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Donkey Kong Country Returns HD: a decent remastering

DK, Donkey Kong! DK, Donkey Kong!

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Donkey Kong is one of the most important characters in Nintendo history. He is an arcade icon, a regular guest at Mario events and the star of a themed world in Super Nintendo World. He even played a major role in the recent The Super Mario Bros. Despite his important place in the video game world, his role as the main character in his own video game series has been inconsistent. Now, in anticipation of an imminent return with something new and fresh, we have a new remaster with the upcoming release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for Nintendo Switch.

Originally released for Wii in 2010, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a platforming title that brings a third adventure starring the ever-charismatic Donkey Kong. The story begins with the strange Tik Tak tribe, awakened by a volcanic explosion, whose music hypnotizes the island’s animals and who begin to steal Donkey Kong’s precious bananas. Our hero, who is resistant to the music of these evil Tik Takis, sets out on an adventure with Diddy Kong to retrieve his all-important treasure. This adventure will take Donkey and Diddy all over the island, which features different environments ranging from jungle, caves, beaches, forests, ruins and as much scenery as possible.

Challenging, but with modern controls

If you’ve played titles in the Donkey Kong Country series, you’ll find simple but familiar controls. Donkey Kong will be able to roll, punch, blow, jump and throw barrels. Accompanied by Diddy Kong, he’ll be able to float in the air for a while thanks to his little friend’s jetpack. The mechanics are extremely simple, keeping the style of a platformer that becomes extremely complicated as you progress through the levels. The game allows you to play with either classic or motion control, which is mostly used for hitting the ground with the Joy-Con simulation.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD boasts an impressive level of design that remains highly relevant. From classic elements like the barrels that toss you back and forth, the carts in the mines, to breathtaking moments like surviving the strong tides that hit the beach and whose waves can sweep you away.

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As you’ve come to expect from the franchise, each of the levels within the 8 worlds to play through is full of secrets. From collecting the classic KONG letters, to getting the pieces to a puzzle, to completing a hidden bonus level. Aside from the 4 letters, much of what you need to look for is completely hidden in the scenery and won’t be so obvious to find, so if you want to get 100% out of the game, you’ll have a lot to look forward to.

In terms of difficulty, this has always been one of the classic elements of the series. Between precise jumps and taking care not to be touched by enemies in order to survive. Added to this is a game mode called Modern, which allows us to add a total of 3 chances before losing a life, making it easier to survive and complete the levels.

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If you feel the difficulty is too much, we will also have the presence of Cranky Kong, who will be in his shop offering us life, invincibility potions, keys to other levels and even a little help in finding certain items. Of course, the characteristic humor of this member of the Kong family is not to be missed, as he will be very pointed about our need to ask for help.

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You can also play with a friend in co-op mode. Controlling Diddy Kong allows you to use his jetpack, shoot with his peashooter and move a little faster than Donkey Kong. The characters can go their separate ways, or Donkey can carry Diddy if necessary.

Visually, the game is not so good. Technically, the game has no frame drops and runs well on both console and handheld. However, it’s in the small details that appear on the screen, such as the background of the scenarios, where you don’t notice a level of care or graphical update that becomes very out of tune. Something that becomes more noticeable the longer you play. Compared to the results we’ve seen in previous games like Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD feels like it could have received a better visual upgrade, taking advantage of the graphical power of the Nintendo Switch compared to the consoles it came from.

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Donkey Kong Country Returns HD continues to prove that it’s a great title that’s still going strong after 15 years of difficulty and mystery. The gameplay remains solid as an important title in the collection for any fan of one of Nintendo’s most important characters. However, it leaves something to be desired in terms of graphics, proving that a third installment in this series is necessary. A title for those who haven’t had the chance to play it on either Wii or 3DS.

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