Controlled by a group of evil Tikis, the animals in Donkey Kong Island
have raided Donkey Kong’s Banana Hoard and stolen his stash of
bananas – and he understandably wants them back. Retro Studios
brings Donkey Kong back in a new side-scrolling adventure with
familiar characters and new levels that reignite the passion players had
for the Super NES original.
GenrePlatformers
Platforms wii
DEVELOPER Retro Studios | PUBLISHER Codemasters | RELEASE DATE
DONKEY KONG COUNTRY RETURNS Reviews wii
destructoid.com review
Most importantly, though, the barrels make a grand return and are scattered throughout many levels in the game. AND THEY ARE SO MUCH FUN! Shooting Donkey and Diddy Kong all over the screen (including different depths!) is one of the most entertaining and satisfying things I have done in a videogame in recent memory. Each time you come across a barrel section in the game you will not be ready for what you are about to experience. And as fun as they are, the barrels are not even the best part!
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1up.com review
Donkey Kong Country Returns hits all the right spots; it’s filled with childhood nostalgia, stunning visuals, and mentally taxing challenges. The game offers a wealth of inventive, wild fun and works even for those with no inherent emotional attachment to the cartoon gorilla on the cover. By all means, it’s a pretty tough game, but it’s not always about collecting every single item or beating a boss with lives to spare. Sometimes it’s about sitting next to your sibling, frantically shouting at the television and laughing uncontrollably all for the sake of a banana
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gaming-age.com review
I absolutely adore Donkey Kong Country Returns. It's a throwback to games of yesteryear, but infused with new and exciting game play mechanics that create a similar, but all-new experience.
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nintendolife.com review
Donkey Kong Country Returns is almost the perfect continuation of the series in many ways. It manages to offer the perfect balance of old and new elements to form what has to be one of the Wii console's finest platforming experiences and a game that should challenge even seasoned fans of the genre. The main game itself is easily enough to make the package worth your time and money, but figuring in the massive amount of replay value the game offers up makes it an even more appealing package.
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digitalchumps.com review
Those who lamented Nintendo’s loss of Rare to the competition need only spend a few short hours with Donkey Kong Country Returns before realizing that a legitimate successor may indeed be upon us. This game is everything the original was and more; it borrows the basic components and rebuilds them into something even more spectacular and cohesive than its precursor.
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gameinformer.com review
I’ve been looking forward to this game for months, but the final product blew me away. Its gorgeous visuals, awesome boss battles, varied stages, and cleverly hidden secrets guarantee gamers will have a great time revisiting this classic franchise. It’s not only the best Donkey Kong Country, it’s also one of the best platformers I’ve ever played.
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nintendoworldreport.com review
Retro Studios has shown an uncanny ability to reinvent Nintendo franchises and adapt to a challenge. In this case, they've shown real talent in the arena of the 2D platformer. Donkey Kong Country Returns is hands-down one of the best Nintendo titles this year, and a real delight to fans of the Donkey Kong Country franchise.
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gamefocus.ca review
Donkey Kong Country Returns fills a certain monkey void on the Wii. Not that Barrel Blast and Jungle Beat were awful (OK…Barrel Blast was pretty forgettable) but in all honesty, they weren’t THE Donkey Kong games I was looking for. Being an ode to the original Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, Retro Studios’ managed to keep parts of the classic gameplay and give it a nice refresher.
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gamerevolution.com review
DKCR also has a ton of replay value for completists. Every level has the good old K-O-N-G letters and a varying number of puzzle pieces, which are either tucked away in tricky hiding spots or rewards for finding very familiar bonus areas. Add to that a time trial mode for each level, which gives you a medal based on your speed (and gold is incredibly tough, trust me). And once you beat all the bonus levels you unlock mirror mode, which makes the game even more difficult by taking Diddy away and cutting your health to one for each level. There are dozens of hours and hundreds of lives to be sunk into all the stuff to collect.
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gametrailers.com review
No Synopsis Available
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ign.com review
Donkey Kong Country Returns is not a cakewalk. It’s a hardcore challenge for the hardcore gamer, and because of its difficulty, it offers an amazing sense of satisfaction when you’ve completed a level that’s kicked your butt five ways to Sunday. Retro Studios may have dialed back its Metroid Prime-style innovation in favor of a more traditional platformer for its latest experience, but Retro’s modesty is still more impressive than another developer’s A game.
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joystiq.com review
Donkey Kong Country Returns proves that Retro Studios doesn’t just have a talent for first-person sci-fi adventures. This is a game that succeeds not because of incredible innovations, but simply because it was designed really well. Retro took a series I didn’t even want to care about, and made something great with it. This game easily makes up for the DK Rap.
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eurogamer.net review
So forget the formal multiplayer mode. You’re better off sticking with the tried and trusted formula my brother and I patented in 1994, where you swap the controller every time someone dies or finishes a level. We call this mechanism, brilliantly, lifeforalifelevelforalevel. We employed it when playing DKC Returns the other day and it was great fun, even though we now have a combined age of 60.
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wired.com review
Donkey Kong Country Returns is the best 2-D platform game I’ve played in ages. Its level design meets the gold standard set by the 2-D Mario games. Retro Studios can add another feather to its cap.
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game-boyz.co.uk review
If I have any issue, it is something which is a double edged sword so to speak. Donkey Kong Country Returns can be a very difficult game. Unlike Kirby’s Epic Yarn, which I recently reviewed, this game seems to be more geared for the hardcore and experienced gamers out there.
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computerandvideogames.com review
The game’s skilful courses and challenging, inventive boss battles are a breath of fresh air amongst Wii’s all-to-easy competition – and help DKCR remain a pleasingly faithful instalment in one of gaming’s greatest ever series.
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gamespot.com review
Donkey Kong’s newest adventure makes traditional platforming feel fresh again, thanks to clever level design and great artistic touches.
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gamesradar.com review
No Synopsis Available
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gamepro.com review
Were it not for the control issues and occasional screaming-rage-inducing level, DKC Returns would be the best 2D platformer on the Wii. While it’s still undeniably a fantastic title, it seems to me like Donkey Kong’s gaming outings might eternally play second banana to arch-nemesis Mario’s classic adventures.
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gamespy.com review
The particulars of Donkey Kong’s world are all stock transplants from previous DKCs, and I mean that in a good way. Cranky Kong is still cranky (even when he’s selling you stuff and taking your banana coins), every level hides bonus rooms and collectibles in just about every nook and cranny, and the Kongs exhibit all the usual rolling and pounding techniques that you know and love. As to that last on
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