Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

Buy the deluxe edition of this HD Wii remake and, alongside the cartridge, you'll receive a little plastic barrel. While the Kong family has been synonymous with such vessels since 1981, a cynic might suggest that underlining the connection might be unwise, lest Nintendo be accused of scraping the bottom of one itself. After all, Tropical Freeze got this same treatment in 2018, courtesy of Nintendo's realisation, in the early days of Switch, that it now had a home for Wii U's more unfairly forgotten releases. The arrival, seven years later, of that game's relatively primitive predecessor can only seem like a final spot of mopping up before the Switch doors are closed for good. It could also, perhaps, be taken as another sign of renewed interest in the character, in light of the addition of a Donkey Kong Country area to the Super Nintendo World park in Japan, and the rumours of a cinematic spinoff that have circled since The Super Mario Bros Movie's enormous success.

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All this contextual monkey business aside, how does this 2010 platformer actually hold up in 2025? Well, the years haven't dulled Retro's presentational flair, ably reinterpreted here by Forever Entertainment. The perspective tricks that break free of 2D's boundaries, and that early bonus level which silhouettes DK against a red sunset, remain a treat. The Rare-inherited maximalism in collectables and secrets feels right at home in this day and age, too, even if some of the hiding