Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Reviews
A great continuation of the SNES series with imaginative twists and bright colors but it does not add nor improve much over the Wii/3DS originals.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a great game to play. It always has been and always will be. What's more, you can enjoy it with a friend in local co-op, which adds to the fun. The problem is that this remaster feels too basic. Nintendo has got a little lazy compared to the remasters at the start of the Switch generation, which brought a wagonload of new content.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
A typical Nintendo remaster. It's hard to talk about new quality, there is a lack of great novelties here, but the gameplay is good enough to charm new players, and for IP fans it will provide an enjoyable gameplay for several hours.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD offers an experience worthy of old-school platform games: both frustrating and exciting at the same time. A timeless jewel that comes to Switch for you to enjoy with your family, now in HD
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a really good ptlatformer that deserves to be rediscovered or discovered for the first time. The art direction may not be top of the line, but it works well, and the level design is even over the top. The pacing of the game is also excellent, providing longevity to a relatively compact experience without letting it slip into banality or repetitiveness.
Review in Italian | Read full review
As a Wii veteran, I can't help but feel a little let down but that isn't entirely Donkey Kong Country Returns HD's fault and it doesn't change how special it was when I played it originally in 2010 so if you play it as a newbie, I'm sure you'll have a great time.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD brings a remarkable platformer to a new audience. This remake does little outside of a visual uplift and modern additions, but if this is your first time experiencing it, there is no denying that this is a thrilling, refreshing platforming adventure in its finest form yet.
I liked Donkey Kong Country Returns HD very much. It was challenging, technically and gameplay-wise magnificent, and convinces especially through its level design.
Review in German | Read full review
Donkey Kong Country Returns is a magnificent 2D Jump & Run for all player types except newcomers to the genre. The thoughtful level design and thoroughly improved game mechanics compared to the SNES games make the game an excellent choice. In the end, however, you can't go wrong with any of the versions.
Review in German | Read full review
Am I too used to modern games? While I was playing Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, I truly felt like the game didn’t do anything wrong and was actually caught off-guard by some challenging sections that required platforming and timing, but I also felt myself losing focus often. If I’m playing a big gorilla, how come I can’t just slap the tikis away? Why are my rolls so short? I just felt like I needed to be able to do more. As someone that doesn’t have a lot of nostalgia for the Donkey Kong games, I feel like I may be able to ignore minor issues if I had great past experiences to look back on, but as it is, I’d say Donkey Kong Country Returns HD feels like a great entry game for people that are not used to platformers or games as a whole. It’s fun, potentially challenging, and undoubtedly good, but it’s nothing special.
Starting this Thursday, the Wii/3DS classic will finally make its debut on Nintendo’s latest system. This means that all Donkey Kong Country titles are now available on Nintendo Switch. Donkey Kong Country: Returns HD holds its own against its successor—Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Review in German | Read full review
An excellent platformer that balances challenge, visual beauty, and fun, with only a few minor flaws related to difficulty for beginners and a lack of innovation compared to the original.
Review in Italian | Read full review
"Beneath the Planet of the Apes of video games."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
There are no major additions beyond its visual update, maintaining Retro Studios' punishing difficulty level. It's still a challenging platformer that deserves to be completed to the fullest, but loading times and price may be deciding factors for potential buyers.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you’re looking for a fresh, ripe banana, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD might not hit the mark. But if you missed the original or want to revisit Donkey Kong’s lush, treacherous jungle in high definition, this is a worthwhile adventure. It might feel like filler as we wait for the Nintendo Switch 2, but it's undoubtedly good filler.
If you missed Returns the first time around, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is the best version yet. The controls are intact, the performance is mostly smooth, and all previous content is included. It doesn't rewrite the past, but it does preserve it respectfully. It's just a shame that some of the original game's rough edges weren't smoothed out in the process.
Despite injections of nostalgia, the game falls a bit flat in its controls and movement physics; it doesn’t feel good to control DK. Finally, this being a full-priced release is absolutely bananas. Here’s to hoping the big guy can make a better return on the Switch 2.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD isn't a bad game. The diverse and wonderful level design, David Wise's soundtrack, and the variety of secrets make up a lot of it. But it's also "just" the HD release of the 3DS version, with better graphics and otherwise no changes. And that's honestly not enough to warrant the full price.
Review in German | Read full review
I was surprised how easily I rolled and jumped through jungles alongside DK and his buddies. Offering amazing platforming controls, tight level design that invites exploration, impressive usage of the foreground and background, and solid presentation that holds up generations later, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fantastic 2D platforming romp for everyone. While it doesn’t surpass the master class work Retro Studios created with its sequel, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, it’s still an adventure worth returning to.
Donkey Kong Country is a classic that earned its place in gaming history, but the magic has clearly faded with its third encore. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is just more of the 2010 Wii game but with better visuals, swankier music, and not nearly enough quality-of-life changes to justify its AAA premium price tag. Throw in clunky co-op mechanics and a useless shop system into the mix, and you've got something that could've been worthwhile ten years ago, but isn't worth $60 now.