Donkey Kong Country Returns HD review - barrels of fun that can send you bananas

It’s incredibly refreshing to have a new 2D platformer game to get stuck into, even if it is a remaster of a title that’s already been remastered.

But that’s what we’ve got with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for Nintendo Switch and having come into this as a first time player, it’s an absolute blast to play through.

I’ve had incredible fun on the whole and wasn’t expecting just how difficult it is in some places. My heart rate was raised a few times by mistiming a jump or manoeuvre by a millisecond, frustrated I could see a checkpoint in sight to fall at the final hurdle.

But that’s what 2D platforming is all about, right?

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD features some Flappy Bird-esque levels / Nintendo

The levels on the whole are excellent and incredibly well designed. Yes the background in most cases is there solely to provide great visuals as you navigate your way through each level but it’s still effective nonetheless, especially as it perfectly intertwines with the levels you navigate.

You run, jump, grab things, throw things, pound the ground, roll and... Blow things like flowers and windmills... This remaster is a combination of both the Wii and 3DS versions.

Diddy Kong offers huge help, allowing you to hover in the air after making a jump with a jetpack, but when he disappears after securing too many hits from enemies, his presence is sorely missed as it makes everything that bit more difficult.

You have to learn the levels and then play again to get all the collectibles, and these are very challenging to get, or even just to clear the levels themselves in some cases.

The game demands pinpoint accuracy throughout yet the tight controls on the Switch, as simple as they are, allow you to do this. Momentum is key through Donkey Kong Country Returns HD.

There were a couple of times when I wanted to bash the ground but pressed the button too keenly and ended up rolling into a nearby chasm, wasting a life, but this happened rarely, and not in any key moments thankfully.

Admittedly, that might be more to do with my incompetence...

The difficulty in some places is something that previously rankled with some fans but I enjoyed it, hellbent with an irrational stubbornness I wasn’t going to be beaten.

The game requires pinpoint precision throughout / Nintendo

This game is not a stroll to complete, let alone 100 per cent, and that makes for hours upon hours of replay-ability here. As long as you don't mind failing a fair bit along the way.

There are some truly standout levels, like Sunset Shore in the opening world, where only silhouettes are visible, and the factory world is a huge highlight.

The soundtrack is fun but the ‘na na na-na na’-esque jingle that plays when you lose a life can prove to be a bit of an annoyance when blood is already starting to boil at a missed jump on occasion.

It must be said, this remaster itself is rather bare bones though.

Yes there are improved visuals, it's the first time stick controls can be used with this game on a TV and there's a new modern mode making things slightly easier with more items on sale and an extra hit point in each life for both DK and Diddy Kong. If you can't beat a level, Super Kong will show up and beat it for you too.

But that's about it.

Having said that, with the Wii version reliant on motion controls and the 3DS’ graphics nowhere near that of the Switch, this is a welcome remaster for fans who want an excuse to dive back into it or even new players, like me, experiencing it for the first time.

I had a blast playing this - it’s a solid and fairly challenging 2D platformer which makes players want to replay levels to perfect them and get all the collectibles they can.

But it can’t be ignored this is quite a bare bones remaster as far as remasters go and it seems quite cheeky of Nintendo to be retailing this at full price.

8/10

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