Donkey Kong Country Returns brings back the classic, well known series to full shine again.
Donkey Kong Country Returns is much more a sequel than a remake. Though it feels very similar to the old Donkey Kong Country games, it has a lot of new ideas with it, some which weren't possible in the old days. It's the classic 2D formula we know and love, with obstacles you have to overcome that are mostly well known. The environments and levels them self feel all actually pretty modest. But the way it uses these obstacles in it's amazing levels makes it feel fresh all over again. Death traps are everywhere, waiting to knock you off your feet, and every level stays exciting that way. And this is where the game shines especially. Donkey Kong Country Returns is one of the few platformers that contain old-school challenge. The game starts to get challenging already in world 2, and towards the end it'll kick your but with joy, but for that, after completing a level you'll be satisfied like hell. The game always stays fun, since the level design makes up for every death, and the check point system is very forgiving.
Not only the levels but also the boss battles provide a deep challenge. These boss battles may not be as creative as in other games, but they are tough contenders who want to see you on the ground a billion of times. Beating one of the bosses therefore is just as satisfying as the levels, and bosses all have a great design to them.
The game stays always fair, never throwing so much towards you that you won't have any chance to advance. It gets really tricky at times, but never impossible. You'll barely encounter any cheap deaths, with one exception: when the controls fail. You are able to play with the Wii-remote alone or the Wii-remote plus Nunchuk. Both work, though I recommend the Wii-remote plus Nunchuk combo, because it's simply more comfortable. But that's just a matter of taste.
Anyway, to perform a ground pound, a roll attack or a blow you'll have to shake the Wii-remote. Let's be more specific: to ground pound you simply have to shake your controller. That's just fine with me because it's essentially the same move which Donkey Kong is doing. However, having to shake the controller to blow or roll is a bit more awkward. To blow, which is a new move from Donkey Kong, with which he can reveal hidden secrets from different objects like little plants, you'll have to shake your controller while pressing down. And by shaking while pressing left or right, Donkey Kong does his roll attack. The roll attack however doesn't always react properly when you shake the Wii-remote, leaving you with a few, cheap deaths. Such can it be that you'll accidentally perform a roll attack although you actually wanted to blow, which can happen easily if you don't quite press down with your joystick/D-pad.
Luckily, these issues are minor ones, disturbing your enjoyment and interrupting the game flow only rarely. Otherwise, Donkey Kong Country Returns is still a blast.
Some hardcore Donkey Kong Country fans however will probably be turned of a bit when hearing that the motion controls are mandatory and that there is no classic controller support, which is a shame. There are a lot of more turn offs for some Donkey Kong Country fans here because Retro studios did let out a few thing we really liked in the first 3 Donkey Kong Country games. What might turn some Donkey Kong Country fans off is the fact that there are no animal buddies except Rambi returning, that the whole Donkey Kong family, except Cranky Kong is totally absent, and that the Kremlings are not the evil to be defeated in this game. No, this time Donkey Kong gets new enemies to defeat, the Tiki Tak Tribe. Everything actually starts of with an volcano eruption, releasing the Tiki Tak Tribe, who hypnotize the animals on Donkey Kong Island to steal the bananas for them. Of course, this can't happen in Donkey Kong's eyes, and so he and his buddy Diddy Kong make themselves on the way to rescue their animal buddies and most importantly, their bananas. Though it would have been nice to see the Kremlings back, The Tiki Tak tribe fits just as well, with personalities and an awesome main villain all there.
Another turn off for some Donkey Kong Country lovers may be the missing water levels and the fact, that Diddy Kong isn't playable in the single player. Instead, Diddy Kong will now always be carried by Donkey Kong, helping Donkey Kong with his jet pack, which is activated by holding the jump button pressed, and it lets Donkey Kong fly for a second or two. You'll get Diddy Kong when ever you find a barrel with him inside.
And for the water levels, at least the mine cart levels are back, more challenging than ever. And as a replacement for the water levels there are rocket barrel levels. These prove to be especially challenging, pressing the A button lets Donkey Kong rise on his barrel while letting the A button go lets him drop. It's therefore so hard because those rocket barrel levels throw so much toward you for you to avoid, and the actions of the rocket barrel, speak rising and dropping, happen very fast and sensitive. But completing one of these levels is also immensely satisfying.
Luckily, you'll fast forget about any of your disappointments since the game has enough other stuff ready for you, that it gets pretty clear that some of the missing content like the animal buddies aren't needed to make this game a blast.
Even though the game is a 2D platformer, the environments are full 3D, which allows Retro Studios to be even more creative. Lots of the levels use these 3D environments in amazing ways. You'll often find yourself to be blasted into the background or foreground, making the platforming even more immersive. The game also has some obstacles coming from the background, like a ship attacking you or tidal waves, trying to sweep you away. The game always has you on the feet, no matter where death is coming from.
Luckily, the game also looks amazing. The artistic design is incredibly strong and the environments all have an ridiculous amount of details in them and all the environment just really feel alive. There are 8 worlds each with about 7-8 levels, and every world has a fresh, new feeling to it. The variety between the environments is just as impressive: Jungle, cave, cliffs and lava worlds, they are all there. The character designs are great, animations look smooth, there is no framerate drop what so ever, etc. The graphics are simply outstanding.
The world maps however don't look as nice as they could, pretty rough in fact compared to the looks of the levels. And speaking about the world maps, when beginning a level or after you've ended a level occasionally long load times tend to bug you a bit. But those are only neat pickings.
The games musical score is just as impressive. The soundtrack contains a lot of the old classic songs, but also adds enough new music in the mix to make the soundtrack a delight. It's a perfect mix of old and new.
Another good thing about the game, there is lots and lots of content in it. Donkey Kong Country Return's main adventure will take you a few days, but then there are the Kong letters that have to be collected in each level, and after finding all Kong letters in one entire world, a secret passage to a secret level opens, and these levels prove to be even more challenging. And there is even more. Every level also has 5-9 puzzle pieces hidden around for you to find, which unlocks artworks of the game. Those art works are decent, though a bigger award would have been indeed nice. And after doing all of this, you'll still not be finished.
Donkey Kong Country Returns also supports co-op where you can play with a buddy along your side through all the levels. One of you guys play Donkey Kong and one Diddy Kong. It's similar to New Super Mario Bros Wii's multiplayer, only that you can't get in others way. It's definitely entertaining, but not as much as the single player. It could have been easily better. There are no team mechanics what so ever and during your adventure you'll encounter levels where it's pretty clear that they were made more for the single player and less for the multiplayer. It would have been nice to see a few extras that made those levels in co-op less painful. Also, you have to share your lives, which means you'll have a much bigger chance to see the game over screen. So though the multiplayer portion is still fun, you'll also encounter many frustrating moments.
It's obvious that Retro Studios did pay the most attention on it's gameplay. The atmosphere, though still great, may not appeal so much to the Donkey Kong Country fans than the first 3 Donkey Kong Country games, especially because most of the animal buddies and almost the whole Donkey Kong family are absent. The graphics, such as the soundtrack are great, but the gameplay is the star of the show. Donkey Kong Country Return's levels are amazingly designed, with lots of incredible ideas and a great use of the 3D environments. Just as important is that the game is tough, really tough. Old-school tough, and since there aren't to many platformers out there that provide such a challenge, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a stand-out package that Wii owners shouldn't miss on, at least not the more experienced ones.
THE GOOD
+ amazing level design which uses its 3D environments exceptionally well
+ very challenging, without feeling unfair at all
+ cool, challenging and satisfying bosses
+ beautiful visuals with 3D environments that look outstanding and feel totally alive
+ great soundtrack that combines both old and new
+ lots of collectibles like the KONG letters and puzzle pieces that force you to come back again and again
+ huge unlockables which include even more length to the game
+ fun co-op
THE BAD
- a few, rare motion control hiccups can lead to a few, cheap deaths
- motion controls are mandatory, and there is no classic controller option
- occasionally long load times
- multiplayer could have been better
Review Score: 9/10