Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Review – Quality Kongs

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Review

Donkey Kong Country Returns is back! Now sporting an HD facelift, the venerated Wii game looks crisp, feels great, and plays pretty well. I’ve always loved the DKC series, but the Returns games never hit the same way for me. After playing through this one, however, I’m ready to revise my original judgment. This is just as charming, difficult, and clever as the old Super NES games. Why didn’t I have this revelation back in the Wii days, you ask? Simply put – I can’t stand motion controls. And that’s one grim mistake the remaster corrects, albeit not completely.

To be clear, you never have to use motion controls in Returns HD. Every action is button-based, as our forefathers intended. But the game was still designed around motion controls in certain ways. And somehow, you can tell. It’s something in the way DK moves, he and Diddy are a little floaty, a little slow. It wasn’t even all the controls that were motion-based! You only had to do a couple of things with a wiggle and a wave. Even so, the pace of the motion feels like it’s still accounting for that waggly hitch. You get used to it pretty quickly though.

I have to say, although Nintendo graphics are more timeless than other major developers, Returns HD is still showing its age. All the visuals are still pretty crisp, and the colors still pop with crystal clarity. But there’s a simplicity to the characters and the world that feels dated. I sometimes feel like Nintendo games have always looked this way, but there’s a clear evolution on display. We’ve come a long way from the days (and resolution) of the Wii, and Returns HD proves it.

Looking Good For A Wii Game

Although the visuals feel slightly dated, the soundtrack is pretty timeless. Part of this is thanks to an abundance of classic tracks from the original trilogy. If you’re a fan of the older games, Returns HD is crammed with familiar jams. Everything from the menu music to the underwater theme sounds fantastic and familiar. The boss music is new, but it still sounds excellent. Not every track is an all-timer, but I haven’t heard any duds either.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a pretty hard game, but in an accessible way. So many stages took a dozen attempts or more, but you get nearly infinite chances. Lives are cheap and easily acquired. There’s a modern mode that gives you more hearts. On the other hand, you will need all of these bonuses. Death stalks these apes with relentless fervor. You get pretty comfortable with seeing the Kongs perish in a hundred different ways with little or no warning. But the difficulty almost never felt unfair. Instead, it was a learning experience. I learned about so many stages by dying over and over again. There were only two places I got truly stuck, and the game has a fix for that.

Super Kong To The Rescue

If you’re utterly stumped, if you’ve spent dozens of lives smashing into an especially difficult level, Super Kong is there for you. The game will ask you if you need help. If you say yes, Super Kong takes over. He performs perfectly, the stage is vanquished, and you can move on. It feels pretty gross to do so, however. Returns HD also makes it very clear that YOU didn’t do this, that YOU never finished the stage. It’s frustrating, but it’s meant to feel that way. You’re being pushed into going back and finishing what you couldn’t at a later date. Sometimes just seeing someone else pull it off is all you need to help you win. Getting 100% in every stage is a whole different beast, however.

Like in previous DKC titles, Returns HD has a much higher bar for full completion than it does for finishing the game. Which is amazing news if you’re looking for a more serious challenge. For me, I deflated a little once I realized everything that was being asked of me. Those time trial runs are downright nasty. Speaking of running, I would love a dedicated run button in this game. You can get a bit of speed from a roll, but it doesn’t last long at all. There were too many times where I felt like a clumsy, stumbling disaster thanks to the standard foot speed. I guess Mario games have really spoiled me in this regard. Even if it’s an illusion, I really like being able to move a bit faster with a button press.

Good Luck On The Time Trials

Though I did have a couple of grievances, this game was a lot of fun. My stress levels went way down once I stopped trying to 100% every stage. The boss fights are all clever, the controls allow for precise maneuvers, and the visuals are nice and crisp. It took me a little time to get used to the controls, and I kept feeling slower than I would have liked. But the level design is excellent, the soundtrack is choice, and the difficulty never felt unfair. If you haven’t played this classic Wii game, now’s the time. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a terrific platformer that holds up perfectly today.

***A Nintendo Switch code was provided by the publisher***