As contentious as the Wii U’s software library might be, one thing it does not lack are quality 2D platformers. New Super Mario/Luigi Bros U, Rayman Legends and a wealth of e-Shop games offer both quality and quantity. So you can forgive the pessimism that greeted Donkey Kong and chums when Nintendo unveiled DKC: Tropical Freeze as Retro Studios' next big thing. But just as Reggie said at E3 in 2013, playing the games is a defining factor in assessing Wii U's software library.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze represents Retro Studios second foray into the DK universe and this is immediately apparent upon venturing back into the jungle. Building upon many of the elements found in Donkey Kong Country Returns on Wii, Tropical Freeze represents a bolder, further developed title adding new twists to pre-existing mechanics and themes. In some ways this is similar to the jump that Diddy's Kong-Quest had over the original SNES title.

In a similar vein to that classic sequel, Retro has brought back Dixie Kong, a cute female chimp and David Wise, the composer responsible for many of the classic tracks on the SNES. It is fair to say that both have had a positive impact, bringing both nostalgia and variety to the proceedings.

The story in Tropical Freeze is simple. DK, Diddy, Dixie and Cranky have to make their way back home after a new enemy called the Snowmads chill-blasts them from DK Island when turning their jungle home into a winter wonderland. The plot works well as a tool to provide new enemies and locales and it's refreshing to get away from DK Island again. The combination of ice and jungle is used well to create hazardous tricks and traps and the setup brings about a variety of levels, affording Retro the opportunity to flex their imaginations which can be seen in areas such as the Savannah and Fruit levels.

The Snowmads are Madagascar-esque (especially the penguins) in their humour and are varied, which allows for a variety of 2D obstacles and clever bosses to overcome. The new enemies exude character through wonderful design. Turtles with flying goggles, penguins shooting frozen fish and pigs that sneeze fire will bring a smile to any player whilst besting the Tiki enemies found in Returns. In fact, when you have seen the variety of excellently designed bosses, the Snowmads become 'nearly' as good as the Kremlings.

Traversing the world of Tropical Freeze feels like second nature as many of the mechanics found in Returns are back. The biggest change is the omission of the blowing move, instead replaced by a pull move. This keeps the pace in levels ticking over a little more than in DK:Returns as you don't have to stop, drop and blow suspicious looking background items any more. Retro has also added more sidekicks with Diddy, Dixie and Cranky added to the mix. DK barrels now rotate on some levels, offering you the chance to pick your sidekick. Each character offers something different with Diddy unchanged from Returns, Dixie bringing her hair-spin lift and Cranky offering his cane to bounce on dangerous ground. Underwater, each character has minor nuances too bringing a form of strategy to your character choice. It's a welcome addition, allowing for more varied play styles over its predecessor.

Underwater sections return, which would have been perfect for Enguarde the Swordfish, yet the swimming mechanics and control are pitch perfect allowing for tricky, rewarding underwater levels bringing a new ebb and flow to the adventure. This is noticeable in levels where you may be switching between surface and underwater sections which gives a denser, more natural feel to levels. Adding layers to levels seems to have been Retro's design spec in Tropical Freeze, as everything feels packed to the rafters with geometry. Owing to Retro's craft of 2D platforming, you only feel lost when scratching your head trying to find secret exits or jigsaw puzzles that are hidden with such cunning that you'll spend a huge amount of your time trying to 100% the game.

The offshoot of such a dense game seems to be loading issues when starting levels (sometimes taking over a minute to get from the game title screen to a level*), but when you see levels with six or seven layers of depth amongst a dynamic soundtrack switching effortlessly with sweeping synthesisers and bombastic trumpets, it becomes immediately apparent as to the work Retro has put in. Tropical Freeze comes in at a staggering 11GB yet it feels like every inch of that disk is full to the brim with detail.

Controls are also as slick as before with support for the Pro controller, Wii Controller and the Wi iU GamePad (with off-TV support but no touch screen implementation). I personally preferred the Pro Controller for that classic SNES feel, but for those who prefer the shake to roll setup found in Returns, all bases are covered. It is unfortunate Retro chose not to do anything with the GamePad though as there could have been opportunities for quicker map selection/fast travel or touch-based bonus games. Instead, what we have here is pure platforming from the off. This is classic 2D and when you are free-wheeling through a level, sliding above, below and around enemies, touch screen controls will be the last of your concerns.

And yet the difficulty, a bane of many gamers in the predecessor, has been tweaked for this sequel. Taking note of the improvements made to DKC: Returns on the 3DS, Retro has offered up a few more tools in Funky's shop making the game more manageable, yet not ruining the overall experience. Funky also allows gamers to buy collectible trophies ala Smash Bros. It's a nice touch and when you have bested the single player mode, the collect 'em all approach adds longevity thanks to the unlockable images/dioramas and other items seen in Returns. Retro has also put the time trial function of all levels online, further adding longevity to the single player mode.

Tropical Freeze also offers up some of the best gaming tunes I have heard in a long time. This becomes apparent when you hear the range of themes as Wise and the Retro sound design team have expertly woven in a wealth of content, which is no mean feat when you consider Retro's titles are clearly lighter in tone than Rare's. In a great nod to the past. Wise also plays on nostalgia, embedding classic motifs and tunes into the most unexpected places. Echoing the action on screen, the soundtrack is deep, ever-changing and dynamic, feeling organic and free-flowing which sits in alignment with what Tropical Freeze feels like to play. It all adds up to something truly special with one 'snowy' guitar-laden tune nailing my emotions on the years that have passed since Rare were sold. Truly magical.

DKC: Tropical Freeze is a cool blast, both alone or when playing with friends co-operatively. Retro has crafted a deep, challenging adventure with production values of the highest calibre. The Wii U may be struggling, but if Nintendo continues to put out titles as good as Tropical Freeze, gamers will find it hard to ignore the console.

* Update

This sentence has been updated to reflect the fact that the game can take a minute to load from the point of starting the game to when the level has loaded.  Apologies for anyone that interpreted it as meaning that it takes a minute to load each level.