-FUIGI FOREST-LUIGI LUREST(mushroom 🍄 DAI FOREST)! Day & Night lovely!! Most 🍌 are at NIGHT NOT DAY!
S-ma favourite CRYSTAL CAVES!!!! I love this place because of the lovely beautiful CRYSTALS & can always monkeyport to the top to KILL THE KOSHA to stop the stalagmites from falling!! also that 3RD MELON from candy!! That’s important!!!
Wow your list is fascinating! I like your reasoning for each one. Dark levels could really benefit some brightness adjustments.
And that 3rd melon life is game changing!