Donkey Kong Country Returns HD review — A Wii classic is revitalized on the Switch

Donkey Kong returns to the Switch with yet another HD makeover, this time for the Wii classic Donkey Kong Country Returns. Despite nearly 15 years passing since its initial release, Returns is still a highly playable platformer. Sure, we could get into a debate over whether the world really needs more remakes or remasters, but ultimately money and nostalgia speak and if there wasn’t an audience for these titles, then they wouldn’t exist. Still, I am happy a new generation of gamers will get to experience this adventure, though I do hope that the next time I write about Donkey Kong, it is in anticipation of an entirely new adventure. Come on Switch 2, you can do it, I believe in you. 

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is actually a combination of both the Wii release and the Nintendo 3DS version, amounting to 80 different levels scattered across nine unique worlds. A new “modern mode” has been added to lower the difficulty for new or casual players, which provides Donkey Kong with three hearts by default and offers a wider variety of useful items available at Cranky Kong’s shop for a discounted price. If you came here for the challenge, then fear not, as you can still choose to play the game as it was on the Wii by selecting the “original mode.” For the sake of this review and my need to see any new features implemented, I went with the modern mode.

The story is simple, as expected from a Donkey Kong title, with the Tiki Tak Tribe hypnotizing animals to steal Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong’s banana hoard. Personally, I don’t believe that a simple banana hoard is worth fighting my way through pirate ships, the kraken, treacherous jungles, decrepit ruins, non-OSHA compliant factories, and even a volcano, all while riding unstoppable minecarts and attempting to fly rocket barrels, but hey, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong seem to think so, so off we go on a wild adventure through nine creative and progressively difficult worlds.

If you’ve played a side-scrolling Donkey Kong game, then you know the drill here. Returns HD is a quasi-3D side scroller, essentially meaning that for the most part you are working your way to the right, but often the game will thrust you both forward and backwards in the world, helping the proceedings to feel more 3D and fleshed out. Each world is filled to the brim with enemies to defeat, traps to avoid, and creative level design. While Donkey Kong may not be the best brawler, he is able to hold his own, often by bouncing on enemies’ heads, pounding on the ground to flip or distract an enemy, and throwing barrels. While fighting is overall simple, enemy encounters do progressively become more intricate, going from one hit kills to multi-hit, often requiring the use of different moves to fully defeat. It’s not Dark Souls, but it does keep things fresh for the game’s six or so hour run time.

The real challenge of Returns HD stems from the level design. Enemies are mere distractions in painstakingly designed levels set on killing you with every step you take. You’ll dodge falling obstacles, a variety of clever traps, bottomless pits, pools of lava, an angry ocean, crumbling ground, and more. Every step you take leads you further into danger and by the time you reach the final levels, living and dying will often come down to perfectly timed maneuvering. It’s not as hard as Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, but there’s still quite a challenge here. For those who get frustrated easily, no worries, as there is a way to call on Super Kong to complete a level for you, though you will not be able to keep any collectibles he may acquire as he completes the level.

Speaking of collectibles, they add a ton of replayability to each level, giving players a reason to check every nook and cranny. Collectibles included in each level are puzzle pieces, the letters K-O-N-G, and timed challenge rooms which are deceptively hard to complete, despite appearing simple at first glance. I found I enjoy Donkey Kong games best if I essentially ignore collectibles on my first run and then go back to each level using the skills I’ve acquired to collect everything during a second run. My wife, on the other hand, refuses to move on from a level until she 100 percents it. That’s the beauty of Donkey Kong games, either way is valid and enjoyable.

Finding these collectibles will unlock items within the “Extra” section of the main menu, which includes four galleries featuring images, music, movies, and dioramas. I always appreciate the addition of these types of extras, as I enjoy spending time scrolling through the galleries between playing sessions. I especially enjoyed the diorama section. I have no idea why I love mini 3D versions of various game moments, but I’m sure glad they were included.

Another important item found hidden throughout each level are gold coins, which can be used to purchase useful items from Cranky Kong, who has a store in each world. Cranky Kong really only seems interested in your money, rather than your wellbeing, but still, for the right price he will sell you extra lives in the form of red balloons, green balloons which will save you from a fatal fall once, a crash guard which makes rocket barrels and mine carts temporarily invincible, keys which open locked paths on the world map, banana juice which makes Donkey Kong temporarily invincible, squawks which helps you find puzzles pieces within a given level, a DK barrel which allows you to call on Diddy Kong at any time, and a heart boost which adds one extra heart to your health meter. Any items purchased can be stored and then brought out to be utilized before entering a level to provide you with an advantage.

There is a co-op mode available, which has one player taking the reins of Donkey Kong, while the other player controls Diddy Kong, but it is a bit of a disappointment. I am all for the addition of co-op to nearly any game, and it does work well enough here, but the game can’t really shake the feeling that it is meant for a single player. It’s a good way to distract a younger sibling, and sometimes having two players does come in handy, but considering how tricky some areas are, I can’t recommend picking this game up solely for the co-op experience. 

Overall, I enjoyed my time revisiting Donkey Kong Country Returns, though I do think some may be disappointed with the overall package. The core game is still enjoyable, and the HD upgrade looks fantastic, but overall, this is the exact game you played nearly 15 years ago, aside from the new “modern mode” and the few small tweaks it provides. Whether that is worth the cost of admission is up to the individual player, but if you are a Donkey Kong fan and have somehow never played Returns then Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is well worth picking up.

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