In the original trilogy, the player can switch between characters if they are both on the screen. This is changed in the Retro Studios games, where the player has to choose character(s) before each level. Starting with "Donkey Kong Country Returns", each character has their own specific characteristics: Donkey is the larger and stronger of the two, and can defeat enemies more easily, while Diddy is faster and more agile, but not as powerful, and can use his barrel jetpack to glide the air over short distances and his peanut gun to stun enemies. "Tropical Freeze" marked the debut of Dixie Kong, Cranky Kong, and Funky Kong as playable characters in the Retro Studios era. Dixie, returning from "Donkey Kong Country 3", can spin her ponytail into a propeller and slowly descend through the air, with an initial boost in height at the start, allowing her and Donkey Kong to fly up out-of-reach platforms or items, and can also use her candy gun to stun enemies. Cranky, in a similar mechanic to the "DuckTales" video game, can use his cane to bounce on dangerous surfaces such as spiky thorns and reach higher areas and defeat certain enemies the other Kongs cannot. Funky is featured as a playable character in the Nintendo Switch port of "Tropical Freeze", functioning similarly to Donkey Kong but with additional hit points, an extra jump, and the ability to stand on spikes.