Donkey Kong Country blew me away when it was released in 1994. Its life-like visuals, orchestral-inspired music, and solid platforming foundation paved way for one of the most memorable experiences of the 16-bit era. Of course, a lot has changed since then. Rare, the original developers, are now owned by Microsoft, the Donkey Kong brand has been weathered by neglect, and who would have imagined this revival effort would be helmed by Retro, a studio who has only created first-person Metroid games until now? Needless to say, Donkey Kong Country Returns had a lot to live up to with odds stacked against it...and it has blown me away on almost every level.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, Retro has retained most of the core elements--Donkey Kong, Diddy, and bananas--whilst adding a ton of new ideas, and even taking some risks along the way. The game, like before, is structured around Donkey Kong Island, where you’ll traverse through Jungles, Beaches, Ruins, Caves, Forests, Cliffs, and Factories, all in an effort to reclaim your banana horde from the evil Tikis.

 

“Wait, tikis?” I hear you asking. These minions serve as the replacement for the kremlings, something that may concern long time fans--it certainly worried me. Those crocodiles have long been synonymous with the Donkey Kong name, making cameo appearances in several Nintendo games. Luckily, the Tikis turn out to be a great replacement and serve as a suitable reminder that this game isn’t really a remake.

With that background info in mind, how does the game actually play? The first significant change you’ll notice is that, in single-player, you actually control both Donkey and Diddy at the same time! Don’t worry, it’s not as tricky as it sounds. Diddy simply rides Donkey Kong piggyback through the entire adventure, providing you with a new ability and hit points. While Donkey Kong retains his ability to roll and pound the ground, Diddy brings with him his jetpack, allowing for the duo to make last-minute aerial maneuvers. But beware, if you take too much damage, then Diddy will disappear leaving only Donkey Kong in his wake--without the life-saving rocket-pack.

 

The primate partners are also joined by Cranky Kong (who seems slightly less cranky than I remember) and DK’s favorite animal buddy. That’s right--buddy. Unfortunately, Rambi the rhino is the only rideable animal to return, though he’s used to great effect in this game, capable of performing a near unstoppable charge attack which just tears through the environment. While I would have liked to have seen the rest of the gang return, their absense isn’t particularly noticeable.

In addition to Rambi, there are several vehicles Donkey Kong can use to traverse the environment. Of course, the barrel blasters are back, complete with some tricky sequences that rival the best in the original DKC. Mine carts return too, only with a few unique twists that literally goes off the rails. These are as fun and challenging as ever, though it also manifested one of my few complaints.  When you get hit an enemy while jumping, the minecart will often continue on before you have a chance to jump back in, resulting in unavoidable death. You’ll also find a throwback to Donkey Kong Country 3, in the form of a rocket-barrel you can ride, which make up some of the more difficult levels of the game.

 

Lush jungles, decrepit mines, shimmering underwater adventures. One of the hallmarks of the Donkey Kong Country series was its ability to absorb me completely within the adventure. The original accomplished this primarily through then-unprecedented graphical fidelity--one could almost smell the musty air of the decrepit mines, or in awe of the glistening banana leaves. Donkey Kong Country seemed as true-to-life as a game starring a giant ape searching for bananas could possibly be. And Donkey Kong Country Returns manages to capture that very same feeling, only through entirely different means.

While the visuals are still fantastic (more on them later), they no longer attempt to ape real-life, and instead veer toward a decidedly more stylized experience. Instead, Retro’s game engrossed me by bringing the world to life in ways previous generations could not. No longer are the levels simple static backdrops for the platforming action; they now exist as living, breathing worlds, where there is always something happening on-screen. Whether it’s rustling trees, crashing tidal waves, or the Tiki’s flying their airship in the background. It’s very much like Main Street in Disneyland, where there’s so much happening, you sometimes just want to skip the rides and enjoy the sights.

 

I simply can’t overstate how gorgeous this game looks. While I was initially perturbed by the lack of fur-shading on Donkey Kong, the end result is a stunning, colorful adventure that truly illustrates horsepower alone isn’t necessary to produce one of the best looking games I’ve ever played. Perhaps the most impressive example is also the most subdued: the silhouette levels. In these stages, DK and Diddy--as well as everything else in the foreground--are silhouetted against the brilliant orange pastels of a setting sun. It’s actually very similar to a colorful version of Xbox 360’s, Limbo, only used much more sparingly to more powerful effect.

However, it’s not just the visuals that enable the sense of immersion; instead it’s the sheer level of interactivity. You’ll find yourself interacting with the environment constantly, whether it’s blowing on a flower to reveal a secret or busting things open with a ground pound. But Donkey Kong Country Returns takes it several steps further with the constant interchange of elements between the foreground and background. No more are the backgrounds mere backdrops--they are now a very active part of the environment that most closely resembles a few select sequences from Yoshi’s Island. You’ll find yourself seeking shelter from crashing title waves as they wash in from the distance in Stormy Shores, or dodging incoming cannonballs blasted by a Tiki-manned ship in Cannon Cluster. Sometimes the game even plays with these elements to convey inter-level storylines, such as a runaway train which turns out to be a later level’s boss. In addition, Donkey Kong and Diddy are often cannon-blasted into the background, where even more platforming action takes place, in a manner similar to Paper Mario.

 

While the Donkey Kong Country series has always been renowned for its visual prowess, its equally remembered for its amazing soundtracks (at least for the first two games), and this is perhaps the one area where Returns doesn’t quite live up. Like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the game reintroduces gamers to many classic themes, but relies just a little too much on them, even going so far as to break the classic Jungle Hjinks into three seperate tracks. While both the returning songs and new songs are enjoyable, they seem less catchy and more ambient than those in the original, which can easily stand by themselves.

One thing I haven’t yet touched on is the difficulty level. Simply put, Donkey Kong Country Returns features some of the most difficult platforming levels I’ve played in years (the final level in Sonic Colors aside). The game, however, never feels unfair (though it can certainly be frustrating at times), and even offers up a “Super Guide,” similar to New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Mario Galaxy 2, that allows you to simply bypass any level that can’t finish yourself.

 

For those who really want to test their skills, the myriad collectibles serve as a great secondary challenge, which will unlock even more endgame challenges. And it is in this respect that Donkey Kong Country Returns also perfectly captures the often understated, but brilliantly implemented explorative elements of the original series (especially 2 and 3), and this is where Retro’s experience with the Metroid series really shines through. Hidden within each level are several collectible items, such as bananas, coins, puzzle pieces, and KONG letters. And it’s these latter two which will leave you scratching your head, while hunting for more. These babies are devilishly hidden within each world and serve to unlock some fantastic secrets later in the game. The rewards give the collectibles actual contextual meaning without being a burden (as opposed to say the ‘collectibles’ in more modern series, like the pigeons in GTA4). Of course, these collectibles are completely optional, so if retreading terrain isn’t your bag, you can safely ignore them.

 

Throughout my many hours with the game, I only had two real issues that bothered me. Firstly, the enemies respawn if you venture back after killing them--a minor nuisance, but one that really shouldn't be there (particularly as the previous Donkey Kongs did not have this). Secondly, timing a high-bounce after jumping on an enemy is made much more difficult whenever Diddy's riding piggyback, as tapping the jump button will often activate the jetpack instead, throwing your timing off completely. Again, a very minor issue, but one that I could see potentially annoying some, even if it didn't bother me terribly so.

Retro had big shoes to fill when reviving this aged franchise for a new generation, and though they’ve taken some risks, the game is the better for it. Never does it feel like a retread of familiar stomping grounds, thanks to a seemingly unlimited amount of ideas, and an unprecedented amount of interaction with the environment for a platforming game. In fact, it is so filled to the brim with unique settings, gameplay mechanics, and ideas, I can’t even imagine what might be left for a sequel.

In a nutshell, Donkey Kong Country Returns is exactly what the series needed after a decade-long absence.



For the first time in the series’ history, Donkey Kong Country Returns features true two-player co-op, allowing two-players to play through the adventure simultaneously. Because the levels are identical, everything I stated above for single-player holds true for multiplayer, but is enhanced even further by playing with a friend.

The obvious differentiator is that Donkey Kong and Diddy are now separated. However, this also creates an interesting side-effect between, as Diddy is categorically better. He’s smaller, has a jetpack, and can fire his peanut gun. More experienced players will likely want to take the reigns of Donkey Kong, while leaving Diddy for their less experienced comrades.

 

Of course, the two can still pair up, just like in the single-player adventure. This grants Donkey Kong the ability to use the hovering ability of Diddy’s jet-pack to squeeze out a few extra inches. Unfortunately, this also means there isn’t much for the Diddy player to do, aside from fire peanut shells, so it’s generally best to only use this feature if one player is having trouble with a particular segment.

 

In stark contrast to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, this game feels truly cooperative, as in you won’t find yourselves getting in each other’s way. This is because both Kongs, for the most part, don’t directly interact at all. That means, no bouncing on each other’s heads, nor throwing them around haphazardly. Instead, it puts the focus squarely on the platforming instead of avoiding each other. In addition, the game employs a non-intrusive interface for returning players who fall behind off-screen without costing them a life. This is a welcome addition, as it means players don’t have to wait around for the others to catch up, like in Mario.

The cooperative elements extend beyond the on-foot platforming, with vehicle controls executed in a manner I’ve never seen done before. Since both Donkey Kong and Diddy share mine carts, animal buddies, and rocket-barrels, both players are capable of steering at any time. What I thought would be frustrating actually works extremely well in practice, allowing one player to save both of you with a well-timed dodge. Of course, that ships sails both ways, and it could also end in your demise, but the results are fun all the same.

 

My only real complaint is that the multiplayer isn't true drop-in, drop-out, instead forcing you to select it between levels from the menu. Why my friend can't hop in mid-level is beyond me.

In my experience, playing Donkey Kong Country Returns with a friend made a stellar experience even better. This game is, without question, the new standard for how cooperative platformers should play.
 

Click here for our video review!