Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores, but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, all whilst including some lengthy gameplay, to give you, the reader, the chance to form your own impressions and views while reading and watching.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering Donkey Kong Country Returns HD by developer Forever Entertainment:
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD: (Nintendo Switch)
Kicking off 2025 for Nintendo is Donkey Kong himself as he returns once again in Donkey Kong Country Returns HD! The game first released on the Nintendo Wii and the 3DS and was developed by Retro Studios. This time around though, Forever Entertainment has picked up the mantle of porting this classic outing to the Nintendo Switch and giving it the remastered treatment.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HDÂ follows Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong as they chase down the mischievous Tiki Tak Tribe who have stolen DK’s banana horde by hypnotizing the local animals to do their bidding. Hoping to cast the same hypnotic spell on DK, one member of the Tiki Tak Tribe tried and failed and received a serious beat down from DK. Now, with the desire to recover his precious bananas, Donkey Kong must set out once again around Donkey Kong Island to get what is rightfully his back.
For anyone who has already played the original game on the Wii or 3DS, you already know what you are in for. For those that haven’t or may not have played a Donkey Kong Country game, it is a 2D action platformer that tasks the player to traverse each stage collecting bananas, whilst defeating enemies and reaching the goal. It’s not too dissimilar from a Super Mario Bros. game, although the enemies, environments and collectibles are different, and there are no power-ups to collect. However, what is different is how you traverse some stages. There are some levels where you may be riding on top of Rambi the Rhino, straddled on a rocket barrel or holding on for dear life in the famous minecart rides.
Up to two players can play together in Donkey Kong Country Returns HD with one player as Donkey Kong and the other as Diddy. Both characters can be controlled individually and possess the same attacks with the exception that Diddy can hover in the air for a short time and can also use his peanut gun when smashing on the ground. You can also bring the characters together by pressing R so Diddy jumps onto DK’s back. In this state, only player 1 can control both characters and can make use of Diddy’s hovering ability and prolong DK’s roll as Diddy runs on the top of him. Both players can dismount Diddy from DK at any time by pressing R.
So, “how many levels are there in Donkey Kong Country Returns HD?” you may find yourself asking. Well, there are 80 levels spread out across 9 worlds which includes the extra stages from the Nintendo 3DS version of the game. Each world has a particular theme like Beach, Jungle, Ruins, etc., and with that their own location specific enemies as well as common ones that you can find on throughout any of the worlds. As you venture through the stages on each world, you can find four letter icons that spell out the word K-O-N-G. Collecting them all within a stage will grant you access to a bonus temple stage where you collect a rare orb. What the orbs do though, I’m not telling.
You can also find a number of hidden puzzle pieces in the stages as well that can unlock in-game artwork once they have all been collected. These collectibles help give the levels a litte more replayability as some puzzle pieces and even some KONG letters can be stashed away in out of reach areas and can be easily missed on a first-time playthrough. That said though, most stages never feel too long nor do they take very long to beat for that matter. With the exception of the temple stages, there are checkpoints in every stage so you are never too far from a checkpoint should you lose all your health or drop down a pitfall. I personally found the checkpoints most helpful as there were some platforming sections in the game that I did have trouble with. That said, they weren’t overly difficult to make me throw down the controller but they were demanding enough for me to step up my game.
Other collectibles you can find throughout the game are bananas, banana coins, and balloons. Collecting 100 bananas will grant you a red balloon which, represent extra lives in the game. The gold banana coins can be used in Cranky Kong’s shop to purchase items like extra life balloons, potions to make you temporarily invincible, enlist the help of Squawk to find puzzle pieces, or keys to unlock a blocked path in the world. There is a Cranky’s shop in each world so if you find yourself having trouble in any stage, be sure to pay a visit to Cranky’s to stock up on some helpful items.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HDÂ is one of those games that has great music, great level design and is overall a great game. I actually had more fun playing this than I did with Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze. The option of playing the game with extra hearts in modern mode was also appreciated as it makes the game more accessible to new players while the original mode stays true to the original design of the game.
I must admit that this game is gonna be a hard sell for players who have played the original on Wii or on 3DS. There aren’t any new features or modes with the exception of making the gameplay easier, choice of control schemes and a visual upgrade. The full price tag is also a very big deterrent for a game that originally released almost 15 years ago. However, if you have played it before, you don’t need me to tell you how fun the game is. As for new players who have never played this game before, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a barrel of fun at every turn and you are sure to have a good time playing it alone or with a friend. So, what are you waiting for? Go Bananas!
Game Specifications:
Developer: Forever Entertainment
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Platformer, Action
No. of Players: 1-2 (Single System)
Release Date: January 16, 2025
Price: $59.99
File Size: 8.3 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
