It’s fair to say that out of all of the Wii games we’ve reported on over the last few months, none have caught our attention like Donkey Kong Country Returns. A combination of tempting teaser trailers and fond memories of the original game means we have been keeping a close eye on it. You couldn’t blame DKCR for hating its Dad right now though, as the original SNES game has gone down in history as a bit of a classic. Solid levels, a fiendish difficulty level, and visuals that pushed the console to its limit has created a hard act to follow; so is the new kid on the block up to the task?
The answer is a resounding yes! Not only has DKCR smashed the original, but it’s punched Mario in the face, thrown faeces at Sonic, and reduced Mickey to a blubbering wreck of a Mouse. First up let’s get the paper thin plot out of the way; the jungle’s animals have fallen under the hypnotic spell of the ‘Tiki Tak Tribe’ and stolen Donkey Kong’s stash of bananas (seriously, I don’t know where the heck he’s got all of them from!). Understandably perturbed, Donkey sets off to ‘have words’ with the Tikis…using his fists, and so starts one of 2010s best games.
Beautifully accessible control scheme
The game’s hub is an island which has been split into different sectors. Each sector contains several levels, and you can only progress to the next one by finishing the level you are on. The controls for the game are streamlined, but very effective. You hold the Wiimote sideways so it resembles an old school NES pad; movement is taken care of via the D-Pad, to jump you press 2, and to grab onto vines and the like you press 1. In addition there are a couple of offensive moves, so if you shake the Wiimote whilst running DK will do a forward roll, and if you shake the Wiimote whilst standing Still DK will pound the ground beside him. If you shake the Wiimote whilst ducking DK will exhale a large gust of air, and whilst at first this seems a bit random, it gets integrated nicely into puzzles later on. It’s such a beautifully accessible control scheme, that anyone who has even just sniffed a platform game before will be up to speed within minutes.
This is quite lucky really, as DKCR pulls no punches when it comes to difficulty. Some parts are absolutely brutal and will require you to use every single piece of the control scheme; more often than not one after the other…whilst being chased by something…with a blockade in the way. In every level DK can only take two hits before having to start again, and coupled with very few checkpoints means that you’ll become very familiar with the little ‘death jingle’ that plays every time DK dies.
Luckily coins you collect can be used in Cranky Kong’s shack to buy additional lives – so stock up. During the single player game you can also call on the help of Diddy Kong once you locate the barrel he’s kept in. Diddy is a real life saver as not only does he double your health bar, but he has a jet pack and can carry Donkey over short distances, or correct a jump that has gone wrong. When the going gets tough the game will allow you to take advantage of Nintendo’s ‘Super Guide’ system, so if you die several times in a row a little pig pops up and rather cheekily asks if you want some help (condescending little swine). If you accept then ‘Super Kong’ takes over and plays as much of the level as you want him to. The downside, apart from the severe loss of pride, is that any items Super Kong collects will be lost at the end of the level. It’s actually a great feature, and reduces the feeling of frustration ten-fold as you will never get stuck on a particular level and just give up. What I will say though is that Super Kong does seem to be able to bend the laws of physics with some of the stuff he does, and makes it look far too easy. Oh my pride has taken a battering.
The design is flawless
What impresses most though is the fact that every single level is a joy to play. Every single one. The design is flawless; each level is stuffed with collectibles such as the ‘KONG’ letters, hidden areas to find, and an impressive amount of variety. For example, one level sees a continuous barrage of huge waves coming towards you from the back of the screen. What follows is a tense dash as you have to make it from cover to cover before the next wave hits land…and then your cover starts to disintegrate on impact. Each sector brings something new to the table, leaving you with a tangible sense of excitement when you progress. Boss battles are also very well thought out, and whilst they always boil down to hitting a certain part at a certain time, it’s how you get to that part which is so impressive.
Graphically the game flits between acceptable and beautiful, with some eye popping effects being displayed. Whilst it can’t compare with the latest Kirby game, it really doesn’t matter and if you stand still long enough to admire the graphics you’re more than likely going to die. The audio is suitably catchy, and the little hypnotic Tiki song will have you toe tapping along. On the surface DKCR looks like a reasonable challenge that will last several hours, but completing certain objectives sees the game’s length double. I won’t ruin it for you, but you’ll easily get your money’s worth.
Pros
- Flawless level design
- A fantastic challenge
- Lots of variety
- Great control scheme
- Co-op mode
Cons
- Erm…
- Well…
- It doesn’t come with a free moon?
Without a doubt DKCR has surpassed my wildest expectations. What we have here is a 2D platform game that has been taken to the next level. As hard as it is for me to accept, I can’t actually find a single fault with the game and if you have a Wii then this should be on the top of your list. An absolute classic that has raised the bar for all that follows.
DRCD1
Looks like it’s the WII golden age. SMG2, Goldeneye 007, Epic Mickey, Kirby’s Epic Yarn and now this. I wish I had a WII.
matthangzhou
About time it got the support it deserved! Not only do I have to dust mine off…but I actually have to find the controllers from wherever they were slung.
Erroneus
Yep the Wii really has found it self. Even it’s party games (Wii Party) are brilliant :)
Why anybody would run out and buy an Xbox + Kinect, when they can get a Wii for much less and actually some brilliant games, is beyond my understanding. But I guess hype, lots of adds and cheesy unboxing videos does a lot ^^
Other fine Wii games from this year are Sonic Colours, NBA Jam, Metroid: Other M, No More Heroes 2, Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (sadly very forgotten among the Wii owners, brilliant game), Monster Hunter Tri, Red Steel 2 and Silent Hill Shattered Memories.
Mick939
Just to run to the fight for xbox and kinect (which i’ve found the novelty has run off) why would anyone run out to buy a wii and donkey kong? Yes its pretty good, BUT its undeserving. Of the £40 rrp, had this been brought to any other console it would of been a download title (as new super mario bros wii would of) to me its nintendo cashing in. …
Erroneus
Because you can pick it up for less money and get more fun, plus the whole system is cheaper.
Xbox 360 + Kinect with one mediocre game: 240€
Wii + two controller pairs + steering wheel + one mediocre game + one classic game preinstalled + FIVE AAA titles: 238€
Each system has is advantages, Kinect is NOT one of the for 360.
Raen
It depends on the situation. Say you have a teenager/dad who wants to play CoD online with his buds, but young kids who want to play Kinect games then 360 + Kinect is a good fit.
Erroneus
No doubt.
I just get shivers down my spine, when I hear people referring to the Kinect as the future of gaming, when there are better and cheaper alternatives. It’s the launch for the Wii all over again, people have troubles looking through the hype and *bling”‘, when all that matters, are good games.
Mike
Comparing it to bringing it to other consoles is a bit unfair. This title deserves to be a full game. If it’s similar to the original, this will provide hours of entertainment and not just a quick shot which you usually get from PSN titles. You can get this title for around the £32 mark which is an absolute steal.
Dan Lee
@mick939 in my opinion DKCR fully deserves the £35 price tag, and then some.
Mick939
Now i dont think much of the kinect but as a motion family gaming machine it destroys the wiis competition .. the problem i have is paying £40 (Yes you can find all games cheapee) for something that has taken nothing to make. A better comparison The sly collection 3 classic hd remakes AND extra move mini games for a £30 rrp (can be found cheaper yes). Dkc is a very good game much like mario bros BUT its priced waaaay too high
Mike
I’m sure it’s more than ‘nothing to make’. I’ve got an old magazine during the SNES years and it has a feature on the original DKC. The RRP? £55. Oh yes. And that’s back in the early 90s!
Erroneus
@Mick939 How can Kinect destroy the Wii, when it pretty much only has one good game, does not have support for more then two playing at the same time and is priced way way to high.
You don’t even need to spend extra money on some gold subscription, if you want to play online or surf the net with the Wii, now that’s “family friendly”.
I don’t get your argument that mario bros and Dkc is priced to high? They are brilliant games with many hours of gameplay and extremely well made. Do you really think you create such a great game in no time, because the concept is simple and it’s not glorious HD? Sorry man, but then yoy are painfully wrong. It takes time to create such a game and it takes a lot of tweaking, to get that perfect feeling which you get in eg. Dkc mario bros gameplay.
The Sly collection ia an awesome deal, but it’s not a fair comparison, because Dkc is not an updated version. If you wan’t to compare the sly collection with a Wii game, compare it with eg. the Pikmin remake for the Wii, which was an updated version of Pikmin and launched with a low RRP.
nofi
Sounds awesome. Will buy today.
Radiitz
Funny how all the new games coming out right now that have great reviews, just so happen to be games from our past. Shows that there is not much more originality left :(
ShovellyJoe
It doesn’t come with a free moon!?!? Nintendo just lost my money…
Mike
I wanted this anyway but now I really want it. Dunno if I can wait if I got this as a Christmas present. Donkey king country is one of my favourite games of all time so I know I’ll love this just as much. Anyone fancy buying me a copy? :p
Sympozium
I’ve yet to buy Sonic Colours D: !!
bigwhiteyeti
I was a major fan of the original games and Retro’s efforts have even impressed me. If I were nitpicking, having the roll maneuver mapped to a motion is my inly qualm as it sometimes leads to misplaced jumps in speed runs. Otherwise, it’s absolutely brilliant. Easily one of my favourite games of the year.
Rob92
Really really want this game but sold many Wii many years ago and will definately not be buying one for one game.
But still, this game looks superb. Wish Nintendo could go down the SEGA route and just produce games, but thats not going to happen at all…
Mike
It would be a sad day if Ninty gave up on consoles. SNES, N64, Gamecube – all quality consoles and the Gamecube was seriously under rated. Most of their games are in my favourite games of all time. I rebought Mario Kart Wii the other day and can’t put it down. Stupid addictive Mario games!
Rob92
Fair play Nintendo have their innovations, but just imagine what they could do with the power of the 360 and PS3. It could be truly astonishing. I mean as much as the games are good, I do often think that while other developers are really trying to innovate in their GAMES, Nintendo seem pretty happy to bring out rehashed titles that really do little to push the franchises forward. Only Super Mario Galaxy has really been an example of this.
I dont know, but its only ever Nintendo games that do well on Nintendo consoles. Just imagine a console with COD, Uncharted AND Donkey Kong and Mario. Fantastic.
Mike
Do we want yet another 360/PS3 console though? At least the Wii is something different. And how far can you push the old classics though? Don’t forget Donkey Kong 64. That brought the franchise into 3D. However, I think these classics should stay true to its roots.
mynameisblair
Added to my Lovefilm, must play this game!
coolgr33k
I wish this game came to the PS3, I know I know it never will but it would be so good.
I wonder if the N64 / SNES starfox games will ever be made for the wii. Love the fact that loads of old games, not just on the wii but on PS3 like God of war I & II are making a comeback. They may be old, but they ain’t dead yet!
Dan Lee
Lylat Wars is heading to the Nintendo 3DS.