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Anyone who had a SNES, couldn’t call themselves a gamer if they didn’t play RARE’s piece of gaming gold, Donkey Kong Country… The game looked stunning, was quite challenging and I certainly had fun times playing it! Now, comes the next gen version of everyones favourite Monkey (apart from the PG Tips monkeys of course) but should they be resurrecting this great franchise or let it rest in piece?[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The graphics are what you’d class 2.5D (not 2D or 3D but a mixture) and as you can see from the above picture, the level designs look very pretty, the backgrounds look great, and do a good job of portraying the world of DK. Personally I think it is one of the better looking games on the Wii.. Case in point, in some levels the sun sets in the background and everything is silhouetted apart from DK’s tie and Diddy’s hat and waistcoat.. It may not seem that great, but it really does make you go wow! Thumbs up for the team at Retro Studio’s for the great job they have done on this aspect, it makes me happy to see a good deal of effort end up to a good standard!
The sound on DKCR takes you on a nostalgia trip as it seems like they have used the same music from the original DKC and spruced it up a bit, and I think all in all, it does a fantastic job, Especially through surround sound speakers… The music varies from area to area as you would imagine and is in keeping with the theme of the area you are currently in, which as you would expect, is crucial for a game like this. Top job on this front, and thumbs up from me.
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In terms of game modes, there is either a 1 player or 2 player game. There is also an extra’s menu, which you can either unlock an image gallery, music gallery or a section of diorama’s (each one is unlocked by doing certain things in game.. The music gallery is unlocked by beating boss monsters etc.) If you do the 1 player game, you can only ever control DK, not Diddy, although you can free him from barrels and he jumps on your back (providing you with extra health and providing you with a jet pack to allow you to jump a bit further). Personally this doesn’t really worry me and it doesn’t detract from the game. If you play 2 player (its local co-op only, sorry) then you obviously control one character each, and if one dies, the other can free them from the standard DK barrels as in previous DKC games. This is one of the best co-op games around, and it is a bit of a shame its only local co-op.
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Onto the gameplay itself. This game is massive. There are 9 worlds, each world has between 7-10 levels, including the secret levels too, so certainly enough to keep you going for ages! Each level has the letters K-O-N-G to collect, as well as various amounts of jigsaw pieces to find (to unlock extra’s mentioned above), and banana coins which you can redeem for items at Cranky Kong’s stalls that are scattered around the worlds (you can buy Squawks the parrot, who alerts you to puzzle pieces nearby, or banana juice that allows you to gain temporary invulnerability etc.). In this game we also welcome back Rambi the Rhino who continues to mow down enemies, break blocks or break walls to discover secret areas. The mine cart levels also make a comeback too, but they can get very tricky and on a few occasions very frustrating.
Controls are good, as you get the choice of either holding a wii-mote sideways, and using the D-pad and 1&2 buttons, or using a nunchuck attachment as well. I prefer the sideways control method personally, but there are also movement controls (moving wii-mote up and down causes a ground pound, moving it up and down while running causes you to roll etc, and pressing down on D-pad and moving up and down causes you to blow on flowers to reveal items). Some levels have sections that allow you to go into the background areas of a level by way of a barrel that shoots from foreground to background.
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Overall, I have enjoyed playing Donkey Kong Country Returns, as I only ever played the original DKC, and upon starting this, was reminded how much I loved the original game, and was pleased that this has more than lived up to the hype and expectation that it undoubtedly had on its shoulders. I think this is one of the “Must have” games on the Wii, for both single player and co-op. The length of the game should keep most gamers going for a good few weeks before completing the game, and is definitely one I will be coming back to!My Score on this is 9 out of 10
