Donkey Kong Country Returns

It’s fair to say that the last few years have been a tad tricky for Nintendo. Reclaiming their dominance on the gaming market, as the Wii successfully widened Nintendo’s target demographic, has concurrently seen a few sacrifices on the company’s part – the biggest being the slowing of major titles in the ilk of _Mario_ and _Metroid_, and a complete halt on new franchises altogether. 2001’s real-time strategy _Pikmin_ – and its equally celebrated sequel – was the last to jump on the bandwagon almost a decade ago, before Nintendo decided that ‘hardcore’ gaming just wasn’t bringing in the buck and that, instead, it was now all about getting Granny, Uncle Jack and the rest of the extended family on _Wii Fit_.

But lo! The dry season may finally be over, and whether or not you put it down to Nintendo’s mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto reaching the nostalgic age of 58, 2010 saw some of their greatest franchises return to the home console, though if the E3 Games Convention presented an award for ‘most unexpected’ amongst its array of annual accolades, _Donkey Kong Country Returns_ would surely have been a winner.

Two things beg mentioning from the outset for Retro Studios’ SNES revival. First, this is a bona fide _Donkey Kong Country_ experience through and through, meaning that Retro have, utilizing their name as literally as possible, kicked it old school, peeling back the platformer to its heyday to re-discovering that pizzazz. Consequently, this also means that aside from nifty use of the game’s 2.5D approach, there isn’t a truckload of new innovation being paraded – just plenty of shake-ups along the way.

Which leads to point number two: this is one tough cookie, and – quite rightly – pleasingly so. The Wii’s heady warning to wear its bundled wrist straps at all times may be most substantiated now more than ever, as you find yourself swinging violently in a banana-desire-fueled rage after having lost that final, precious life and are met with the reality of beginning your quest through the critter-riddled jungle once again – a point where the real crux of any game’s quality is tested. But _Country_ assuredly passes, as players will undoubtedly and eagerly be smashing the “continue” button again and again… and again. That’s a promise.

So for those amongst us who are not au fait with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System titles that started it all, what is _Donkey Kong Country_ actually about? On the face of it, the original was nothing more than a simple side-scroller with some nice co-op interplay, but look closer – this was the first game for a home video game console to use pre-rendered 3D graphics, a technique which proceeded to take off and spiral. The aim of the game has also, more or less, always followed the same lineation: reach the end of the level, collecting as many bananas and Hero Coins as possible and preferably with as many remaining lives in the bag. This time, a bunch of evil Tikis under the alias of the “Tiki Tak Tribe” have hypnotized the island inmates into swiping Donkey Kong’s bananas. Your job? Steal back the bananas, of course! It’s simple, and hardly a distant iteration of its predecessor’s similarly unornamented plot lines. But it’s the ingenious level designs mixed with colourful, addicting gameplay which makes this title a must-own for Wii owners – with Retro Studios’ ability to keep both on the boil from start to end.

And the further into this vibrant jungle you delve, the more impressive _Country_ becomes. The island is split into several areas including a forest, a cave, and a beach, each built up of several levels – with a secret level to be unlocked, contingent on the player earning enough banana coins (DK Island currency) to do so – and culminating in a classic-style boss fight which plays on the themes of its preceding levels. It’s a well-worn formula that also plies on the side-scrolling mechanics of the standard left-to-right-beeline; though with occasionally-added 3D action being thrown into the mix as the player is launched onto a background plane, or toward the screen into another explosive vat.

But don’t be fooled. _Country’s_ endless stream of creativity in its level-designs might be the best we’ve seen in a 2D platformer in years, boasting some of the most meticulous environments to grace a console, every one more deliciously vivacious and brimming with character – something that particularly comes alive in the the ocean levels. Each area throws a curveball of its own, too – a moment which sees the player precariously flying a rocket-powered barrel is particularly jarring on expectation levels. Constantly inventing new ways to challenge the player is what gives _Country_ its monkey muscle, but taking advantage of the game’s multiplayer co-op will ease the difficulty curve as players knock their primate heads together to solve the game’s plethora of mind-benders – even if it occasionally feels that the additional player is a lot less vital to the completion of the game. A back-to-basics control system offers options to work either with the Wii remote sideways, or linked up with the nunchuck; whilst both work fluidly, the single Wiimote approach might be slightly divisive in the mine-cart driving levels, as the game asks players to shake the controller and keep a steady hand at the same time. But these qualms are indeed trivial, and the overall experience does not suffer in turn.

If anything, _Donkey Kong Country Returns_ is one final cry to the gaming world, begging it to reach into history’s pockets, beyond the mammons of a rapidly-booming industry, to where it all began – to rediscover what the video game was all about. From start to finish, _Kong_ is a solidly-crafted, nostalgia-ridden throwback that’s often challenging, invariably enjoyable, and a welcome return, equally on par with its predecessors. And while it might not bring the grandiosity or visual splendour of the offerings of high definition consoles, for a relatively stripped-down experience, _Country_ definitely has a lot to say.