When a video game console is nearing the end of its life cycle, older games are often rereleased to bide time until the next big system release. I grew up playing Nintendo systems like the DS, 3DS, and Wii, so I’ve seen this happen a couple of times before (even if I was younger and not paying much attention to context around the games I played). The Nintendo Switch 2 will likely be released sometime this year, so in the meantime, they’ve polished up some of their older titles and rereleased them. A recent example, coming out in January, is Donkey Kong Country Returns HD. This release features the original Wii game in high definition, with the added content from its 3DS version, now on a system that can be played at home on a TV or on the go. I picked the game up recently and beat it soon after, enjoying my time with it.
The story is simple and direct: Kong’s banana hoard has been stolen, and they go on an adventure to retrieve it. This game has a unique group of villains compared to the originals, going with the Tiki Tak Tribe, which is comprised of sentient musical instruments. They aren’t a very threatening group, but they do offer unique and interesting designs. To best understand the way the game is designed, I had to learn more about the history of the series. It had been around fifteen years since the last game, which was developed by Rare. The new-coming developers at Retro Studios took an approach of familiarity with the game, rather than reinventing the wheel. Most of Returns‘ DNA is borrowed from the original games, alongside some new mechanics and collectibles. Any additions work towards creating an incentive for players to interact with the stages rather than always barreling through them, not fully processing the game’s detailed environments.
Most of the worlds contain similar settings and set pieces throughout, but the individual levels can stand out with their unique gimmicks and pleasant visuals. My favorite-looking stage would be the first world’s “Sunset Shore”, where an orange sunset shimmers in the stage’s background as the rest of the level is cast in shadow. It functions more as eye candy than a very challenging stage, but for one of the game’s earlier levels, it managed to leave a strong impression on me. One of the other few shadow-cast levels is World Seven’s “Foggy Fumes”. It manages to stay unique from its contemporaries in its factory setting, which has the player working through the stage to stop the machinery responsible for the extreme fog. “Mast Blast” comes to mind as a great example of the way that the game’s stages transform as you play, as it starts in the ruins, goes to the beach, and ends aboard pirate ships. Other stages like “Hot Rocket” provide some of the game’s most thrilling close calls, as the player navigates tightly closing corridors and fireballs aboard the rocket barrel, functioning like a small rocket ship. I could highlight many more stages, which is a testament to the game’s level-to-level greatness.
Despite the great level designs, most of the boss fights feel like underwhelming conclusions to their respective worlds. The bulk of fights are easy and uninteresting, like the Scurvy Crew of three pirate crabs in the second world. They function as clones of the normal crab enemies, leaving more to be desired after beating them. Contrastingly, the mine-cart-riding mole fight in the fourth world stands out as one of the more unique battles. That whole world is made up of mine-cart and rocket barrel stages, which offer some of the game’s fastest and most challenging stages, so the boss fight’s speedily moving environment makes it feel similarly exciting and high stakes. The final boss of the game is the leader of the tribe: Tiki Tong. He’s not a very challenging encounter, but the way the buildup and cutscenes play out make it a satisfying victory to best him and restore peace to Kong’s island.
I’ve spent most of this review discussing the game at its core, but focusing on Returns HD as a rerelease, it definitely falls short of expectations. It has high-definition graphics now, but the frame rate isn’t always stable, resulting in some choppiness, and the in-game models and textures look worse than Tropical Freeze, the other Donkey Kong Country game on Switch. Even though it would have likely taken more time, effort, and money to spruce the game to that level, it would have made a second rerelease of the game feel more justifiable and definitive. Even still, the game’s strong platforming challenges, unique level designs, and iconic music hold up excellently. Today, Returns HD is the most accessible release, and I would highly recommend anyone give the game a shot in any of its forms.
