Donkey Kong Country Returns HD review

It’s been some time now since we had a brand new game in the series, but Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a reminder of just how sharp the design, difficulty, and quality of the series generally is. While there’s an argument to be made that Tropical Freeze (2014, then again in 2018) is a better looking game, Returns is a genuine classic, and arguably should have kick-started the series into life as a recurring feature in Nintendo’s stable of titles on a far more frequent basis.

What the Donkey Kong Country Returns HD package actually is, then, is an amalgamation of both the Wii and 3DS versions of the original game (including the extra levels from the 3DS edition), with a coat of paint to make it shiny and HD for the modern Nintendo Switch console. This means it includes the base game that will test your reflects (and sometimes your patience), but also the accessibility options that mean you can play through without quite so much stress, thanks to the option to add extra health hearts.

Developer Retro Studios is beloved for a reason, and within a few levels you will instantly be transfixed by the visuals, but more importantly, hooked by the platforming and collect-a-thon exploration. 2D levels with 3D backgrounds you can go back and forth between are the order of the day. But it’s the sheer variety of the level design that makes Donkey Kong Country Returns HD sing, even in 2025.

One minute you’re barrelling through a fairly traditional side-scrolling platform-game level, but then suddenly you’re riding a rhino, or a mine-cart. Each island you visit, and level within, are gloriously vibrant and designed with meticulous attention to detail. It’s not a case of you being required to find all the puzzle pieces, or the KONG letter-boxes, but you want to. You’ll carefully comb through a level, using DK’s moveset to smash boxes, blow flowers, and find hidey-holes, yet still feel cheated you finished missing one puzzle piece.

So it’s back to the start, and let’s play through again and find that last piece. But then there’s time attack, which means you’ll want to play again, this time with brevity replacing exploration. And hey, if you do really struggle to find certain collectibles, visit Cranky Kong and buy a parrot that will squawk every time you are near one. It’s not infallible, but it helps out.

The plot of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is barely worth noting, but for the record it’s equal parts amusing and fun. Donkey Kong is immune to the invading Tikis, with a heavy insinuation that he’s not got enough grey matter up top to be hypnotised. DK and Diddy set about reclaiming their island (and bananas) with each island culminating in a creative end-of-world boss fight. With the likes of the Maraca Gang who possess crabs to attack you, there’s no battle that’s the same, and it’s a testament to the design all those years later that it still feels fresh and exciting to play.

Given that this HD version combines the Wii and 3DS editions of the game, there are still motion control choices, and local multiplayer if you want it. The music remains lovely to hear on every level, and really the only giveaway that it’s an older game is the loading screens, which don’t vary much at all.

The original game was a difficult experience. Not impossible, but perhaps not quite the level that people expect when playing a Nintendo franchise. It’s doable, for sure, but DKs moveset is larger than you’d expect. Sure, he can jump and run, but he can also roll, blow, ground pound, and more besides. The modern additions to the 3DS game do make it easier, but that’s a choice you can make for yourself.

With how many times this game has been re-released, it’s tricky to think what more could actually have been added. It’s three generations in, plus a portable version in the 3DS, now, and the biggest compliment I can give is that it doesn’t feel 15 years old. In the cold light of day I think I just about prefer Tropical Freeze, but really, the two stand together as such high quality titles, the question really remains: why aren’t there more of these games? There may not be much here for people who’ve rinsed the original releases, but if you’re after a reminder of how brilliant Retro Studios can be, this is a great game to do it with.