Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Review: Still Hard

For a game about collecting bananas and throwing barrels, Donkey Kong Country Returns Very creative. Originally launched on the Wii in 2010, the game takes the classic SNES side-scrolling gameplay and constantly injects new ideas to create an experience that is tense and thrilling at times. You can do everything from pilot a rocket through a cave filled with bats to avoid the tentacles of a giant squid. it gets intense. It's also a game known for being very difficult. But the new port on Switch makes it easier to enjoy all this excitement without feeling too frustrated.

it's known Donkey Kong Country Returns HDis basically what it says in the title: the original game, but with cleaned up graphics. Fundamentally, there's not much difference. The game's premise, in which an evil mask pits a group of animals against Kong, remains unchanged, as do the levels you'll explore; though, as a nice bonus, the port does include some of the game's previously only Stages available in 3DS version.

Just like the 3DS version, the Switch game also has two modes to play. One of them is called “Original”, which, as the name suggests, is a direct port of the Wii game. The other is called “Modern Mode”. It doesn't actually change the difficulty, but instead offers more useful power-up options, the option to carry nine of these items at once, and an extra heart by default. There's also a returning feature called “Super Guide.” If you die a few times, this option will appear and will let you watch the entirety of the level so you can see what you're doing wrong. It also lets you bypass levels entirely, so you can skip troublesome stages and come back to them later.

This is important because like I said, this game difficult. There are dangerous jumps to navigate, scenes where you have to shoot yourself out of a barrel at just the right moment, and multi-stage boss fights that test your patience. That doesn't change, but the game gives you more ways to deal with frustrations.

It's worth it because Donkey Kong Country Returns is an enjoyable game. It may not have anything as whimsical or fun as this super mario bros marvelbut that doesn’t make it any less creative. While there are some standard stages where you can jump around and stomp on bad guys, the best part return the goods There is an almost cinematic feel to it. Dangerous minecart levels force you to react quickly as the world collapses around you. In some levels, you'll avoid destructive forces – like the aforementioned squid or destructive waves – as you slowly approach your goal. It can have the vibe of a high-stakes action movie, except, you know, you play a giant monkey in a tie.

Sure, we're at the end of the Switch's life, but there are worse things you could do for the end of the console than port your games, like return the goods and upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles X. This series has a sense of tension and scale Donkey Kong Country In addition to other side-scrolling games, return the goods Probably the one that pushed it the furthest. Now, it's much more approachable without losing any of its original flavour.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD It will be released on Nintendo Switch on January 16th.