Review: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a reminder of how well-designed 2D platformers can be. But also, how little effort it sometimes takes to resell an old game at a premium.

Originally released on the Wii in 2010 and later ported to the 3DS, this Switch version brings the game to modern hardware with minor enhancements.

While it remains a solid platformer, the lack of meaningful improvements, technical issues, and an underwhelming co-op experience make it feel more like a quick cash grab than a true remaster.

Gameplay

The core platforming is still the highlight. Levels are very challenging, well-structured, and full of creative obstacles that require precision and quick reflexes.

The game doesn’t hold back on difficulty, which is great for fans of classic platformers but may frustrate newcomers. Considering this is the third time I’m playing it, I have fond memories of reviewing the 3DS version over Ramadan in 2013, I expected to breeze through the game, but this was not the case.

I died, a lot, even on the modern settings that gifted me extra hearts. Thankfully the game is very generous with coins that enable you to buy extra lives as well as bananas that automatically gift you one after collecting 100.

I also feel the performance is not as polished as it should be. The game suffers from occasional frame-rate drops, which is surprising given that it’s not demanding on the hardware and is a port of an older game.

These stutters are frustrating in a game that demands tight controls and split-second reactions. Luckily, I didn’t experience this too much.

The biggest disappointment, though, is the co-op experience. The game was never optimised for two players, and that hasn’t changed here.

It often feels like the mechanics work against you rather than with you, making coordination unnecessarily difficult.

Simple cooperative actions — like bouncing off the same enemy — don’t work as smoothly as they should, which makes certain sections more frustrating than they need to be.

My six-year-old and I had a jol playing together as he mostly just jumped on my back during the difficult-to-navigate spaces and gleefully shot peanuts to stun enemies so he felt like he was meaningfully contributing but if he was any older, he would have realised he was handed a short stick.

A lot of my criticism would have been tempered had Nintendo priced this game at R700 or so, but it is R1 129 on the Nintendo eShop. That way, I would have celebrated the preservation of a great game on modern consoles, allowing both new gamers and existing fans the opportunity to taste the gorilla delights within, but making it full price raises expectations.

Graphics

The HD upgrade is noticeable, with sharper visuals and cleaner textures, but it’s hardly a significant improvement. This isn’t a proper remaster with reworked assets or improved animations.

Instead, it’s more of an upscale of what was already there. While the environments still look great and the game’s art style holds up well, it’s clear that very little was done to enhance the visuals beyond the basics.

Considering what the Nintendo Switch is capable of, they could have done more: improved lighting, better textures, or even refined character models.

I recently replayed the sequel, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, which was also something I double-dipped on, buying it on both the Wii U originally and then on the Switch, and it improves so much on Donkey Kong Returns that it’s hard to recommend Returns over that.

Audio

The soundtrack is still fantastic, with memorable tunes that perfectly capture the adventurous tone of the game. However, the audio mix feels off in places.

Certain sound effects overpower the music, and there are moments where the balance between background music and ambient sounds doesn’t feel quite right. It’s a small issue, but one that shouldn’t exist in a premium-priced rerelease.

Value for Money

This is where Donkey Kong Country Returns HD struggles the most. The game is being sold at a full retail price with very little added beyond the graphical touch-up.

There are no new levels (over and above what was added on the 3DS version), no extra features, and no real quality-of-life improvements. For those who have already played the original or the 3DS version, it’s a bit of a hard sell at this price-point.

The game on the Nintendo eShop is R1 129, while the physical copy of the game, along with pins and a waist bag costs R1 299.