Tropical Freeze is just okay. A big problem I have with modern 2D Nintendo platformers:
1. The levels are often too long.
2.. lack of play style variety. I am beholdened to the games design, not my own whims and play style and/or decision making.
3. Too many collectathons. DKC always had KONG blocks but now they've got puzzle pieces and all kinds of crap. I don't care and this fucks with the flow of the levels. In the past, Nintendo 2D platformers were based on the idea of exploration (think Mario World switch blocks) which required repeat visits and keen observation to fully unlock the entire world. Now Nintendo's idea of secrets in levels is giving a puzzle piece or some other brain dumb shit.
4. Lack of previous flexibility. In the past DKC games I don't like to play as Donkey. I like playing as Diddy and Trixie. Together, with better level design, this is why I prefer DKC2 over 1. But here I can only play as Donkey. All of the extra characters so far only serve to give donkey extra air time or jump higher. This ties into lack of play style variety.
5. These games are too slow. Tropical Freeze is faster than NSMBU but holy shit. Between the bloated collecting and more these games just feel like slogs.
I honestly think modern indie platformers like Celeste are better platformers than what Nintendo has been doing.
I've been waiting to play DKTF and NSMBU for years. People have said shit like," NSMBU is the best 2D Mario since Mario World" "Tropical Freeze is one of the best 2D platformers of all time!" But both are just okay in the case of NSMBU and just good in the case of DKCTF.
With all this, and given other praises for Wii U that I missed, I'm gonna assume Wii U may be the most overrated Nintendo console of all time at this point? People were really that starved for Nintendo games they called Tropical Freeze a GOAT.