Donkey Kong Country returns indeed.
You don't mess with an ape's bananas. You simply don't. Well, this is what's happened in the land of Donkey Kong Country. A mystical tiki and his magical instrument consort have begun to hypnotize the local fauna and steal the island's supply of bananas. Donkey Kong and his buddy Diddy Kong aren't the ones to let that stand, so they'll be chasing down that mystical tiki and its instruments along the way until they reclaim their bananas.
The first thing that must be mentioned is that the game boasts some phenomenal level design. There are eight worlds in total, each made up of a different number of stages, and each stage makes great use of its foreground and background to present some incredibly fun levels. All the staples of classic platforming games are here, from crumbling platforms to rising lava to hidden areas galore. Each level presents is own method of challenge, some being easier while others require burning through many lives before they're mastered, but all levels do a wonderful job of standing apart from each other. Stages where Donkey Kong rides mine carts down rails or flies atop a rocket powered barrel are also some of the most exhilarating moments of the game.
For the most part, Donkey Kong Country Returns handles well, when all you're doing is jumping. The problem lies in the forced waggle that requires you to shake the remote or nunchuck to pound the ground. You also have to keep shaking the controller to get Donkey Kong to roll across the ground, but if you're playing with the remote and nunchuck combo, you'll find maintaining his momentum almost impossible. Kong can also blow into objects to reveal bananas and coins, but that again requires another waggle of the controller, and it slows down the gameplay ever so slightly unlike that of a normal button press. The only other major complaint in the controls is that it's incredibly difficult to master springboarding off enemies, and you'll find a lot of missed jumps will occur as a result.
Controls aside, the game is quite a lot of fun to play. The gameplay will instantly remind you of past Donkey Kong Country games while still feeling fresh at the same time. The game is also full of hidden collectables and items that require some thought in order to get. If you manage to get the four K-O-N-G letters in each stage of a world, you'll unlock a gate for access to yet another stage. You also can simply buy the key for the gate at the shop with banana coins, of which there's a bountiful supply. Extra lives and heart containers are available at the shop as well.
Donkey Kong Country Returns is also an exceptional platformer thanks to a great display of character. Donkey Kong remains vigilant yet he can still crack a smile. The boss fights are designed to be intimidating while still being light-hearted. Unfortunately, Diddy Kong is relegated to sidekick status, helping Donkey Kong out by piggybacking, providing two extra health containers and a jet pack for a few moments of hovering. Rambi the Rhino returns to demolish everything in his path, and although it's great fun to ride an organic tank, he is the only mount the offered in the game. Just one or two more animals would have gone a great deal further to improve the game's already terrific character.
The game's visuals are well-done building a rich and complex environment. The layered backgrounds and foregrounds not only provide for excellent scenery, but they can also be interactive as well, changing the level design and becoming obstacles and hazards themselves. The animations are as smooth as silk, but there are a couple random collision detection issues that make you question if you really got hit. The only major thing holding the game's visuals back is the Wii's inherent inability to display in high-definition. If you're playing on an HDTV, you will lose a bit of quality in the game's otherwise excellent textures.
The audio is terrific as well. The sound effects are excellent, from the boings of Donkey Kong springboarding off enemies to the rumbles of stone structures that disintegrate underneath his footfalls. Other sound effects such as being fired from barrels and the vocal noises Kong utters himself are all classic Donkey Kong Country. The soundtrack is perfect, fitting the game's themes very well. The composing and instruments used provide the player with exciting and upbeat music to listen to as they continue their romp through the jungle.
Had it not been for some irksome control issues thanks to mandatory waggle, Donkey Kong Country Returns would have been a near-perfect side-scrolling platformer. Still, it's a triumphant return to the series ushering in a new generation of players who've never played a Donkey Kong Country game before. Whatever flaws that have marred the game's surface is easily eclipsed by the game's core gameplay, remarkable level design and accessibility. The Wii has proved itself time and time again to be the console of choice for platforming games, and Donkey Kong Country Returns is another title to further solidify that distinction.