Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Nintendo's announcement that it would remaster Donkey Kong Returns for a second time was a curious one. To paraphrase a meme, it would be the third time that Donkey Kong had returned: the first time on the Wii and the second time on the 3DS. After playing through Donkey Kong Country Returns HD on the Nintendo Switch, the realization hits that there's a reason that Nintendo keeps trotting this game out in front of new audiences. It's because it still holds up thanks to its ingenious level design, crisp platforming mechanics, and challenging stages that test even the most hardened of genre veterans.
If it's a Donkey Kong Country game, the story isn't exactly going to be Shakespeare or even Shakespeare as written by a thousand monkeys working on a thousand typewriters. Donkey Kong's banana stash has been purloined once again, this time by a crew of villains known as the Tiki Tak Tribe. Donkey and Diddy Kong's journey will take them across the familiar sights of Donkey Kong Island, but with some interesting new visuals, gimmicks, and a slew of classic mechanics.
Just as with the original Wii and 3DS outings, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD retains the level design that was heavily inspired by the Donkey Kong Country trilogy on the Super Nintendo. That means there are challenging jumps, barrel blasts that require fast reflexes, swinging mechanics, and secrets hidden in many places. While the Donkey Kong ground pound felt like it was underutilized in the SNES' 1994 classic game, it becomes critical in Returns. The ground pound can defeat enemies, expose weak points, uncover hidden areas in each level, and serve other invaluable functions.
What makes Returns a classic worth coming back to for the second time is how all of these ingredients come together to craft platforming perfection. It's a marvel to see how the game's jumps, enemy placement, barrel positioning, and unique stage gimmicks all intricately combine for a pure sense of fun. Even better is how the game's dazzling visuals help contribute to the formula. For example, those sure are some beautifully detailed pirate ships sailing along in the background, but they stop feeling like window dressing once they start firing cannonballs onto the foreground and after DK takes a barrel and blasts himself to one of their decks along the background.
The visuals in Returns serve as more than eye candy. Stages with silhouetted effects use lighting to their advantage, one specifically using smog to offer a greater challenge. Mine cart stages, a staple of the series, frequently have players battling against falling pieces of the background to avoid fatal crashes. This is a game for players with quick reflexes, especially when it comes to collecting everything, because hidden puzzle pieces and K-O-N-G letters are well-hidden, almost to an annoying degree. Blink and you might miss a puzzle piece, unable to pick it up without starting the level from scratch.
One last thing to note about Returns is that its most aggravating element also makes a comeback: Rocket Barrels. The Rocket Barrel stages, dating back to the original Wii incarnation of Returns, were enjoyable, but plagued by janky controls. Keep that button held down for a little too long and DK will smash into the ceiling, but don't hold it down long enough and he'll dip into the abyss. It was as hard as juggling coconuts. Even with motion controls downplayed (they're still available via Joy-Con controls), Rocket Barrel deaths still feel as cheap as ever, especially when encountering some iffy hitboxes.
Some readers may have grasped this already, but Donkey Kong Country Returns HD can get hard. The later levels that take players into the island's Factory and Volcano regions can be brutally difficult. Solo players will have their work cut out for them, even if they break a DK barrel and have Diddy ready to soften descents with his jet pack. Local co-op is available, but this presents its own unique pros and cons, because while the Diddy player can use his peanut popgun to pelt foes from a distance, the Donkey player won't have Diddy's jet pack to slow his fall unless Diddy jumps on his back first. Even with a partner, Returns presents a formidable, though not impossible, challenge.
Of course, some players might want a little extra help. After crashing my mine cart for the hundredth time, I can almost sympathize. Modern Mode builds on the New Mode introduced in the 2013 3DS re-release and gives Donkey and Diddy an extra heart, but also offers players a full-blown inventory to hold onto different items from Cranky Kong's shop. This makes the game easier to an extent, but still requires the players to perform the more difficult sections of the game on their own. Those hoping for something a little more comprehensive for kids and newcomers along the lines of Funky Mode may be left wanting, as I'll get to in just a moment.
There's something almost trollish in Nintendo revisiting Donkey Kong Country Returns for a third time instead of releasing a new entry in the series. It's a feeling that amplifies that much more upon realizing that this remaster comes nearly seven years after the re-release of its sequel, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, on Switch. As a game, I loved Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, but as a remaster, it left something to be desired, especially when compared to the Tropical Freeze reissue that came before it. Tropical Freeze came with additional characters, different Kong combinations for co-op play, and the extra Funky Mode. It felt like there was actually something added to make the second Tropical Freeze experience a little more worthwhile. In comparison, Returns' offerings feel paltry, like Nintendo was content to add some higher-definition visuals and call it a day.
While some can argue that Returns' story didn't really call for additional playable Kongs, it harkens back to a point earlier in this review. This isn't exactly a Shakespearean narrative. Adding a Kong or two wouldn't break the story and would have given Returns' Switch release a little extra pizazz that its predecessors didn't have. As it is, the biggest addition is Modern Mode, and it doesn't even feel that big, considering a similar feature was available on the 3DS re-release.
Those who haven't experienced Donkey Kong Country Returns in the past owe it to themselves to try it out. It's a masterpiece with inspired level design, a beautiful art style, and fun that can be experienced alone or with a friend. However, those who have already taken this journey on Wii or 3DS won't really find anything new in this barrel of monkeys. It's safe to go back in your treehouse and wait for Donkey Kong to return again.
This review is based on a Nintendo Switch code provided by the publisher. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD will release on Nintendo Switch on Thursday, January 16 for $59.99 USD. The game is rated E.