While Donkey Kong is the primary playable character, players do eventually unlock Dixie, Diddy, and Cranky as support figures.
That said, co-op is an option and a pretty good one at that. The AAA Nintendo game can be played single-player without any issue, and most people will undoubtedly have a blast going through the campaign's fantastic stages on their own. In the grand scheme of things, Tropical Freeze is a relatively safe entry in the Donkey Kong Country canon as the game does not deviate too significantly from the beaten path that said, the platformer is about as polished of an experience as they come. One of the best titles on the Wii U, Retro Studios' project was eventually ported to the Switch, where it immediately established itself as one of that console's premium titles. As its 10-year anniversary slowly approaches, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze might soon be described as a 'classic,' a label the game fully warrants.