1) I know I've been hinting the "worst golden bananas" video a lot! It releases tomorrow! 😁 2) I feel like I was so harsh to Crystal Caves! I'm sorry if it's your favorite world. But I'd love to hear why you love it! (or dislike it lol)
Crystal Caves definitely has its ups and downs but I always look forward to it because of that wonderful song, Hidden Waterfalls. It has to be my favorite song in the whole game. 😁
The big issue with the design of this map is that the colors look the same. It's all crystal blue and dirt brown/gray. Needs more visual stimulation to better separate the areas. The lava floor is a good idea. They even have a lava floor area in the portal area before entering this level. Why not put it in the main level?
Or maybe have different sections of the cave use different colors for the crystals. pink, green, yellow, etc. Would make each area a lot more memorable.
I love Crystal Caves personally but I gotta admit some of your redesign ideas sounds even better. Also that beetle should've never came back. Once was punishment enough.
Crystal Caves has always been one of my favorite worlds. Love the design, layout, music, the Armydillo rematch now with shell cannons, even the random attacks from the giant kosha just about everything about it. And the satisfaction when you finally unlock the warp to the giant Kosha is so worth the wait. The only real negatives I have with Crystal Caverns is the return of the beetle race, and the DK room in the igloo where you have to navigate the spinning spike maze.
It's like whenever he can't "see" you he stops, except the mechanic comes across like a seismic event rather than repeated attacks. I actually liked the "hurrying" urgency it added, just cause it was so unique. I'm glad it was removable and ONLY in one world though.
@@turntoyou It always annoyed me because it interrupts the song I love so much, so I always make taking him out my top priority when I get to that level.
The worst part is that you can’t jump out of the river. You have to swim halfway through the world to where the ledge is low enough to climb out of. I actually don’t mind the ice maze or diddy’s cabin, and the beatle race is difficult but it’s at least interesting. Saving the rabbit and dks rotating cabin are excellent golden bananas. The giant kosha is just annoying and, worst of all, there’s barely even a reward for beating it. No golden banana? Why?
So one of my little gripes about DK64 is how many Worlds felt like groups of big rooms strung together by arbitrary hallways; so Crystal Caves being built on one contiguous river felt like a nice change of pace. I agree with the criticism of the world as monotonous and easy to get lost in; I can vaguely recall how far up or down the river big landmarks are, but that's it. I think even a minor change like different colored crystals- cutting the world into a green/cyan ice near the igloo, the default color at the midpoint around level entrance, and a more indigo/violet/even magenta as we near the cabins and the waterfall would help. Very fond of the three floors design idea. The "Cave" part of Crystal Caves always felt like a kind of perfunctory bit tacked onto the ice theme, so lava flows would be a welcome dose of subterraneaniety.
I can agree with the river aspect! It makes sense on paper, I just wish it was a better method of travel. Cant see anything while swimming! Fully agreed with the color scheme. Little changes would have gone a long way!
And what makes it worse is the first time you get into a Lanky barrel, Squawks has to explain the ability to you while you have to stand still and the beetle builds up a lead...
Great review! I'm totally in synch with your opinion on this one and I really liked your redesign ideas. That said, Crystal Caves has my favourite level theme in this game... and that's pretty much the one thing that I really like about it lol and to make things worse, you can't even enjoy this peaceful melody for too long before the Kosha starts throwing rocks at you and you have to run for your melons. Overall, navigating this level is mostly frustrating, specially when you fall down in the river. Also, I can't understand how the beetle race gets that much hate from the fandom when that rotating maze with thorns is on the same level. It took me so so long to get that banana lol
Nah, that boss fights had me laughing as you destroy more and more of the armadillo's weapons and he keeps coming up with more attacks. Unlike the other reused boss fight this one feels like it builds upon the concept.
Totally agree. I kept forgetting that the waterfall acts as the bridge between the two major areas which made navigation very annoying. I like how each Kong gets a little golden banana challenge as an entrance to a building, and another as an entrance in the igloo but that framing is all I can give this place credit for
I love this world. but its for a different, non gameplay reason. i mean there are gameplay reasons, but its complicated. Me and my dad used to play this game together when i was little, and he used to get stuck a lot on certain aspects of the game. I remember him getting stuck a lot in this world particularly. we probably spent the most time in Crystal Caves than any other world. I also remember how cool it was that we returned to the section of the island that only got a single level in DKC. It's been probably 15 years since he and i played the game together, and that's an impossibility now that he's gone, so I've kind of gotten attached to the things and games i remember us playing or struggling on the most. Before he went i lent him our n64 to play this game on, but he had to stop due to his failing vision. This game, more than any other has a very particular place in my heart for that. I am actually in the middle of playing through the game again just for his sake, since he only passed away a couple months ago. i am not even past Aztec yet.
i think my favorite part of this world is the recent learning this was where you would activate the banjo kazooie ice key with stop and swop. plus i love the atmosphere of this stage.
Everyone's used to hearing people dunk on Gloomy Galleon but this video was really interesting in pointing out the flaws and disappointments in Crystal Caves. I also liked hearing your ideas of how to improve the stage instead of just pointing out the negatives 👍
Absolutely! Appreciate this note! 😄 while Crystal Caves and Gloomy Galleon are some of my least favorite worlds, I can see the charm! I would enjoy CC more with little changes!
As a kid this had a perfect level of adventure and mystery. It really started to feel like DK64 was heading towards the end of the game, but not quite there. Playing this recently, it is still my favorite level but there are tons of glaring issues that can't be ignored. The music for CC is incredible and really sells the vibe all the more!
I love the theme, both musically and visually. It feels like a crystaline cave that is somehow just cold enough to be icy as well without obnoxious sliding mechanics on all the thin bridges and platforms. The icicled wooden cabins, the frosty tomato trying not to freeze, the tinkly wintery sound font... I think the layout should have been improved for navigation cause you can't see landmarks when in the river ravine hardly at all. Also yes, there's some awfully penalizing golden bananas. But there's so much other stuff I love I still look forward to my visits here, much moreso than Gloomy Galleon. Just imo.
There’s so much to say about this level joe. I don’t think they came up with it in an hour, something this diabolical took time. I think the devs wanted to make a very hard level impossible to navigate through constant spikes from the ceiling. They wanted us to hate this level. But there’s something about that that I like it’s challenging and isn’t that what us gamers want? This world has grown on me, I used to hate it but now I give it a 6.5 out of 10 same as gloomy Galion there’s more good than bad.🩷🥂and the music SLAPS 🪷
At some point I recall one of the cabins being completely unbeatable because there was a GET OUT timer that was so low you would only have enough time to walk back out the door. I don't recal how much time, but it wasn't long enough to do anything.
Banana warp pads get two uses, getting around and getting a kong into a hard to reach places. Fungi and Castle dedicate all their warps to getting around and put all 5 in one location. If i recall correctly caves only uses 3 warps to get around, the other 2 are used for hard to reach places.
CC really feels like the "wrap it up" stage of the game. it throws every asset other levels had into one area and just doesn't do anything really good with it. As a kid I loved the atmosphere of this level with how pretty the crystals look along side the music. For some reason this world, despite being very dark and having water throughout did not scare me as a kid. Maybe its the fact that everything is so condensed there was no child like fear something would creep out of open areas? with kosha gone it was just a really peaceful area for child me. I genuinely hate the level layout, as it confuses the hell out of me with the dark fog effect it has. Even now, running randomizers its the level i get lost in most, or looping around on myself. I feel like this level had to of been one they either made first, or last second with how many repeat ideas are here, along side the fact it still had the banjo ice key cutscene programmed. so many things I just found pointless like how warp pads are put in some genuinely useless areas that would never need repeat use, making like 3 pads actually useful.
Crystal Caves the Dark Dank innards of The Gorilla Glacier Mountains of DK Isle K Rool is sick of the Kongs winning and sends his most dangerous minions into the Caves to turn it into a Labyrinthine Tomb for DK and his Friends (and In turn decides to take a quick Power nap) The Icy exteriors and Annoying outlines easily makes this the toughest challenge the Kongs have faced yet while this is gling on Snide notices a broken Barrel cannon underneath a Bolder just outside the Island and while he's unable to move it he IS able to use the power of Rareware to fix it knowing the Kongs are gonna need if they plan on storming the castle
I like the level for exaclty for what you hate it: The struggle to find orientation is what makes this level feel like a lost cavern system. Levels, at least not all, need to feel like you are navigating your home. QUite contrarily, especially levels representing large unknown natural assets should pose a decent challange to allow the feeling of being lost in an unpredictable environment. I remember how I was crushed by one of the falling stones and thrown into the river. In my attempt to find back to the grounds and visit Funky, I swam along the river and suddenly, I found Crancy? I was so confused and felt so lost, but loved it. I loved how I suddenly had to adjust to a new environment known that I won't be back as soon. At the same time I agree that the level feels overly empty. It certainly adds to the lonely atmosphere, but it gets kinda repetetiv. I like the idea of adding some layers. It is also the only world, if I remember correctly which has no sub area (the factroy doesn't either but the machine room is close enough). Having an entire layer for the Mini-Boss with some Golden Bananas instead of staunching them all into some repetetive huts, would be great. The idea of a Lava Layer would also surely add to some change and colors for the level and make for a good jump&run platforming worthy of the penultimate (normal) stage. Here, one may also disable the falling stones, giving the player to option to take a break, when the rocks get too frustrating. At the same time it would allow the use of new enemies; the walking flames f the Igloo. I never udnerstood why they aren't used except for the lack of fire levels in the game. But having these walking flames, some laval lakes beneath a water-fall, with some unique golden bananas to collect, is an awesome idea! Since the level is comparably small some teleports are staunched together. I think it was panel 4 which was just randomly on a rock in the midst of the river for no reason. The layers would increase the level's sie without expanding the frustrating part. In proportion to the rest of the level, the frustrating part would shrink without removing the possibility to expreience the "Lost and lonely" feeling entirely.
This is an interesting perspective! You've nailed it, this is accurate to a lost and lonely world. I guess I don't like being out of control 😅 Basic changes could go a long way! Slightly different colored crystals could help guide players. I think the game could definitely use more lava!
you know... i found this channel, subbed to it and now feel like replaying dk64. even tho i know i dont want to. its not bad but not good for me personally. i cant even fully rate these levels cause the later ones i dont remember much. crystal caves i just remember like the big club guy and the rotating house puzzle thing. which i both liked. but thats it lol
I'm not to fond of this world but I still enjoy playing through it. Part of the reason though is that I never ever go for 100% when I play through DK64 and so I can let myself ignore all of the bullshitty golden bananas.
I used to rush to the character selection barrel to avoid the falling rocks and even when your in the section you can still hear the rocks hitting the ground.
the tile puzzle is busted if you get super duper simian slam for lanky before attempting it. the animation takes way too long compared to what the ghost tomato can do. this is extremely evident on an emulator when the game runs at a higher frame rate and the in game timers all tick faster. the beetle rematch is also borked on emulation because it moves faster due to the higher frame rate, but is still beatable if you memorize a few things
I like crystal caves but I agree it is confusing and brutal at times. I liked the cabins and found them to be a good challenge. I hated the falling stalactites because they have unfair hotboxes and are too frequent, making it feel like you can't really explore and enjoy the level. So, I would make the first goal to kill the giant Krusha. Side note: looking down into the abyss from the third floor at the texture that looks like you are hundred of feet up was always unsettling to me as a kid.
Always felt the crystals needed to be different colors in different areas. It would help with navigation, as well as make each corner of the level have a more unique feel and spice.
Ahh Crystal Caves, the level that makes you sleep, not helped by its lullaby-like music. I remember my late brother never made it to this world, so I asked him to guess what the 6th level was called and he said it was "Mega Death Ray Island". Yeah... 2000s starting meant edgy trends. Anyways we rented this game from Rogers Video (because I'm Canadian) and didn't get there. When we finally bought the game, I finally made it to Crystal Caves. It was... disappointing even back then. Crystal Caves really could have used a more memorable design besides just rocks and igloos. I don't think Rare realized that a cave can be more than just rocks. They could have had wooden walkways, or lichen moss encrusted areas. Maybe even throw in some ferns and giant mushrooms too. I like the idea of the floors and lava, maybe giving the level a subtle feel that you're descending into the Cthulhu's realm the deeper you go. That would have made for better navigation. The cabins could feel more like abandoned prospector's huts and all too, not like they couldn't do that in Glitter Gulch Mine in Tooie. Oh and when I asked my late brother to guess what the 7th world was (we were looking at K. Lumsy's locks to deduce how many levels there are) he said it was "Super Mega Death Ray Island".
The ONLY good saving grace is, when you kill the giant Kosha, he will not respawn, thus ending the Ceiling fiasco whenever you come back/play the rest of the level. but I wish the Crystals were color coded for an easier time remembering things.
@ watching this video made me stressed 😅😅 as an adult I don’t think I can play this game. Way too tedious and bad backtracking designs.. but I do enjoy watching others play or go back to talk about it 👍🏼
I agree with you that Crystal Caves kind of feels like a throw away level. I mean, heck, I have played other games on my N64 that have Crystal Caves as a level name. It's not exactly an original idea. Like, how are bats more of an issue in other levels than this one, when it's literally a cave? I mean, Ocarina of Time released before this game, yet some of the basic ideas in the Ice Cavern couldn't be used here? The igloos were thematic, but the cabins felt like a cop out. Of all the levels to not have tunnels, you choose the cave level? Even Creepy Castle had tunnels, when they could have made it nothing but rooms in a castle. Crystal Caves just feels so incongruent and slapped together. I know bosses and enemies aren't exactly a strong point of this game in general, but not a single enemy that shoots crystal or ice shards at you, or anything that potentially freezes you? These are such basic ideas common in so many other games that for them not to exist in this level, this entire level had to be an afterthought and not intended. I also remember this level always having the most poorly placed tag barrels. They were never central to an area, always in a weird corner somewhere. I also think that the platforming in this level is way more emphasized than basically any other level. Before this, the game honestly has very little platforming beyond just a few individual golden bananas. Then you get to this level and the entire level is platforming. With the Kosha. To use Ocarina of Time as an example again, the part of Death Mountain Trail with falling rocks and the part with precise platforming at high heights are not the same part. Because combining those two things is really annoying. There's no reason why Crystal Caves couldn't have done things similarly. My last point about why I dislike this level is how empty it is. There is no reason for the level to be as empty as it is. The distances between things are frankly unreasonably large for how much you actually get. There's parts of this level where you can stand in one spot, unpaused, for like 10 minutes and nothing happen to you (excluding the Kosha). In this game, that's super unusual. This entire level could be condensed to an area the size of the owl tree area in Forest with absolutely no losses. Caves should be dense and constricting, not big open spaces. I guess in summary, I wish they put more thought into this level like it feels the other levels all had.
Fully agree with you! I want to learn more about the development of this world. It just sticks out from the rest. It needs to be condensed, like you said
tbh i like this world the only thing that confused me in my last playthrough was how to access the giant in this game to stop the doom effect. also this level reminds me of the cave levels in dkc1 :)
I can't describe the amount of rage I felt trying to cross that moving maze to get dk's banana. They didn't have to make it that hard by making the player lose a whole watermelon just because they touched the spiky wall. Idek how many times I had to redo that part and how much I hated it more and more each time I had to restart again. Seriously f* that golden banana!
Don't understand at 2:12 and 3:16, why you bother with certain things like Lanky's Balloon body during the same time the big Kosher baddie attacking moves. Or was that off guard?
So, I didn’t know that Koshas could be killed in the way shown in this video. I always thought it had to be music or using the long b move for the shockwave. Both of those are instant kills too.
Crystal Cave’s map isn’t too hard to navigate when I keep in mind that the east end has the cabin and the west has the igloo. What makes it hard to navigate are all the elevated areas as it’s easy to fall off them and some look the same making them hard to keep track off. This level always has my anxiety high though. As soon as I have access to it, I’m rushing to find the giant Kosha to stop the earthquakes. That was a horrible piece of design. Why did they have to make that guy so hard to find?
I'm going to keep this in mind! Yeah it's really silly how difficult it is to find the Kosha. It's like they couldn't think of a warp pad ability for Tiny, so they made this
I understand the criticism toward the level, and I will not deny any of them. Me personally, I still love this level, it's just above Fungi Forest as my favorite level in this game. Tbh, it solely comes down to the aesthetics and music present throughout the level. Shallow reasoning, but sometimes it really is as simple as that.
That stupid spiked ice maze in this level always will be the bane of my existence. That thing takes a whole melon slice from you and it's REAL easy to hit. I am not sure why they didn't just put a Strong Kong barrel there they have no problem putting that over quicksand that does a quarter melon of damage each time.
Not one of my favorite levels, but I do enjoy the music and atmosphere. I always hate having to do Diddy's cabin and Donkey's Igloo. I always thought of the giant Kosha as the mini boss for the level even though it goes down like a normal one. I think i like the beetle rematch over the one in angry aztec.
Maybe the real question here is “Why doesn’t the spiky maze have Donkey’s Power Barrel outside the maze?” I mean this particular scenario clearly is what Strong Kong is designed for.
@@superjoebros64 also, you don’t actually need to use Diddy’s Barrel to get to the Banana Port Pad, you can use Tiny and follow the purple bananas in the water, it would certainly save you on Crystal Coconuts.
Crystal Caves should've been a great opportunity to bring back Skiddas, Lemguins and other winter inspired enemies back into the DK world. But not, it had to be more Zingers, Koshas and copies of copies of copies.
Crystal Caves was a nightmare for me during the childhood, but now today when I know where every main areas are, I can finally play this level with a smile on my face. Sure it has a few difficult Golden Bananas like the second beetle juice.... I mean beetle race. 😅 I've played this game for over 20 years. I'm over 30. And I still haven't completed that race yet. Not a single time ever. I feel so ashamed. Anyway, one idea that I think would be great, was if they changed the boss completely instead of a Army Dillo round 2. I don't know what kind of boss that would fit. Maybe a cave troll or a crystal golem. Whoever the boss is, it's also the boss who's bashing on the ceiling to make the rocks fall. In other words, if you kill the boss, then it will be peace & quiet. ✌😁
Looking forward to the worst golden banana video. That’s gonna be a good one. As far as Crystal Caves is concerned. I definitely see a lot of its flaws. It’s definitely one of the weaker worlds of the game. I still don’t hate it though. It’s got a unique charm that most of the worlds don’t have, even though everything you mentioned in the video is rather frustrating. The beetle race is definitely the worst in the entire world, potentially in the entire game. Also using Tiny’s pad to get access to the giant Kosha feels super rewarding. Defeating that bastard really makes the world a lot more enjoyable. Again, I don’t hate the world, but I can’t say it’s one of my favorites. It’s definitely hard to navigate, several difficult golden banana challenges, and the giant Kosha with falling debris make CC a pretty underwhelming world. Part of me still likes it though. So I’ll never actually hate it.
Another thing that really bothers me about this level is the lack of reward for beating the giant kosha. When I finally reached the guy who has been making my life hell for the past hour, I was expecting a large reward for beating him. Something to open in the world or even a golden banana, but you get nothing. The only “reward” is that the ceiling no longer comes falling down, but removing something negative is not a reward to me. It should’ve given you something positive. Great video though
Good video! This is probably my least favorite level in the game, too. Granted, I _love_ the atmosphere and music, but I don't like much else about it. For me, it just has a confusing level layout and some of my least favorite Golden Banana challenges in the game. I despise that timed challenge in Diddy's room in the cabin and also can't stand that rotating ice maze for Donkey. Though, the thing that always drives me absolutely mad are the constant quakes every now and then. I remember having a huge sigh of relief when I finally found and defeated the giant Kosha the first time I played through this level.
Them recycling Armydillo as the boss of this level was more disappointed then anything cuz we already fought dogadon twice up to this point and rare is just like.. hey guys here is a another got damn boss you fought already!!! But man crystal caves music is fucking amazing though
I love the music and Crystal caves! The Diddy Kong cabin golden banana was one of the toughest in the game outside of creepy castle Beaver bother. but I still enjoy this level although I agree it is the worst in the game.
The best golden banana in this level is the one that gives Chunky the opportunity to blow up the rabbit 😈 I've played this game for countless hours and for a lot of years and I somehow ALWAYS get lost in this level. It's mind boggling. It doesn't seem that complicated.
@@superjoebros64 to be honest, my favorite part of it is the boss fight. sure, it's a reuse of the army dillo, but it's an amazing re-use. Instead of just tossing him at you again and giving him more hits with the same pattern, or just giving him 1 new attack to spam, they gave him plenty of awesome new attacks to keep you on your toes, just like dogadon. I feel like it's a great boss fight, especially the arena it takes place in. the crystals on the side of the wall giving a quaint beauty to the arena, the darkened walls giving a foreboding sense of dread, and the slow reveal of army dillo coming into view after the cutscene shows him being rebuilt. It gives me goosebumps seeing it
@ for sure! I’m probably blinded by nostalgia for DK64 cuz I replayed it Christmas morning as a kid the day before we opened our PS2 as a gift. Great memories 🥲
Dude as much as I enjoyed the last level, Fungi Forest a lot more, didn't we also had to fight the Dragon like boss again? Just because it's a better area, that doesn't mean it should get away with certain things.
The thing is, to me, it's a really good boss rematch. And with a new Kong. Refighting Army dillo didn't feel all that different. Felt like an almost direct copy and paste
Crystal Caves definitely feels like a hodgepodge of unrelated elements from other parts of the game with an unfinished environmental design leading to the “same-y” feeling everywhere has. I feel like the DK64 team had a lot of plans for Crystal Caves that just didn’t pan out for whatever reason, but the Tim Stamper“add more stuff to collect!” constant mandate held them in a bind where they couldn’t simply cut the level. If the ice key was supposed to be used here as evidence points to, combined with the ice castle, the fire enemies, and Kirkhopes signature “ice tinging” sound in the stages music… I’d venture to guess it was originally intended as an ice cave level before eventually being converted to a more generic cave to accommodate the aforementioned hodgepodge elements and the end result unfortunately is just an overall “eh” experience.
I too am conflicted with crystal caves. I do like many things like the music and the visuals are creative like the log cabins and igloos. I'm mixed on the challenges. Some I like and some want to tear my hair out (mainly sliding beetle and a particular Diddy cabin section especially). Was not a fan of dealing with the falling stalactites and dealing with the giant Kosha. I make sure I deal with him immediately to avoid that hassle. The rematch fight with Armydillo I didn't like as much as Dodagon. It's fine sure but still not one of my favorite bosses. So yeah I'm mixed with crystal caves overall.
As interesting as a few of the places of interest can be, I really hate the placement of the world. I've always thought you had to get Diddy's jetpack to access it because I've failed to ponytail twirl there as Tiny. There's a lot of cases where I've also been lost in the caves from falling down, interrupting my progress wherever I was before. Yeah, I really don't like this place. I tried to skip it and go straight to Creepy Castle, but there was still a bunch of abilities I needed to unlock from Cranky...
The giant Kosha should've just been removed. Your first impression of the world is spoiled due to the constant tone whiplash between serene, mysterious cave and manic peril. I'd have at least restricted the falling stalagmites to a single, faraway portion of the world, rather than its entirety.
CC is my favourite world in DK64. I just love the combination of the sound track and the asthetics. I dont mind the layout. I love the challenge it provides. But your change to three floors sounds gread. Especially bc the hub world includs a lava section
Wait, this isn’t the first world you visit? Also, it feels like Donkey Kong’s igloo was supposed to have a Strong Kong Barrel in it, but they just forgor.
Idk I love this place is not to big, i usually divide it into 3 pieces the middle, the igloo, and the cavern and it makes it easier, i start by the igloo go to middle and last the caverns and boom im out of the place
CC a straight forward level, and the layout doesn't bother me much. The big kosha was hard to find the first time, but now i just take him out in the first 10 mintues and call it a day. I can tolerate backtracking in this game, but fungi took it to an unnecessary extreme. Although fungi is a more creative level... The atmosphere and music in CC is a stand out. I enjoy this level now. heck I even had a dream about it where my friends and I were swimming in the water, and it was warm for some reason lol. In my top 3 levels in this game along with castle, and aztec ua-cam.com/video/X-C5ug_-u-8/v-deo.htmlsi=hiFA0ZnhQp5S6edf
An I love Crystal Caves. While I know it’s definitely not the best designed world. (I think I wrote about this in your original world ranking video lol.) I agree with everything you said here. It’s definitely not the best. But I still personally love it. My second fav world after Fungi Forest. But anyone who doesn’t like it is completely understandable.
I do like the crystal caves but there can be some improvement. Also I'm not a fan of the recycled boss. It could have been a fresh new boss like a giant ice crystal monster or something like that.
Note: player shown here was not patient and couldn't wait until the spikes dropped. Yes it may just be for a half minute, but it's still safer to get to a safe spot first. Why use Oranges to kill the wannabe miniboss? My memories are telling me to instrument nuke it! Unless they're lying. Note 2: Player shown here has not obtained homing ammo to make Diddy's House check a cinch.
hey there, the footage captured was to show every aspect of the world and its challenges. I've been playing this game for 25 years, I know to wait for the spikes, best practices for the giant Kosha, and obtaining the homing ammo. But that doesn't remove the fact that this is a bad world.
Crystal Caves is my favorite level lol 😅 I just hate the Kosha so every time I replay it I go straight to kill it so it despawns forever and I can enjoy the level
what are you using to record video? Your "raw" footage is far too dark. Your 40% brightness increase looks exactly as my playthroughs have always looked.
Crystal Caves has amazing music and that's about it. Bland grey fugly slopped together world with retread boss on top of it. The giant kosha mayhem at the start is garbage and ive always likened it to Banjo Tooie's Hailfire Peaks which has both dragons and is handled way better. The kosha is cryptic and ruins what ought to be a nice calming tonal shift from most of the game. Chili Billy and Chilly willy are dynamic, interesting, and easy to find so you naturally eliminate the imminent threat. As you aptly put it, "feels like it was put together in an hour" ugh this level and angry aztec drag this game down for me. Thankfully there's plenty to love elsewhere
1) I know I've been hinting the "worst golden bananas" video a lot! It releases tomorrow! 😁
2) I feel like I was so harsh to Crystal Caves! I'm sorry if it's your favorite world. But I'd love to hear why you love it! (or dislike it lol)
Crystal Caves definitely has its ups and downs but I always look forward to it because of that wonderful song, Hidden Waterfalls. It has to be my favorite song in the whole game. 😁
Yeah I guess he is more annoying then the rabbit. 🪲 🐇
The big issue with the design of this map is that the colors look the same. It's all crystal blue and dirt brown/gray. Needs more visual stimulation to better separate the areas. The lava floor is a good idea. They even have a lava floor area in the portal area before entering this level. Why not put it in the main level?
Seriously! It's almost there. Lava would have been a welcomed addition
Or maybe have different sections of the cave use different colors for the crystals. pink, green, yellow, etc. Would make each area a lot more memorable.
Why tf do all the bad worlds have such great music
dang that's a great point. They pass the vibes check with atmosphere and music lol
Grant kirkhope was good at his job
Honestly I’ve never been that big a fan of Gloomy Galleon’s theme…
Yea, this theme is so good. Dk music in general is amazing.
What about Creepy Castle? personally, I think its the best music of the game, and you cannot say its a bad level :D
I love Crystal Caves personally but I gotta admit some of your redesign ideas sounds even better. Also that beetle should've never came back. Once was punishment enough.
it's worth a shot, right?? I think an improve layout would win me over.
Lol F that beetle
Crystal Caves has always been one of my favorite worlds. Love the design, layout, music, the Armydillo rematch now with shell cannons, even the random attacks from the giant kosha just about everything about it. And the satisfaction when you finally unlock the warp to the giant Kosha is so worth the wait. The only real negatives I have with Crystal Caverns is the return of the beetle race, and the DK room in the igloo where you have to navigate the spinning spike maze.
The challenges in this world are very humbling haha
You can actually interrupt the giant Kosha’s stalactite rain by jumping into a tag barrel. For some reason doing so stops it prematurely.
It's like whenever he can't "see" you he stops, except the mechanic comes across like a seismic event rather than repeated attacks. I actually liked the "hurrying" urgency it added, just cause it was so unique. I'm glad it was removable and ONLY in one world though.
@@turntoyou It always annoyed me because it interrupts the song I love so much, so I always make taking him out my top priority when I get to that level.
Honestly I totally forgot about this technique! I definitely did it a lot 20 years ago
Not my favorite world in the game but definitely my favorite song
I agree! The music here is so solid
The worst part is that you can’t jump out of the river. You have to swim halfway through the world to where the ledge is low enough to climb out of.
I actually don’t mind the ice maze or diddy’s cabin, and the beatle race is difficult but it’s at least interesting. Saving the rabbit and dks rotating cabin are excellent golden bananas.
The giant kosha is just annoying and, worst of all, there’s barely even a reward for beating it. No golden banana? Why?
Yeah the river bothers me so much! It's such a hassle if you fall!
So bizarre there's no reward for beating the Kosha
So one of my little gripes about DK64 is how many Worlds felt like groups of big rooms strung together by arbitrary hallways; so Crystal Caves being built on one contiguous river felt like a nice change of pace.
I agree with the criticism of the world as monotonous and easy to get lost in; I can vaguely recall how far up or down the river big landmarks are, but that's it. I think even a minor change like different colored crystals- cutting the world into a green/cyan ice near the igloo, the default color at the midpoint around level entrance, and a more indigo/violet/even magenta as we near the cabins and the waterfall would help.
Very fond of the three floors design idea. The "Cave" part of Crystal Caves always felt like a kind of perfunctory bit tacked onto the ice theme, so lava flows would be a welcome dose of subterraneaniety.
I can agree with the river aspect! It makes sense on paper, I just wish it was a better method of travel. Cant see anything while swimming!
Fully agreed with the color scheme. Little changes would have gone a long way!
@superjoebros64 just realizing they could have had Engarde here to traverse the river and feeling very normal about it
The beetle is hands down the worst banana in the game. His laugh would make me so mad when I was a kid
Only one I hated more was either the beaver bother or fly mini game on end game difficulty
And what makes it worse is the first time you get into a Lanky barrel, Squawks has to explain the ability to you while you have to stand still and the beetle builds up a lead...
The way that the beetle is first seen in world 2, and we go a looong time forgetting about him, it just feels so cruel haha
Here we go 🍿
of course your the first comment millscolin xD
HERE- HERE- HERE WE GO! 🍌🐒
The "get out" voice is Krosshair, and there's an unused robot in some DKC3 artwork believed to be him
Love this!
Great review! I'm totally in synch with your opinion on this one and I really liked your redesign ideas. That said, Crystal Caves has my favourite level theme in this game... and that's pretty much the one thing that I really like about it lol and to make things worse, you can't even enjoy this peaceful melody for too long before the Kosha starts throwing rocks at you and you have to run for your melons. Overall, navigating this level is mostly frustrating, specially when you fall down in the river. Also, I can't understand how the beetle race gets that much hate from the fandom when that rotating maze with thorns is on the same level. It took me so so long to get that banana lol
Happy to hear the redesign has people interested! That Kosha is throwing rocks like every 30 or 40 seconds, it's crazy
Nah, that boss fights had me laughing as you destroy more and more of the armadillo's weapons and he keeps coming up with more attacks.
Unlike the other reused boss fight this one feels like it builds upon the concept.
3:33 Mini boss fight? Just play your instrument lol
Ugh I know. It COULD have made for a good mini boss fight
Best level theme in the game. Though the Get Out Guy was terrifying to me as a kid in this world.
Made a good comeback 😂 hasn't expecting it at all
Totally agree. I kept forgetting that the waterfall acts as the bridge between the two major areas which made navigation very annoying. I like how each Kong gets a little golden banana challenge as an entrance to a building, and another as an entrance in the igloo but that framing is all I can give this place credit for
Agreed! I'd love to see the waterfall be more helpful with landmarks
I love this world. but its for a different, non gameplay reason. i mean there are gameplay reasons, but its complicated.
Me and my dad used to play this game together when i was little, and he used to get stuck a lot on certain aspects of the game. I remember him getting stuck a lot in this world particularly. we probably spent the most time in Crystal Caves than any other world. I also remember how cool it was that we returned to the section of the island that only got a single level in DKC.
It's been probably 15 years since he and i played the game together, and that's an impossibility now that he's gone, so I've kind of gotten attached to the things and games i remember us playing or struggling on the most. Before he went i lent him our n64 to play this game on, but he had to stop due to his failing vision.
This game, more than any other has a very particular place in my heart for that. I am actually in the middle of playing through the game again just for his sake, since he only passed away a couple months ago. i am not even past Aztec yet.
Thank you for sharing this story 🙂 what a great memory!
i think my favorite part of this world is the recent learning this was where you would activate the banjo kazooie ice key with stop and swop. plus i love the atmosphere of this stage.
Great point!! Wasn't all that aware at the time, still learning new things about Banjo
@@superjoebros64 that a detail i learned recently myself.
Everyone's used to hearing people dunk on Gloomy Galleon but this video was really interesting in pointing out the flaws and disappointments in Crystal Caves. I also liked hearing your ideas of how to improve the stage instead of just pointing out the negatives 👍
Absolutely! Appreciate this note! 😄 while Crystal Caves and Gloomy Galleon are some of my least favorite worlds, I can see the charm! I would enjoy CC more with little changes!
As a kid this had a perfect level of adventure and mystery. It really started to feel like DK64 was heading towards the end of the game, but not quite there. Playing this recently, it is still my favorite level but there are tons of glaring issues that can't be ignored. The music for CC is incredible and really sells the vibe all the more!
I couldn't imagine this world without the perfect music!
I've been addicted to your DK64 videos, so excited for a new one. :D
Thank you so much!! I'm really happy you're enjoying this series 😄🍌🐒
If Gloomy Galleon is the jerk who's proud of it, Crystal Caves is the jerk who isn't.
😂 well said!
I love the theme, both musically and visually. It feels like a crystaline cave that is somehow just cold enough to be icy as well without obnoxious sliding mechanics on all the thin bridges and platforms. The icicled wooden cabins, the frosty tomato trying not to freeze, the tinkly wintery sound font...
I think the layout should have been improved for navigation cause you can't see landmarks when in the river ravine hardly at all. Also yes, there's some awfully penalizing golden bananas. But there's so much other stuff I love I still look forward to my visits here, much moreso than Gloomy Galleon. Just imo.
Well said! I think some basic redesigns could really turn this world around for me. It absolutely has the potential!
Another awesome one
heck yeah 🍌🐒
There’s so much to say about this level joe. I don’t think they came up with it in an hour, something this diabolical took time. I think the devs wanted to make a very hard level impossible to navigate through constant spikes from the ceiling. They wanted us to hate this level. But there’s something about that that I like it’s challenging and isn’t that what us gamers want? This world has grown on me, I used to hate it but now I give it a 6.5 out of 10 same as gloomy Galion there’s more good than bad.🩷🥂and the music SLAPS 🪷
😂😂😂 you make a great point haha
I like the world but I don't like playing it, if that makes sense haha
At some point I recall one of the cabins being completely unbeatable because there was a GET OUT timer that was so low you would only have enough time to walk back out the door. I don't recal how much time, but it wasn't long enough to do anything.
So brutal
@@superjoebros64 Yeah, it was pretty terrifying too.
Banana warp pads get two uses, getting around and getting a kong into a hard to reach places. Fungi and Castle dedicate all their warps to getting around and put all 5 in one location.
If i recall correctly caves only uses 3 warps to get around, the other 2 are used for hard to reach places.
That sounds right to me! Definitely more of a fan of the "get around" kind haha
Imagine if they designed the world after the slide's ice castle aesthetic, and designed the slide after the world's crystal cave aesthetic instead
Honestly that would be really cool. It really feels like it's missing an element
CC really feels like the "wrap it up" stage of the game. it throws every asset other levels had into one area and just doesn't do anything really good with it. As a kid I loved the atmosphere of this level with how pretty the crystals look along side the music. For some reason this world, despite being very dark and having water throughout did not scare me as a kid. Maybe its the fact that everything is so condensed there was no child like fear something would creep out of open areas? with kosha gone it was just a really peaceful area for child me.
I genuinely hate the level layout, as it confuses the hell out of me with the dark fog effect it has. Even now, running randomizers its the level i get lost in most, or looping around on myself.
I feel like this level had to of been one they either made first, or last second with how many repeat ideas are here, along side the fact it still had the banjo ice key cutscene programmed. so many things I just found pointless like how warp pads are put in some genuinely useless areas that would never need repeat use, making like 3 pads actually useful.
this is such a great way to describe the world! "wrap it up" 😂
Crystal Caves the Dark Dank innards of The Gorilla Glacier Mountains of DK Isle K Rool is sick of the Kongs winning and sends his most dangerous minions into the Caves to turn it into a Labyrinthine Tomb for DK and his Friends (and In turn decides to take a quick Power nap) The Icy exteriors and Annoying outlines easily makes this the toughest challenge the Kongs have faced yet while this is gling on Snide notices a broken Barrel cannon underneath a Bolder just outside the Island and while he's unable to move it he IS able to use the power of Rareware to fix it knowing the Kongs are gonna need if they plan on storming the castle
I like the level for exaclty for what you hate it: The struggle to find orientation is what makes this level feel like a lost cavern system. Levels, at least not all, need to feel like you are navigating your home. QUite contrarily, especially levels representing large unknown natural assets should pose a decent challange to allow the feeling of being lost in an unpredictable environment.
I remember how I was crushed by one of the falling stones and thrown into the river. In my attempt to find back to the grounds and visit Funky, I swam along the river and suddenly, I found Crancy? I was so confused and felt so lost, but loved it. I loved how I suddenly had to adjust to a new environment known that I won't be back as soon.
At the same time I agree that the level feels overly empty. It certainly adds to the lonely atmosphere, but it gets kinda repetetiv. I like the idea of adding some layers. It is also the only world, if I remember correctly which has no sub area (the factroy doesn't either but the machine room is close enough). Having an entire layer for the Mini-Boss with some Golden Bananas instead of staunching them all into some repetetive huts, would be great. The idea of a Lava Layer would also surely add to some change and colors for the level and make for a good jump&run platforming worthy of the penultimate (normal) stage. Here, one may also disable the falling stones, giving the player to option to take a break, when the rocks get too frustrating.
At the same time it would allow the use of new enemies; the walking flames f the Igloo. I never udnerstood why they aren't used except for the lack of fire levels in the game. But having these walking flames, some laval lakes beneath a water-fall, with some unique golden bananas to collect, is an awesome idea!
Since the level is comparably small some teleports are staunched together. I think it was panel 4 which was just randomly on a rock in the midst of the river for no reason. The layers would increase the level's sie without expanding the frustrating part. In proportion to the rest of the level, the frustrating part would shrink without removing the possibility to expreience the "Lost and lonely" feeling entirely.
This is an interesting perspective! You've nailed it, this is accurate to a lost and lonely world. I guess I don't like being out of control 😅
Basic changes could go a long way! Slightly different colored crystals could help guide players. I think the game could definitely use more lava!
you know... i found this channel, subbed to it and now feel like replaying dk64. even tho i know i dont want to. its not bad but not good for me personally.
i cant even fully rate these levels cause the later ones i dont remember much.
crystal caves i just remember like the big club guy and the rotating house puzzle thing. which i both liked. but thats it lol
Who knows, you might find yourself itching to play more after this! 😁
I'm not to fond of this world but I still enjoy playing through it. Part of the reason though is that I never ever go for 100% when I play through DK64 and so I can let myself ignore all of the bullshitty golden bananas.
I can also admit it's a huge difference once the Kosha is knocked out haha. More pleasant world
I used to rush to the character selection barrel to avoid the falling rocks and even when your in the section you can still hear the rocks hitting the ground.
I did this a long time ago! It's been awhile since I've done this
the tile puzzle is busted if you get super duper simian slam for lanky before attempting it.
the animation takes way too long compared to what the ghost tomato can do.
this is extremely evident on an emulator when the game runs at a higher frame rate and the in game timers all tick faster.
the beetle rematch is also borked on emulation because it moves faster due to the higher frame rate, but is still beatable if you memorize a few things
I didn't even think about this. Wow
Ngl, I'm looking forward for the Creepy Castle review :D
I think you'll like it! 😁
I like crystal caves but I agree it is confusing and brutal at times. I liked the cabins and found them to be a good challenge. I hated the falling stalactites because they have unfair hotboxes and are too frequent, making it feel like you can't really explore and enjoy the level. So, I would make the first goal to kill the giant Krusha.
Side note: looking down into the abyss from the third floor at the texture that looks like you are hundred of feet up was always unsettling to me as a kid.
Totally agree with you! It's pretty freaky how high up that kosha room feels
One word that summarizes this world is: Stressful
Yes 😂
Always felt the crystals needed to be different colors in different areas. It would help with navigation, as well as make each corner of the level have a more unique feel and spice.
Agreed! That'd make a huge difference
Ah, we have finally reached the "with some flaws here and there" part of the intro.
😂😂😂 we've come full circle haha
Ahh Crystal Caves, the level that makes you sleep, not helped by its lullaby-like music. I remember my late brother never made it to this world, so I asked him to guess what the 6th level was called and he said it was "Mega Death Ray Island". Yeah... 2000s starting meant edgy trends. Anyways we rented this game from Rogers Video (because I'm Canadian) and didn't get there. When we finally bought the game, I finally made it to Crystal Caves. It was... disappointing even back then.
Crystal Caves really could have used a more memorable design besides just rocks and igloos. I don't think Rare realized that a cave can be more than just rocks. They could have had wooden walkways, or lichen moss encrusted areas. Maybe even throw in some ferns and giant mushrooms too. I like the idea of the floors and lava, maybe giving the level a subtle feel that you're descending into the Cthulhu's realm the deeper you go. That would have made for better navigation. The cabins could feel more like abandoned prospector's huts and all too, not like they couldn't do that in Glitter Gulch Mine in Tooie.
Oh and when I asked my late brother to guess what the 7th world was (we were looking at K. Lumsy's locks to deduce how many levels there are) he said it was "Super Mega Death Ray Island".
Super Mega Death Ray Island sounds so intense 😂 I can only imagine what this world would be like if more time was spent designing it, idk
There is a sadness and beauty to this world. I really love the atmosphere
Agreed!
Lanky slide was my final golden banana to get to 201, finally got it 20 years later
Holy crap that's rough! Glad you finally got it!
The ONLY good saving grace is, when you kill the giant Kosha, he will not respawn, thus ending the Ceiling fiasco whenever you come back/play the rest of the level. but I wish the Crystals were color coded for an easier time remembering things.
Agreed!
Krusha’s name is an onomatopoeia for crush you lol, not cusha
The music reminds me of when Homer entered the 3D world from the Treehouse of Horror series.
As a kid I wasn’t the biggest fan of this level but let’s see how it looks now in retrospect
It's funny, I liked this world more as a kid! Can't stand it now lol
@ watching this video made me stressed 😅😅 as an adult I don’t think I can play this game. Way too tedious and bad backtracking designs.. but I do enjoy watching others play or go back to talk about it 👍🏼
I avoided Crystal Caves, entirely, SOLELY because of the GET OUT mechanic when you fail a challenge.
It's so uncalled for 😭
I agree with you that Crystal Caves kind of feels like a throw away level. I mean, heck, I have played other games on my N64 that have Crystal Caves as a level name. It's not exactly an original idea. Like, how are bats more of an issue in other levels than this one, when it's literally a cave? I mean, Ocarina of Time released before this game, yet some of the basic ideas in the Ice Cavern couldn't be used here? The igloos were thematic, but the cabins felt like a cop out. Of all the levels to not have tunnels, you choose the cave level? Even Creepy Castle had tunnels, when they could have made it nothing but rooms in a castle. Crystal Caves just feels so incongruent and slapped together. I know bosses and enemies aren't exactly a strong point of this game in general, but not a single enemy that shoots crystal or ice shards at you, or anything that potentially freezes you? These are such basic ideas common in so many other games that for them not to exist in this level, this entire level had to be an afterthought and not intended. I also remember this level always having the most poorly placed tag barrels. They were never central to an area, always in a weird corner somewhere. I also think that the platforming in this level is way more emphasized than basically any other level. Before this, the game honestly has very little platforming beyond just a few individual golden bananas. Then you get to this level and the entire level is platforming. With the Kosha. To use Ocarina of Time as an example again, the part of Death Mountain Trail with falling rocks and the part with precise platforming at high heights are not the same part. Because combining those two things is really annoying. There's no reason why Crystal Caves couldn't have done things similarly. My last point about why I dislike this level is how empty it is. There is no reason for the level to be as empty as it is. The distances between things are frankly unreasonably large for how much you actually get. There's parts of this level where you can stand in one spot, unpaused, for like 10 minutes and nothing happen to you (excluding the Kosha). In this game, that's super unusual. This entire level could be condensed to an area the size of the owl tree area in Forest with absolutely no losses. Caves should be dense and constricting, not big open spaces. I guess in summary, I wish they put more thought into this level like it feels the other levels all had.
Fully agree with you! I want to learn more about the development of this world. It just sticks out from the rest. It needs to be condensed, like you said
tbh i like this world the only thing that confused me in my last playthrough was how to access the giant in this game to stop the doom effect. also this level reminds me of the cave levels in dkc1 :)
Ooh I'll keep this in mind when I first play DKC!
I can't describe the amount of rage I felt trying to cross that moving maze to get dk's banana. They didn't have to make it that hard by making the player lose a whole watermelon just because they touched the spiky wall. Idek how many times I had to redo that part and how much I hated it more and more each time I had to restart again. Seriously f* that golden banana!
It became my life mission to beat it haha
Don't understand at 2:12 and 3:16, why you bother with certain things like Lanky's Balloon body during the same time the big Kosher baddie attacking moves. Or was that off guard?
At the time I thought it had wrapped up until the next wave. I was wrong lol
So, I didn’t know that Koshas could be killed in the way shown in this video. I always thought it had to be music or using the long b move for the shockwave. Both of those are instant kills too.
Also, funnily enough, crystal caves is probably my second favorite world after creepy castle. Haha
I usually use the musical instrument too! Gotta love the instant kill lol
Crystal Cave’s map isn’t too hard to navigate when I keep in mind that the east end has the cabin and the west has the igloo. What makes it hard to navigate are all the elevated areas as it’s easy to fall off them and some look the same making them hard to keep track off.
This level always has my anxiety high though. As soon as I have access to it, I’m rushing to find the giant Kosha to stop the earthquakes. That was a horrible piece of design. Why did they have to make that guy so hard to find?
I'm going to keep this in mind!
Yeah it's really silly how difficult it is to find the Kosha. It's like they couldn't think of a warp pad ability for Tiny, so they made this
Can’t wait for the creepy castle review. The best world in the game
One of my favorites 😁
I understand the criticism toward the level, and I will not deny any of them. Me personally, I still love this level, it's just above Fungi Forest as my favorite level in this game. Tbh, it solely comes down to the aesthetics and music present throughout the level. Shallow reasoning, but sometimes it really is as simple as that.
I can't argue that! It's amongst some of the best!
That stupid spiked ice maze in this level always will be the bane of my existence. That thing takes a whole melon slice from you and it's REAL easy to hit. I am not sure why they didn't just put a Strong Kong barrel there they have no problem putting that over quicksand that does a quarter melon of damage each time.
It's so weird that it's not there, even when Crystal coconuts can be found inside
Not one of my favorite levels, but I do enjoy the music and atmosphere. I always hate having to do Diddy's cabin and Donkey's Igloo. I always thought of the giant Kosha as the mini boss for the level even though it goes down like a normal one. I think i like the beetle rematch over the one in angry aztec.
This world really humbles you 😂
Maybe the real question here is “Why doesn’t the spiky maze have Donkey’s Power Barrel outside the maze?” I mean this particular scenario clearly is what Strong Kong is designed for.
Thank you!!! What's up with that??
@@superjoebros64 also, you don’t actually need to use Diddy’s Barrel to get to the Banana Port Pad, you can use Tiny and follow the purple bananas in the water, it would certainly save you on Crystal Coconuts.
Crystal Caves should've been a great opportunity to bring back Skiddas, Lemguins and other winter inspired enemies back into the DK world. But not, it had to be more Zingers, Koshas and copies of copies of copies.
Honestly! I don't get what happened here!
Crystal Caves was a nightmare for me during the childhood, but now today when I know where every main areas are, I can finally play this level with a smile on my face. Sure it has a few difficult Golden Bananas like the second beetle juice.... I mean beetle race. 😅
I've played this game for over 20 years. I'm over 30. And I still haven't completed that race yet. Not a single time ever. I feel so ashamed.
Anyway, one idea that I think would be great, was if they changed the boss completely instead of a Army Dillo round 2. I don't know what kind of boss that would fit. Maybe a cave troll or a crystal golem. Whoever the boss is, it's also the boss who's bashing on the ceiling to make the rocks fall. In other words, if you kill the boss, then it will be peace & quiet. ✌😁
Agreed! The boss fight feels like a missed opportunity. No connection to the world whatsoever
Looking forward to the worst golden banana video. That’s gonna be a good one.
As far as Crystal Caves is concerned. I definitely see a lot of its flaws. It’s definitely one of the weaker worlds of the game.
I still don’t hate it though. It’s got a unique charm that most of the worlds don’t have, even though everything you mentioned in the video is rather frustrating. The beetle race is definitely the worst in the entire world, potentially in the entire game. Also using Tiny’s pad to get access to the giant Kosha feels super rewarding. Defeating that bastard really makes the world a lot more enjoyable.
Again, I don’t hate the world, but I can’t say it’s one of my favorites. It’s definitely hard to navigate, several difficult golden banana challenges, and the giant Kosha with falling debris make CC a pretty underwhelming world. Part of me still likes it though. So I’ll never actually hate it.
I wish there was a reward for taking out the Kosha! That alone is underwhelming 😔
Another thing that really bothers me about this level is the lack of reward for beating the giant kosha. When I finally reached the guy who has been making my life hell for the past hour, I was expecting a large reward for beating him. Something to open in the world or even a golden banana, but you get nothing. The only “reward” is that the ceiling no longer comes falling down, but removing something negative is not a reward to me. It should’ve given you something positive. Great video though
"Congrats, your life is less stressful" 😂 not the best feeling haha
Good video! This is probably my least favorite level in the game, too. Granted, I _love_ the atmosphere and music, but I don't like much else about it. For me, it just has a confusing level layout and some of my least favorite Golden Banana challenges in the game. I despise that timed challenge in Diddy's room in the cabin and also can't stand that rotating ice maze for Donkey. Though, the thing that always drives me absolutely mad are the constant quakes every now and then. I remember having a huge sigh of relief when I finally found and defeated the giant Kosha the first time I played through this level.
Fully agreed! It's a great vibe! I'll never forget that sigh of relief when first beating the Kosha
Them recycling Armydillo as the boss of this level was more disappointed then anything cuz we already fought dogadon twice up to this point and rare is just like.. hey guys here is a another got damn boss you fought already!!! But man crystal caves music is fucking amazing though
And what stinks is this rematch didnt feel all that different. Dogadon rematch was straight fire
I love the music and Crystal caves! The Diddy Kong cabin golden banana was one of the toughest in the game outside of creepy castle Beaver bother. but I still enjoy this level although I agree it is the worst in the game.
It's CRAZY how challenging it is. It's a real chore
The best golden banana in this level is the one that gives Chunky the opportunity to blow up the rabbit 😈
I've played this game for countless hours and for a lot of years and I somehow ALWAYS get lost in this level. It's mind boggling. It doesn't seem that complicated.
Hahaha the rabbit deserves it
Honestly this is my favorite world in the game.
The atmosphere and music are incredible! I can understand why people love it!
@@superjoebros64 to be honest, my favorite part of it is the boss fight. sure, it's a reuse of the army dillo, but it's an amazing re-use. Instead of just tossing him at you again and giving him more hits with the same pattern, or just giving him 1 new attack to spam, they gave him plenty of awesome new attacks to keep you on your toes, just like dogadon.
I feel like it's a great boss fight, especially the arena it takes place in. the crystals on the side of the wall giving a quaint beauty to the arena, the darkened walls giving a foreboding sense of dread, and the slow reveal of army dillo coming into view after the cutscene shows him being rebuilt. It gives me goosebumps seeing it
Am I the only one who likes repeat bosses with new tricks? Recurring villains can be the best ones after all!
I think it worked way better with Dogadon than with Armydillo
@ for sure! I’m probably blinded by nostalgia for DK64 cuz I replayed it Christmas morning as a kid the day before we opened our PS2 as a gift. Great memories 🥲
Me: *Watches the gameplay and wonders why he keeps using oranges on the Koshas when he can just use the shockwave ability or instrument* 🤔😆
It's too quick for the purpose of footage 😅 otherwise, yeah, I'm using those 2 methods!
For me its the lack of landmarks. Like a few signs would do winders.
Seriously! That would have been huge
Dude as much as I enjoyed the last level, Fungi Forest a lot more, didn't we also had to fight the Dragon like boss again? Just because it's a better area, that doesn't mean it should get away with certain things.
The thing is, to me, it's a really good boss rematch. And with a new Kong. Refighting Army dillo didn't feel all that different. Felt like an almost direct copy and paste
Crystal Caves definitely feels like a hodgepodge of unrelated elements from other parts of the game with an unfinished environmental design leading to the “same-y” feeling everywhere has.
I feel like the DK64 team had a lot of plans for Crystal Caves that just didn’t pan out for whatever reason, but the Tim Stamper“add more stuff to collect!” constant mandate held them in a bind where they couldn’t simply cut the level. If the ice key was supposed to be used here as evidence points to, combined with the ice castle, the fire enemies, and Kirkhopes signature “ice tinging” sound in the stages music… I’d venture to guess it was originally intended as an ice cave level before eventually being converted to a more generic cave to accommodate the aforementioned hodgepodge elements and the end result unfortunately is just an overall “eh” experience.
Absolutely this! It really makes me wonder what more could have been done. It feels incomplete
I too am conflicted with crystal caves. I do like many things like the music and the visuals are creative like the log cabins and igloos. I'm mixed on the challenges. Some I like and some want to tear my hair out (mainly sliding beetle and a particular Diddy cabin section especially). Was not a fan of dealing with the falling stalactites and dealing with the giant Kosha. I make sure I deal with him immediately to avoid that hassle. The rematch fight with Armydillo I didn't like as much as Dodagon. It's fine sure but still not one of my favorite bosses. So yeah I'm mixed with crystal caves overall.
I totally get it! Awesome vibes. Brutal challenges
the dk room where you get hit and lose one melon, has a strong kong barrel inside no?
I've never seen Strong Kong in there on original hardware
As interesting as a few of the places of interest can be, I really hate the placement of the world. I've always thought you had to get Diddy's jetpack to access it because I've failed to ponytail twirl there as Tiny. There's a lot of cases where I've also been lost in the caves from falling down, interrupting my progress wherever I was before. Yeah, I really don't like this place. I tried to skip it and go straight to Creepy Castle, but there was still a bunch of abilities I needed to unlock from Cranky...
I totally feel this. Every aspect could have been improved!
Diddy’s cabin challenge is *way* too strict. One of the few times I was swearing at this game.
SERIOUSLY! Doesn't need to be this strict
The giant Kosha should've just been removed. Your first impression of the world is spoiled due to the constant tone whiplash between serene, mysterious cave and manic peril. I'd have at least restricted the falling stalagmites to a single, faraway portion of the world, rather than its entirety.
that would make a lot of sense to me! if the igloo section was the only section that might make more sense than the whole world
CC is my favourite world in DK64.
I just love the combination of the sound track and the asthetics.
I dont mind the layout. I love the challenge it provides.
But your change to three floors sounds gread. Especially bc the hub world includs a lava section
Definitely! Very surprising that lava wasn't in the world itself
I my playthough was hard, i think i collect the least Golden bananas.
Understandable!
At least Gloomy Galleon you can get around and has nice atmosphere. This one just looks frustrating and cramped.
Big time!
What is wrong with Frantic Factory? Beaver Bother.
What is wring with Creepy Castle? Beaver Bother, x2.
yet they are 2 of my favorite worlds!
Wait, this isn’t the first world you visit?
Also, it feels like Donkey Kong’s igloo was supposed to have a Strong Kong Barrel in it, but they just forgor.
Chronologically this is world 6!
Yes!! It's so weird that Strong Kong is not in the igloo. What did they do haha
Idk I love this place is not to big, i usually divide it into 3 pieces the middle, the igloo, and the cavern and it makes it easier, i start by the igloo go to middle and last the caverns and boom im out of the place
Maybe in another 25 years I'll finally have this world correctly mapped out in my head 😂
10/10 world. I mean, listen to that music
Exactly 😂
CC a straight forward level, and the layout doesn't bother me much. The big kosha was hard to find the first time, but now i just take him out in the first 10 mintues and call it a day. I can tolerate backtracking in this game, but fungi took it to an unnecessary extreme. Although fungi is a more creative level...
The atmosphere and music in CC is a stand out. I enjoy this level now. heck I even had a dream about it where my friends and I were swimming in the water, and it was warm for some reason lol. In my top 3 levels in this game along with castle, and aztec
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Taking out the Kosha immediately is a must these days 😂 can't tolerate that anymore
I love this level of
An I love Crystal Caves. While I know it’s definitely not the best designed world. (I think I wrote about this in your original world ranking video lol.) I agree with everything you said here. It’s definitely not the best. But I still personally love it. My second fav world after Fungi Forest. But anyone who doesn’t like it is completely understandable.
The vibes are so good though! I can credit that to CC
@@superjoebros64 I suppose I can say I always loved Icy caves. They are always some of fav levels in games. I wish I could explore one irl lol
I do like the crystal caves but there can be some improvement. Also I'm not a fan of the recycled boss. It could have been a fresh new boss like a giant ice crystal monster or something like that.
Fully agreed! This world has room for growth!
Note: player shown here was not patient and couldn't wait until the spikes dropped. Yes it may just be for a half minute, but it's still safer to get to a safe spot first.
Why use Oranges to kill the wannabe miniboss? My memories are telling me to instrument nuke it! Unless they're lying.
Note 2: Player shown here has not obtained homing ammo to make Diddy's House check a cinch.
hey there, the footage captured was to show every aspect of the world and its challenges. I've been playing this game for 25 years, I know to wait for the spikes, best practices for the giant Kosha, and obtaining the homing ammo. But that doesn't remove the fact that this is a bad world.
Crystal Caves is my favorite level lol 😅 I just hate the Kosha so every time I replay it I go straight to kill it so it despawns forever and I can enjoy the level
It's the only way to play it haha
Weird, can't relate. I always loved it, icy levels are always my fav
Crystal caves review
what are you using to record video? Your "raw" footage is far too dark. Your 40% brightness increase looks exactly as my playthroughs have always looked.
Directly from my N64 into Elgato Capture. The game has always looked this dark to me though!
This level used to scare the dogshit out of me as a kid. Tbh, a lot of these levels did.
They did not hold back 😂
@superjoebros64 they really didn't 🥲
The water and ice levels in this game clearly didn't work out....
Honestly. Those are 2 types of worlds that are hard to perfect
I’m not gonna lie I like Crystal caves, aesthetic, but music you’re so slow. I wish it was sped up. It puts me to sleep. It sounds like a lullaby.😅
Understandable! A little more variety could have been nice
There isn't a bad world to me.
Valid!
Crystal Caves has amazing music and that's about it. Bland grey fugly slopped together world with retread boss on top of it. The giant kosha mayhem at the start is garbage and ive always likened it to Banjo Tooie's Hailfire Peaks which has both dragons and is handled way better. The kosha is cryptic and ruins what ought to be a nice calming tonal shift from most of the game. Chili Billy and Chilly willy are dynamic, interesting, and easy to find so you naturally eliminate the imminent threat. As you aptly put it, "feels like it was put together in an hour" ugh this level and angry aztec drag this game down for me. Thankfully there's plenty to love elsewhere
Well said! The music is really the saving grace here!