Thanks to Hamada for helping with edits.
My biggest article of 2023 so far is my dissection of Donkey Kong 64, a game I dislike. I spent two months replaying it, getting one to five Golden Bananas a day, and then another writing my critique. Thing is, my other recent articles have also been kinda negative, so now I’m making a conscious effort to discuss topics that make me happy, stuff that’s good. Additionally, I decided to treat myself to a replay of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze; I finally even tried “Funky Mode!” Now, today’s topic straddles the line between positivity and negativity, but only because he’s a disappointment relative to an otherwise immaculate game.
Our introduction to Lord Fredrik, the Snowmad King, via Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze‘s opening cinematic (Image: Nintendo)
I’m a big Donkey Kong fan, I enjoyed Retro Studios’ Donkey Kong Country Returns, and I was thrilled during Nintendo’s E3 2013 showcase when its sequel, Tropical Freeze, was announced. Sadly, not everyone shared my enthusiasm; it wasn’t uncommon to see people online bitterly lament that the Metroid Prime developer was revisiting Donkey Kong Country. Thankfully, reception to Tropical Freeze has warmed over time, and today it’s respected as the tight platformer that it is. And one greenhorn viking sets its events into motion…
Lord Fredrik’s History
Lord Fredrik’s one and only crack at Donkey Kong came during Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. It opens with him whisking Donkey Kong Island’s namesake protector away and claiming the landmass for himself and his viking crew, the Snowmads. However, the gorilla and his friends ultimately beat the arctic animal and reclaim their home. Fredrik’s only appearance since has been as a Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where he possesses longtime Donkey Kong villain King K. Rool (fittingly so, too; I’ve even seen people suggest Fredrik as a potential Echo Fighter).
So, what’re my thoughts on Lord Fredrik?
Somewhat ironically, the name Fredrik means “peaceful ruler.” The manner in how his title, the Snowmad King, is formatted also brings Xenoblade Chronicles X’s overwhelming tyrants to mind. (Image: Nintendo)
This might be a controversial opinion, but it’s okay if K. Rool occasionally skips a Donkey Kong game; Batman doesn’t always face the Joker, after all. Yes, he’s the hero’s archenemy, a wonderful character, and even an inevitable entry in this series. But look at Mario: Bowser rightfully remains the plumber’s nemesis, but a number of other antagonists antagonize him, too. That’s valuable, yielding memorable rogues like Fawful and the enduring Wario (and, by extension, his social circle and rogues gallery). And yes, K. Rool’s hibernation was frustrating, but it also gave Nintendo three opportunities to introduce new, compelling villains who could complement him, an opportunity I hoped they’d capitalize on.
Unfortunately, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat’s Ghastly King and Country Returns’ Tiki Tong came and went with little fanfare. Retro Studios was behind the latter, and given their strong work on the Metroid Prime trilogy, I was eager to see them try again. Thankfully, I got my wish, and our first look at Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze introduced the Snowmads. They’re animals, expressive, some are dim and flaky… the Kremling influence is palpable. Overall, the villainous vikings are fine; they never approach the highs of K. Rool’s cronies, but they’re visually distinct, charming, and ultimately come across as comfortingly familiar without crossing over into rehash territory. What about the mystery man managing them, though?
Initially, Fredrik seems cold and calculating, a welcome contrast from K. Rool’s unhinged theatrics. The fact he’s engulfed in shadows also creates an air of mystery or suspense. Some people even speculated that he was K. Rool in another disguise! (Image: Nintendo)
Tropical Freeze’s opening is a solid introduction to him, actually. Donkey Kong’s celebrating his birthday with Diddy, Dixie, and his dad, oblivious to the armada slowly approaching. A flustered Tuck goon detects the Kongs’ island, alerts his boss, and then a posse of the penguins hand him a giant horn. The Snowmads’ ominous theme plays, Lord Fredrik blows into his instrument, and an enormous dragon made of ice erupts out of it. A gust of wind and stray snowflake finally alert the Kongs to the looming danger, but it’s too late—they walk out of DK’s treehouse to investigate, are promptly blown away, and Fredrik’s ship flies atop Donkey Kong Island while his dragon engulfs everything in snow. It’s a thorough defeat, the swiftest one the Kongs ever suffered.
The game’s first five worlds deal with them working their way back while fending off the Snowmads, who are expanding their empire outwards. Now, let’s touch upon how great the game’s stages are. After Tropical Freeze gets your feet wet with its basic mechanics, it excitedly begins playing with them. Stages juggle multiple mechanics, host optional side activities, tell self-contained stories (shoutout to the Tusk who harasses you throughout Reckless Ride only to get unceremoniously eaten by a plant), are fun to master (like with Rare’s Country titles, blasting through a stage without stopping is a thrill), and are imaginative and bustling with life! These intricate places react to our villains and heroes; scenery often breaks under the Kongs’ weight, for example.
Tropical Freeze’s bosses rise in complexity and, in a nice touch, usually feature bystanders who cheer them on. Popsicle aficionado Bashmaster is the penultimate one and standout. (Image: Nintendo)
Tropical Freeze’s worlds offer insight into the Snowmads, too. The third island, Autumn Heights, flaunts owl-themed architecture and mountain carvings, implying the Hootz have lived there for generations, possibly predating their assimilation into the vikings. Juicy Jungle, the fifth island, introduces ice-themed hazards through the Snowmads’ factories, wherein fruits are turned into various treats.
Which perfectly segues into Tropical Freeze’s fantastic sixth world, the gelid Donkey Kong Island. Only here do you fully realize the weight of the invaders’ takeover: the music’s contemplative, the marine mammals are roaming wild, and even the simple act of swimming becomes impossible, since the water’s so cold it hurts to touch—this isn’t Kong country anymore! Anyway, each numbered stage is based on a world from Returns, rewarding returnees (seeing the ballistic Big Squeekly bat stuck in ice, desperately eyeing you is a funny, cathartic moment). But the sense of danger never wanes. The background of Homecoming Hijinxs, the opening act, depicts DK’s treehouse and Returns’ first stage, Jungle Hijinxs. Homecoming Hijinxs even opens with a shot of Fredrik’s ship atop the island’s volcano, a reminder of your ultimate goal. And the Snowmad ruler’s laughter can be heard throughout the final stage, Meltdown Mayhem—he’s waiting for you. If Donkey Kong Island’s theme is recontextualizing the series’ primary setting and iconography, it’s one Lord Fredrik upholds. Sort of.
Fredrik’s formal unveiling isn’t anything special. Still, there is some gravity to it, unlike another character we’ve chronicled. (Image: Nintendo)
Let’s address Fredrik’s positive qualities first. I like how the viking’s feud with the Kongs boils down to a territorial dispute; they are animals, y’know? Intelligent ones who can speak, man machinery, and lead organizations, but they’re still animals, and seeing this primal concept power Donkey Kong distances it from, say, Sonic the Hedgehog or even Country homages like Tembo the Badass Elephant or JUJU. Second, Fredrik’s design is fine; his deep blues and grays are swimmingly complemented by his pale yellow accents and glowing cyan accruements. Third, the fight’s set in an underground cavern that’s rife with lava. It’s a novel arena for a Country final boss, one whose oppressive orange glow strikingly contrasts the Snowmads’ cool palettes. Finally, despite everything I’m about to say, the fight itself is decently fun.
But Lord Fredrik is a disappointment, Tropical Freeze’s only meaningful one (its second biggest is the lack of variety in its bonus stages, but that’s hardly a dealbreaker, especially following Donkey Kong 64’s inane minigames). See, Donkey Kong could benefit from a fresh foe who complements the King, not a repackaging of his greatest hits! Fredrik dashes at and stomps the Kongs, like K. Rool does in Country (Bashmaster’s also got a tackle, except with the added trick of requiring you to jump atop blocks of ice). He’ll take refuge in the background, forcing you to toss stuff at him, like K. Rool does in Country 3. Fredrik’s frigid dragons—one of which, again, decimated our heroes—devolve into slow, glorified cannonballs, mirroring two of K. Rool’s techniques. Even the glutton’s comical disregard for his underlings’ safety (they spawn out of snowballs he shoots when he’s in the background and get blown away when he reenters the foreground) invokes K. Rool. Weighing Fredrik down further is how he cycles through long attack patterns before only briefly making himself vulnerable; it’s a long duel.
Retro Studios sought enemies who could rival Donkey Kong’s physical strength—he punches the moon out of orbit in Returns’ ending—and the walrus is indeed up there with him. (Image: Nintendo)
In fairness, Fredrik does put his own spin on some of these moves. The dragons who kamikaze downwards will freeze the platforms if they connect, adding another wrinkle to the fight. Fredrik’s stomps are more impressive than the Kremling King’s, since he’ll temporarily knock the footholds into the lava, potentially thawing them or killing you. He’ll actively try dodging your projectiles when he’s hanging out in the background. And this girthy thug does have a few original ideas, like changing his size. But these just… aren’t enough.
Y’know, Donkey Kong spin-off Banjo-Kazooie has a charismatic villain of its own, Gruntilda, who famously speaks in rhyme. When Rare alumni were developing a Banjo successor, Yooka-Laylee, excitement spread across the internet, and during an interview, a journalist / fan assured the team it’d be fine if Yooka and Laylee’s enemy rhymed. That stuck with me, because no, he shouldn’t. And thankfully, Capital B. never does—he’s portly like Banjo’s baddie, but his business-centric mindset and subversive relationship with his “sidekick” gives him an identity all his own.
I’ve seen plenty of people ask, “If you’re going to borrow so much from K. Rool, why not just use the real thing?” I invariably find myself asking that while fighting his pale imitation, too. (Image: Nintendo)
Likewise, Fredrik is shapely like K. Rool, which alone would’ve made for an inoffensive, subtle tribute. Inheriting one, maybe two of the crocodile’s attacks would have probably been okay, too. But, as blurry as it can be, a line does exist between homage and knockoff, and Fredrik crosses it. Uncharismatic though they may be, at least Ghastly King and Tiki Tong stand as their own men.
Thing is, I’m sure the team’s collective heart was in the right place. The wooden Tiki Tak Tribe didn’t set the world on fire, leaving devotees pining for Rare’s irascible reptile. I’m sure Retro wanted to placate them while still flexing their creative muscles, which is a difficult balancing act! If you’re not using the fan-favorite villain (whose popularity in the Super Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot allegedly shocked Nintendo), then channeling him through the new one’s the next best thing, right? Sadly, while Fredrik does draw from his viking and arctic motifs, any novelty they add is undercut by how much he takes from Rare’s work. And that’s disappointing after Retro brilliantly enriched Metroid‘s universe while simultaneously honoring its history. The Prime games brought back several familiar faces while introducing wholly original ones, many of whom became fan-favorites, too.
Fredrik setting up shop atop Donkey Kong Island’s volcano also subtly recalls Tiki Tong, his immediate (and still ultimately less memorable) predecessor. (Image: Nintendo)
Tropical Freeze is among the best, most vibrant platformers Nintendo ever published, I’m glad it’s gotten a second wind, and my replay of it was a rejuvenating breath of fresh air after Donkey Kong 64. And honestly, even if Fredrik is underwhelming, that isn’t some big stain on his game; the road getting to him remains thrilling. While I am rooting for K. Rool to return in the next Donkey Kong game, I’ll be happy if the Kremlings’ arctic counterparts stick around in some capacity, too. If they don’t, well, I’ll always happily bop on ‘em in Tropical Freeze.
Congratulations, Fredrik! I took back DK Island from arctic invaders!
Thankfully, Fredrik doesn’t steal K. Rool’s iconic “kredits” fake out, and Tropical Freeze’s ending is better than Returns’. (Image: Nintendo)
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