Remaster makes Nintendo Switch the definitive platform for Donkey Kong games
Originally released for the Nintendo Wii in 2010, Donkey Kong Country Returns was a great return for Nintendo’s classic mascot, in an excellent action platform game that was quite successful at the time. DKCR took the formula of the Donkey Kong Country trilogy that marked the 16-bit generation with legendary games and catapulted Rare’s name as one of the most famous game developers in the world.
On the Nintendo Wii it was Retro Studios (best known for the Metroid Prime games) that made not only one of the best console games, but also one of the best of the 2010s. Everything that made the SNES classics famous here: a soundtrack vibrant and varied, sensational and engaging (the classic compositions of the master David Wise are all there) and game situations with a chilling challenge.
The original version had only one problem: the game required the player to perform a wrist movement (such as a small jerk) to make Donkey Kong roll, a very important movement both for knocking several enemies to the ground and for performing horizontal jumps. long. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to remap a button to perform the same movement, so players who didn’t like or had difficulty executing the motion controls found themselves frustrated losing lives on bad jumps due to movements not calculated by the controller, which generated many complaints at that time.
Three years later, in 2013, Donkey Kong Country Returns received a port for Nintendo 3DS which, in addition to adding stereoscopic 3D effects, corrected Donkey Kong’s infamous scroll control. But the handheld version had its caveat: the 3D effect ran the game at 30 frames per second, half the speed of the original Wii version.
Arriving in 2025, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD arrives on Nintendo Switch in its definitive version, combining the best of the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo 3DS versions.
Nintendo Switch, home of Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a remaster, which means on the one hand that all levels, bosses, platforms and obstacles are identical to the Nintendo Wii original, no levels have been changed or made easier. On the other hand, the graphics of the Nintendo Switch have received an HD treatment that has given the fantastic aesthetics of the original version a chance to finally show all its glory. The various worlds featured in Donkey Kong Country Returns, while very charismatic and vibrant, were limited by the Nintendo Wii’s resolution (480p). Now in full HD, more than ever all the details of the backgrounds and the various secondary animations are much more highlighted.
Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, as well as bosses and villains, also received a shop bath, with in-game animations displaying no or barely visible fur and shine due to the low resolution of previous releases. The soundtrack, however, already excellent, changed little, containing remixes of songs composed by David Wise.
The only real new feature of this remaster is the addition of “Modern Mode”, which makes the game easier by adding an extra heart (the player here has 3 hearts, compared to 2 in the original mode), temporary invincibility potions for phases of the train (the player dies instantly if they crash the mine cart in the original mode), as well as a balloon that saves the player from falling into a hole. Modern mode also increases the slots available for using items in stages, which allows the player to accumulate hearts and potions, which in turn can make beating more challenging stages much easier.
And there is no shortage of difficulties in Donkey Kong Country Returns, an “old school” game also in terms of difficulty, which increases significantly in the second half of the game – not to mention the terrible temples, whose levels can make life more difficult. the weakest ones throw the Joy-Cons against the wall.
The launch of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD also creates a curious fact: with the addition of this game, Nintendo Switch becomes the only Nintendo console to host all the titles starring Donkey Kong. Starting from the sequel to Returns, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze (released for Nintendo Switch in 2018), passing through the Country and Land trilogies, available on the Virtual Console, as well as the old titles for NES and Gameboy, all the adventures of the dressed gorilla, both as a villain and a hero, they are present on Nintendo Switch.
Considerations
It’s no secret that the Nintendo Switch is in its final moments (the recent rumors about the alleged “Switch 2” leave no doubt about this), and it is therefore natural that new projects from Nintendo and third parties focus on its successor. However, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a good option to keep your current console active, as this remaster updates and fixes Donkey Kong Country Returns on Wii and also includes the extra levels from the Nintendo 3DS version, thus making it the definitive DKCR version.
Donkey Kong Country Returns arrives on January 16th for Switch.
This analysis was carried out using a copy of the game kindly provided by Nintendo.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
