Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010)

I really feel like I should like this game, but after getting to the end of world 2, besides brief flashes, I was just not enjoying it. First the technical things, I am playing the HD remake on the Switch, and the amount of time it took for levels to load to the overworld or vice versa was really annoying, and the music for that switch between being the same and never changing got old fast.

The thing that most annoyed me about this game is that it has a really cool movement mechanic in the form of the roll and then jump which gives a ton of momentum, but I feel like it wasn't being used well. I would try this fun movement mechanic, and then be punished for it in the form of enemies everywhere so the landing spot doesn't work or just bottomless pits. On the topic of bottomless pits, I don't like how some of them lead to secrets and some of them are just pits, sure you can tell if you are looking but that once again goes into the thing of how I feel like the game slows you down when it feels more fun to go fast.

Donkey Kong in general just felt sluggish to control for me, the jumps felt kind of weird, and not being able to jump off of a climb felt insanely wrong. The only thing that felt right was the roll jump, bnut then that wasn't utilized well as I talked about above.

I don't think the opinions I have on the movement are objective, I can understand why people like it and how if you take the game slower it can feel fine, but for me I feel like the game is more fun trying to do things fast, but then I am punished for doing that. I might come back one day to see if I have a different opinion on it, but with this being the first game I started after getting a full time job, the Reggie classic of "If it's not fun, why bother," is the reason I dropped it, at least for now. Solid 6/10

I would put my bananas on the line for DKC, but the newer iterations have me really conflicted. Completed Tropical freeze last year and have been dipping into DKC Returns the last six months. Decided to play the original game for a bit to grab some comparison Screenshots. I'm loving the subtle details in DKC Returns, like how DKs hands wrap around the terrain when you get towards the edge of a platform, or how he transitions to a backwards climb when running towards a piece of grass that starts to descend.

It really feels like it's missing a bit of charm though, like why the heck can't you play as Diddy Kong? That was like the whole thing about the original games!!

What's with the Bonus levels too? The original games had a bit of variety and some really fun bonus stages but I'm noticing here that they repeat a lot. I might be missing some because I'm yet to get all the collectibles in any level which might trigger a bonus stage (?).

Some smaller details that bother me are the lack of character stamps on the map once you complete a level. The original game had some really quirky environmental art in the overworld map with the environment around the level selector reflecting what might be in the level (caves, water, etc) and it feels like it's missing a bit in Returns. I miss some of the weird looking stalls and buildings like Crankys hut and Funkys shack, everything is a bit too polished for me here.

The controls feel very sluggish too, DK feels like a sack of potatoes which some would argue is accurate but the amount of times I've jumped for a platform and then fallen short to my death like some kind of Looney Toons sketch. A minor thing too is how in the original game you can hold sprint and automatically pick up things as you run past them which keeps the flow going, in Returns you have to let go of sprint and then press it again to pick up the barrel which breaks the flow a bit. There's also separate buttons / operations for slam, blow, roll, continuous roll etc. can get very overwhelming. Perhaps it felt better using the Wii controls, I'm using a gamepad.

WHY HAVE YOU TURNED ME INTO CRANKY KONG, DKC RETURNS?!

Nintendo trying to convince me to pay £40 for DKC Returns HD

I actually missed out on it back when it launched on the Wii and then in a completely unrelated thought I remembered I had a Retroid Pocket!

Kinda charming hearing the original DKC soundtrack but reimagined, I also likes that I could go into DK hut at the beginning and collect an extra life which was a nice nod to the original game. Can definitely see how Tropical Freeze became what it did, not sure I click with the direction completely but it's awesome experiencing a new (to me) DKC title after all this time.