It's a straightforward remaster, and while it's hard to top Tropical Freeze's Switch port, Returns HD remains a challenging and satisfying platformer that will stand the test of time.
It feels strange to be witnessing the Switch's twilight years with an HD remaster of a Wii game from 15 years ago, but that's where we find ourselves after the launch of Donkey Kong Returns HD. Originally made by the folks at Retro Studios and now remastered by prolific Switch publisher and porting company Forever Entertainment, this challenging 2D platformer is itself an attempt to recreate DK's glory days on the SNES , allowing this game to usher in a double recession in a rose-colored world. Nostalgia.
But after playing Returns, and then again on the 3DS in 2013, we were still somewhat heartened by the realization that, yes, this was more than just a great platformer fifteen years ago – even now, It remains a great platformer that has stood the test of time with its demanding athleticism, impeccable timing, and cunning secrets. Taken alone, the game is as worth playing today as it ever was, and is a stark reminder of just how good a Donkey Kong Country game can be.
However, our situation is rare able Now, when we look at things in isolation, it feels even weirder to return to the topic when its excellent sequel, Tropical Freeze, was ported to Switch in 2018 (and still cost £50, like Returns HD). At the time, the Switch's lifespan was just over a year old, but was the console about to end with its streamlined and slightly dull predecessor? You can't help but feel that these two games should be presented in opposite ways, and if I had to choose one DKC game to play for £50 at the end of a console generation, it would be Tropical Freeze without a doubt.
Still, let’s not get ahead of ourselves unnecessarily. As I said, Returns HD has a lot to recommend it on its own merits, especially since it incorporates some of the extras from the 3DS version, such as a more forgiving difficulty mode where players have extra health and items, etc. wait. From the outset, Returns HD puts no effort into putting players through it at their own pace, requiring a flexible understanding of Donkey Kong and Diddy's respective abilities and limitations to tackle rigorous running and jumping challenges that are both surprising and surprising. And delightful.
In some ways, the 3DS still feels like a more natural home for Return. Especially early on, DK will regularly loot some of the background scenery for collectible KONG letters and hidden puzzle pieces (the latter of which will gradually expand the game's vast library of sounds and images if all puzzles are uprooted) in a single level ). The landscapes also periodically appear in the foreground, with domino pillars descending from the cliffs bridging the looming chasm before you, while Kraken's tentacles snaking through narrow sea caves, blocking your path to pesky moles Throw deadly bombs from your opponent's minecart tracks. Crystal-encrusted tunnel.
It's a wonderful collision of senses, as your fingers fly past where the Joy-Con buttons are, keeping up with the sights and sounds being thrown at you from the front and back. The dynamic camera captures the action with deft and elastic lenses, zooming in to work with tense and frantic precision, then zooming out to capture every scrap of the gorgeously depicted spectacle. It's all set to the bombastic tunes of David Wise's soundtrack, remastered by Aleksander Jastrzebski. This sense of dramatic back-and-forth is by no means sluggish on the Switch, but while I spent most of my time playing in handheld mode, I immediately went back to booting up the 3DS's stereoscopic slider to enjoy it. Put it all in.
I was also reminded that it also allows you to discover the nuances of its platforming gameplay. While handy tutorial pigs occasionally pop up to show you some basic controls – how to grab onto vines, for example, or slam DK's fist into the ground to break broken scene furniture – there's never a lesson on how to apply some of the more advanced platforming techniques So coming. I admit, I have 15 years of muscle memory to help me get out of here, so I already know that pressing Mario and Luigi-style jump again on an enemy's head will give me extra height, while rolling will help me speed up Across wider gaps.
Some of this you will inevitably learn by chance, and thankfully the world is full of such magical moments. For example, hit a suspicious platform and cause it to flip over to reveal a hidden barrel in one of its many secret rooms, or crouch down and take a puff of air, only for it to launch a tiny, barely noticeable propeller seed into the air trailing behind it. A bunch of bananas or a puzzle. Small, serendipitous moves like this make each level full of life and possibility, and the knowledge that this knowledge subsequently ripples into the way you approach higher levels on Kong Island remains one of Returns HD's greatest strengths.
What's more likely, however, is that you'll learn most of these techniques the hard way – through grit and tears, and by repeatedly dying on some of the most challenging platforming sections, where the precise application of these skills is what makes you successful The only way. The minecart levels – once a highlight of DKC games – are particularly bad for this, although the placement of curious bananas and collectibles at least helps propel you towards some sort of revelation, however frustrating. Still, when one wrong foot is often the only thing standing between you and a hasty restart, there are times when Returns HD can feel extremely esoteric – something you might wish had been ironed out in this remaster – And there aren't many extra health points on its lower difficulty modes that will help soften the blow here.
Purists would say this is a no-brainer for returns. After all, it was notoriously difficult at the time of its release, and it still is, even for a triplex like me. It's noticeably harder than most other platformers from the start, but it's not insurmountable – just collecting bananas and gold coins and spending them in Cranky Kong's shop to buy extra lives is enough to ensure you never You will actually see the real game over screen. Likewise, after dying several times in a row, these tutorial pigs will eventually offer to deploy the returning Super Guide feature to skip you to the end (albeit at the cost of all the collectibles you've collected and your remaining pride).
Persevere through the pain, however, and you'll still find a deeply satisfying platformer below – one that's often rewarded once you've mastered it, and the best satisfaction comes from discovering its finer details . It's still a very good video game, although it will inevitably feel like a step back to those who have already played and loved Tropical Freeze, with its prettier visuals and more ambitious 's scenes easily outshine this rather simple, no-frills remake. If you missed those days or simply can't resist the lure of nostalgia, Returns HD is still a great time for you. But really, if you haven't played Retro's DKC games at this point in the Switch's lifecycle, you should probably jump straight to Tropical Freeze. This is a Donkey Kong game at its peak, and Return HD is more of a warm-up.
Publisher Nintendo provided a copy of Donkey Kong: Homecoming HD for review.
