Game Reviews

One of the darlings of the Wii library,Donkey Kong Country Returns  has been given a second life on the Nintendo 3DS. With some new levels – and a new mode to help lessen the harsh difficulty level – DK and Diddy triumphantly return in an expertly crafted platformer that’s more fun than a barrel of… ya know.

The story progresses by way of amusing cutscenes, which tell the mostly nonsensical tale of DK and Diddy’s banana supply being stolen and their animal friends being hypnotized (essentially a declaration of war in DK’s country). Your objective in each level is to run, jump, barrel blast and climb your way to the goal at the end, grabbing as many bananas as you can in the process. Considering the deliciously high difficulty level, this is no small feat.

Thankfully, the controls transition smoothly to 3DS. Gone is the waggle from the Wii remote and nunchuk combination, replaced instead by controls that more closely resemble the layout of the original Donkey Kong Country games on SNES. It feels great, and having the option to play with either the D-Pad or Circle Pad is a nice touch. As for DK’s faithful sidekick Diddy, just like in the original, he's been relegated to the role of a glorified power-up in single-player mode, providing a boost with his barrel pack to help DK access new areas. The game also includes a local co-op mode, where one player can play as Diddy and the other as DK. Much like in the New Super Mario Bros. series, co-op is a lot of fun, but anyone serious about getting the best times and cutting down on deaths will likely want to stick to single player.

One of the cool things about DKCR is that the farther you play, the more creative the worlds and levels get. You’ll barrel through gorgeous sunsets casting DK in silhouette, hazard-filled forests, a sprawling factory, and even a volcano. Flexing the ole platforming skills in each new world is a joy, and because the controls are simple and easy to master, the true difficulty comes from the creative level design.

And don’t kid yourself – this game can be brutally hard, especially if you’re going after all the numerous collectibles. The challenge is a satisfying one though, and harkens back to the golden days when developers weren’t afraid to make us want to throw our controller at the wall. Just… don’t break your 3DS. You will regret it later.

For those who don’t remember those old school days of blistering difficulty levels quite so fondly (or were, ya know, not alive yet), the optional “New Mode” has now been added. This allows for additional crutches like extra health and special items (like a balloon to save you from falling), which should allow platforming novices the chance to get in on the action. If that’s not enough, too many deaths will also trigger an auto-play feature that makes DKCR literally play itself to get you past where you’re stuck, so you can keep on keeping on. It’s a wonderful addition for younger or simply less advanced players.

While as a whole the experience is largely identical to its Wii predecessor, as you might expect, it takes a hit in the visual department. The framerate suffers a drop from a smoother 60 frames per second in the Wii version down to a meager 30 on the 3DS, meaning the platforming feels slightly less fluid, and thus slightly less satisfying. And while it still looks good enough, and the levels are as memorable as ever, the graphics are simply not as crisp or colorful as its Wii counterpart, which is certainly a shame. For the most part you’ll hardly notice, but that’s definitely one point in favor of the original version.

If we’re keeping score, however, the 3D version does boast a whole extra world with eight excellent new levels. I won’t spoil them for you, but suffice to say they’re are as much of a blast as those that precede them, and aren’t simply here to pad out the adventure. Throw in time trials, local co-op, and a ridiculous number of collectibles and hidden secrets, and you have a retro-inspired adventure that’s a brilliant homage to the original Donkey Kong Country adventures.