Review – Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

Of all the Nintendo franchises that are still alive, Donkey Kong was the most unfairly treated during the Switch era. We’re talking about one of Big N’s most important characters reduced to just two remasters – one at the beginning and one at the end of the cycle of a console that has already been on the market for eight years! Donkey Kong Country Returns is returning for the third time, bringing a revamped title that, in the end, is still the same as it was 15 years ago.

the game was very notable in its time – after all, it was the return of the gorilla in its most popular format! In 2013, it received an improved version for the 3DS and now, 12 years later, it is getting a makeover with high definition textures. It’s certainly not what fans of the character would like at the moment, but at least we have the luxury of saying that both titles from this revival are available on Switch.

The return of the return

It is a port of the 3DS version and not the original Wii version, as the portable one was more complete and had relevant additions. Despite being considered an excellent game, its motion controls were widely criticized at the time. Furthermore, it also made its name by being very difficult – a characteristic that was maintained in the sequel Tropical Freeze, but in a milder form.

In addition to the addition of 3D, the 3DS port also brought new stages, gameplay adaptations and, not least, a more accessible difficulty level for those who don’t like being so angry. The Switch version maintains all of this and, like the previous one, is also better to play than the Wii original, for the simple fact that we don’t need to wave our arms all the time (but there is still the possibility of playing with classic controls, if anyone is feeling nostalgic).

The HD port lives up to its name and its main (and only) difference is the graphical upgrade. Even though it was released twice in the past, in neither of them did Donkey Kong Country Returns have the opportunity to run with Full HD textures, so now the debt has been paid. The game was also adapted for widescreen and features slightly more detailed characters – but this is a detail that is barely noticeable during gameplay.

The easy mode (which on the 3DS was called New Mode) was renamed Modern Mode, but in practice it works the same way: both DK and Diddy have three hearts, instead of two. When you bring the duo together, you have six hearts, guaranteeing you two additional hits before the fateful game over. However, it is worth emphasizing that the game remains very difficult in this mode – and, in general, it still has a much greater difficulty than Tropical Freeze.

Keeping the legacy alive

Despite bringing very different mechanics to the classic SNES trilogy, Donkey Kong Country Returns is one of the character’s best platform games (although it lags behind its sequel, which improved many things). The campaign still follows the same format, with several phases divided into worlds protected by a boss at the end.

Unlike the beginnings, here we do not control both monkeys alternately. When playing in singleplayer, we take on the role of DK, while Diddy acts as a sidekick. Equipped with a jetpack, he rides on the gorilla’s back and can make him glide to reach more distant places. In co-op mode, each player controls a character, changing the entire gameplay dynamic.

Compared to the SNES titles, here it is much more “heavy” to control the DK, so it is easy to die due to pure carelessness. Everything is a matter of habit, but it is a fact that the game tends to become very frustrating – especially in the more advanced stages, which have a very high difficulty jump. The character has many movements and some of them simply don’t fit well into the set, as is the case with the breath, which completely breaks the rhythm of the action (and was fortunately removed from the sequence).

All stages are also full of collectibles and secret areas, bringing a very high replay factor for those who like to do 100%. After finishing the campaign, it is still possible to venture into world 9, which was added in the 3DS port; it features eight completely new stages that are much more difficult than those in the main campaign (if that’s possible), functioning as a hardcore challenge.

That said, it’s easy to say that Donkey Kong Country Returns is a great game – but this new port doesn’t bring any additions relevant enough to justify a new purchase. It’s exactly the same game from 2010, but adapted for modern TVs with HD filters. For those who have never played it before, it’s definitely worth it, but anyone who has tried one or even both previous versions won’t find anything new here.

Interestingly, Nintendo chose the release day for this port for , so I hope they are preparing something really special for this franchise in its next generation. She deserves more!