Donkey Kong Country Returns Review

While I can’t say it’s on like the protagonist’s name, I can say that the mighty Donkey Kong has returned for yet another foray into collect-a-thon madness on the Wii. This time Retro Studios has been asked to revive yet another franchise like they did eight years ago with the Metroid Prime series, which are regarded as some of the best games of all time. Has Retro Studios once again struck gold? Or will the loss of key figures after Metroid Prime prove to be their downfall?

Donkey Kong Country Returns isn’t much in terms of story, the Tiki tribe, a group of creatures that can hypnotize animals takes all of Donkey Kong’s bananas for some reason, and the big ape takes offense to this, so he goes and tries to get them back. Along his journey, he can pickup Diddy for some co-op action for hovering and elongated rolling. Cranky Kong offers a shop so you can buy lives and some inventory items to make levels and hunting for collectibles in them a bit easier. This game starts out mildly on difficulty, and gradually gets tougher. By the final world, expect to die a few dozen times per level in order to beat them. Don’t worry though, if you die ten times in a single level, you can use the Super Guide from the nearest checkpoint.

You may die a few times due to the motion controls in the game. You can stand and shake to pound the ground, run and shake to roll, and crouch and shake to have DK breathe. The second one will cause most of these motion control deaths since it leads to a loss of some control when jumping immediately after a roll. You can play with the Wii Remote sideways or with the Nunchuck, and while I played with the latter people are split on which way is the preferred method to play. The Classic Controller is not supported, so that is a mark against the game. However, you don’t have to shake all that often in order to progress through levels, although at points it is preferred if the level is moving or pushing you forward so you can’t take your time.

The game is your standard side-scrolling platformer where you jump on enemies, collect bananas, letters, puzzle pieces and do various mini-games through each level. Each level also has a Time Attack mode when you beat each one which definitely adds some replay value if you’re going for a perfect file. Even the first level has a very strict time limit in order to achieve the top score. There are various gimmicks throughout the game including barrel blasting, and while not a core mechanic of many levels, they are featured prominently as side attractions. Mine cart levels return, and are as devious as previous entries, as well as levels that focus on you grabbing walls and ledges in order to progress, just like any good ape should.

The graphics on levels are very stylized and clean, and not only that the levels are designed very cleverly as well, even though they do come across as a bit simple at times. The music, while classic, is a bit muted and MIDI, so it isn’t quite as memorable as those older games. However, that doesn’t really take away from the enjoyment of the game, especially when you’ll be too focused on beating a level than enjoying the soundtrack.

Donkey Kong Country Returns offers a lot of content in its’ package, with a lot of replay value for both you and your friends if you so wish. Retro Studios has proven that they are masters of their craft once again, even in the wake of losing some key figures. While it may not be quite as revolutionary as Metroid Prime was, this game is truly remarkable, and stands out as one of the best games on the system, and one of the best games released this year.

Score: 9 out of 10