Quite an extensive read, and well said! I agree with much of this, though I don't put quite as much emphasis on the non-gameplay aspects of these games - outside perhaps the music, which I LOVE.
In short - DKC3 I've always felt was good, but never great. Especially when contrasted to DKC1 and 2, which are still two of my favorite games of all time. Both in their own way - 1 was the breakthrough and has a more simplistic and stylistic charm to it. 2 expanded on the solid formula with Dixie Kong, more elaborate, diverse level design, collectibles, super-tough "Lost Level" esque bonus stages, etc. It was the perfect balance of accessibility and depth.
But by the third entry I felt Rare started to veer too far off in a gimmicky direction in certain aspects, and the gameplay had more needlessly tough, frustrating moments. And like you said, I found the Kiddie mechanics sluggish, bland, and aggravating at times. Even in 2, I preferred Dixie with the hair-twirling float move. But at least Diddy had the more quick and nimble (when he needs to be heheh) mechanics going for him. But Kiddie vs Dixie? No comparison. The music - which was a big part of the first two - was also more average for my money. The overworld map layout was a bit more dynamic, which was neat in some ways, but also a bit cumbersome. I prefer to avoid fluff and just get to the action whenever possible.
I'd even go as far as saying I prefered DKC Returns and (especially) Tropical Freeze to 3, since at least Retro's games had the simultaneous multiplayer going for them.
Still, given that this is one of the best platforming series ever in my book, even its WORST game is still quite good. I'll still probably ultimately play it on my Switch mainly for the novelty of handheld mode. And for the fact that Nintendo STILL hasn't released Mario RPG for the service yet.. Admitedly I never did play the game all that much and in fact never beat it, so many I'd appreciate it more if and when I log some more time into it and perhaps finally finish the game.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident - all men and women created by the, go-you know.. you know the thing!" - Joe Biden
