Test - Donkey Kong Country Returns HD: Test: Still a strong jump-and-run in 2025

While Mario fans can look forward to new games with their favorite plumber on a regular basis, monkey lovers have been watching the green tube for years. Donkey Kong has been hiding in the jungle for some time, and apart from new editions we don't see anything of him. With Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, the next revitalization is now coming to the Switch and, like Tropical Freeze, it belongs in every well-stocked platformer collection.

Retro Studios contributes varietyin the best series tradition. There are incredibly varied levels, from the jungle to branching cave systems to picturesque beaches and strange factories, the jump-and-run offers pretty much everything a primate's heart desires. The absurd diversity of oneThe title that was originally released on the Wii in 2010 does not achieve this, but that in no way detracts from the enormous creativity.

The variety in play is simply too high for that. You'll jump and roll your way through classic sections, race across tracks in the infamous Loren levels, race through the air in a rocket barrel, avoid waves approaching from the background and so much more. Some fans complain about the lack of underwater segments, but honestly: that's complaining on an incredibly high level.

80 levels full of secrets

In terms of content, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is not based on the Wii original; instead, the developers took the 3DS port from 2013 as a model. Accordingly, you can look forward to a ninth world with eight more levels, which increases the scope to a whopping 80 segments.

The control revisions were also taken from the handheld version. On the Wii, Retro Studios forced the Wiimote to shake to perform Donkey Kong's role. This often led to frustrating deaths because the movements were not implemented cleanly or too late. As on the 3DS, you can control the Switch version entirely by pressing buttons, which makes the tough jump-and-run much easier. Optionally, the port also allows wild Joy-Con flailing like in the original.

The name Donkey Kong Country Returns HD also subtly suggests that the primate is making the leap into the high-resolution age with its return. The game is a real feast for the eyes, especially on an OLED switch, everything is crisp and mostly runs smoothly. Curiously, I repeatedly experienced minor frame rate stutters. This wasn't available in the Switch port of Tropical Freeze, so I can't really explain the reason.

There used to be more funk

Since the first Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, the series has not only been one of the best platformers you can find, but it has also become notorious for its level of difficulty. He's totally bananas. The completionists among you in particular will certainly bite the dust countless times if they want to collect all the puzzle pieces and KONG letters and search for all the bonus sections in the levels. But the rides on the lorry or the rocket barrel also demand everything from your reflexes.

If that's too tough for you, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D already offered the "modern mode", which makes your life easier with various assistance. Donkey has three hearts instead of two, so you can take one more hit before you die. The same applies to Diddy Kong, so ideally your hearts will increase from four to six pieces.

In addition, the selection of items in Cranky Kong's shop is significantly larger. The green balloons save you from a crash, the protective potion makes the lorry or rocket barrel invincible for a short time and you can even purchase a DK barrel with which you can summon Diddy Kong at any time within a level.

You make the choice between modern and classic mode when you create your savegame; unfortunately, Donkey Kong Country Returns does not allow you to change later. This could have been solved more happily - but it's not a waste of time either. In fact, I'm happy that the game even offers this relief. This means more players can potentially enjoy this brilliant jump-and-run game, which, with its incredibly high level of difficulty, has an enormously high barrier to entry, which is at least somewhat lowered. Even though I miss the super-cool Funky Kong. Because the easy mode of the Switch implementation of Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze let you climb into the cool surfer's Bermuda shorts.