One of the best memories I have with this game was playing it with my (at the time) 8 years old cousin, as he called Donkey Kong "GRAMPA" because to him he looked like our grandfather..... I dunno where he saw the similarities but I love that memory.

Country Returns is great: it's a awesome revival of the series after DK went in sort weird places throught his "bongos-junglebeat-kingofswing" phase. It takes the magical atmosphere of previous renditions of DK Island and adds a new twist to hit, creating incredibly memorable environments for a 2D platformers (especially the sunset levels: those are gorgeous).

As a game it's way tougher compared to your other platformers on the Wii, but it never feels unfair: it's a great balance between challenges that makes for really enduring and fun to revisit levels.

The secrets are as great as the ones from the first games, and the flow goes own for almost all of the worlds. Some specific levels I absolutely love have to do with swarms of spiders constantly chasing you into an endless tunnel, canyons full of unhinged fossils, and everything that has to do with Rambi, cause Rambi is the GOAT

The bosses are also really neat. They are nothing extremely memorable, but they are mostly fun in terms of designs and gimmicks.

My only gripe with this game is... the overall lack of older DK characters: Diddy and Cranky are back, but for the rest of the memorable cast, apparently Retro Studio didn't want to "steal" Rare's ideas so they came out with new villains and settings.

WHich is kinda fair, but also the results are not endearing: the Tikis are not really a memorable part of this game, especially compared to the Kremlins, and the rest of the allies are either completely absent or turned into item shops (Like Country returns did Squawks dirty, I loved that guy in DKC2)

Overall a great platformer, and the perfect title to make a lot of people return or jump into the franchise.. I just feel like it misses a lot of the charm and overall creativity of previous titles. Still a great time.

(BT TIki Tong's plan SUCKS: dude literally sacrificed all of his allies to create a pair of hands that breaks in 2 hits: dude is an idiot why is he allowed in the Nintendo theme park?

still a damn fantastic game even after all these years! the levels and worlds feel so vibrant and alive, there's so many little details in the environments and enemies and it's clear how much care went into everything. the difficulty is perfect for the most part, most of the levels are a great challenge and it's super satisfying to get them done and get all the KONG letters in one go at the same time. i say most because there are a certain few levels that feel slightly unfair cause of inconveniently placed checkpoints or diddy kong barrels (or lack thereof... looking at 6-K). but overall? had a really good time revisiting this instead of working on stuff for finals like i should've been doing

It’s amazing how radically society's perception of things can shift over the course of a decade. Approximately ten years before the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns, American developer Retro Studios was signed on by Nintendo to ignite the new generation of Metroid games after the franchise’s long absence, making up for lost time on the Gamecube while its peers had already received the 3D treatment on the N64. Instead of sheer elation that should’ve been warranted from Metroid’s resurrection, the fact that Retro Studios was an amateur developer working on Metroid’s 3D launch as their debut effort with their ambitious visions for the deferred franchise resembling a first-person shooter petrified all of their fans. Retro Studios were predestined to join the dingy, abysmal ranks with the likes of Jar Jar Binks for ravaging an IP upon its resurfacing, causing fans to wish that Metroid had remained dormant as a faint, but delightful memory. Of course, this collective panic attack was much ado about nothing as Retro Studios astounded fans with what could be argued as Metroid’s finest outing. The fans then had to apologize profusely for the bombardment of death threats, letter bombs, and boxes of fecal matter mailed to their PO Box. Well into the Wii generation later that decade, announcing that Retro Studios were at the helm of Donkey Kong’s third wind of relevancy made Nintendo fans ecstatic just on the fact that Retro Studios were behind the title alone. Did Retro Studios find it fit to reshape Donkey Kong into something the big ape hadn’t tested before like a real-time strategy or survival horror experience? No, but Retro Studios proved with this title that they can also stick to traditions just as masterfully.

Despite the allusion to Donkey Kong's absence the title alludes to, Donkey Kong had still occupied at least an iota of the limelight among Nintendo’s IPs throughout the 2000s decade. No, I’m not referring to his tangential role as a playable character in various Mario sports and racing games. The king of the Kong clan had his own racing game sans Mario, two rhythm games, and an attempt to revitalize Mario and Donkey Kong’s earliest rivalry with the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games. I don’t even know how to classify Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. While Donkey Kong was still cashing checks, it isn’t a stretch to state that Donkey Kong was kind of slumming it throughout this time because none of these titles were all that exemplary (except arguably Jungle Beat, if you’re willing to be patient with its bongo controls). Even though Mario (and Kirby, I guess) is the prime representative for the platformer genre in Nintendo’s catalog, Donkey Kong should’ve been taking the plumber to school in the 2D platformer realm as it was back in the days of the SNES with the “country” moniker attached. Perhaps Nintendo had finally moved on after feeling jilted when that hussy Rare ran off with Microsoft (and a lot of good that decision did them!) and decided that Retro Studios was a sufficient surrogate as an overseas subsidiary developer once they overcame their trauma of losing the original creators of the DKC trilogy on the SNES. Donkey Kong never faded from the spotlight, but the emphasis on the “country” portion of the title signified that he was ready to continue his reign as a viable contender in the celebrated ranks of Nintendo IPs.

Almost fifteen years later, Donkey Kong still has his priorities straightened out. Bananas remain DK’s ultimate source of joy and accomplishment in his unpretentious life in the jungle (the eponymous country if you will). For someone who lives a life of humdrum leisure eating bananas, Donkey Kong sure has a lot of enemies who know exactly how to hurt him. For once, it isn’t that meddlesome Kremling king King K. Rool causing a raucous, succeeding his pirate and mad scientist schtick with another getup gimmick. In DKC Returns, the new villains are a sentient tribe of masks that emerged from a volcano eruption on the island. These masks are adept with the power of persuasion, hypnotizing the animals of the jungle when their eyes turn into spirals. It attempts to sway Donkey Kong into its animal puppet army, but the same method proves ineffective against him. I don’t think the developers are suggesting that Donkey Kong possesses some kind of strong, heroic mental fortitude here; rather, he should be fortunate he’s a strapping lug because there isn’t much going on upstairs. Donkey Kong’s main passion in life are just bananas after all, which the Tiki Tak Tribe recognizes and steals his banana hoard to slight the big ape. Because Donkey Kong naturally isn’t going to let these bodiless pieces of wood and fabric usurp his life’s work from under him, he now must spring into action and take back what is rightfully his…again. Even though King K. Rool’s kremling minions have already spurned Donkey Kong in this manner before, I’ll allow it to be repeated again because there is no other franchise in gaming where this silly premise could cause genuine plot conflict and make sense.

Judging from the first few seconds of gameplay in DKC Returns, Retro Studios has established some core idiosyncrasies for the big ape’s subseries. Donkey Kong Country is a 2D platformer resembling the Mario series design construct of surviving the steep platforming challenges until they eventually reach a goalline. The “country” is divided into six to eight “worlds” with a boss at the end, and secrets to uncover at possibly every step of each level. Obviously, all of these gameplay facets are carried over from the original SNES trilogy. Still, the developers transporting all of these for their own creative project cement a staunch formula that gives any Donkey Kong game with the “country” label a definitive identity. However, Retro Studios found it vital to give Donkey Kong the utmost precedence that he ever had before. Ironically enough, Donkey Kong was never the focal point of Donkey Kong Country throughout the SNES trilogy. He was predominantly featured as a playable character in the first game, a “distressed dude” (a male damsel in distress, apparently) in the second, and just collected royalties by the third game. Hell, he and Diddy Kong shared an equal stake in gameplay as the player could theoretically complete the game with just Diddy without breaking a barrel to revive Donkey Kong. As absurd as it sounds, Retro Studios' biggest effort to go against the grain of Donkey Kong Country tradition is placing the titular character front and center for once.

Because Donkey Kong isn’t divvying up the weight of the franchise anymore, Retro Studios has given him a new arrangement of maneuvers to supersede the standard jumping and rolling that all Kongs can execute. Donkey Kong can now use his signature ground slap move from Super Smash Bros. to either shake enemies off the ground right side up onto their heads or daze them with its thunderous, rhythmic fury. Borrowing a move that another franchise made synonymous with Donkey Kong is a no-brainer, but I still can’t fathom how the developers thought gingerly blowing on objects to either douse flames or power wind-related contraptions would be appropriate for the lumbering gorilla. An example of the duality of the character? Who knows. Still, regardless of whether or not Donkey Kong is channeling primal aggression or odd gentleness, the multifaceted maneuvers will remind everyone that Donkey Kong Country Returns is indeed a Wii game because they are all triggered by wiggling the Wiimote while it’s being held horizontally. Because the maneuvers only require straightforward kinetic involvement, I do not mind the motion controls like some people would. However, shifting the roll move to a motion-controlled swipe of the Wiimote does admittedly make every long jump more unwavering to execute. Considering that Donkey Kong still tends to sink like an anchor when he jumps, the player will have to leap in tandem with this somewhat finicky control scheme. While Donkey Kong is now officially the main character of his own series, Diddy Kong still bursts from the barrels around the field and accompanies Donkey Kong until the player sustains too many hits or clumsily falls off the map. Everything should conjure up nostalgic wonderment for the very first game, except for the fact that Diddy Kong now functions as a glorified upgrade like Aku Aku instead of a playable partner character. Diddy clutches to Donkey Kong’s backside and boosts him over gaps with his jetpack like a furry, simian Clank. Doing Diddy dirty like this leaves a sour taste in my mouth, especially since he has more DKC tenure than the titular Kong. Still, putting Donkey Kong at the helm for this revival entry is more apropos to the “returns” context the game presents and is less likely to confuse new players.

The setting of DKC Returns also reverts back to recalling the first DKC game. At first, the country of Donkey Kong Country was a sprawling selection of pastoral, agrestic lands consisting of humid jungles, snowy mountain peaks, ancient temple grounds, and the coral reefs of the ocean. Later in the game, Industrial factory levels were incorporated into the mix to present a clear juxtaposition of level themes. As the series went forward, the DK clan ventured off beyond the modest confines of Donkey Kong’s backyard to scale the towering masts of pirate ships, cavernous honey hives, and deadly carnival attractions to name a few. DKC 3 even modeled its levels entirely from a defined temperate climate template that directly contrasted the country of the first game. Like Donkey Kong returning to his rightful place as the main protagonist, DKC Returns rewinds all the ground DK’s mates had covered across the original trilogy back to the most familiar of familiar territory. However, how these classic DKC levels are presented is much more organized. DKC Returns consists of eight main worlds, and each of these worlds is defined by an ecological theme seen in the first DKC game. Donkey Kong naturally begins his quest to obtain his banana hoard from his residential district of the jungle, and then progresses to a beach world, forest world, ruins world, to a cave world almost entirely comprised of mine cart levels. The notion of this theming will have half of DKC’s fanbase ecstatic while the other equal portion will gripe profusely like a middle-aged woman whose deli coupon got declined. The developers even incorporated a factory level near the end as if the connection between DKC Returns’s levels and those of the first game wasn’t clear enough already. Regardless of how DKC Returns retreads familiar territory, each level is designed as superbly as the ones from the SNES trilogy. I especially enjoy the galleys commanded by squadrons of crab pirates sailing on the shores of the beach levels for their bombastic presences, and finding hidden three switches across the factory levels to power the path to the world’s boss is an intuitive additional facet of gameplay never seen in the original trilogy.

The persistent reuse of the first DKC’s level themes almost defines DKC Returns as a soft, quasi-3D reboot, almost to a pastiche degree. However, DKC Returns avoids the stark retread label by implementing a smattering of innovations devised by Retro Studios. On top of the series staple minecart sections, DKC Returns supplements the most acquired taste of DKC vehicles by augmenting the rocket barrel seen in one level of DKC 3 into a fully-fledged vehicle that Donkey Kong rides while auto-scrolling through the air. Blasting off the makeshift contraption and dodging the oncoming obstacles like a sillier version of Gradius (sans the bullets) is just as exhilarating as calamitously careening on a set of train tracks. Still, the often hesitant acceleration rate of the rocket might also draw as much ire from the faction of fans who decry the minecart. Something more puzzling Retro Studios have added is the occasional silhouetting of a level, darkening Donkey Kong and his surroundings to the point where only their shadowy outlines and Donkey Kong’s red tie are discernable. I have no idea what prompted this periodic artistic rendering, but the contrast between the dim foreground and the background retaining its color is a pretty cool aesthetic choice in small doses. The familiar four letters in each level that spell out KONG are also newly accompanied by caramel-colored puzzle pieces hidden in the concealed passages and rewards for completing bonus sections of each level. As gratifying as finding these pieces is, the reward of concept art in the menu’s gallery might be deemed unworthy of the effort to collect them. If the player is seeking a more tangible reward for their meticulous platforming and exploration, collecting every KONG letter per world will unlock an additional level that all share a theme of excavating a temple’s inner sanctum. These “K” levels consistently have the most challenging platforming sections the game offers even in the first world, so let the buyer beware. Once the player manages to complete all of the arduous platforming excursions, an endgame addendum will be unlocked in the form of a ninth world called the Golden Temple where Donkey Kong is raptured away to his depiction of Shangri-La where giant fruits make up the platforms. If the player is willing to go the distance and is having trouble finding any of the extras, the DK clan’s ol’ parrot companion Squawks will chirp up on the field if a collectible is nearby. As happy as I am to see Squawks again, his relegation to a purchasable item is quite disheartening as a fan of the original trilogy. Actually, while I’m on the subject, DKC Returns is severely lacking in animal buddies, as Rambi is the only one to return and function the same way he did on the SNES. Were they all bewitched by the Tiki Tak Tribe? What a bunch of maroons.

Even if Squawks refurbished functionality doesn’t appeal to the player, they will most likely be visiting Cranky’s shop in each world where the doddering (and now widowed) OG Kong tells his grandson that he aint shit from his rocking chair anyways. The coins that are commonly found in the levels can be used to buy extra lives, and these lives will most likely be exhausted in a matter of a few levels because DKC Returns proves to match the notoriously steep difficulty of the original trilogy. Jumps will be mismatched, hitboxes will be debated, and objects will come hurtling at Donkey Kong before he has time to react. While DKC Returns will conjure up old frustrations, a mix of hindsight and modern advancements have at least assuaged the old struggle significantly. For one, the consistent bouts of endurance in completing several levels before reaching a save point have been redacted. Completing one level is now enough of an accomplishment to warrant the player taking a breather. I neglected to mention that the life balloons in Cranky’s shop can be bought in bulk for what is a meager amount of coins. I think I can speak for every veteran DKC fan when I say I appreciate Retro Studio’s consideration, but do all of these enhancements render DKC Returns facile and unengaging? Surprisingly, no. Despite all of the nifty perks DKC Returns has added, Retro Studios has still managed to make their creation as strenuous as the SNES titles through painstaking level design. The first instance where I started to sweat was swerving around the sonic sonar blasts of a giant bat on the rocket barrel in the fourth world, and the game never let up from there. Notice how the volcano world in particular resembles the fiery terrors of hell? Well, the constant barrage of obstacles, tight windows of opportunity to hop on platforms, and sporadic minecart sections make this collective of levels arguably more hellish than any of the base game levels from the SNES games. Amid my frustration, I really have to commend Retro Studios for achieving this difficulty curve organically.

However, if there is one aspect of the original Donkey Kong Country that this revival title does not carry over is the ease of the boss battles. All cocky veteran players who think the bosses will be inadvertent sources of respite as they were in the first game are in for a rude awakening. From the stampeding Mugly and its advanced breed Thugly, the great train chase of Mole Miner Max, to the crabby trio of the Scurvy Crew, every world’s boss battle requires a considerable amount of consideration and even memorization to defeat. The automaton mech of Colonel Pluck will especially catch the player off guard once he suddenly scurries erratically after stomping around the arena. Once Donkey Kong delivers the final blow to the boss, the mask possessing them will reveal itself in a defeated daze. Donkey Kong will rid its manipulative presence from the animal host by launching the menace up in the sky with a fierce uppercut. The one exception to the laughably breezy batch of lame boss battles in the first DKC game was the final boss of King. K Rool, tripping up many players' sense of relief upon his defeat with a fake scroll of credits. The spiritual, vengeful mask demon that the Tiki Tak Tribe resurrects for the final boss does not pull any dastardly tricks to the same extent, but it is still wise to keep Donkey Kong on his toes for a formidable fight that will require swift reaction time before Donkey Kong delivers the final blow by punching the moon at the apex of the volcano temple. Overall, not only do these varied and stimulating boss battles undoubtedly best those from the first game, but they manage to be the greatest bunch of baddies across the entire series.

As simple and direct as the title ”Donkey Kong Country Returns” is, there couldn’t have been a more apt one for this game. The effort of Retro Studios to revive the big ape’s relevance with the subseries that elevated his dominion in Nintendo’s esteemed library of IPs past his historical role as proto-Mario’s nemesis in the early 1980s more than rivals the quality of the exemplary trilogy on the SNES. With a new developer's fresh perspective and generations of hindsight, since Donkey Kong was rendered in the 2D platformer format, DKC Returns will please every old fan who has been waiting with bated breath for another chance to traverse through the charming and intense world that Donkey Kong resides in. A few notable changes will have returning players scratching their heads, but they do not adulterate the base of a DKC game too drastically. The kongmeister is back, baby, and has made his return with flying colors.

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Attribution: https://erockreviews.blogspot.com

My favourite Donkey Kong Country game, this one has so much sentimental memories and just overall appeal to me, I love how it looks, I love the tiki tongs so much.

I used to play this game A LOT with my dad & brother, we weren’t as good as our Dad was but that only gave me motivation to become better and WOOO I’m good at this game now!

I regularly enjoy replaying this game over and over and over. Such a classic.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a vibrant and challenging revival of the classic side-scrolling platformer. Featuring stunning visuals, creative level design, and tight controls, it honors the legacy of the franchise while adding modern flair. The difficulty can be punishing at times, especially with its optional collectibles and hidden levels, but the sense of accomplishment upon mastering a stage is immense. If you enjoy demanding platformers filled with secrets and charm, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a triumphant return for the ape.

This was a slog to get through. Very difficult, at least for me. That doesn't make it bad, just something to keep in mind. Anyway, anything Retro Studios touches seems to turn into Gold. Thank God they were given the DKC series, because I can't imagine any other Studio having enough love and respect for the series, as well as talent to take on the daunting task to bring back such a beloved and revered series. Props to them, and props to Nintendo for having faith and trust in them to do it.

For starters before I say anything else, I want to get the worst out of the way. I know I just gave a ton of props to Retro Studios, but the game could've been perfect had the game not had it's decently big flaws. To me, the game peaks to early, mainly in the first 3-4 worlds. Also, some of the places you visit don't feel like DKC at all, especially whatever that factory World was, it felt so out of place. Something else that bothered me a bit, was how even the studio modernized the DKC series and did a great job, in many ways, the game felt a bit stuck in the past. Examples for what made me feel this way include, Hit detection is still a problem, checkpoints can be horrible, Boss Fights have are long and slow yet they have no checkpoints, Boss Fights also don't allow you to get your partner back which DKC2 did, Platforming with the sideways doesn't feel that good, and they still use the same plot of "DK loses his bananas" trope. These brought down the game from what I originally thought it to be, and It's just disappointing to me, knowing that all the good this game has, DKC Returns could've been the pinnacle of the series.

Alright, now the good. Let's start with the Levels and their designs. As I said, I believe the levels peaked to high in the earlier levels, but all the levels were fun and well designed. I don't feel the levels were as well Designed as DKC 2, Tropical Freeze, or even the original DKC, but that can be said for many games, and DKC Returns has stellar design in it's own right. I prefer the early level aesthetic, I loved the Pirates stuff. Anyway, the levels were fun and creative, and full of secrets. I do feel DKC2 did the secret mini games in the levels better, but they still did a good job.

The gameplay throughout the levels, though I don't like the Wii controllers on its side, I do think it was near perfect. I do wish they did a better job on the Rocket levels, I think those could've been the most fun in the game. Platforming was a little floaty, but felt nice and fun. Playing with Diddy Kong on your back was fun, but I'm not a fan of not being able to play as Diddy in single player. They make him into basically a power up, and you lose him to easily due to the difficulty. Also, the new mechanics with the Wii controller were ok, blowing on fire, pounding on the ground, etc, it doesn't feel very good to shake the Wii remote. I do think the gameplay was fun, just a few misses.

The Music was great, not as great as the SNES games in my opinion, but David Wise was on it, so it's pretty much guaranteed to be near perfect. If anyone else helped then they did a great job as well. I felt the music set a good atmosphere and was faithful to the DKC series. Nearly perfect job as usual.

The game looked fantastic. I loved the art style and the animations were unreal. It's seriously impressive what they were able to do in making the animations look so great. I do feel DK looked a bit weird in the Cutscenes, but it's fine, he's always looked a little weird. I also loved the look of the world maps, such great details in the environments. Also phenomenal details in all the levels. Can't say enough, it continues the streak of the DKC games looking fantastic.

I mentioned it already, but I do wish the plot was just a little more interesting than the "DK loses his bananas" trope. The story was great, as the adventure you go on is pretty awesome and full of memorable moments. However I do wish DK had some more serious motivation. It's whatever though, no one plays these games for the plot.

Alright, I have my complaints with the game, some major some minor. Complaints the unfortunately bring the game down for me. However, the score is still high. That should tell you, that even with it's flaws, it's a must play for anyone who likes to play videogames, and a must have for Wii owners. The Music, The Adventure, The Levels, The Art Style, The Platforming, it all culminates into a great game, and an impossible continuation of the DKC series. I hope everyday that we'll get a new DK game, one for just himself. These are some of my favorite games, and I loved playing DKC Returns. As I already said, if you like DKC games and/or video games in general, play this game.

Score: 4.5/5
Letter Grade: A

Easily one of my favorite 2D platformers. The level design is amazing, the gameplay is very smooth, art direction is great, the soundtrack, etc.

Very much a masterpiece, that somehow is surpassed by its sequel.

Odin 2.