“Donkey Kong Country Returns” Review – Dated, But Authentic

by Luis January 14, 2025

Donkey Kong Country Returns combines the classic platforming challenges of the iconic Donkey Kong series with modern enhancements. Despite its visual updates and new features, the game retains its reputation for brutal difficulty and jaw-clenching gameplay. As players delve into the game’s variety of level designs and persistent difficulty, they may find it a test of their platforming prowess, ideal for veteran gamers, yet potentially off-putting for casual players.

“Donkey Kong Country Returns” Review – Dated, But Authentic

– Donkey Kong Country Returns for Nintendo Switch retains the more difficult aspects of the original game, possibly deterring more casual platformer fans, even though it has additional features and visual enhancements from the Wii and 3DS versions.
– The level design stands out with unique mechanics and visual elements across a variety of biomes; however, the game remains challenging with a focus on memorization, tricky layouts, and deceptive obstacles that can lead to the loss of many lives in a single stage.
-The game caters to hardcore players who enjoy tough platform games while allowing for some flexibility through Cranky’s in-game shop and assistive items, yet retains traditional DKC gameplay issues such as the mapping of two commands to one button causing control confusion at times.

Donkey Kong has continually served as the brusque and potentially off-putting counterpart to the genial Mario brothers. Classic side-scrolling platformers define both Donkey Kong Country (DKC) and the Super Marios, yet DKC is infamous for its grinding difficulty rather than its joyful gameplay. With the Nintendo Switch on its eighth year, Nintendo brings back DKC Returns with a combination of Wii and 3DS features, including some extras and visual upgrades, while retaining its signature grit that may deter occasional platformer players. The HD version of DKC Returns keeps the modifications made to the 3DS variant of 2013, offering a modern mode that includes additional items from Cranky’s shop and an extra health point.

The items available in Cranky’s shop resonate with the need to adjust the difficulty level as per player’s appetite, with enough banana coin currency for them to purchase almost anything. The items range from assisting in discovering collectibles to temporary invincibility. Those seeking a higher challenge can opt for the original mode to play using the original Wii difficulty settings. The game does look elegantly polished on Switch, especially on that OLED screen, but the character models appear a bit simple compared to Tropical Freeze.

Despite its purpose of being more welcoming, don’t misunderstand, DKC Returns is still a punishing game. Even with an extra heart, it’s simple to lose multiple lives in a stage as you learn its rhythm and traps. The difficulty in DKC Returns intensifies due to its emphasis on memorization. The game introduces threats too quickly to react to them on the first go, making DK’s movement feel less agile than Mario’s. The trickier stages often mislead the player with decoy obstacles.

DKC Returns’ level design distinguishes it with various unique mechanics and visual touches introduced within different biomes. Each level is a fresh challenge, with hidden secrets that offer high replay value and have the player coming back for more. If you die multiple times in a stage, a pig super guide shows up but, its usefulness is questionable at best.

Like every platformer, DKC Returns has its highs and lows, and some stages can be cleared on the first run. However, it’s hard to anticipate unusually tough stages until you’ve already exhausted several lives reaching a checkpoint. The shop items also require some time to understand their full use. For instance, the invincibility item does not make you invincible as the name suggests.

Despite a legacy of excellent mechanics, some game elements may feel dated. The controls feel peculiar and sometimes frustrate. The game celebrates the original Donkey Kong Country with the buddy dynamic of DK and Diddy Kong, but lacks other mate characters like Dixie or Kiddy Kong.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a blast from the past at its core. Its novelty has faded slightly since its first release on Wii, and many of its refinements have been outshone by the later Tropical Freeze. However, it’s the ideal way to play DKC Returns due to its high-quality level design and the visual updates designed to suit modern displays. However, only the most dedicated fans should approach this game, considering its sharp difficulty spikes.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.