![]() The motion controls, required for the frequently-used ground pound and roll moves, are easily the game's weakest element. For the first time I can remember, Donkey Kong really feels like an ape. Unlike in the first Donkey Kong Country, where it sometimes feel as if you hover over the scenery as you navigate the stages, in DKCR, Donkey Kong feels very much a part of what is around him, especially in sections where you climb on grassy surfaces and leap vertically from wall to wall. The analog stick provides ample precision for the slightly slippery Kong. Although NES-style seems like the obvious choice for a side-scrolling platformer, the Remote and Nunchuk controls work just as well and are in some cases actually preferable. The game offers two control options: NES-style or Wii Remote and Nunchuk. ![]() ![]() Although nothing in the soundscape particularly stands out, the music lends to the exceptional atmosphere the game presents to players. Likewise, the music feels largely reminiscent of the previous games in the franchise, with some new remixes of classic songs. Retro shows an uncanny ability to create a living, breathing world without creating too much distraction from the task at hand. A few stages really stand out, showing our heroes and villains as silhouetted figures against a cloud of smoke or a blazing sunset. Retro Studios has used a wide palette in making the art for the game, with a predictable but very well-executed art style. While some of the levels have gimmicks like mine carts or rocket ships, most of the levels rely on rock-solid platforming skills and a mix of patience and fast reflexes. Moving platforms fall into each other as the foreground and backgrounds come together, with Donkey and Diddy Kong moving among them with stunning fluidity. The game shares a similar jungle setting to the previous Donkey Kong Country titles, but the set pieces that Retro Studios has strung together are among the best seen in any 2D platformer to date. Other little tricks with motion control allows DK to roll quickly across the landscape or create a gust of wind to reveal even more secrets.As the third major 2D platformer published by Nintendo in two years, Donkey Kong Country Returns from Retro Studios is a wonderful rejuvenation of a 16-year-old franchise, capping off a larger span of time between its entries than the original Donkey Kong Country shares with its 1981 arcade progenitor.įrom the very beginning, DKCR stands out as an imaginative platformer, absolutely crammed to the brim with creative level design and classic Kong imagery. Moving the remote and nunchuk up and down rapidly, for example, makes Donkey Kong slap the ground, revealing hidden items or breaking apart rocks and land beneath him. The Wii also allows motion control elements. ![]() And of course what DKC game would be complete without the trusty mind cart levels, upgraded and given a burst of added speed. New additions include a Peanut Pop gun and a jetpack for Diddy, new hidden items to collect within each level (the classic K-O-N-G letters as well as new puzzle pieces), and upgrades for the Kongs that can be purchased within each sub-world. DK is once again the main playable character, while Diddy hitches a ride on his back through single player, and can be controlled by another gamer in multiplayer (replacing the old tag system). The return to the Donkey Kong series sees many familiar elements from the original saga combined with a host of new features and game play improvements. These unusual characters are turning the animals of the island into slaves for their own food gathering purposes, but unfortunately for them, they've also raided the banana horde of one Donkey Kong! Enraged by another act of greed, the King of Kong and his trusted pal Diddy are out to retrieve the banana's and set everything on the island back the way it should be. Not an American user? DescriptionDonkey Kong Island awakes to the sound of an unusual hum, the musical beat of a new source of evil calling themselves the Tikis. ![]()
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