Donkey Kong Country Returns is meant to hearken back to the old Donkey Kong games, which should really bring up some feelings of nostalgia for those who have been playing the games for a long time. The game is set up in much the same fashion, and ever operates on a similar premise to come up with the main conflict. The Tiki Tak Tribe has stolen Donkey Kong’s bananas, brainwashed any animals in the forest into being on their side, and run off. Donkey Kong has to go and get them back, navigating his way through all sorts of hardships and past many enemies.
The animation in the game is amazing; it looks so good that you can be completely submerged in it.
The game play is very fun, and you have to move across the screen much in the way that you would expect, jumping and fighting enemies. The fighting is similar to what the old games had, with moves that allow you to stun your enemies or blow on things to reveal secrets. All in all, you can find a lot and spend hours searching the levels.
The game can be very hard. It can be so hard at times that the player will find himself or herself to be frustrated to the point of wanting to throw the controller through the television screen. While some would not say this is a con, and would want the difficulty, it may prevent people who do not have a connection to the game — who have not played the older versions — from wanting to get into it.
You do not have the option to use the old Nintendo controls. There is an option that is close, with the remote turned on its side, but even this is not exactly like playing on an old Nintendo. It would have been nice to have this as an option, even if other Donkey Kong Wii controls were available.
Main Features:
— Fighting enemies in the traditional fashion.
— Moving the remote around to cause Donkey Kong to do things; wiggling it certain ways will make him act, so you will be flailing all around.
— Searching for secrets and solving puzzles.
— The beloved mine cart races.
Overall, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a great game. It combines the elements from the old games with the technology and animation of today, and provides a game that people of both generations are sure to love. The storyline is not what you would call mind-blowing, but it is good and speaks to the plots, again, of those older games. This is an excellent game to bring Donkey Kong into the modern era, and promises hours of fun and excitement.