In simpler terms, Donkey Kong has historically been perceived as a rough and intimidating character compared to the friendly and welcoming Mario brothers. Both Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario series are classic side-scrolling platform games at heart, but Donkey Kong Country is often remembered less for its fun jumping moments and more for tense gaming experiences that make you grit your teeth. As the Nintendo Switch nears its 8th year in existence, and Nintendo tends to release ports from their back catalog, Donkey Kong Country Returns has returned with a collection that includes all the features of the Wii and 3DS versions (including some helpful adjustments and visual upgrades), but it still maintains a challenging level of difficulty that might deter casual platformer enthusiasts.
In the HD version of DKC Returns, they’ve kept the adjustments made to the 2013 3DS edition. For instance, there’s a contemporary mode (formerly known as New mode in the 3DS version), which offers additional items for purchase in Cranky’s store and an extra health boost. The goods in Cranky’s store are strategically tailored to allow you to adjust the game’s difficulty since banana coins, the currency, are abundant enough that you’ll usually have extras for a few items. These items can assist in finding collectible puzzle pieces or provide temporary invincibility. If you prefer, you can choose the classic mode to experience the original Wii challenge. The game looks sharp and clean on the Switch, particularly on the OLED screen. However, it’s important to note that the character models are somewhat basic compared to Tropical Freeze, a 2014 Wii U game that was ported to Switch in 2018.
The Modern style aims to soften the harshness of this notoriously challenging game, making it more accessible, but let’s be clear: This is still an incredibly tough game. Even with three lives instead of two, you can easily lose several lives (or even dozens near the end) in a single stage as you familiarize yourself with its patterns and hidden dangers. The difficulty level in DKC Returns stays true to its roots, focusing heavily on memorization. The game often presents threats before you have a chance to react, and Donkey Kong himself feels slow and cumbersome compared to the agility of Mario. Tougher stages may even deceive you with one type of obstacle and then penalize you for responding to the decoy.
In “DKC Returns,” it really shines in the level design, offering an array of diverse biomes, each introducing unique features and aesthetic touches used sparingly. One stage could find you riding rails, while another might silhouette Donkey Kong against a dark backdrop, his vibrant red tie being the only pop of color. A standout for me is a stage set during a colossal storm, with each moment becoming a race to reach the next protective wall as tsunamis continuously form. These stages are expertly crafted to conceal secrets, often rewarding extra-stylish moves. For instance, you can simply jump on an enemy, but timing a press of A will grant a boost, propelling you higher onto hidden platforms leading to bonus areas. These hidden corners add significant replay value if you wish to discover all the treasures “DKC Returns” holds.
In certain stages, if you die repeatedly, a helpful pig character will appear, offering you the Super Guide. However, this feature doesn’t contribute to completing the level, so the AI assistant can’t finish a stage for you. Additionally, it won’t help in finding collectibles or hidden items, even when they’re along its path. This means it won’t guide you to secret locations or optimal paths to find all optional K-O-N-G letters or puzzle pieces. Essentially, the Super Guide shows you the general route through a stage, but you still need to execute with precision to successfully complete it.
Just like typical platform games, there are moments of ease and challenge, and sometimes you can easily conquer stages on your initial try. This success is incredibly rewarding, especially when you reach the end goal and find yourself taken aback. Sudden increases in difficulty can catch you off guard, however, and it’s not always clear if a stage will be excessively tough until after you’ve invested several attempts to reach a checkpoint. At that juncture, deciding whether to abandon your progress to purchase helpful items from Cranky’s store or force your way through the remaining part of the stage becomes a difficult decision.
Even though a visit to Cranky’s shop might require a bit of trial and error to understand his unique items fully, it’s important to note that an item named “Invincibility” doesn’t actually render you invulnerable. Instead, it adds five extra points to your health gauge and turns Donkey Kong golden temporarily. However, these additional points are expended one by one as you encounter obstacles, after which you revert back to your normal health bar. Fortunately, this effect persists across multiple lives, meaning if you lose a point during a stage, you’ll start the next one with four instead. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t provide clear instructions about how to achieve true invincibility. To do so, you’ll need to collect and combine several specific items, each providing its own unique effect when stacked together. Luckily, any unused items are returned to you, preventing unnecessary waste of resources while you figure out which combinations work best for your needs.
Although many elements align well with contemporary platformers, there’s one lingering issue from previous Donkey Kong Country games that remains perplexing: the control scheme for both rolling and ground-pounding is combined in a manner that can lead to confusion. As seen in Tropical Freeze, you press the same button regardless of whether you’re moving or stationary, but the distinction lies in the direction you’re moving when you press it. Essentially, this means you must stand completely still to execute a ground pound, or else you’ll roll in a specific direction instead. I encountered several instances where I attempted to ground-pound a button only to roll off a ledge, and on one occasion, I tried to roll away from an obstacle but ended up ground-pounding it instead.
As a gamer, I find that Donkey Kong’s heavier controls bring out the best in one of my favorite power-ups, Diddy Kong. When I grab a Diddy barrel, not only does it boost my health, but it also lets me glide using Diddy’s rocket pack. The downside is that when I lose some of his hearts, he bails out. This change can significantly shift the game dynamics, making it all the more painful when I lose him. This is particularly evident in some boss fights, such as against the final boss. If I start the battle with Diddy, lose him on my first life, and then have to fight without him for every subsequent try, it feels like a snowball effect – if I was already finding the agile Diddy challenging, things only get tougher when he’s gone.
In this latest installment, the friendship between DK and Diddy, reminiscent of the original Donkey Kong Country, stands out as they’re the only companions featured. Characters like Dixie or Kiddy Kong are absent from this game. Rambi, the rhino, shows up in certain levels, but there are no underwater stages, which means Engarde the swordfish doesn’t make an appearance either. The antagonists of the game, a group of wicked totems, aren’t as well-known as King K. Rool from the classic series.
In essence, Donkey Kong Country Returns is an authentic throwback in every sense. While it may not be as fresh or revolutionary as when it debuted on Wii and marked the return of the Donkey Kong Country series after over a decade, many of its innovative level designs and refinements have been overshadowed by subsequent games like Tropical Freeze. Nevertheless, it remains the optimal choice for those eager to experience the game again and appreciate some exceptional level design. The visual upgrade suits modern screens well and includes enhancements made during the 3DS port. However, be prepared: Due to its challenging and at times frustrating difficulty spikes, only dedicated Donkey Kong fans should consider taking on this adventure.
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2025-01-14 17:39