Nintendo has officially revealed the download filesize of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD.
As listed in the Switch eShop web page, this 4th rerelease of the 2010 platformer will be 8.3 GB. As expected of a first party Nintendo game, it is also Game Voucher eligible and it is eligible for 300 Gold Points.
The Donkey Kong Country series started out as a trilogy of 2D platformers on the SNES, notable for using pre-rendered computer generated graphics to deliver a 2.5D aesthetic on the 16-bit console. While several other Donkey Kong games were made since, including a 3D platformer on the Nintendo 64 called Donkey Kong 64, it took 14 years before Donkey Kong Country returned as a 2D platformer with a 2.5D aesthetic.
Donkey Kong Country Returns has a bit of an odd history as Nintendo’s key titles come and go. In contrast to Splatoon’s success leading to Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 almost immediately, Donkey Kong Country Returns has received more rereleases than sequels. It got ported to the 3DS one year before its sequel, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze. It then received another port to the Nvidia Shield for China in 2019 before this version we’re getting today.
Donkey Kong Country Returns has received more ports than Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, though of course it will soon be joining the latter in the Nintendo Switch library. What’s especially odd about it is that it did sell over 6 million units on the original Wii, making it one of the best-selling games on the platform. Now, one could argue that the Donkey Kong Country franchise has fallen under the spectre of fans who would rather see its studio, Retro Studios, make more Metroid games, but that still doesn’t account for the weird situation where this game sells millions, but isn’t particularly popular or influential.
It was also reported that Forever Entertainment was working on this port for Nintendo. Nintendo may have made this call to keep Retro Studios focused on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. So, there isn’t a whole lot to this rerelease, but it is the game’s debut in HD, and it will include the additional levels that were originally released in the 3DS version.
We’re sure some fans will be happy to see this game go out so they can look forward to some new hardware announcements, but for those who missed out the first time, this is a fine addition to the Switch library to keep this title in easy circulation.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD will be releasing on the Switch on January 16, 2025.
