So, I toughed it out. But before I did, I learned of that neat little 99 lives trick, which helped me learn the levels a lot more and have fun with it. Sadly, the lives don't save when you exit the game! But world 4 was a gigantic gauntlet. Starting with an ice level, then a level teaching you about these two types of ropes, leading into another frustrating ice level, then an intense underwater level before giving you a breather with an animal buddy gimmick level. After enduring all that? I'm motivated to tackle those last two worlds!
Donkey Kong Country is a game I'm glad I've revisited after starting it, then stopping around world 2. It's a game that made me realize how much playing games like Ninja Gaiden Black, Celeste, the Souls series, etc. taught me about patience and how even the toughest looking levels can be figured out with enough time of taking it slow and testing the waters. Here's to finishing the game tomorrow, streaming it to a friend and us having a laugh as I go through Donkey Kong's banana gathering adventure has been genuinely lovely.