Every Single Donkey Kong Country Level Ranked

[@GoldenNorway1]

This is the kind of video I just love to randomly find on KZbin. Nearly 6 hours of extremely well-made commentary and perfect editing, which descirbes each level in a very good way. The Donkey Kong Country series is my favorite video game series of all time. They're hard, but (moslty) fair games, which feels very satisfying to beet. They're detailed, creative and well-designed. The creative world design is enough in itself to love all of these games. And of course the music, which is still the best in any game to this date. Thank you for this video. Truly a good experience.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thank you for watching!

[@Directsandarchive3020]

I don't know if this is silly, but this video was such a fun little adventure for me. I actually started watching it while I was on a train ride to see my partner after a long while. Every day while I was on vacation, I watched a little bit more of the video. I love listening to these kinds of videos, and you did an a fantastic job making a cozy, informative and fun retrospective on an awesome series of games. Now, I'm on the train again, going home after a great vacation, and at the same time, I've reached the end of the video. Watching the game ranking right now. Thanks for the awesome video, looking forward to whatever you make in the future.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Oh not at all, I had a similar experience with Dripp Dropps ranking which is kinda the video that inspired me to make this, where id watch it on the long journeys to work a little more every day and it definitely made those times a little easier, so it means so much that I was able to provide that to someone else! Thanks a ton for the support, I’m gonna try and not leave it a year this time before I make another one lol

[@GilbertHartley]

It’s honestly wild how KZbin will randomly recommend one video from a small creator who make banger videos, and then never show you another vid just because they’re small. Very good vid btw, I wish I was recommended this 6 hour masterpiece sooner

[@JoeyWoeyUwU]

This video is so fascinating to me as a speedrunner of these games. Your opinions differ so wildly from mine since I'd completely forgotten what it's like to play these levels casually. Great effort on the video, loved it!

[@OGAutismonaut]

I’m sure as a speedrunner there’s a lot of levels I hate you can blast through, and then other seemingly easy levels which are incredibly annoying lol

[@JoeyWoeyUwU]

@@OGAutismonaut For sure, I couldn't believe it when you said misty mine was easy because there are an insane amount of things you can do there in terms of speedruns.

[@Qwampus75]

@@OGAutismonaut

[@cnfsdsoul]

somehow the most striking take of this video for me was you callin bayou boogie one of the lowpoints of DKC2s OST LMAO

[@OGAutismonaut]

I’ve listened to it several times since in the editing process with headphones and it’s much better than I gave it credit for at first! I guess it unfortunately just gets drowned out by the gameplay noises since it’s so quiet lol

[@cnfsdsoul]

@@OGAutismonaut its frankly extremely hard to find a lowpoint track in DKC2s OST to begin with. Its kind of full of atmospheric bangers

[@Hilipinapixili]

@@cnfsdsoul The roller coaster and boss themes are the low point for me, personally. The roller coaster one is very forgettable IMO, and the boss theme isn't bad, but gets old really fast. I friggin' love Bayou Boogie.

[@OGAutismonaut]

I tried repeatedly to render this in 1080p but my graphics card wasn't having it, the power of poison pond was too great on this one I'm afraid

[@tehdankfrank8109]

I’m surprised it rendered at all with how long it is

[@Neodynamics423]

Here's an idea for a cheap alternative for rendering 1080p without a new graphics card. There may be a free alternative but Topaz Gigapixel is an AI upscaling program for pictures that I use use. I've outputted image sequences from my video editor and then put the image sequence through the upscaler. This can take a while for sure depending on how fast your CPU can upscale each image, but it IS possible and won't be as limited to the constraints of your GPU. Not sure if that company has a program that focuses more on stream lining animation projects, but many image AI upscalers could probably work for this purpose.

[@Neodynamics423]

I can download this KZbin video and send you a small ten second example clip of this video upscaled if you're interested in seeing what that would look like.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks, I’ll definitely take a look! Putting my PC outside my room and waiting 3 hours only for it to freeze is not fun lol

[@bunnybudd5161]

I've got to say, on the whole, this is probably one of the best "video game ranking" videos I've seen. You put forth some really compelling arguments for your placements and I see where you're coming from for nearly all of them. I really like your editing style and wit, it adds a lot to the video. The placement that surprised me the most personally was Triple Trouble. I've always really liked that one. That drawing of Moving Melters is awesome lol, I love seeing stuff like that. There are a few things I didn't like about the video: - I was surprised that you didn't know what the "!" from the first three games meant. It honestly made the first part of Clam City's segment a little cringy. "Ooooooh, they don't know..." - There were a couple of things you stated that were factually wrong, but this is honestly understandable considering the video is almost 6 hours long. - In the bottom-to-mid tiers, you talk about hitboxes a lot, and it felt a little excessive since most of the ones you mentioned are ones that I really don't recall anyone pointing out before (other than obvious ones like Fredrik). Even the footage you showed there made it seem like they were fine. It felt a little like you were just blaming the game in those instances. - I think you forgot to include Blast N' Bounce, the temple level from the Forest in Returns. What do you think of that one? - I think Summoning Salt said this point best in his own video tierlist: "If you have the time to put text on a screen correcting a piece of info, you have time to re-record the line." It's true. But overall, I enjoyed watching this. One question though: Would Poison Pond be #1 if it was purple?

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a lot for the feedback, always love to hear areas I can improve on. With Triple trouble I still mostly like it, I just wish the boss’ attacks were a bit more varied and that you had more opportunities to hit them back. With the clam city thing, I honestly never knew this, I never usually go for 100% completion on the original games simply because I don’t really enjoy it as much as collecting everything in the modern ones. So long as I get both the bonus areas I’m usually happy with that so that’s just my bad to be honest I should’ve looked that up. Also if I actually did forget to include Blast n bounce that’s actually a massive mistake on my behalf since I actually had a lot to say on that one! I was gonna say that as a kid it unironically took me 6 months to beat it and because of that I understandably didn’t have a great time, but now I do think it’s quite good, even though I do think some of the barrel sections are a little fiddly. I’ve watched the exact summoningsalt video you’re referencing and yeah I do agree I should’ve gone back over. The main reason I didn’t is because the microphone I was using for most of this is absolutely atrocious, meaning in half the audio clips it sounds horrible. The only reason it’s listenable is because I fixed it all in post, so when I can afford it I’ll definitely be upgrading that since having to mess around with recording audio is easily my least favourite part of making videos. Overall though some really great points, and I’m glad you liked it! Oh, and yes if poison pond was purple it would easily be number one, no doubt, ignore that poisonous pipeline basically did the same thing that one doesn’t count

[@studhouser6969]

Absolutely loved this video from start to finish. Your love of the series really shines through and to manage to stay funny with incredibly few mistakes for such a long runtime is commendable. Absolutely subbed and can't wait for more from you. Retro Studios just might be my favorite dev. Between their masterful work on Metroid and Donkey Kong, I genuinely think they're incapable of doing wrong. I'm so excited to see where they go in the future, even after Prime 4 is done. I do hope we get another DK from them at some point.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a ton, so great that all the work I put into this paid off! Retro studios is absolutely one of the best devs Nintendo has, it’s a shame they aren’t big enough to work on more than one game at once, I’d love another dk game from them before I end up looking like cranky lol

[@jclkaytwo]

massive respect for undertaking this huge project. I don't know if I can watch through the whole thing, but I skipped around a bit and I think you did a great job at explaining your opinions, and you are very entertaining as well. the sawmill thrill injustice is real, but the rolling k rool footage makes up for it. I score this video an astounding 95.

[@jclkaytwo]

I wish you were able to include the levels introduced in the handheld versions btw; there's a ton there! even though they're of... rather mixed quality lol

[@OGAutismonaut]

I’ve played a few of the gba versions but since I haven’t played them all I thought it was best to just stick to the main franchise. I’ve heard some of the DK land stages in particular are very… Questionable though lol

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a ton, completely understand with the length lmao 6 hours is a lot. King K roller truly is the best game on this list!

[@jclkaytwo]

​​@@OGAutismonaut I consider the handheld games part of the main series, but I understand why you wouldn't. I still recommend you try them! for completion's sake hehehe (fyi if you do play the handheld games: the GBC port of DKC has one new level that is not in the original. that is the most obscure and missable level in the series so wanted to give you a heads up)

[@WyvrnOnYT]

This video was incredibly high quality for a small channel. Goes to show how many great channels there are that most of us have never even found.

[@botchedspiny477]

Good editing transitions! Also just an entertaining, ambitious video with some unique takes and observations.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a ton! I’m glad someone noticed, cropping out donkey flying through that barrel took a very long time lol

[@Dangerousbros1]

Thank you for making this man, I greately enjoyed watching this over the course of a few days. I can't imagine all the effort that went into it. I hope you find some serious sucess for making content this quality.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a ton, glad you enjoyed! I do really need to upload more often lol, as soon as I’m not busy I’ll get back on to it

[@Dangerousbros1]

@OGAutismonaut hey man if you are going to make 6h youtube videos it's definetely not crazy to only upload once a year lol.

[@Party_Fruit]

4:13:37 The dedication to do this much maths 4 hours into a video, that very few people are going to wqtch up to that point... Insanely impressive, I absolutely love the quality of this video! 👍

[@OGAutismonaut]

That part took absolutely ages lol, glad someone noticed! Thanks so much for your support

[@Party_Fruit]

How long did the entire video take you, with all the script writing, footage gathering and cutting, music fitting, voice recording and then the finishing touches like the little texts from post editing and the 2 voiceovers combined with all the puns and the amazing quality overall... It must've been years!

[@OGAutismonaut]

About half a year probably lol, the voice recording was easily the longest part because I don’t have a good setup for recording unfortunately so I’d have to do so many takes to avoid background noise. Probably going to be something a little shorter ideally for the next one! I’d like to upload more than once a year if I can, thanks for leaving such a nice series of comments, really is my favourite part of making videos

[@Party_Fruit]

Happy I could make your day a little better! This is one of my favourite videos I've ever seen, especially because I'm currently going through a donkey Kong phase, ive only played tropical freeze, and am planning to play the others too. Now I know that returns is definitely the way to go for me, as it looks absolutely amazing. What kind of content are you planning to make next?

[@OGAutismonaut]

@Party_FruitI'd definitely recommend returns if you enjoyed Tropical Freeze, it's quite similar in terms of controls and there's some great levels in there too, one of my favourite platformers for sure! The older games are great too, a bit more of a learning curve if you're not used to the more cruel design in places, but Tropical Freeze in particular takes quite a lot of inspiration from the second game so there's a good chance you'd like those as well if you're interested. I'm currently making a video on M+L Brothership right now, just because that series is like my original childhood games and I never thought we'd get another one after Alphadream shut down. I really wanted to play it but also didn't want to wait another 6 months between uploading videos since work keeps me pretty pinned down as it is, so I thought it'd be a great idea to use my time playing it to make a video at the same time. The script is almost finished for it now, I've also just been asked if I want to take part in a collaboration video too so if that goes ahead then I'll probably be working on that before so I don't hold things up for anyone else. Anyway, really appreciate the high praise, hopefully I can get some free time at the end of this week and get something out relatively soon!

[@esotericVideos]

I watched all this video, it was very very well done, you deserve a lot more views and subscribers.

[@edgybubblegum6404]

this is gonna fit nicely into my sleeping playlist, thank you for your wonderful voice and of course the video on a topic i hadn't cared about until 6 hours ago.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks so much, glad you liked it! If you are gonna use this to sleep then uhh… I’m sorry for 27:10 lmao

[@ecstaticwooper368]

nah I could never fall asleep during this peak

[@ROYBGB]

This is a great video! The only suggestion I have is to include on like the bottom left of the screen what number each stage is. That way it’s more clear on what you ranked them. Otherwise it’s a great video! I don’t remember you mentioning the DKC Returns 3DS exclusive levels but other than that I had a lot of fun watching this video & I look forward to your next video

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks for the suggestion, I did plan on adding this at the end and would’ve really liked to, but I was really strapped for time when I was finishing making this and the project was so laggy when I put it all together that I couldn’t add anything more in without making it in a separate project and rendering it there to bring it back in. Heck it took me a full hour to add in a single audio file I missed lol. I’ll definitely try and do this in future though because it does make navigating around it a lot easier. With the dk returns 3DS levels, I have played them and the only reason I didn’t include them was because I was trying to stick to the base versions of the games. There’s a couple other versions I haven’t played all of like some of the GBA exclusive levels, so to be as fair as I could I tried to just have the levels in the original versions, but I do think it was a cool addition to the 3DS port and I’m excited to finally have it on switch when that one releases! Anyway, thanks for the comment, glad you enjoyed!

[@Heroslayer-qb6tp]

I just wanted to thank you for this amazing Video. I watched it over many days and it was the highlight of my evening as i layed in Bed and relaxed. Thumbs up for putting this much work!

[@OGAutismonaut]

My phone died halfway through writing this lol, but it means so much getting comments like this. Really glad you enjoyed, hopefully over the Christmas break I’ll have time to work on something new

[@christianstenger7280]

I love this video and can only imagine how much work you must have put into it! There's a lot I could say but I'm tired so I keep it short & sweet: - love the humor - love how you keep things fresh by throwing some new gags and visuals in the mix once on a while - of course I don't agree with every rank but overall you do a great job of explaining WHY you chose your particular placement - FINALLY someone who asks himself the same question as I always have: Why the Stickerbush Symphony remake does not play in "Bramble Scramble" of DKCTF ... that always baffled me since in the other level it IS being played in the background it's also just in the beginning section ... (and Rare even had the chance to fix this with the Switch port and didn't ...) Keep it up! Epic work!

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks for such a detailed response! The stickerbush symphony thing has always bugged me lol, it was a perfect opportunity with the time it plays even being in the same world, but they stuck in the generic savannah level song instead! It’s so clearly a reference to the stickerbush levels with the name, so it’s not like they didn’t know. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it!

[@christianstenger7280]

​@@OGAutismonaut I finally reached the end and this video earned you another new subscriber. I wish you all the best and hope the YT algorithm will be kind to you :)

[@WirySuperMaster]

This is the most underrated Video I have ever seen , keep up the good work!

[@olivergreenwood3820]

Why is poison pond not number one?

[@tehdankfrank8109]

Poison pind

[@OGAutismonaut]

poison pay to win

[@RoadrunnerMoose]

It is Number One....from a certain point of view

[@bmeht]

The diagram at 2:02:22 is too funny. Loving the video, nice job.

[@dripp_dropp]

absolutely fire video. I was gonna watch a video just like this but that one was only 4 hours smh. This one is way better

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a ton man, you’re never gonna believe this I was actually about to ask if it was dripp dropps video because no joke I’ve watched that one all the way through like 3 times and it’s fire too! Then I looked at the channel name lol You’re actually probably the one who inspired me to make this video, so it means a lot to know you liked it!

[@dripp_dropp]

@@OGAutismonaut that means an awful lot to me. Almost enough to forgive snow barrel blast being that low

[@Gavman_Gaming_09_79]

I watched your vid all the way through, it's a good video.

[@childtaker318]

1:44:00 please just go to this time

[@scrowfunk8109]

British guy talking about donkey Kong for 5 and a half hours is my kind of autism. Subscribed

[@JussiValtanen]

! = All bonus levels found and won. Basic DKC Knowledge

[@OGAutismonaut]

I never actually knew this, I’ve only beaten the first game twice so I never noticed, cool

[@SebTheSamMarten]

Aha. So it was stated. Oh well... too lazy to remove my comment I just made. Lazier than I was towards reading comments, I guess. xD

[@DogeInABucketYT]

How do you only have 330 subscribers? That doesn't make any sense. You should have a silver play button. I'm subbing.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Perhaps has something to do with the fact that my upload schedule is pretty busted lol, seriously though thanks a lot!

[@mediocrity5693]

I wouldn’t even be able to decide which levels go over which in a ranking this long, let alone make the video. No section was too long, amazing job. There were some spots I wanted to disagree with until I remembered the competition the level was dealing with. I think one of my favourite things about the series is how the levels are designed around both speed and exploration, and the top spot definitely handles that very well. Probably would also be in my top 3. I hope retro can get back to making another dk game in 2050 after Metroid prime 4 releases

[@OGAutismonaut]

It was definitely pretty tough with how many levels there are, some of them could’ve been swapped around a little bit to be fair since so many of them are just so good! It’s crazy how it’s been 10 years now since the last game in the series, that’s even longer than the gap between dkc3 and returns. Maybe one day when I look like cranky we’ll finally get a new one, I definitely hope so. Thanks a ton for your support, glad you enjoyed!

[@tetermc]

Pretty good list! And good work with the editing.

[@youraverageyoshifan6070]

I’m only 5 minutes in and I already can’t imagine how long this took. The editing is amazing. This needs more views, good job mate!

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks! Honestly I was expecting it to get about 1000 views at most so I’m really happy with how well this did, glad you enjoyed it

[@danette1447]

Just watch it all and it's such an excellent video. Finally found someone who loves tropical freeze as much as I love it. Btw you really should have a lot more subs

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thank you! Tropical freeze really is a near perfect game, returns will always be my favourite because it’s the one I grew up with, but tropical freeze in my opinion is the best 2D platformer I’ve ever played

[@vittnap2630]

just finished watching the whole video. I loved it. it always kept me entertained and i just love the editing. My personal favorite of the games is Returns and it was really nice to see the good and the bad of every level. keep up the good work💯🔥

[@OGAutismonaut]

Returns is my personal favourite too, the second game I ever played. Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed!

[@KrinkleCut]

I was searching for a video ranking all the levels in returns, you one upped it with a level ranking of the entire series. Great video 👍

[@StickyTrap]

This is the video I've needed for trips

[@gmanchester1990]

Great video! Glad I stumbled on this. Awesome work. Glad to see someone truly appreciate this amazing series. I see so many people shit on DKC3 and it is such a great game. Keep up the amazing work man!

[@OGAutismonaut]

Really appreciate it man, means so much to know people enjoyed this! I don’t get the level of hate for DKC3! I mean yeah it’s not quite as good overall as 2 was, but that game was nearly impossible to follow up. Definitely the most underrated game in the series!

[@beanburrito4405]

You are a madman. This is a fully edited, SIX HOUR video that is so meticulous yet so long I have scarcely seen its kind on this platform. These videos exist, but they are _very_ rare, I haven’t seen a new one in a good half a year at least. It’s especially cool that it’s actually about a subject I’m invested in. Huge props. It’s the length of a Star Wars trilogy. Completely ridiculous and awesome, regardless of the fact that I think your Volcano Dome take is… well, I think Lord Fredrik is the second best boss in the series lmao, I disagree with you so hard on this point. Come on, he’s at least better than Master Necky. I feel like you’re biased against Fredrik for some reason to place him that low. But takes I strongly disagree with in such a large opinion piece are inevitable. I hope you’re proud of this video

[@OGAutismonaut]

I hadn’t even considered the Star Wars thing until now… Damn that’s almost scary… Seriously, thanks a lot though, means so much to get so much positive feedback on a video I made! With Frederick, I’m glad someone else is able to have a lot of fun with him, at least much more than me lmao… Me personally, I’ve always hated the boss. In terms of laziness and how much effort was put into making it, it’s easily clear of Master Necky, it’d be silly to argue against that. However, even so I’d rather play Master Necky 10 times than fight Frederick once, just because I really don’t like how he plays. There’s definitely an element of personal opinion in there, so I completely understand if you disagree though! Glad you liked the rest of it

[@elesfinter9753]

Awesome video dude, I'm glad I find it

[@jhTheMan99]

I’m only about 2 hours in but I wanted to comment already, this is an outstanding video. Insightful commentary and excellent editing. What a great treat for someone like me who grew up with these games.

[@awildhannahappeared203]

This video made me want to play all the DKC games, and now I'm rewatching it after I beat all five of them and know all the levels now. Good stuff.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Nice! I’d love to hear which one was your favourite (or least favourite too, there’s definitely a few that aren’t great)

[@bigboicarson]

Great video !!!

[@mal8rk701]

My attention span might be fucked up, but I will always have the energy to watch 5 hour long videos about my favorite games! Super well made video! PD: that's quite a channel name lol

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thank you!

[@PistolUSMC]

Incredible video!

[@reggiemillerisunderrated8396]

what a great video its very well edited and scripted. Those 5 hours went so quick.

[@SstylerMA]

man I watched this all through, ur like the gaming historian but with good comedy, gime another 6 hours documentary :D

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks so much man, I do have a history degree lol

[@originalname9191]

truly incredible video almost as entertaining as the other guy who ranked all the levels and thats not a discredit to you that dude was just peak entertainment

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks! I’ve watched dripp dropp’s video probably like 3 or 4 times, that video is incredible

[@Zersetzor]

Am I the only one who likes Web Woods? Squitter is my favourite animal buddy, and I love playing the whole level with him

[@OGAutismonaut]

If you like the level then I’m glad you enjoyed it a lot more than me! Then again I think you may be the only one who does like webbed woods lol

[@pelucheCR7]

I love web woods, well designed level

[@timhiltz6323]

The DK coin at end goal is so cheap😂

[@pelucheCR7]

@@timhiltz6323 Only pros can get that dk coin

[@themanwithsauce]

As someone who grew up getting the game for christmas the year it came out, Web Woods is a slow level in a game of high speed, but I think it is one of the most atmospheric. I replay the castle levels for a challenge, I replay the roller coater levels because I want some excitement, I replay most levels for the high speed platforming and action, but I play Web Woods....to [ V I B E ]. The music is so good, I love the backgrounds of both Web Woods and the ghost rope level, and it is such a serene little break on a playthrough. Like most of the mine levels. Just enjoy some pretty graphics and some cool music and enjoy your time. I wish more games managed to nail that combination. It's fair to say "I like DKC for playing fast ergo I don't like the slow level" but I don't think that makes them a bad level. Plus, Squiter was always a fav. Dude has 4 pairs of Js on and he's got a gold tooth. Squitter's fuckin BALLIN.

[@BartEnder2006]

5 hour?? of donkey kong?? thats absurd, sign me up!

[@Scarfy3]

Dude You Deserve More Love And Support. Honestly The Editing and the Quality of each video is Incredible. Keep Doing What your Doing🙌🏼

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a ton! The next one I’m planning may perhaps be even bigger than this one, we’ll have to see if I can find enough time to beat this already massive video lol

[@Scarfy3]

@@OGAutismonaut Sounds Awesome! Cant wait for it to come out!

[@joemonkeyman4675]

The KZbin Algorithm randomly recommended me this completely out of nowhere and I actually sat down and watched this whole thing from start to finish and it was brilliant the whole way through. Even though obviously we don't have the same opinions on everything, the amount of effort you put into this is truly astounding and you really explained your thoughts on every single level extremely well. I've never played Tropical Freeze before, but this video is the first time I've actually been compelled to play it after seeing all of how it was here. I love this series and this video was excellent!

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a ton man, I love that other people have different opinions on all these levels, it would be a very boring video if we didn’t lol. If you haven’t played tropical freeze and you like the others I really couldn’t recommend it enough! Easily the most polished dk game, and in my opinion it’s the best 2d platformer of all time

[@funderdamage73]

3:11:50 I did not expect a GD reference in here, that cracked me up. Great video.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Playing since 2013!

[@valpotdefleurs]

Bro casually dropping a video far bigger than a film about my favorite game series of all time (Seriously thank you, I didn't saw the 5 hour pass, even if I watched this during several days)

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks, so glad you enjoyed it!

[@BFG-rr9cv]

Insane effort. I subscribe to that!

[@hsblw_6]

It amazes me how many of the best levels are from DKC2 and Tropical Freeze, even with Returns having way more technology than DKC2, the latter is just THAT good. It took me years to finally play the newer DKCs mostly because of time, and I was just so happy with Returns and then just thrilled and amazed by Tropical Freeze. It's a gift to all DKC fans. Sure hope they release more stuff in the future. Awesome video and work, up until the very last minutes the script kept top notch and I watched the whole 5h43m over the span of a few days without getting bored at all. And btw, even though I disagree with many of your placements, your games rank is exactly like mine. DKC2 is pure gold, but Tropical Freeze's tech advantages just make it unbeatable.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks for leaving such a detailed comment, and thanks for watching this massive video all the way through too! With the other levels you mentioned in particular panicky paddles I can definitely understand someone else having a different opinion on them, heck it would’ve been a very boring video if everyone agreed with my picks. If I’d made this video a year earlier then panicky paddles would 100% have been in F tier because those water sections are awful! But on my most recent playthrough I didn’t hate it as much, maybe it’s just because I’ve memorised most of it by now so I don’t die as much but when I first played it I despised that level lol. Returns was the second game I ever played, and right from the beginning it became one of my favourites, and then tropical freeze came along and it was even better. Playing dkc2 especially it’s surprising just how well it holds up all these years later. Somehow I don’t think it’s a coincidence that with tropical freeze being heavily based on dkc2 that it ended up being so great. Anyway, glad you enjoyed!

[@hsblw_6]

@OGAutismonaut my pleasure! If you had the patience and skill to put out a video like this, sure this channel can be as big as you want if you can break this effort into smaller, more frequent videos 🤜

[@discotrain173]

Loved this video! This must have taken forever. Also I'm glad someone else recognizes that tropical freeze is better than dkc 2

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a ton! It did take quite a while lol. I do really like dkc2 as well but tropical freeze really is just a near perfect game, probably the best 2D platformer out there at least for me

[@RussianRepublican1917]

I’m shocked at how few views this video has. Been a lifetime fan of the DKC series, really enjoyed the ranking - earned a subscription from me :) Also, i might be losing my mind but is blast n’ bounce missing? I can’t seem to find it

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thank you! Yes you’re right, wigglevine wonders I missed too, which is a real shame because for Blast and bounce I actually had a lot to say. When I was 8 it legitimately took me 6 months to beat it so I wasn’t a fan back then, but I quite like it now. Wigglevine wonders for me is just ok, a little samey but decent. I really wish I’d remembered them since it sucks to have been so close to not making any mistakes! Anyway, glad you enjoyed, thanks for your support

[@globuspolski707]

4:37:45 Super happy to see Itty Bitty Biters ranked so high, I was obsessed with this level as a kid. The sounds that the Acks make in particular always cracked me up, especially the “Doh!” sound they make when you jump on them

[@OGAutismonaut]

I love when there’s loads of them around and all the “Eyeyeah!” noises overlap over each other lol

[@TheRealCSGaming]

Amazing video 🎉

[@olivergreenwood3820]

a

[@tehdankfrank8109]

B

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks for your contribution

[@olivergreenwood3820]

C

[@tehdankfrank8109]

D

[@indominusrex5510]

I only played the first DKC, and my favourite levels are the lore levels. They're some of the best levels I've ever seen in 2D Games.

[@BuffengineerTF2]

This guy deserves way more attention, this videos a bloody masterpiece. I love DK, DK is life.

[@juanandresrueda4957]

Damn, im trying to start as a creator and just seeing the sheer amount of narration and edition that went into this makes me have mad respect and feel intimidated, good work

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a ton, this means a whole lot… Everyone starts off with nothing on their channel, I made around 30 or so cringy videos which I removed before this point, you’ll get there! My early videos are absolutely terrible lol, even my last one was pretty badly argued even though the editing was on point. So long as you’re improving just one or 2 things every time, in no time you’ll be killing it. You got this!

[@donkeyking05]

This deserves at least a million views

Nearly six hours of Donkey Kong goodness.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks!

[@tehdankfrank8109]

Expand dong!

[@weeangus6634]

This was probably the best video talking about Donkey Kong Country I've ever seen, but I couldn't help but notice that both Blast & Bounce and Wigglevine Wonders from DKCR were missing

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a lot! Yeah I had no idea until people pointed it out to me, and I had them in the script too so I have no idea how I missed them! Its a shame too since especially with blast and bounce I had quite a lot to say about it. I generally think that wigglevine wonders had a good idea but didn't really expand upon it so it's probably like a C. Blast and bounce I used to hate because no joke it took me 6 months to beat when I played the game as a kid. Now it's not nearly as hard for me and I like it a lot more, probably like a high B.

[@MeDsCP]

This video just happened to show up on my front page and I'm so glad it did. I'm mid-watch but this is a gem. =D

[@lordroy88]

Incredible job!

[@hornguy04]

This is awesome! There are some interesting perspectives that I hadn't considered regarding some of the levels that gets me thinking. I've got an hour left in the video so I can't wait to see what you consider the top ten! I'd love to do my own video like this some day. Google "all 247 levels of the Donkey Kong Country Series obsessively ranked" if you want to see my written list though.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Wait, that list is yours? Cool! I actually used that list when I was finishing the script to ensure I had all the levels there. It was a really detailed list and I enjoyed reading it!

[@hornguy04]

@@OGAutismonaut Indeed it is, and thank you! I had an obsession phase in like 2015 and I had to get that out of my system. So glad it was helpful!

[@mothmancha]

DKC is one of my all-time favorite series and this video really rocks. I wish you had covered the Pacifica levels from the GBA remake of DKC 3, though -- they added a whole new world (and, because of hardware limitations, david wise SOUNDTRACK) in that version. I'd love to see where you place those, they're a real funky include. They even shuffle some bosses around. (To be fair, I have an hour left of the video but I really doubt all seven new levels are in that last hour. If they are... whoops!) Regardless, fantastic video, absolutely love it.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks a ton, I might have to go back and play those since I’ve also seen people asking for donkey Kong land which I also haven’t played. I’m interested to see where they stack up against the main list of levels!

[@BakuMamX]

i love sawmill gthrill because of the DYNAMIC MUSIC too. its absolutely perfect

[@OGAutismonaut]

I completely understand anyone saying they love the level! The gameplay never clicked with me so I personally couldn’t put it higher, but I wouldn’t disagree with anyone putting it way further up

[@BakuMamX]

@@OGAutismonautits werid though. i think its a perfect level… but seashore war is my absolute fav. the music, the atmopshere… ill never forget my first time playing. like i cojldnt hear the music at all for a while due to noises outside, and kept dying over and over. i got really mad, but then, boom. ther music hit and i beat the level on that attempt. like the music gave me the ENERGY TO CONTINUE

[@Jacob-wi2yz]

Was very happy to make a contribution to this fantastic video

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thank you Dr Jacob for your assessment on smokey peak, truly wise words

[@tehdankfrank8109]

I live for Dr Jacob

[@olivergreenwood3820]

Smokey beak

[@RozzaRozza311]

2:32:05 Crowded Cavern is the one level I remember from this game. Loved DK country returns

[@OGAutismonaut]

I always hated it as a kid because the big bat killed me every time, but playing it now I’m not terrible it’s definitely one of the best rocket levels in that game!

[@jamy30]

I'm glad you rated lightning lookout highly. Always thought it got too much shit. The lightning, like you said, gives you a hint of where it will strike in advance

[@OGAutismonaut]

Easily one of the best levels in the game, difficult, but always fair with a great level theme too!

[@SebTheSamMarten]

I am too lazy to check comments to see if it was mentioned already or not, but; 17:00 The stage name doesn't naturally have a ! in it. Those are put in afterwards to indicate that you have found every secret in the level. :P (Blew my mind learning this as a kid.)

[@OGAutismonaut]

Yeah a few other people have pointed this out too, I didn’t actually know this until I made this video! I don’t generally go for all the collectibles in the original trilogy since a lot of them are really annoying to find, usually so long as I get the bonus rooms I’m fine with that. So I never figured out that a ! appears when you find the secrets because clam city must’ve been one of the only ones I did it for, thanks to you and a few other people for pointing it out though

[@torvusboglin]

Great vid. Not sure if you knew but they actually got Wise to come in and make his own soundtrack for DKC3 when they ported it to GBA. That's probably why they're unexpected bangers, everything that man touches is golden.

[@OGAutismonaut]

I found this out while making it actually, apparently it was because Evaline’s soundtrack was making some GBAs catch fire lmao. If it weren’t for the GBA compression being so high on a few of them I’d even say I prefer the GBA soundtrack

[@torvusboglin]

@@OGAutismonaut Holy shit I had no idea that was why they did it, that's amazing. I do love both soundtracks but that GBA compression...echh.

[@fiereke]

16:55 An exclamtion point in the title is the sign that you have found all bonus rooms in a level in DKC 1 and DKC 2. And since there are no bonus rooms in water levels in DKC 1, they all start with exclamation points in the title.

[@OGAutismonaut]

A few other people have pointed this out yeah, I don’t usually go for 100% in the first game just because the Kong letters and bonus rooms don’t usually do too much and I don’t really enjoy getting them, so I had no idea until people told me! Good to know for future reference

[@WyvrnOnYT]

So I'm coming back to this video since I'm currently doing a DKC3 playthrough, and I gotta say, I just played ricksaw rage or whatever it's called and I honestly didn't find it to be a bad level. I actually thought it was kinda fun. Granted it only took me 2 attempts. I'm sure it would have gotten annoying otherwise.

[@OGAutismonaut]

I can definitely see that, one of my friends played it soon after watching this too and it was one of his favourite levels! I think me spending so long searching for secrets and running out of room from the saw probably tainted my opinion if it lol, just running through it’s probably not nearly as bad as

[@nyquilfilthy7557]

When a video shows up in your feed and you already know it’s a banger

[@DesigningFor]

2:20:57 look it's ok you don't have to call me out but also at the same time you hurt me putting it this high. This is an interesting perspective! I do think we fundamentally disagree on a lot of points on what makes a solid DK level - stuff like Krochead Clamber, for instance, I think has a fantastic sense of flow where you really don't have to stop at any point, and I like speeding through barrel cannon sections since they're almost always set up to one-cycle them - but I appreciate the difference in perspective and you make solid points throughout all of it! Except being mean to Kiddy and Lanky, that's rather unforgivable. I look into their soulless, unfeeling eyes each day and feel a little better.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Maybe I just got lucky on temple tempest lol, but I’ve always liked it. Something about the mix between the atmosphere and the wheels I’m a big fan of. While I don’t like krockhead clamber, I’m happy someone else did! If we all had the same perspective on levels then this would’ve been a very dull video lmao, so I’m happy other people like things more than I did. Lanky and kiddy though… Lanky scares me…

[@DesigningFor]

@@OGAutismonaut You don't understand. He can handstand, when he needs to. For decades this has not been necessary, but some day in the future, he will need to. I pray you are on the right side of history when that happens.

[@OGAutismonaut]

When the time comes, I’ll gladly stand against the Lanky legions and their handstands, for to oppose the lankys is to be truly righteous. And if his long hands outstretch to take my life, so shall my glorious hands outstretch towards the heavens, to our lord and saviour, King K Roller, knowing that his furious T pose shall strike down the orange kongs and cast them back to the N64

[@michaelspitzer7767]

Bramble Scramble is a weird one. It's quite hard until you notice that Diddy and Dixie can't (for whatever reason) be hurt by brambles from below, meaning that the lower boundary of most of these pathways is completely harmless. Doesn't seem to be intended, of course.

[@OGAutismonaut]

I didn’t realise this the first time I played it and I made it way harder for myself for no reason lol. It’s way easier knowing that, helps a lot with animal antics in some of the earlier squawks sections too. I think if anything bramble scramble is mainly hard just because it’s so long! If you don’t know what’s coming up it can be quite easy to mess up and then you have to go all the way back

[@TuxedoTakodachi]

A rollercoaster where you race exists in real live: Joris en de Draak in the Efteling in the Netherlands is a rollercoaster where two trains start at the same moment, and the one that finishes first is declared the winner.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Damn I went to the Netherlands this year too and never knew! Cool

[@robertm5110]

I already agree with your worst level choice. This will be a good video :)

[@bruh5337]

Amazing video, I just have to disgaree on you with one thing: Bayou Boogie absolutely slaps.

[@OGAutismonaut]

After listening to it a few more times with headphones on, I have to agree! In the game it just gets drowned out a little I guess

[@FB-zh5se]

You deserve more views on this mate. Top quality video, love it.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Glad you enjoyed it, really happy with how well this one has done!

[@DarkSim64]

Probably others have commented this before. Clam City has an exclamation mark because all levels in DKC 1 and 2 will have an exclamation mark once you find all its bonuses. Since Clam City (and other water levels in DKC1) have no bonus rooms, it'll have a exclamation mark by default.

[@OGAutismonaut]

I never actually knew this until people let me know in the comments! I’ve never gone for 100% completion in the first game because I just don’t enjoy it to be honest so I never saw an ! after many of the levels

[@connorpinzon]

Thank god this showed up in my feed

[@hsblw_6]

Not watching it right now, but holy shit! 6h of Donkey Kong Country levels commented? This is going to help me sleep for the next 2 weeks!

[@Pooky1991]

Lmao I can absolutely agree on the bosses, especially for Tropical Freeze. Some of them felt like they went on WAY too long. I get so upset when I see DK3, because as a kid I didn't know it existed and didn't get to experience it. I wish Nintendo would just re-release physical collections of more of their game series like Donkey Kong. Also love long-form videos like this❤

[@OGAutismonaut]

Definitely, a lot of the bosses in tropical freeze have really cool concepts, but they just repeat way too much for me. If it were 2 hits per phase then it wouldn’t be nearly as much of an issue, Frederick has to be the biggest offender in this case. He stalls for so long before you get a chance to hit him and he’s hard too so you’ll be replaying each phase several times. It’s actually kinda strange how the series rarely seems to nail their bosses when almost every level turned out so good. I actually didn’t play dkc3 until this year, people always said to me that it wasnt very good, but I was pleasantly surprised when playing it at how good it was! And yeah it would be great to get more collections of Nintendos older games, having them on the switch online virtual console is good but I’d love to actually have a new copy of them. Even on the virtual console versions, for some games it almost seems like Nintendo are intentionally hiding them away which sucks considering how good some of those games are. I really hope the switch 2 has an actual decent virtual console where they add more than one game a week, but somehow unfortunately I doubt it. Anyway, thanks for leaving such a detailed comment, glad you enjoyed!

[@Dimby17RL]

3:40:17 that is a very smooth transition. 😎

[@OGAutismonaut]

I spent so long mapping the path for dk’s barrel rolling animation lol, glad it didn’t go unnoticed!

[@jack101starZ]

This was one of the rankings of all time.

[@Cleverconveyence]

Oh cool, a video just for me.

[@gavrielshemesh7825]

I literally die on red hot ride because I get so bored waiting for the balloon that I try to just skip past it and die

[@OGAutismonaut]

I had the exact same thing, it really is a level where you just have to sit it out since there’s not many ways to speed it up. It’s the same reason I dislike tumblin temple, because you can clearly see where you’re going in front of you but you just have to wait it out

[@pilarmite]

Awesome vid- love watching this in the background when playing games or working on stuff. Unrelated question, but what's the song at 1:55:40 in this segment? I can't for the life of me remember it and it's been stuck in my head for days lol

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks so much! The song is switcheroo A (life in the mines returns) from Dk returns, probably my favourite song in the game, a shame every time I add it to a playlist Nintendo takes it down lol

[@chocolateorange]

never seen your channel before but you deserve so many more subscribers. tightly written script, great delivery and pacing, and really nice editing. hope to see more from you in the future! maybe you could take a crack at the mario galaxy series next? :p

[@OGAutismonaut]

This means a whole lot, thanks! Mario galaxy is the reason why I had to specify “2d” platformer when I said tropical freeze was the best platformer I’d played. I love the galaxy games and I’d love to cover them at some point! A ranking of all the galaxy’s in both games was in my drafts until my PC broke and I lost it last year lol, I need to start uploading more

[@zecabone3850]

Banger video.

[@melontoad]

3:03:00 the problem in your gameplay there is that you use the left stick to impact forward/backward momentum. You just have to do a neutral jump without moving and you'll easily manage the jump

[@OGAutismonaut]

Over time I’ve gotten a bit better at the rocket momentum yeah, in that case I think it was just nerves from getting to the end lol. I still don’t really like the way they work since it feels a little unintuitive having to swap between the two when you get on and leave, but part of that is probably just me playing it when I was younger and not understanding at all what to do

[@melontoad]

@OGAutismonaut I've had that same problem years ago as I was too unexperienced and couldn't figure out how the rockets worked. Grinding a top 100 time on that level back when it was still a Wii U exclusive helped a ton though and now it's pretty easy. Also i'll write a comment later once i'm done watching but so far i'm really enjoying the video!!!

[@OGAutismonaut]

@@melontoad Thanks a lot, that's crazy if you managed a top 100 time since even without the rockets that level is pretty tough! I've only ever beaten it once per playthrough and the rockets don't show up too often so with more practice I'm sure I'd probably like them better

[@SypherHS]

Thanks for all your time and effort spent in putting this video together! Great commentary and reasoning, I personally would have given DKC3 a bit more credit but it also depends on which game(s) you grew up with I guess (for you it's DKC:R). I agree on Tropical Freeze being the best, let's hope for a sequel and Kremling 'Komeback' one day. So coming up in 6 months - "Every Single Mario level Ranked" ? 😄

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks so much! I did really like dkc3, I do tend to be quite a harsh critic so I could have been a bit more lenient since I still really enjoyed it, definitely the most overhated game in the series! As for the Mario ranking, I did actually think about doing that, it would certainly be a massive undertaking. Way more levels to go through, I’d love to do something like that, I’m just kinda afraid to do it lol, although I do already have a list of Mario 1, lost levels, and Mario 3 levels ranked

[@fgyjgtuugtt872]

Hi! First-time classic Donkey Kong Country player here. I played Tropical Freeze a few years ago and absolutely loved it, and just a few days ago, I decided I'm going to try to play the classic trilogy on NSO in preparation for Returns HD. Do you have any tips and advice? Also, the video is wonderful! I'm still making my way through it, and admittedly skipping some parts to avoid spoiling myself, but I'm really enjoying watching it! Thank you for making this video!

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thanks so much for such a detailed comment! If I had one major bit of advice it’s that particularly in the first game there is a bit of a steep learning curve when you first start. The first world in dkc1 for example isn’t too bad, but when you get to the later levels some of them can be a bit unfair to a new player. The developers were still figuring out how to make a good donkey Kong game so there’s a few stinkers in there, but don’t be too discouraged if you reach a super annoying level, once you get the controls down the game becomes a lot easier! DKC2 is easily the hardest game in the series so watch out for some of the levels there. DKC3 is probably the easiest and has the smoothest difficulty curve too, the first two games can vary significantly in difficulty level to level. Just thought of this now too, going back to previous worlds in the second game is weird, you can’t just leave and go to the map, you either have to beat the world boss or pay funky to take you around. The collectibles work quite differently in the original trilogy to the modern games, for example you don’t need to get all the Kong letters to get extra levels, they just give you lives so unless you want 100% completion you don’t need to worry about them. In the second and third game you may want to collect kremcoins if you want to do the secret world, but if not there’s a dev code built in you can look up to get 99 of them immediately. Oh, and saving too, the save system especially in the first game sucks! It’s much easier just to use the NSO save states whenever you want to save, otherwise you’ll have to replay three or four levels to get back to where you were if you get a game over. The original games are similar to tropical freeze so you’ll definitely have an idea of what to expect, but there are a few differences particularly with the controls and obviously their age which you’ll find as you go through. Anyway, really glad you like video and good luck with the first three games! I found it really interesting playing all of them for the first time and seeing where one of my favourite video game series’ came from, so hopefully they’re just as good for you

[@fgyjgtuugtt872]

@OGAutismonaut Thank you so much! I really appreciate the advice! I started playing a few days ago, and just got to Poison Pond, and thought I might as well ask for advice before I go through the worst that DKC has to offer. Forgot to mention this in my previous comment, but your video was actually the tipping point to make me decide to play the classic DKC trilogy! I've been doing a bit of a retro Mario marathon, playing Super Mario Bros 1 (good), Lost Levels (bad), and Super Mario Advance 1 (great). Then I saw your video, watched some of it, and decided, "hey, this is great, but it'd be even better if I had context for anything other than Tropical Freeze" and decided to add the classic DKC games to my marathon. So thank you! I'm having lots of fun with DKC1 so far! With some exceptions, every level is fantastic! My favorite level so far is Oil Drum Alley. Also, sorry for all the questions, but should I also play the Donkey Kong Land games, since they're also on NSO, or should I skip them?

[@OGAutismonaut]

Wow, that means a lot hearing that my video made such an impression on you, thanks! Great to hear that you had a good time with the first game, personally I think the second one is even better. Unfortunately for the donkey Kong land games I actually haven’t played them so I’m not much help, as far as I know, they’re mostly very similar to the original games but with some different levels which from what other people have told me aren’t very good lol, although the first dk land does apparently feature the worst level in the series which does make me curious… They’re definitely not must plays or anything though. I really like oil drum alley too, I think I put it like in A tier or something, but this series is so good that every level up there is amazing. It actually sounds like you’ve been on a similar gaming progression to me, I also replayed all the old 2D mario games recently! Some of them like Mario land 2 I hadn’t played before so it was good to see where it holds up to the rest of the games. Maybe I’ll have to rank all of those at some point hmm… In the case that I do I’ll let you in on a quick preview and say that most of the lost levels stages wouldn’t rank very highly lol. Some other people don’t dislike poison pond as much as me so maybe it won’t be that bad for you, one can hope!

[@fgyjgtuugtt872]

@@OGAutismonaut Hi again! Thanks for replying to my second comment! I actually finished both the rest of DKC1 and Donkey Kong Land 1 since my last comment! Whoever told you that DKL1 has the worst level in the series was right. I counted at least two levels that were just Poison Pond But Even Worse, to say nothing of that one level in World 3 with some of the most infuriatingly designed platforms to exist. However, I did have fun with DKL1 overall! There were some really creative levels in there. My favorite was the one where you had to collect the KONG letters to form platforms using them. I'd love to see a ranking video from you on 2D Mario levels! And yeah, Lost Levels...isn't very good. At all. And as for Poison Pond itself, while it was pretty bad, it wasn't as terrible as I was expecting, though maybe that's just due to my copius usage of savestates and the rewind feature. If you'd like to hear more of my thoughts on DKL1, I'd be happy to share! Thank you for taking the time to reply to my previous comments, and I hope you have a great day!

[@OGAutismonaut]

I’m now extra curious to see the donkey Kong land levels I’ve never played, might have to give it a go when I get time! I’m probably going to do something shorter before I move on to the 2D Mario levels though because I’m not sure I’m mentally ready for such a massive undertaking at the moment lol, it’d probably end up being even longer than this one! I’ve been really busy with work for this past month, but hopefully over the Christmas break I’ll have some time to work on something. Responding to people’s comments is one of my favourite things about making videos, so sure if you feel like sharing more about your opinions on dk land I’d be happy to read them

[@chuckchuckington9244]

Finally a reviewer that’s in DK Returns gang

[@Paralellex]

I think one of the big reasons you had trouble with the third phase of Gangplank Galleon is that you didn't jump along with King K Rool during the attacks.

[@OGAutismonaut]

That’s probably true, I still think for a newer player with how quickly he jumps out of his laying down sprite it’s a really sudden change that’s quite hard to dodge

[@kirbyofthestarsfan]

Ehh I have fond memories of Poison Pond, I think it's pretty alright in concept to have a contaminated water level in the industrial world, I think it's got all the boring cave levels in Chimp Caverns beat by originality

[@OGAutismonaut]

I definitely agree about the originality aspect, I think the idea of a contaminated poison level is fundamentally good and better than most of the forgettable levels in the last world. The problem I have with poison pond is that I really don’t like the gameplay, all the off screen mincers and confusing layout wasn’t for me. But hey, if you liked it then more power to you!

[@mcchad6148]

Hi, newcomer to the DKC series. great video! by the way, which emulators did you use to play the DKC series? since I am looking to emulate the games one day.

[@OGAutismonaut]

Thank you! I just used the Nintendo switch online snes emulator, it’s pretty good for these games and it’s free if you have switch online, if not though I’m sure you can find some good ones for it online

[@mcchad6148]

@OGAutismonaut Thank you for the answer! I appreciate it.

[@TrainWreckYT]

I loterally just finished watching the dripp dropp ranking, saw this and was like "fuck it, let's go round again"

[@OGAutismonaut]

I’ve watched dripp dropps video like 3 times too lol, incredible video