Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Review Thread

Thread: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Review Thread
Bullet Club

Bullet Club

I'll probably just lurk for a while
 
Platforms
  1. PC
  2. Xbox
  3. PlayStation
  4. Nintendo
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Areajugones - Nazaret López - Spanish - 9 / 10

Donkey Kong is back with yet another remaster that remains very faithful to the original games. The level design, collectibles and many challenges make this game quite an enjoyable experience. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD main game modes offer a fair share of replayability, especially to new players that didn't experience the classic take on the game. This new Donkey Kong remaster definitely checks all the boxes.
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CGMagazine - Philip Watson - 8 / 10

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a phenomenal platformer and a must-play Nintendo Switch title, but it could be skippable for the fans that own the 3DS port.
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Checkpoint Gaming - Edie W-K - 7.5 / 10

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a great title to rescue from the Wii's library, allowing a new generation of gamers to enjoy this masterful platformer. It didn't need a total overhaul, so it makes sense that it's just an HD rerelease rather than a total remake, but the problem is that it's priced the same as a brand-new 2025 title, which doesn't seem fair no matter how HD it is. If you don't mind the cost, you'll have yet another amazing game on Switch, but if you don't want to drop the full price on a 14-year-old game, I wouldn't blame you.
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Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - 8 / 10

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a challenging platformer that will test you at every level as it holds up even by today's standards.
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Daily Mirror - Aaron Potter - 4 / 5

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Digitec Magazine - Cassie Mammone - German - 4 / 5

"Donkey Kong Country Returns HD" is a gem of a 2D platformer, and I recommend it for old fans and newcomers alike. The simple controls shine thanks to a brilliant level design that regularly provides variety and presents creative ideas.
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Eurogamer.pt - Jorge Salgado - Portuguese - 4 / 5

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD has all the typical characteristics of a Nintendo game: beautiful, full of charisma and with infinite creativity. The story is almost non-existent and the multiplayer chaotic, but this remake shows the strength of the Donkey Kong mascot.
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GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 90%

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GRYOnline.pl - Aleksandra Wolna - Polish - 7 / 10

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is the exact same, challenging game from the past, just looking slightly better. It is a charming if difficult classic platformer, but I'm not sure it stood the test of time. If I were to score it as a new product aimed at mainstream audience, the verdict would be a bit more negative.
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GameSpot - Steve Watts - 7 / 10

The 2010 franchise revival gets a makeover and some modern conveniences, but wild difficulty spikes make it tough to recommend for anyone but the most dedicated DKC fan.
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Gameblog - French - 7 / 10

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Glitched Africa - Marco Cocomello - 8 / 10

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is the third time Donkey Kong has returned with the same game. While this might a simple remaster, it holds up as one killer platformer on the Switch. It goes to show how unrivalled the series is, even 15 years later. Nintendo, please make a new game now... I beg you.
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God is a Geek - Adam Cook - 8.5 / 10

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a great reminder of how good Retro Studios can be, though there's not too much for returning players.
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HCL.hr - Žarko Ćurić - Unknown - 73 / 100

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a true remaster in a nutshell, with minor graphical upgrades but lacking any newly introduced gameplay elements. Still, it remains one of the best 2D platformers ever made.
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IGN Italy - Andrea Peduzzi - Italian - 8.5 / 10

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a really good ptlatformer that deserves to be rediscovered or discovered for the first time. The art direction may not be top of the line, but it works well, and the level design is even over the top. The pacing of the game is also excellent, providing longevity to a relatively compact experience without letting it slip into banality or repetitiveness.
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IGN Spain - Laura Rey - Spanish - 8 / 10

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD offers an experience worthy of old-school platform games: both frustrating and exciting at the same time. A timeless jewel that comes to Switch for you to enjoy with your family, now in HD
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Nintendo Insider - Ryan Janes - 8 / 10

It's been a good while since I've played Donkey Kong Country Returns and this HD upgrade has been a delightful reminder of just how much fun Retro Studios' first stab at the platforming series was. As far as new additions go, this definitely ranks near the bottom when it comes to Nintendo's Switch porting efforts. That being said, the visual update is certainly pleasant on the eye and it's hard to argue the game's sustained quality in level design. If you missed out on the game the first time around, then bump the score up a point. Returning players, meanwhile, will still find a brilliant time awaits, one far more impactful, the longer the gap since your last Donkey Kong Island visit.
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Nintendo Life - Alex Olney - 7 / 10

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fine way to play the 2010 original, but it's also lacking any real reason for fans to double-dip beyond waggle-free controls. It's less of a remaster and more of a port, to be honest, which would be all well and good if it wasn't being sold at such a premium. There's plenty of fun to be had, but we can't help but walk away from it with a slightly sour taste in our mouths. Our advice? Grab the superior Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze instead.
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PPE.pl - Wojciech Gruszczyk - Polish - 7.5 / 10

A typical Nintendo remaster. It's hard to talk about new quality, there is a lack of great novelties here, but the gameplay is good enough to charm new players, and for IP fans it will provide an enjoyable gameplay for several hours.
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Press Start - 8 / 10

While it's not as strong a game as Tropical Freeze, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a great way to introduce younger or less skilled players to the wonderful world of Donkey Kong Country. However, those familiar with the game already through its two previous releases may struggle to find much value in another revisit, even if the visual improvements are numerous but sparse.
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SECTOR.sk - Matúš Štrba - Slovak - 8 / 10

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a great game to play. It always has been and always will be. What's more, you can enjoy it with a friend in local co-op, which adds to the fun. The problem is that this remaster feels too basic. Nintendo has got a little lazy compared to the remasters at the start of the Switch generation, which brought a wagonload of new content.
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Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 7 / 10

A great continuation of the SNES series with imaginative twists and bright colors but it does not add nor improve much over the Wii/3DS originals.
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Shacknews - Ozzie Mejia - 7 / 10

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Spaziogames - Italian - 7 / 10

The quality of its level design, the two-player coop and a wealth of stages, including the 3DS ones, are enough to recommend a purchase, but Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is sort of lazy if compared to other remastered versions of Nintendo old classics. If you have already played it before elsewhere, there is really no reason for a second playthrough.
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TheSixthAxis - Stefan L - 8 / 10

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fine remaster of the Wii platformer, bringing along all the tweaks from its Nintendo 3DS port. It's not much more than that, but it's still a great platformer.
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Video Chums - Alex Legard - 7.5 / 10

As a Wii veteran, I can't help but feel a little let down but that isn't entirely Donkey Kong Country Returns HD's fault and it doesn't change how special it was when I played it originally in 2010 so if you play it as a newbie, I'm sure you'll have a great time.
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WellPlayed - Kieron Verbrugge - 8 / 10

Despite it feeling really late in the game to drop this HD re-release, the simple fact is that Donkey Kong Country Returns is a masterclass in tough-yet-exhilarating platforming, and the Switch is now the best place to play it all over again – or for the first time.
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I ordered this because I loved Tropical Freeze and the Yooka-Laylee Impossible Lair.

Never realised it's a remake of a remake.

I wonder how much Nintendo content over the next decade or so is going to be remasters and remakes.

Sounds like this will still be good though.
 
TaySan said:
It's a cool game but $60 for a barebones port of a 2010 Wii game is a joke. Especially after Metroid Prime Remasted was priced at $40
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Nintendo was gonna charge 80$ but dropped it to 60$ so he happy they saved you 20$
 
The Donkey Kong Country games lost something in their transition from pre-rendered CGI sprites to 3D polygons. I can't put my finger on it.

Tried both this and Tropical Freeze and they just never clicked for me.

With todays tech they could make a new one that looks exactly like the original SNES graphics but in 3D.
 
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Loved Tropical Freeze. Did not love this game. For anyone who feels like TF is missing something from the original trilogy, Returns doesn't even have David Wise for the sound track. His work in TF is masterful, though. I just never really liked Returns. TF is a vastly better game that even pushes the DKC formula further.
 
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HeresJohnny said:
I'm buying but I'm tired of remakes, they're getting as bad as Sony honestly
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I'm glad they are remaking and re-releasing the older games for Switch even if they're games I'll never have any interest in again. This way we can be sure that they've been working on new games for the new hardware for quite a long while now. It's not like Switch 2 will release and we'll still need to wait 4 more years to get a 3D Mario or whatever.
 
HeresJohnny said:
I'm buying but I'm tired of remakes, they're getting as bad as Sony honestly
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What annoys me to no end about Sony is they'll remaster a 2 year old game but not their ps3 library. Fuckers.

I don't care if either of them do remakes up the whazoo, the problem is when they're relying on them in absence of no new games like Nintendo is pre switch 2 launch

Or like they did with Wii U ports on switch at first

So glad they basically have to make nothing but new games for a while.
 
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Switch 2 is around the corner so I don't mind them but they need to be priced correctly. $60 for a barebones port is an easy pass
 
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Optimus said:
Loved Tropical Freeze. Did not love this game. For anyone who feels like TF is missing something from the original trilogy, Returns doesn't even have David Wise for the sound track. His work in TF is masterful, though. I just never really liked Returns. TF is a vastly better game that even pushes the DKC formula further.
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I liked returns well enough, though at the time I was annoyed it wasn't more metroid prime. Agreed TF is much better overall.

Something is kinda missing from the feel of the originals though, it's probably the graphics or atmosphere like @Cravis mentioned. It's not a bad thing, just feels different.
 
BlackDow said:
The. I cannot see any reason to get it. I have a portable version already.
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Well the 3ds version is missing details and is 30fps w/dips vs 60fps of the wii original

It's been a while since I played 3ds version but I think sound quality took a big hit too

3ds version is good for what it is, have it on it and wii. No reason for me to buy this
 
HE1NZ said:
It's shit
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Not what he says in the video.

To summarize: he feels this is the most competent release Forever Entertainment has done to date. They did a nice job mostly but there are a few interesting things to note that are either missing or not up to the standard we would like from a Retro Studios title, which this originally is. There's a missing sun on the evening stages. There's some missing animation effects on DK as he's leaving a barrel. There's also some other aesthetic choices like toned down glow, blob shadows, and mine carts being brighter that just are. Probably the most important nitpick, though, is that there is some slow down in places that make the 60 fps feel less good.

His overall verdict is that it's just fine but down to a personal choice because this is a Wii title that is being released for a second time and you sort of expect total perfection on something like this where it should run better and look nicer than a Wii original. I would agree with that assessment, and I also think that it looks significantly better overall but with the caveats. Forever Entertainment has done an alright job with this. I'll be hoping that they will possibly patch some of these curious omissions.

But I frankly have zero intention of playing this game ever again. It's not a good DKC game.
 
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TaySan said:
It's a cool game but $60 for a barebones port of a 2010 Wii game is a joke. Especially after Metroid Prime Remasted was priced at $40
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It should be priced $40 but it's Donkey Kong so it's gonna sell like hot cakes at standard price for a time. I'm considering holding off until it's on sale even though I have it pre-ordered and loved Tropical Freeze. To anyone reading, is the OST for DKC Returns as good as Tropical Freeze?
 
Cravis said:
The Donkey Kong Country games lost something in their transition from pre-rendered CGI sprites to 3D polygons. I can't put my finger on it.

Tried both this and Tropical Freeze and they just never clicked for me.

With todays tech they could make a new one that looks exactly like the original SNES graphics but in 3D.
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Yeah, something about the art style is just offputting. Like the New Super Mario Bros. series. Makes them completely uninteresting to me.
 
Optimus said:
Probably the most important nitpick, though, is that there is some slow down in places that make the 60 fps feel less good.
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I'm not a graphics whore, but this shit is genuinely unacceptable. No 2D game from one of the major developers (hell, nearly THE major developer these days) should have anything but a buttery smooth constant 60 FPS.
 
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