One thing I love about the original DKC trilogy is how "dark" they are, even if still family-friendly. Specially DKC2.
In DKC1 we have the haunting soundtrack, and the dark environments. There's nothing "happy" going on, other than the celebrations after you win a bonus or beat a boss. The music in the snow levels has that "scary" vibe to it. The cave and misty levels also have that feeling due to the music and the lack of light.
DKC2 is probably the best example: You are in enemy territory, and the soundtrack is quite serious most of time. Bosses are scary, and just like DKC1, there's no "silly" stuff going on. Geez, when you reach the final boss level, K.Rool is literally TORTURING Donkey Kong. The true ending don't give you the feeling that you won the war, it's more like "the enemy will be back, enjoy for now,,,"
DKC3 doesn't actually have a lot of those moments compared to DKC2, but still, the bosses are unsetting and the boss theme is by far the scariest. K.Rool screaming while being electrocuted at the end of the game is also something, but I feel like this game got more "balanced" other than it's predecessor.
Now that I think about it, that's probably the reason most people like DKC2 better.
