I apologize to Donkey Kong Country Returns HD. Not only is this the third time Nintendo has sold us a version of this 2010 Wii platformer, but it’s also the third time Donkey Kong has been re-released on the Switch, despite not receiving a brand-new adventure in the past ten years. I laughed incredulously when it was first announced. This remaster’s reveal felt like the wrong game at the wrong time, but it only took a few minutes of running across a decently spruced-up Donkey Kong Island to realize Returns is still one of the best 2D platformers Nintendo has made this century
It has every aspect of this genre that I look for: a wide variety of replayable challenges full of secrets to discover, a satisfying movement that requires skill and accuracy, and an almost unmatched level design that is only surpassed by its sequel, Tropical Freeze. This is unquestionably the greatest way to play Returns and one of the best bananas in the Switch’s amazing platformer portfolio, even though the remaster itself feels barebones and some parts could have used a little more contemporary touch.
I realized how rarely games like this are developed these days as I blazed through 80 levels that were located in caves, jungles, and other locations. Returns stand distinctive in a time when most contemporary platformers, such as Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Astro Bot, concentrate on entertaining you with their handcrafted digital theme parks and wow you with spectacle. You must become proficient in its core jumping, rolling, and swinging mechanics to get past its most difficult stages and suspenseful moments. Not to disparage the two games I just mentioned—I love them both—but it’s refreshing to play Nintendo’s take on this timeless platformer type again, and I appreciate how it doesn’t hesitate to challenge you.
Another excellent feature that sets this platformer apart from the others in Nintendo’s lineup is its difficulty, which is a few levels higher than Mario and Kirby. The level design is amazing: each stage presents a fresh concept and fully explores it while increasing the difficulty without ever leaving it unclear what is expected of you. You must evade hordes of ape-eating spiders, dodge massive, deadly waves, and perform flawless jumps across falling platforms to retake Donkey Kong’s house. It’s always thrilling to see what challenge will be presented to you next.
The challenge is kept entertaining by DK’s flawless controls and fulfilling skills.
Donkey Kong’s flawless controls and incredibly fulfilling powers ensure that the difficulty remains enjoyable rather than aggravating. The movement in Retro Studios’ two Donkey Kong games has a noticeable weight, as though you can feel the weight of this large ape as you move. This makes the platformer more momentum-focused, requiring you to frequently plan your moves and prepare for that next big leap.
Your options increase when you break Diddy Kong out of a barrel, which doubles your maximum health and adds an incredibly useful hover ability that’s a game-changer in harder sections. The advanced rolling-jump mechanic in particular, where Donkey Kong gets a free jump in midair after rolling off a ledge, leads to some of the most rewarding platforming out there when you pull off a crazy move to save yourself or snag a hard-to-reach collectible.
For those who prefer not to test their mettle, the optional Modern Mode, which is slightly different from the 3DS port’s New Mode, allows you to take more consumable recovery items into each level, adds more hearts to DK and Diddy’s health, and expands the inventory at Cranky Kong’s shop with more helpful aids (such as a Green Balloon that saves you after falling into a pit). Additionally, Super Kong will ultimately appear and offer to instantly beat any stage that you are unable to complete. I stayed in Classic Mode because I enjoy difficult platformers, but they are at least excellent choices for those who prefer not to become trapped.
Returns’ on-rails minecart and rocket barrel levels are the only places where it can occasionally get a touch too cruel. There can be a lot of trial-and-error in these regions, and I often died to unexpected foes or obstructions that I couldn’t have fairly avoided on my first try. This is even worse if you’re aiming for the hidden collectibles in each stage, as you’re nearly certain to miss some of them the first time around until you become familiar with the patterns of the level. The fact that everything in these parts is a one-hit kill makes it particularly annoying; Tropical Freeze eventually resolved this issue by adding health bars tailored to individual vehicles.
Although it’s not a major problem—Modern Mode has an item in Cranky’s shop that can help make these parts less tedious—I still think they’re great because they break up the monotony of the regular stages, but I can’t help but think they might have been a little more updated. In a similar vein, although the boss fights are often excellent, they still lack checkpoints, and having to restart after dying in the last stage seems more like a time waster than a worthwhile challenge.
This is essentially nothing more than a fresh coat of paint.
The fact that these issues have not been fixed shows how basic Returns HD is as a remaster. This is nothing more than a reimagined version of Returns that has been updated for the Wii and 3DS. Although it’s a good upgrade, it falls far short of Metroid Prime Remastered, the other Retro Studios title that received a slick update for the Switch. Even Tropical Freeze’s 2018 Switch port looks substantially better, even though it doesn’t look horrible and nearly always plays at a smooth 60 frames per second. This is particularly noticeable when contrasting the character models of Donkey Kong in the two games: In Tropical Freeze, DK’s fur looks fantastic, but in Returns, it seems a touch strange.
From the stages to the cutscenes, it is very evident that this is still a Wii game in high definition, which is perfectly acceptable. However, I would have rather seen some more attention paid to the graphics since the movement otherwise held up so well. Though the Wii version’s necessary waggling motion controls have been thankfully made completely optional, and the additional 3DS levels have been saved from the version’s degraded graphics and co-op that required two systems and copies, this is still without a doubt the greatest way to play Returns. It’s wonderful to see that Returns HD is the first time you can play this adventure on your TV with conventional button controls and have all of its material preserved.
Verdict
Nintendo’s third full release of this 2010 Wii platformer is nearly as enjoyable and new today as it was fifteen years ago, even though Donkey Kong Country Returns made a comeback (again). A difficult, momentum-based platformer that requires more skill and accuracy than the typical Nintendo game is set up by DK’s delightful, heavy movement. However, because of the extremely amazing level of design that fully explores every innovative idea and the abundance of hidden collectibles worth finding, it remains enjoyable rather than irritating.
With graphics that are only really “good enough” and some antiquated features that could have benefited from more contemporary touches, such as a few annoying sections full of one-hit kill obstacles and a lack of checkpoints during boss fights, the remaster is merely a passable update. However, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD remains a capable update and is unquestionably the best way to play one of the best 2D platformers Nintendo has made this century.
