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Donkey Kong Country Returns

 

 

SCORE: 78

 

Donkey Kong Country Returns 

 

I’ve had my beady little eyes on Donkey Kong Country Returns since it was released late last year, so when I was graciously given the opportunity to review this game I was all over it like a monkey on a banana. Donkey Kong Country Returns was developed by Retro Studios and they have held true to the series which began back in 1994 by Rare on the good ol’ Super Nintendo. This side-scrolling platform game takes all the greatness of the original game and adds some excellent new material to make it worthy of the 21st century. This time around a gang of evil tiki creatures invades the island and steals Kong’s banana hoard to use for their own devious plans. Needless to say, Donkey Kong doesn’t take kindly to those who mess with his bananas and he’s determined to get them back.

Donkey Kong Country Returns will take players on a wild trek through various island landscapes. From the thick green jungle to the fiery red volcano, players will get to enjoy the beautifully rendered tropical world they have to explore. Great attention was given to the backgrounds throughout the game. On more than one occasion I found myself stopping just to gaze at the details in the distance. The animation of the characters in the game is great as well. Donkey Kong and his trusty sidekick Diddy Kong are animated smoothly and convincingly. Their movements are fluid and seamless. The enemies in the game feature less complex movements, but are also done very well. Some of the characters you’ll encounter are quite amusing to behold and help to keep things visually interesting. Bloated bullfrogs, chickens on stilts, and dancing crabs are just some of the crazy characters you’ll need to battle your way through. As Kong dispatches his enemies, they expire in non-violent and often comical ways. The aforementioned bullfrogs for instance will deflate like balloons and fly off the screen.

Donkey Kong himself can be a tad on the aggressive side and players will find themselves performing some gorilla-like pounding on certain enemies. Diddy can also make use of a peanut gun in co-op mode to fend off enemies. Other than this mild cartoon violence, the only other imagery that parents may want to take note of is the use of skulls on some levels and the idol-like appearance of the tikis.

Also impressive was the audio in the game. Donkey Kong Country Returns features a lively soundtrack which heavily features music used in the original series (though updated in quality). To some this may seem like an easy out to avoid developing an original soundtrack, but it feels more to me like a tribute to the original. It definitely helped bring back those nostalgic memories from years past. The game also makes great use of sound effects. The Kong’s express themselves through various primate noises. These tend to be humorous whether the expression is one of victory or defeat. There were perhaps a handful of gross sounds (belching, etc.) during gameplay, but overall the sound effects are used appropriately and fit perfectly into the rest of the game.

Donkey Kong Country Returns scores big in the area of replay value as well. It always impresses me when a developer takes the time to build replay value into their game. Sure it can be fun to play through a good game again just for the sake of enjoying it, but how much more so when you have additional goals to accomplish? In the case of Donkey Kong Country Returns, players are given a plethora of extras to seek out as they play. For starters the game has a massive collection of levels (over 70) spread over the 8 standard worlds. Each of the levels (excluding boss levels) features K-O-N-G letters for collecting. Collecting these letter blocks earns you a badge for that particular level.

Collecting all the KONG letters in each world unlocks more surprises, but I won’t spoil that for you here. There are also varying numbers of puzzle pieces found hidden throughout each level. Collecting these assembles another badge per level as well as helping to unlock more music tracks, artwork, and in-game collectibles. Players can also purchase keys in each world to unlock an additional level. The in-game currency takes the form of banana coins which can be used to purchase additional lives and other helpful items. Players can challenge themselves further by playing the timed mode to earn a 3rd badge per level. Donkey Kong Country Returns also features an all new co-op mode which allows for 2 players to play simultaneously. As you can see there’s a lot of bang for your buck with this game.

The gameplay of Donkey Kong Country Returns is very simple to grasp, yet so challenging that even the most seasoned gamers will feel some old style gaming frustration. If you’ve played the original you’ll have a good concept of how the levels play out, if you’re new to the series it’s a side-scrolling platform game in which you control Donkey & Diddy Kong and guide them to the end of each level bringing them ever closer to reclaiming their banana hoard. The game makes excellent use of the Wii controls and allows gamers to choose between using only the standard Wii remote or playing with the Nunchuk attached. I played both ways initially feeling that I would only be comfortable using the standard remote. After a short time however, I found playing with the Nunchuk attached to be a much more rewarding experience. The controls are clever and are easy to get the hang of. Perhaps the most fun you’ll have is pounding the ground by shaking your remote and Nunchuk to mimic a gorilla (of course you’ll look like a fool to unsuspecting onlookers). The level variety is excellent and never feels dull. It does at times, however, cause excessive amounts of frustration which may bring you close to using your controller as a projectile. I speak specifically of the mine cart and rocket barrel levels which brought me to the point of frustration the likes of which I have not experienced in a game in a good long while.

This frustration, while maddening at the time, is not the type that causes you to want to put the game away (at least not forever). The game is designed well and provides you with the confidence that you will be able to overcome the obstacles if you just keep trying (and trying, and trying). For the faint of heart, Donkey Kong Country Returns does provide the “Super Guide” feature. Basically after several epic failures at clearing a level, you will be given the option to turn on Super Guide which plays through the current level for you allowing you to progress to the next level. The rub is that you don’t receive any items collected in that level and it doesn’t count as “cleared” on your world map. While the levels are very skillfully designed, players will on more than one occasion feel like they were setup to fail. There were several points in the game where I couldn’t see what was coming until it was far too late. The next time through I knew what to expect ahead of time and could formulate a plan, but this trial and error style of gameplay doesn’t sit well with me and seems entirely unfair to the player. The co-op mode that I mentioned above is a good idea with poor execution. One player plays as Donkey Kong and the other as Diddy. The problem is that if the players don’t stay very close to each another one will fall off the screen and not be able to see. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the camera would zoom out considerably when players got too far apart allowing for a little flexibility.

In Donkey Kong Country Returns players who get too far behind are simply lost off the screen and within a few seconds will be magically teleported back to their partner’s location. This just isn’t practical during gameplay. The upside is that Diddy can hop on Donkey Kong’s back and just ride along firing his peanut gun. Not a very effective use of a second player, but this turned out to be a fantastic way for my 5 year old and I to enjoy the game together.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a safe and truly fun game that can be enjoyed by all members of the family. While the game is quite difficult, those unable to play for themselves will enjoy the journey and helping you find secrets along the way. It is hard not to be drawn into this game even when you’re just watching someone else play. If you have young children I encourage you to play this game with them co-operatively allowing them to ride along as I mentioned earlier. They’ll be able to shake their remote and fire peanuts at the baddies while you do the leg work. Of course you’re also likely to be criticized for falling off a cliff and taking them with you. With so many big games out there taking the path to blood and gore, it was refreshing to play such a well put together game that’s safe for the whole family. I look forward to sequels to this game and hope that more classic franchises find the path back to modern consoles. Some items parents may wish to be aware of are that the tikis put the native animals in Voodoo-like trances to control them and that there is some mild cartoon violence associated with smashing the bad guys. Enthusiastic players will also need to keep their tempers in check while playing the mine cart and rocket levels. To sum things up, if you are looking for some old school Nintendo action, Donkey Kong Country Returns fits the bill.
- Roger

 

Graphics: 75%
Sound: 80%
Replay/Extras: 82%
Gameplay: 74%
Family Friendly Factor: 80%
System: Wii
Publisher: Nintendo
Rating:   ‘E’ - Everyone
{Mild Cartoon Violence}

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