Ba-Boom
- Not to be confused with Baboom.
| Ba-Boom | |
|---|---|
| |
| Full name | Ba-Boom, the Boisterous |
| Species | Baboons |
| First appearance | Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014) |
| Latest appearance | Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo Switch) (2018) |
Ba-Boom is the third boss of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its port. It is a trio of baboon brothers serving as the bosses of Bright Savannah, appearing in the level Triple Trouble. Before the battle, the Kongs notice a Banana Bunch in the air by a wooden pole. As they try to grab it, a baboon slyly snatches the bunch. It then splits into each member of Ba-Boom, who promptly mock the Kongs, much to their chagrin.
General information
Physical description
Ba-Boom consists of a trio of baboons with black fur that gradually becomes a pair of lighter shades of gray as they take damage,[1] though their bright cheeks make them more closely resemble mandrills (possibly in reference to the fact that mandrills were formerly classified as baboons). Aside from their cheeks, their muzzles are longer than Donkey Kong's and they also have messy hair. They each wear a stereotypical Viking helmet that bears the Snowmads' insignia, as well as bracelets on their limbs. The trio look exactly alike except for the color of their cheeks and bracelets, being blue, teal and red. Their relationship is unknown, with some theorizing that they are twin brothers with others thinking they are clones of the dark blue-clad member. The members of Ba-Boom are the only primates in the Donkey Kong franchise to have four digits on their hands and feet since the GameCube era.
Attacks
The Ba-Boom trio moves quickly, often relying on their speed to attack. They start off swinging separately on ropes, swinging hammers at the Kongs. Occasionally, a member will forget to swing his hammer and thus be able to be hit. Additionally, the trio can jump down from the scaffolding and roll towards the Kongs, being left vulnerable after hitting a wall or being rolled into by the player. They are unique from the other bosses in that they do not strictly move on to the next phase after three hits; instead, one individual baboon must be hit thrice and subsequently be knocked out and leave the fight. This means a total of six hits can be dealt in the first phase without moving on to the second. Once one member is defeated, the second phase begins and the two remaining members begin to throw two types of bombs: the standard watermelon bomb and a spiky red bomb that cannot be picked up and thrown. They retain their rolling attack as well, with the added move of jumping. After one member is stomped on/bombed three times, the third phase begins. The remaining baboon then spawns the ghosts of the defeated members, creating a trio again. They form a chain and slowly swing while throwing a barrage of bombs at the player, which they can use to hit any of the baboons and damage the original. They can also swing separately on ropes, using both the hammer and bomb attacks. Dodging these attacks and hitting the original member three times ends the fight and lets the player punch him into the background.
Combat
To defeat Ba-Boom, the Kongs will have to damage the brothers, either by jumping on them, or by throwing their Watermelon Fuse Bombs back at them. However, the Kongs can only jump on their rear ends, as their helmets will render jump attacks on the head useless. However, this can be mitigated by using Cranky Kong's Cane Bounce. They are more vulnerable when on the ground and can be rolled into.
Each brother can only take up to three hits, and as they take damage, their fur color becomes lighter. When one Ba-Boom member is defeated, however, the remaining members will fully heal themselves before beginning the next phase.
Statistics
| Ba-Boom | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||||
| World | Bright Savannah | Level | Triple Trouble | ||
| Hits to defeat | 16 | Reward | Sea Breeze Cove | ||
| << | Directory of bosses (#3) | >> | |||||
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | バブーンブラザーズ[?] Babūn Burazāzu |
Baboon Brothers | |
| French | Ba, Da & Boum, les Bagarreurs[?] | Ba, Da and Boom, the Brawlers | |
| German | Die Radikalen Rambazambas[?] | The Radical Rambazambas | |
| Italian | Bam, Bum e Babum, i babbuininja[?] | Bam, Boom and Baboom, the baboons-ninjas | |
| Spanish (NOE) | Babum el Bombardero[?] | Ba-Boom the Bombardier |
Trivia
- While the members of Ba-Boom are referred to as brothers in both the Japanese text and the Prima Games guide, the first baboon appears to use ninjutsu in order to create or summon two of them before the boss fight, as evident by his usage of hand seal movements.
- When a baboon performs a rolling attack, the animation and sound effect are similar to Sonic the Hedgehog's Spin Dash.
- Given how one of the baboons tricked the Kongs using a Banana Bunch, this makes Ba-Boom the only other boss in the game (besides Lord Fredrik) to have seemingly known about Donkey Kong. This idea is also hinted at by the numerous prohibition signs bearing Donkey Kong's tie that can be seen throughout Bright Savannah.
References
- ^ von Esmarch, Nick, and Cory van Grier (February 21, 2014). Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze PRIMA Official Game Guide. Roseville: Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-804-16252-4. Page 19, 130-131.
