The Nintendo Swap has seen so lots of Nintendo’s staple franchises obtain model new entries, most hitting new ranges of success courtesy of the console’s wide-reaching viewers; From Mario and Zelda to Wario and Xenoblade. What has been quite stunning, nonetheless, has been the absence of a sure tie-wearing gorilla. With no new journey (and even spin-off, for that matter), Donkey Kong followers have needed to make do with a port of the Wii U’s Donkey Kong Nation: Tropical Freeze. Unusual for a model that has seen its lead play a job in one in every of 2023’s greatest motion pictures in addition to obtain a complete part of a theme park devoted. Whereas we are able to all maintain out hope {that a} brand-new Donkey Kong is simply across the nook (come on Swap 2!), for now, we’ve gotten one other port, this time of Donkey Kong Nation Returns. At almost 15 years outdated, how properly does Retro Studios’ first swing with the sequence maintain up?
Again in 2010, developer Retro Studios managed to carry the SNES basic sequence Donkey Kong Nation as much as modern-day requirements while remaining largely devoted to these authentic adventures. What you in the end had was a superb side-scrolling platformer filled with loads of secrets and techniques, challenges and surprises.
Similar to these authentic video games, gamers would take management of Donkey Kong, leaping and rolling his approach throughout 9 themed worlds every posing their very own difficult obstacle-filled layouts. In contrast to different platforming heroes like Sonic or Mario, Donkey Kong feels a lot heavier and his actions extra deliberate, a sense highlighted by the sport’s lack of a run potential. Fret not as this doesn’t imply the sport controls sluggishly or poorly for that matter, however quite simply… properly, completely different. Donkey Kong continues to be fairly nimble when he must be although, his rolls making for a helpful assault and even a method to leap midair for added distance. Diddy Kong in fact makes an look too together with his function extra secondary (no less than when enjoying single-player) hopping atop Donkey Kong’s again and permitting him to hover momentarily courtesy of his jetpack. Not solely that however he doubles the participant’s coronary heart counter, one thing you’ll always wrestle to maintain topped up given the sport’s relentless obstacles and enemies thrown at you. Take two hits and also you’ll lose Diddy (till you find one other DK Barrel) however extra importantly his jetpacking potential. It leaves you feeling really uncovered, left to depend on your precision leaping with the heavier Donkey Kong and begging for an additional barrel to indicate up sooner quite than later.
Whereas enjoying alone sees Diddy Kong play a extra secondary function, with a good friend concerned they will take full management of the simian. Whereas a enjoyable novelty, protecting observe of the pair of you on display on the similar time can show robust particularly as the journey continues and ranges escalate in complexity. Whereas not a foul expertise, it’s positively one that can see your life rely plummet quick, notably within the ultimate handful of worlds.
Talking of worlds, the sport will see gamers venturing by an entire method of environments from jungles and seashores to forests and factories. Simply as you’d count on with a Mario platformer, the creativity ranges are off the charts, new concepts thrown at you earlier than then being tossed apart for the following. Alongside the standard barrel blasting, you’ll deal with tumbling ruins, search refuge behind rocks as crashing waves come towering towards the display, race in opposition to a rising lava tide, avoiding the swinging tentacles of a large octopus and lots extra. Bosses are one other spotlight too, capping off every world in really difficult style with battles aboard rickety minecarts, up in opposition to big chicken-piloting robots and extra.
Followers may even be happy to know that the notorious mine cart levels make a return in all their irritating, controller-tossing glory with some really intelligent methods to maintain what are primarily limitless runner-type ranges contemporary. Rocket Barrel levels additionally present a small break from the standard platforming, seeing gamers tapping the button to rise and decrease its stage as you pace by a gauntlet of obstacles (suppose Flappy Chicken). With each these stage varieties solely taking one false transfer to lose a life, they show the more difficult (and irritating). In actual fact, Donkey Kong Nation Returns HD is a tricky recreation throughout the board particularly in contrast with Nintendo’s different platformers. It’s an actual breath of contemporary air if I’m sincere, serving to separate DK from Nintendo’s huge catalogue within the style already.
All ranges are filled with the sequence staple Ok-O-N-G letters in addition to between 5 and 9 hidden puzzle items, these unlocking further goodies. Just like the three-star cash in Mario it supplies the participant with an incentive to take their time and check out riskier manoeuvres because you by no means know what could also be hidden simply out of attain. Upon ending a stage in the meantime, gamers can replay in a time trial surroundings competing for medals. Sadly, the sport doesn’t embrace leaderboards.
As cleverly constructed as the sport’s ranges are, the identical can’t be stated for the bonus rooms, every one pulling from the identical restricted pool of layouts (barrel blasting, bouncing and many others…). With every stage seeing no less than one in every of these pop up, you’ll end up going through the identical 30-second trials again and again. I feel again to Donkey Kong Nation 2 the place each bonus room had you taking over a singular process be that defeating enemies, accumulating stars or discovering the hidden cash. That stage of selection would have made these secret discoveries way more participating and fascinating.
So, what precisely is new on this Nintendo Swap replace? Properly, in addition to the plain visible improve – which does look quite good I would add – you’ll discover… properly, not an terrible lot to be completely sincere. A better mode permitting Donkey and Diddy to take an additional hit affords a barely much less difficult choice for gamers, and the lead character’s fur seems to be very… properly, furry. Certain, the extra batch of ranges added to the Nintendo 3DS model are current, however they aren’t precisely new content material. In contrast with the likes of Pikmin 3 Deluxe or Tremendous Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, the extent of contemporary content material right here is tremendous disappointing. Even just a few further ranges or new characters would have made a stronger case for individuals who’ve already performed the unique video games.
It’s been whereas since I’ve performed Donkey Kong Nation Returns and this HD improve has been a pleasant reminder of simply how a lot enjoyable Retro Studios’ first stab on the platforming sequence was. So far as new additions go, this positively ranks close to the underside in the case of Nintendo’s Swap porting efforts. That being stated, the visible replace is actually nice on the attention and it’s onerous to argue the sport’s sustained high quality in stage design. In case you missed out on the sport the primary time round, then bump the rating up some extent. Returning gamers, in the meantime, will nonetheless discover a good time awaits, one way more impactful, the longer the hole since your final Donkey Kong Island go to.
Model Examined: Nintendo SwitchReview copy offered by Nintendo
