The Nintendo Switch has seen so many of Nintendo’s staple franchises receive brand new entries, most hitting new levels of success courtesy of the console’s wide-reaching audience; From Mario and Zelda to Wario and Xenoblade. What has been rather surprising, however, has been the absence of a certain tie-wearing gorilla. With no new adventure (or even spin-off, for that matter), Donkey Kong fans have had to make do with a port of the Wii U’s Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Strange for a brand that has seen its lead play a role in one of 2023’s biggest movies as well as receive an entire section of a theme park dedicated. While we can all hold out hope that a brand-new Donkey Kong is just around the corner (come on Switch 2!), for now, we’ve gotten another port, this time of Donkey Kong Country Returns. At nearly 15 years old, how well does Retro Studios’ first swing with the series hold up?
Back in 2010, developer Retro Studios managed to bring the SNES classic series Donkey Kong Country up to modern-day standards whilst remaining largely faithful to those original adventures. What you ultimately had was a brilliant side-scrolling platformer packed with plenty of secrets, challenges and surprises.
Just like those original games, players would take control of Donkey Kong, leaping and rolling his way across nine themed worlds each posing their own challenging obstacle-filled layouts. Unlike other platforming heroes like Sonic or Mario, Donkey Kong feels much heavier and his movements more deliberate, a feeling highlighted by the game’s lack of a run ability. Fret not as this doesn’t mean the game controls sluggishly or poorly for that matter, but rather just… well, different. Donkey Kong is still pretty nimble when he needs to be though, his rolls making for a useful attack and even a means to leap midair for added distance. Diddy Kong of course makes an appearance too with his role more secondary (at least when playing single-player) hopping atop Donkey Kong’s back and allowing him to hover momentarily courtesy of his jetpack. Not only that but he doubles the player’s heart counter, something you’ll constantly struggle to keep topped up given the game’s relentless obstacles and enemies thrown at you. Take two hits and you’ll lose Diddy (until you locate another DK Barrel) but more importantly his jetpacking ability. It leaves you feeling truly exposed, left to rely on your precision jumping with the heavier Donkey Kong and begging for another barrel to show up sooner rather than later.
While playing alone sees Diddy Kong play a more secondary role, with a friend involved they can take full control of the simian. While a fun novelty, keeping track of the pair of you on screen at the same time can prove tough especially as the adventure continues and levels escalate in complexity. While not a bad experience, it’s definitely one that will see your life count plummet fast, particularly in the final handful of worlds.
Speaking of worlds, the game will see players venturing through a whole manner of environments from jungles and beaches to forests and factories. Just as you’d expect with a Mario platformer, the creativity levels are off the charts, new ideas thrown at you before then being tossed aside for the next. Alongside the usual barrel blasting, you’ll tackle tumbling ruins, seek refuge behind rocks as crashing waves come towering toward the screen, race against a rising lava tide, avoiding the swinging tentacles of a giant octopus and plenty more. Bosses are another highlight too, capping off each world in truly challenging fashion with battles aboard rickety minecarts, up against giant chicken-piloting robots and more.
Fans will also be pleased to know that the infamous mine cart stages make a return in all their frustrating, controller-tossing glory with some truly clever ways to keep what are essentially endless runner-type levels fresh. Rocket Barrel stages also provide a small break from the traditional platforming, seeing players tapping the button to rise and lower its level as you speed through a gauntlet of obstacles (think Flappy Bird). With both these level types only taking one false move to lose a life, they prove the more challenging (and frustrating). In fact, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a tough game across the board especially compared with Nintendo’s other platformers. It’s a real breath of fresh air if I’m honest, helping separate DK from Nintendo’s vast catalogue in the genre already.
All levels are packed with the series staple K-O-N-G letters as well as between five and nine hidden puzzle pieces, these unlocking extra goodies. Like the three-star coins in Mario it provides the player with an incentive to take their time and try riskier manoeuvres since you never know what may be hidden just out of reach. Upon finishing a level meanwhile, players can replay in a time trial environment competing for medals. Unfortunately, the game does not include leaderboards.
As cleverly constructed as the game’s levels are, the same can’t be said for the bonus rooms, each one pulling from the same limited pool of layouts (barrel blasting, bouncing etc…). With each level seeing at least one of these pop up, you’ll find yourself facing the same 30-second trials over and over again. I think back to Donkey Kong Country 2 where each and every bonus room had you taking on a unique task be that defeating enemies, collecting stars or finding the hidden coins. That level of variety would have made these secret discoveries far more engaging and interesting.
So, what exactly is new in this Nintendo Switch update? Well, besides the obvious visual upgrade – which does look rather nice I might add – you’ll find… well, not an awful lot to be perfectly honest. An easier mode allowing Donkey and Diddy to take an extra hit offers a slightly less challenging option for players, and the lead character’s fur looks very… well, furry. Sure, the additional batch of levels added to the Nintendo 3DS version are present, but they aren’t exactly new content. Compared with the likes of Pikmin 3 Deluxe or Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, the level of fresh content here is super disappointing. Even a few extra levels or new characters would have made a stronger case for those who’ve already played the original games.
It’s been a good while since I’ve played Donkey Kong Country Returns and this HD upgrade has been a delightful reminder of just how much fun Retro Studios’ first stab at the platforming series was. As far as new additions go, this definitely ranks near the bottom when it comes to Nintendo’s Switch porting efforts. That being said, the visual update is certainly pleasant on the eye and it’s hard to argue the game’s sustained quality in level design. If you missed out on the game the first time around, then bump the score up a point. Returning players, meanwhile, will still find a brilliant time awaits, one far more impactful, the longer the gap since your last Donkey Kong Island visit.
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch
Review copy provided by Nintendo
