All due respect to Kirby Star Allies, but with Tropical Freeze now on Switch, it has easily taken the crown of best 2D platformer on the console. It was a thrill to be able to play the game once more with a spot of extra polish and the addition of Funky Mode and Funky Kong. Funky’s inclusion is a solid way of making a hard game more approachable to a wider audience of players. The fact that he’s also a blast to experiment with for veteran players, too, speaks volumes about the competence of Retro Studios as a developer.

Funky mode aside, Tropical Freeze remains largely unchanged. Which means there aren't many reasons for Wii U owners to buy it. But it also means that Switch now has one of the best platformers ever made in its library.

Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze's addition of Funky Mode makes it more accessible without reducing the formidable platforming difficulty to a walk in the park. There's still a lot of challenge, even with the extra help Donkey’s Funky uncle affords. But the Switch version manages to take just enough of an edge off a punishing game to let the fun platforming outshine its difficulty.

Those that may have been turned off by the difficulty before can now feel free to jump in with Funky Mode, and the improvement to loading screens really does make a difference. It’s yet another strong checkmark on the list of growing titles Switch owner need to have.

I’m thrilled to see that Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has transitioned almost flawlessly over to the Switch.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is full of charm, attention to detail and variety. The level design is still the best that the genre has had in recent years. Compared to the absolutely ingenious and enormously beautiful Super Mario Odyssey or a Rayman Legends, the monkey band clearly loses out.

Considering all the amazing Wii U games still yet to come to the Nintendo Switch, I could have happily seen Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze moved much further back in the queue. It’s simply an average 2D platformer that doesn’t deliver the level of fun or excitement you’d expect from a Nintendo-exclusive title – particularly one featuring some of the company’s most iconic mascots.