Donkey Kong Bananza Emerald Rush (dunkview)
Scores
Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back >> in with the number to a con like this. A tree is like a little flea. How you going to hit me with a mold like this? When you can scour the map like a reverse carpet dress, I smell like dino that was taking a bath. You look like Hangle Winkle when he was having a laugh. Ember rush will never be surpassed. If you can clear this mold, then you deserve a full glass of orange juice like a deceased car drink to me this mold. You're going to have to sit and think. Think about the time you spent playing this game. Now think about my shoes and the ones from Max Pain. Basically, uh, you got to get the gold within the time limit. Prime limit, prime limits, all pushable. That's why I always call this team the untouchables. Cuz every game that they touch, they be turned to gold. How come all the gold is a different mode? >> It's a race around the world to a high five. No, you can't. You like Bambi from Strikeforce Bowling. Get the goat, get the juice, get the money. High five, quickie, cuz it's funny. Having that be one of the objectives is an objectively good gameplay design choice by the developers. And with that rap, I am now returning from being the most famous rapper in the world. I will never rap again because I only want to play Emerald Mode in Donkey Kong. Now this mode is like a man moment. You know what I'm saying? Like when I started playing this, I was like, man, man, this is awesome. Remember Pikmin 4 where after you beat the game you get the Alamar mode which kind of recreates Pikmin 1? This is like the super sized version of that where it kind of recontextualizes the entire game leading up to this as a tutorial for this mode. First game that they did was called Jungle Beat. Trick with that one is to keep the donkey off his feet to engage with the combo scoring system but in this one they giving you the breadcrumbs. 3D World did have a scoring system but no Srank. So how are people going to know how good I am? Sonic Team never abandoned scoring. Most of their maybe all their games have a scoring and rank system. It's something that I never cared about as a kid, but now that I'm old donkey, that's my favorite thing. I don't know why. I just want to get the highest biggest number scores and get every Srank that I can to see the Mario team come back to this arcadey high score format so powerfully with so much intent. It's like, man, they spent some serious time on this. It's like this is the game they wanted to make, but then Nintendo was like, "Okay, well, we but we can't sell this to people. We got to we got to make the sellable version of the game. That's Donkey Kong Bonanza. This is the unsellable version of the game for sickos only." In the base game, you get balloons, right, which encourage you to go for crazier jumps than you normally would. There's no reason to do this other than it's fun. In Emerald Mode, you are encouraged to play in the craziest manner. If you do something ridiculous, you will be celebrated as the donkey king. demands and rewards complete and total mastery of the game. You have to learn where every banana and fossil are. What's the fastest way to get them? What's the best route to take? And it's always morphing based on what perks and builds the game throws at you. Now, I will point out that it seems like I'm the only one who loves this DLC. It has like a 6 out of 10 critic rating. Nobody is happy about the price, but I guess it's more about what role do you think DLC should fill. Shadow of the tree is the highest rated DLC ever. But if you asked anyone who beat Elder Ring, "What does this game need?" Zero out of one million people would say, "Oh, it needs to be bigger and more dragons." I swear you fought that dragon in Elder Ring 300 times. And then in Shadow of the Earth Tree, they're like, "Buckle up, buddy. You're going to dragon island." You know what Elen Ring actually needed? A ranking system. Every time From Soft does a new Dark Soul, people say it's too hard. Elder Ring too hard. Erd Tree too hard. Silkong too hard. But with a ranking system, you could have the game be super duper easy. But then after a boss fight, little thing pops up like frank. That way, people who suck at the game can pretend like they're good, and people who are actually good can fight the boss 700 more times for the Srank. To me, Emerald Rush is like the missing puzzle pieces from Garfield Cart 2. It's exactly what this game needed. And check this out. ranking system. I got Vrank and then I looked up Donkey Kong Bonanza Vrank on YouTube and I could only find one other video of somebody getting the V rank. So, I think that I like this mode and I probably played it too much already. But now I got to get Vrank on every level though. Hey. Hey. Hey.
Summary
The video is a passionate review of Donkey Kong Bonanza's Emerald Rush DLC, praising it as a deep, mastery-focused mode that recontextualizes the base game as a tutorial, emphasizing scoring, ranks, and high-level play, despite its low critic reception and high price.
Key Points
- The speaker passionately defends Emerald Rush as the 'unsellable' but superior version of Donkey Kong Bonanza, designed for mastery and high scores.
- Emerald Rush is compared to a 'man moment' and a recontextualization of the base game, similar to how Pikmin 4's Alamar mode reinterprets the original.
- The mode encourages 'crazy' gameplay, rewarding players for mastering every banana and fossil location and optimizing routes based on perks.
- The speaker highlights the importance of a robust scoring and ranking system (like S-rank and V-rank), which they feel is missing from many modern games.
- They argue that a ranking system allows both casual players to feel competent and skilled players to pursue perfection, citing Dark Souls and Elden Ring as examples.
- Despite a 6/10 critic score and criticism of the price, the speaker believes Emerald Rush fills a crucial gap in Donkey Kong Bonanza, making it the game's true essence.
- The speaker notes they are likely the only one who loves this DLC, evidenced by the lack of V-rank videos online, suggesting it's a niche but deeply rewarding experience.
- They express a desire to achieve V-rank on every level, showcasing their dedication to mastering the mode.
Key Takeaways
- Consider how a game's core mechanics can be reinterpreted through DLC to create a deeper, mastery-focused experience.
- Implement a robust scoring and ranking system to cater to both casual and hardcore players, enhancing replay value.
- Look for games that offer a 'tutorial' mode that recontextualizes the base game, providing a deeper understanding of its mechanics.
- Appreciate that a game's most dedicated players might value features (like high scores and ranks) that are overlooked by critics or mainstream audiences.
- Recognize that a high price point doesn't necessarily equate to low quality; it may reflect a niche, high-effort experience.