[Review] Donkey Kong Country Returns

One of my all time favorite franchises came to the Wii late last year, that's right everyone's favorite ape is back in town. I am talking of course about Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii. A nostalgic revamp of an old Super Nintendo classic. Donkey Kong Country games are traditionally platformers requiring players to execute precise jumps while also avoiding or destroying enemies in their way. While the Super Nintendo versions of the game were crushingly difficult to master, some times requiring multiple tries at the same stage, I was worried that Retro Studios might have tried to tone the game down to appeal to the Wii's more casual audience.

I could not have been more wrong! From the outset Donkey Kong Country Returns is a game that punishes the player for every wrong move. Where the Super Nintendo and N64 versions had players throwing their controllers in frustrations DKC:Returns promises to have them crying for their momma's!

DKC:Returns starts off with our friendly duo living the kind of life you would expect two heroic ape's to live. Tons of banana's and plenty of hammocks! Of course it is at this most blissful of times that an evil force desends upon the island, takes control over of all the inhabitants minds and has them steal, what else? The banana's! While it may be a slightly dry joke that the hero's are to dimwitted to fall under the spell, the game makes great use of it for some comedic relief during cut scene's.

While the game looks and plays just like its predessors the developers have taken obvious advantage of the new graphics abilities of the Wii. Stages have multiple levels and depths while also sporting some gorgeous background flashery that helps immerse you in the game. One particular stage during the first world takes place on a beach at sunset and creates a rather beautifully done effect.

As you can see DK and the foreground are bathed in shadow while the backdrop remains pleasantly warm and inviting. Of course it would not be a true DKC game without the series trademark humor, many of the creatures in the game (both good and bad) are displayed with a playful attitude keeping the experience light which balances out the rather difficult game that hides underneath.

DKC:Returns looks and feels just like one of the old SNES titles from my teen's and I must say even my wife found it fun and challenging. She sat co-pilot with me for a few levels switching off control after a completed level or death (typically the latter). As for motion controls and controls in general, DKC:Returns has you hold the Wii-Mote sideways, AKA NES style, using the D-Pad to move about with buttons 1 & 2 running, jumping and throwing. There are a couple time you need to shake the controller to perform specific actions  but all of them feel correct and do not require you to perform them often. I think DKC:Returns does a lot of things right without getting much, if anything, wrong. This is one of those titles that will end up being in everyone's collection so go ahead and pick it up now :)

DKC:Returns  was created by Retro Studios  in conjunction with Nintendo and released in the winter of 2010