![]() As you press on through, running to the right, jumping on various critters, all seems well. It’s 1994 all over again, except with modernized 2.5D graphics. Going into the first stage, you start inside DK’s hut as the opening drum beats of the classic Jungle Groove begin to play. The game starts off with the same map theme as the original game, and seeing an actual world map these days is always nostalgically pleasant. Starting up a game of DKCR, for a DKC fan, is pretty fantastic. More likely, however, he probably realized that a dollar from a gamer who appreciated his art form was worth the same amount as a dollar from a gamer who paid for a brand name, and for the 80s-born adolescents who were now approaching their 30s, Donkey Kong Country was a brand that had a growing sense of latent desire associated with it. Perhaps Miyamoto realized that DKC wasn’t all that bad. Hell, Miyamoto himself had expressed displeasure with DKC over the years, casting it off as if it were something he were embarrassed of.īut something had apparently changed in the intervening years. With that simple word, Nintendo was deliberately trying to resonate with a particular kind of gamer, a kind of gamer they’d scarcely acknowledged for nearly 14 years. But the fact that they stuck the “Country” in there gave the game an entirely different level of significance. They could’ve called it “Donkey Kong Returns”, “Donkey Kong Wii”, or anything really, and the game would have sold just as well. But the title itself was the most important part of the reveal. The game’s announcement was accompanied by a fairly impressive trailer showcasing 2D sidescrolling platforming action and brief glimpses at some of the game’s show-stopping set pieces. And that’s exactly what Nintendo promised in 2010 when they revealed the next Donkey Kong game-the strategically named Donkey Kong Country Returns. Seething underneath the surface of every gamer who cut their teeth on 16-bit platformers was a longing for a return to form for the wayward gorilla and his adventures. You don't need to seek out the extras to appreciate Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, but I enjoyed the excuse to keep playing.Jungle Beat, while a very pleasant surprise in its own right, was merely an aside to the Donkey Kong platforming saga. Additionally, each stage holds a number of hidden puzzle pieces, good for unlocking art and music. On top of the eight-ish stages in each area (including the levels accessed by purchasing keys from Cranky), there are secret stages, opened by obtaining every single K-O-N-G letter in each level of a given world. It's still annoying, but it happened with far less frequency than it did on the Wii.Ī glut of secrets and bonus content add replay value and extra challenge to Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. This can result in disaster - with DK rolling straight into an enemy or falling to his death. The most frequent of which is Donkey Kong's tendency to launch into a barrel roll when you really just wanted him to ground pound. Donkey Kong is and always has been a heavy character who can't turn on a dime - but for the first time, I felt like I was controlling his momentum instead of guessing at it. The circle pad allows for more accuracy and nuance than the Wiimote's stiff D-pad, and all commands are mapped to buttons instead of fired when you physically shake the controller. Regardless of the mode, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D's controls are worlds better than they were on the Wii. But the "new" difficulty level hits a better balance between "this time I'll get it" and frustration. It's still a challenging game on "new mode" - the frequent insta-deaths on mine cart levels and bottomless pits nearly everywhere else are still uncompromising. Both Donkey and Diddy can take a bit more punishment, and the items bought at Cranky Kong's storefront in each world are much more helpful. The 3DS version offers the chance to play the game in its original mode, or in "new" mode, which eases things just a bit. All are pattern-based fights that recall the best old-school bosses in the series - half the fun is figuring out what to do, and the other half comes from finally punching the offending tiki in the face.ĭonkey Kong Country Returns was at times brutally tough on the Wii, with some stages requiring dozens of playthroughs just to make it to the goal. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D aims to keep you on your toes, across stages and in boss fights.Įach world has a big bad, many of which come back for rematches in later worlds. ![]() ![]() In fact, the entire game feels engineered to keep you in a platforming flow-state. You're always moving and facing new challenges, but it never feels like ADHD game design.
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