I loved the hell out of Donkey Kong Country Returns when it came out on the Wii back in
2010.
It was a brilliant update to one of my favorite platforming series that mixed in just enough
new with the old to create an original, but familiar experience.
But the very first time I played the game, I couldn't help but wonder: Why isn't this
on the Nintendo 3DS?
After all, one of the key innovations to the game was the amount of interplay between the
foreground and background.
Whether it was dodging the tentacles of a monstrous Octopus or blasting into the background
for some distant platforming, there was a level of actual depth there that I had never
seen before in a side-scrolling platformer.
And I could only imagine how fantastic it would look on a 3D screen with an actual sense
of depth.
That is, until now, because Donkey Kong Country Returns returns again, only now in pocketable
form in eye-catching 3D on the Nintendo 3DS
And it's almost as great as I imagined.
Of course, everything that was so fantastic about the original is recreated here nearly
perfectly.
The level design is still brilliant.
There's still a huge amount of variety between levels, so much so that I even forgot about
some of the gameplay mechanics!
And of course the game still looks beautiful--seriously, it looks practically identical to the Wii
one
Now it doesn't just recreate the original experience, but builds upon it with a few
new additions
Of course, chief among those is that the entire game is now rendered in 3D--and it looks every
bit as good as I hoped
Adding a fantastic sense of depth and weight to every level, especially as you find yourself
blasting between layers.
It's hard to believe that a game which wasn't originally designed with a 3D screen in mind
actually makes better use of it than every other 3DS platformer that I've played.
Beyond the 3D, the game also includes of 8 brand new levels.
These levels play just as well as the originals and are a nice addition, even if they don't
really do much particularly new.
Though I was slightly disappointed they weren't a little challenging, seeing as they come
at the end of the game.
Finally, the game introduces a brand new mode, fittingly called New Mode.
Essentially, it's an easy mode that gives both Donkey and Diddy an extra damage-point,
while also adding new items to Cranky Kong's shop that make the game notably easier, such
as a barrel that allows you to bring back Diddy at any time, or a green balloon that'll
save you from a fall.
And this is a welcome addition seeing as the original Donkey Kong Country Returns is widely
regarded as an extremely challenging game, though the Original mode is here too for you
purists.
However, those purists might find that the Original Mode is actually even more difficult
than the Wii version for two unfortunate reasons.
For one, the game now only runs at 30-frames per second instead of the original's 60.
Now if you haven't played the original, then this probably isn't a big deal, but I did
find it made the game just slightly less responsive and actually made it a little trickier to
nail some of those precision-jumps.
In addition, the game also suffers from some occasional and noticeable slowdown that wasn't
in the Wii version at all.
I
It never drops by much, but it's enough to throw off your timing--especially in the mine
cart levels--which are already challenging enough
Don't get me wrong, it never reaches anything close to unplayable, but it is a letdown compared
to the buttery smooth Wii original.
I also had just a couple of issues with the controls themselves.
For instance, in the original game you would shake the controller to roll, which is now
handled with a button press--and that's fine.
But if you want to roll repeatedly--or charge with Rambi, you now have to tap the button
repeatedly, which feels far less natural than before, especially because it makes managing
the jump button at the same time a little awkward
Furthermore, though the game supports both the Circle Pad and Control pad, you have to
access the options screen to switch them.
And doing so also inexplicably changes the layout of some of the other buttons, which
is very confusing.
I'm really not sure why you can't just switch between the two without having to access a
many
But despite these minor shortcomings, this is still a fantastic game, and if you haven't
played the original, you truly are in for a treat, especially with the new levels and
3D display.
But the big question of course is, is it worth picking up if you played the original?
And in my opinion, I can't say that it is.
The new levels are neat, but there's not enough of them--nor enough new to them--to warrant
an entire playthrough.
And the New Mode really won't be of much use to those who've already finished the game.
And in my opinion, the game does play better--even if slightly--on the Wii.
But again, this is still an excellent port and anyone who likes platforms and hasn't
played the original would be well-advised to check out what is, in my opinion, one of
the best platformers ever made
All in all, I'm giving DKCR 3D 4.5 Stars out of 5, dropping it only slightly from the perfect
score of the original because it doesn't play quite as well
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