Video Game Review: Legendary Character Rocks in ‘Donkey Kong Country Returns’

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CHICAGO – There’s no more accomplished gaming company in history than Nintendo when it comes to not only keeping classic characters vital but finding ways to reboot beloved properties from the past. “Super Mario Galaxy,” “Metroid Prime,” and “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” are prime examples of the art of keeping your canon alive. We can now add “Donkey Kong Country Returns” to the list.

Video Game Rating: 4.5/5.0

Donkey Kong the character debuted nearly thirty years ago in the classic arcade game of the same name. In the mid-’90s, as home gaming was taking off, Nintendo released the beloved “Donkey Kong Country” on the Super Nintendo platform. The game was a revolutionary side-scroller that took the legend of the barrel-throwing ape and grafted it onto the foundation of “Super Mario Bros.” Two sequels quickly followed but Donkey Kong and his country went silent for the last fourteen years as fans hoped a return visit would someday be developed.

Donkey Kong Country Returns
Photo credit: Nintendo

Someday is now. “Donkey Kong Country Returns” for the Nintendo Wii hit stores this week and it’s sure to bring the timeless character back for generations that grew up with him along with introducing him to a new era of gamers. It may not be quite as revolutionary as the recent Mario or Zelda titles for the Wii but judged in terms of what it sets out to do, “DKC Returns” is a definite success. Once again, Nintendo continues to be the standard-bearers when it comes to pure side-scrolling entertainment. With dozens of levels, deeply-hidden collectibles, and some of the most challenging worlds a game of this type has produced in quite some time, the replay value on “Donkey Kong Country Returns” is high, making it a perfect gift this holiday season for all ages.

Donkey Kong Country Returns Photo credit: Nintendo

I’m old enough to remember the original “Donkey Kong Country” games and was initially impressed at how much the new title feels like a product of that franchise. The level design, enemies, and general structure could be called retro if the graphics weren’t so expertly-updated for 2010. “DKC Returns” often plays like a game from the mid-’90s but with the graphics and refined gameplay of a game from the ’10s. Just that accomplishment alone shouldn’t be understated. There are a lot of games that go for the nostalgic feel and end up merely making the player wish they could go back to the original instead of a faded photocopy. At the same time, many developers update for a new generation and miss the charm of their source. “Donkey Kong Country Returns” finds the perfect balance of old and new.

Of course, the newest elements of “Donkey Kong Country Returns” are in the control structure, one that allows for use of Nintendo Wii controllers. How do you incorporate the Wii-mote into a game about a giant ape? Luckily, the answer is ‘minimally.’ Too many Wii games try to show off the capability of the Wii-mote but end up over-complicating the title with lots of unresponsive swinging and stabbing motions. The developers of “Donkey Kong Country Returns” strike an excellent balance of old-fashioned platforming controls with new-gen mechanics.

How? Every once in awhile, you’ll need to use the nunchuk and Wii-mote to pound, roll, or blow. You wave them both up and down like an ape pounding on a conga drum, sometimes to proceed or defeat enemies but often to find hidden paths or bonus areas. Bent down and pounding can blow flowers. Pushing forward and pounding rolls DK into enemies.

Of course, all of the staples of “Donkey Kong Country” have returned. You’ll find an amazing amount of collectibles, including standard bananas all over the place (100 gives you a new life), the letters K-O-N-G hidden around the levels, and puzzle pieces, some of which are incredibly hard to find. The variety of hidden areas and collectibles throughout the game immensely increase its replayability. It’s the kind of rare title in which you’ll find yourself wanting to instantly replay a level (to find a missing puzzle piece or letter, for example) instead of just moving forward to the next one.

A game like “Donkey Kong Country Returns” lives and dies on level design and it’s simply excellent here. The cart levels can be remarkably difficult and sometimes approach ridiculousness in terms of their degree of memorization in that there’s no way anyone could complete some of them on the first time and it’s a matter of memorizing when to jump and sometimes how high after a dozen or so deaths that will get you to the end. The exploding barrels have been perfectly incorporated into the title as well as a variety of enemies new and familiar.

Ultimately, Nintendo simply knows how to do this kind of thing better than anyone. They set the bar when it comes to titles that feel both nostalgic and current and “Donkey Kong Country Returns” is a wonderful new addition to their arsenal. Don’t miss it.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com