It’s not officially Donkey Kong December here at Virtual Bastion, but it’s something I wind up observing on my own every year regardless. Well, it’s more like “retro” Donkey Kong December now, as those are the games that pull me back year after year. It’s not necessarily that I play all the old games all the way through, but there are a handful of levels that I just gotta play at least once a year. I won’t go through them all here as there are just too many, but here are the five I absolutely just cannot stay away from.

The Entire Northern Kremisphere – Donkey Kong Country 3

I consider Donkey Kong Country 3 to be the weakest of the trilogy, so I figured I’d get my favorite level from it done and out of the way first. But, I found that I couldn’t really decide on a single favorite. I felt that was odd at first, but after thinking about it for a bit realized that I play Donkey Kong Country 3 for vibes more than any thing else. Don’t get me wrong, there are quite a few stages that I love in this game; it’s just that I love them all for more or less the same reason.

The specifies may differ, but DKC3 levels all to a great job of getting you into a kind of flow. They pull you in and make their spaces feel real and immediate in a way that levels from the other games don’t quite match. This all to say that DKC 3 has a feeling to it, and I gotta dip back into it at least once a year. (And you know I’ve gotta have the Christmas Cheats enabled!)

Ice Age Alley – Donkey Kong Country

I’ve played through Donkey Kong Country enough times over the years that levels mostly fall into one of two categories: those I hate irrationally and those I love totally. Any member of the latter could be my avorite depending on my mood on anygiven day, but as far as levels I need to experience in December go, Ice Age Alley is perhaps the strongest contender.

Snow levels already have a certain draw to them in winter and the alpine background here is one of the more beautiful ones on the SNES. Snow Barrel Blast makes it kind of hard to enjoy, though, making Ice Age Alley the better choice. The level itself is well-made too, offering another chance to hang out with Expresso and just enough challenge to keep you on your toes.

Frantic Factory – Donkey Kong 64

Frantic Factory isn’t the best world in Donkey Kong 64. That distinction belongs to Creepy Castle. It is, however, the world that, to me, best embodies the DK64 experience. It’s got bananas scattered about in a massive space, some of the more frustrating banana challenges, and that original Donkey Kong Cabinet. That’s not all, though.

It’s got the game’s catchiest theme, some of the funner miscellaneous challenges, a racing minigame that doesn’t suck and is filled with spaces that spark genuine wonder. It’s a world that’s a joy to explore despite its flaws, and so I can’t help but look forward to returning each and every year.

Ghostly Grove – Donkey Kong Country 2

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had 2 favorite levels in Donkey Kong Country 2. The first one is Ghostly Grove, as it’s one of the first levels in all of recall having a true sense of “calm” to it. That doesn’t make it an easy level, of gaming that I Course, but it still a uniquely enjoyable experience within the game.

Its theme, “Forest Interlude” by David Wise, is probably what’s most responsible for this, bot there are other factors at play too. The level is slow-paced by designt You’re encouraged to proceed Carefully and take your time.

There’s also the fantastic impression of moonlight gently filtering in through the trees. Another factor, for me, are the ghost ropes. There’s just something about the sounds they make that makes the level feel wistful as well as calm and quiet. It’s all just so wonderfully sublime!

Bramble Blast – Donkey Kong Country 2

This is the second of my two favorites from Donkey Kong Country 2. It’s the level I immediately think of when DKC2 comes to mind. I don’t know if it’s the perfect level or anything, but it is one that I need to pause for a couple of minutes just to take in “Brambles in the Breeze.” It is also just that much more chill compared to DKC 2’s other two bramble levels.

Its haunting theme aside, I think my fascination has two main sources: the level’s pace and its setting. Bramble Blast is all about steady, deliberate progress in an out-of-control tangle, something that, in a sense, we all strive for in real life, I think. Its tangled expanse of thorned vines is also one of the most alien in the game, the kind of place I’d love to explore in a 3D space. I can’t, though, so all I can do is come back every year and try to imagine it.

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What are some of your favorite levels to run through during Donkey Kong December? Or, perhaps you have a different gaming tradition? Please share below if you do, and make sure to come back throughout the rest of the week for more Listmas!

Image is the original Donkey Kong Country box art