Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Kong Country Returns HD is a modern remaster of the Nintendo Wii sequel to an SNES classic. Read our review of its early-access build to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Review Overview

What is Donkey Kong Country Returns HD?

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (DKCR HD) is an action platformer released for the Nintendo Switch, serving as a modern HD remaster of 2010’s Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Nintendo Wii. A continuation of the iconic Donkey Kong Country series from the SNES era, this remaster updates the beloved title with enhanced visuals, remastered music, and various quality-of-life improvements like new game modes.

Following Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong on yet another adventure to save their banana hoard, DKCR HD pits the dynamic duo against the Tiki Tak Tribe, who've also enslaved the islands animals with their hypnotic music. Jumping, climbing, and barrel-blasting through various platforming stages is the least of DK and Diddy's challenges in Donkey Kong Country Returns HD!

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD features:
　⚫︎　80 unique platforming levels
　⚫︎　9 unique worlds across DK’s island
　⚫︎　Unlockable art, cutscenes, and music in the game’s gallery
　⚫︎　Additional levels from DKCR’s 3DS release
　⚫︎　Two-player local co-op
　　
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Donkey Kong Country Returns HD 's gameplay and story.

Digital Storefronts
Switch
Price		$59.99

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
As Fun and Iconic as It Was the First Time Easy Mode Was Actually Helpful	Can’t Say Much for It’s Story, But That’s Mostly Alright Shop System Feels Vestigial Two-player Local Co-op Isn’t Well Executed

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Overall Score - 60/100

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.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Story - 5/10

Nintendo seems to be past its prime in crafting original, compelling narratives—though, to be fair, storytelling has never been the strong suit of platformers, barring a few exceptions. As a remaster of a sequel, this game was never aiming for narrative brilliance, and that's fine.

Ignore the cookie-cutter story, and it’s harmless enough. Spend too much time dissecting it, and you’ll find there’s not much to bother with anyway. It’s simple, inoffensive, and easy to overlook—just like the plot expects you to.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Gameplay - 7/10

It’s hard to stay mad at Nintendo when it comes to platforming—they’re masters at crafting fun, challenging, and engaging stages, and this game boasts an impressive 80 of them. However, the cracks start to show with features like a mostly useless shop system and a lackluster local co-op mode. Even the addition of Modern Mode doesn’t do enough to elevate the experience, not for a remaster, at least.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Visuals - 8/10

Nintendo’s knack for building and maintaining a strong brand identity is undeniable, and it shines through in this game. The unmistakable polish of their refined visual style is on full display, complete with smoother 3D animations—at least, as smooth as the Switch hardware allows. While it doesn’t break new ground, this tried-and-true aesthetic remains as charming and beloved as ever, delivering exactly what fans expect from the iconic Nintendo brand.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Audio - 8/10

Few gaming companies boast a musical identity as iconic, enduring, and downright meme-worthy as Nintendo’s, and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD continues that legacy with a modern twist. In this rare instance of Nintendo’s “don’t fix what isn’t broken” approach actually working, the remastered audio seems worth the attention. While it loses a couple of points for originality, you can’t go wrong with DK’s signature jungle beats.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Value for Money - 2/10

This remaster feels like an unapologetic cash grab, barely pretending to be a proper new product. Charging a AAA price for something recycled and re-released countless times since 2010 is impossible to justify, as the game’s barely-worth-it additions show.

It’s a game best suited for collectors, hardcore nostalgics, or absolute newcomers—but even they should think twice before dropping $60 on yet another version of a game that’s already out there.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Review: Recycled Monkey Business

Nintendo’s recent streak of HD remasters for decade-old titles is becoming more of a trend—and not in a good way. Having reviewed several of them in 2024 alone, it’s hard not to wonder if their creative well has run dry or if they’re simply stalling for time while their next big IP is carefully developed. That lingering hope for fresh ideas keeps me cautiously optimistic for Nintendo’s future, but I can’t say I was thrilled when Donkey Kong Country Returns HD was announced.

As much as I wanted to give the game a fair shake, it’s hard to view an HD remaster of a 15-year-old sequel to a 30-year-old game as anything but a blatant cash grab. Still, good criticism requires firsthand experience, so I went in ready to give it a proper evaluation.

After playing it, I can confidently confirm my initial suspicions: yes, it’s a cash grab. However, I may have underestimated the quality of the recycled material Nintendo used to assemble this package.

Nintendo Impresses with Its Platforming Yet Again (Even if it’s Recycled)

Let’s go through the game as an experience before we discuss it as a product. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, much like the original Donkey Kong Country Returns and 1994’s SNES classic, Donkey Kong Country, is a sidescrolling action platformer with puzzle elements. Not exactly anything surprising from Nintendo, but new ideas aren’t exactly what they’re up to right now.

The main gameplay loop is simple and familiar to anyone who’s ever played a Mario game—or any platformer, for that matter. Players navigate 80 platforming levels spread across 9 different worlds on DK’s island, ranging from simple jungle areas to the looming volcano you first see in the opening cutscene. As DK, players have a completely different moveset from Mario, allowing them to ground pound, roll, wall and ceiling climb, hover (while with Diddy Kong), and even ride a rhino.

Each level is populated with various pick-ups and collectibles, including bananas, coins, puzzle pieces, and even KONG letters—more on each of those later. Every level also has secret hidden areas, which can award anything from a few extra bananas to an entire secret level where players can earn more bananas, coins, and puzzle pieces if completed within a set time.

A boss fight bookends the end of each world, offering a break of pace and a test of skill to anyone who’s made it that far. Right off the bat, these are all platforming bosses, so don’t expect to be too challenged by them. As is often the case for this breed of video game boss, they’re predictable, repetitive, and can all be beaten by bouncing on them in some way, but they do prevent the game from going stale very quickly.

When it comes to gameplay mechanics and quality, there was never any doubt that Nintendo would deliver. The experience is undeniably fun, with a level of challenge (outside the relatively tame boss fights) that keeps players engaged. In a way, it’s refreshing to dive into a platformer that isn’t Mario for the fourteenth time in a row.

That said, the game isn’t without its flaws. Much of what makes it enjoyable stems directly from what the original already offered. The new additions, while appreciated in theory, are a mixed bag—some enhance the experience, while others feel unnecessary or poorly implemented. It’s a case of Nintendo sticking to a proven formula but struggling to meaningfully evolve it. Case in point, the game’s meaningless and unengaging story.

Can’t Say Much for It’s Story, But That’s Mostly Alright

Platformers don’t necessarily need a story to shine, but having one can often enhance the experience. Unfortunately, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD falls into the category of “it’s there, but it doesn’t really matter.” The story here is identical to that of the Wii version, and my criticism remains the same for both: there’s just not much to talk about.

So, what grand event sets DK off on his latest island-spanning adventure? Someone stole his bananas… again. Sure, the plot also involves enslaved animals, but the game doesn’t do much to make you care. Instead, these animals are just obstacles—either enemies to defeat or bosses to conquer.

At best, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD offers a setting, but even that feels tenuously tied to DK himself. Strip away the banana-stealing motif, and you could easily replace him with any other character without altering much—apart from a few minor interactions. The narrative is so cookie-cutter that it’s practically interchangeable, and while that’s not a dealbreaker for a platformer, it’s still a missed opportunity.

Games like Celeste, Hollow Knight, and Braid prove that even in a genre centered around jumping and timing, there’s room for a meaningful, engaging story, and Nintendo simply refuses to partake.

As Fun and Iconic as It Was the First Time

Switching gears to the game’s stronger points, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is just as fun and iconic as it was the first time around. Stylistically, it recaptures the magic of the 1994 classic while adding a modern polish and significantly improved animations. If style were the only criterion for judgment, this game would pass with flying colors—yellow, of course, for bananas.

What really stands out is how fluid everything feels. The 3D graphics blend seamlessly with features like the HD screenshake option, which adds a satisfying weight to every jump, crash, and topple. It’s a visual treat, but it’s also a surprisingly tactile experience, making you feel the action as much as you see it. For that, Nintendo deserves plenty of credit.

Easy Mode was Actually Helpful

Nintendo earns some extra points for introducing an easy mode, dubbed “Modern Mode,” which provides DK with more hearts and generally smoother sailing through the game’s challenges. Having played Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii back in the day, I remember it being far less forgiving than the average Nintendo title. This addition doesn’t just make the game more enjoyable for clumsier platformers like myself but also lowers the barrier for entry for anyone curious about DK’s adventures.

Sure, it’s a skill issue on my end, but I’ll never complain about a game being more accessible—especially when its primary audience includes kids, teens, and the occasional die-hard adult reliving their banana-hoarding glory days.

Shop System Feels Vestigial

Here’s where the praises end, and unfortunately, it’s all downhill from here. One aspect of the original that remains virtually unchanged is its Shop System, the supposed payoff for all the banana coins you’ve been diligently collecting. In the shop, you can purchase power-ups, extra lives, and progression items like keys. Sounds useful on paper, but in practice, it’s anything but.

For the most part, the shop feels vestigial—an unnecessary add-on that exists merely to provide a way to unlock new levels or buy lives. These features don’t really need a dedicated shop and could have been implemented more naturally within the game’s levels. Personally, I prefer power-ups to be found within the levels themselves, as this encourages risk-taking and rewards you in the moment while actively progressing your playthrough.

While it’s unfair to lay the blame entirely on the remaster—the shop system was, after all, a feature of the original—this was a golden opportunity to reimagine or improve it. Instead, the developers left it untouched, and in this case, a missed opportunity feels almost as egregious as a deliberate design flaw.

Two-player Local Co-op Wasn’t Well Executed

Donkey Kong Country HD’s two-player local multiplayer—a feature heavily marketed to justify its Switch release—falls disappointingly flat for two key reasons.

First, the controls are lackluster. The Switch’s Joy-Con controllers, especially when split into two for multiplayer, feel too small and awkward for a fast-paced platformer. This has been a longstanding gripe with Joy-Con design, and it’s no surprise that it hampers the experience here. Even with two different control schemes to choose from, neither feels intuitive or comfortable enough to make multiplayer enjoyable.

Second, the multiplayer itself feels underwhelming. Playing as Diddy Kong alongside a friend controlling Donkey Kong quickly reveals an imbalance in gameplay satisfaction. DK handles the bulk of the platforming action and core mechanics, leaving Diddy to feel like an afterthought rather than an equal partner. For a game intended to deliver a fun co-op experience, this lopsided dynamic misses the mark entirely.

This Remaster’s a Bit Hard to Justify

It’s hard to find a compelling reason to justify the existence of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD. Unlike Super Mario RPG, which leans closer to a full remake, or Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, which boasts a wealth of content, story, and mechanical depth, this remaster feels like it’s simply coasting on nostalgia—yet it’s priced the same as these far more robust offerings.

Calling it out doesn’t feel harsh because it exemplifies an unfortunate trend: Nintendo recycling decade-old successes for a quick profit. This remaster neither innovates nor impresses, and it raises concerns about the direction of their future releases. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a disappointing reminder that banking on past glories without meaningful updates is a gamble that rarely pays off. Such is the nature of this monkey business.

Is Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Worth It?

No. I’d Rather Buy $ 60 worth of Bananas.

Nintendo’s recent string of remasters has finally hit a low point with one I just can’t justify—and believe me, I tried. Charging $60 for a game that already exists, especially in an industry brimming with better games at a fraction of the cost, is indefensible.

Sure, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD offers a fair amount of content and a polished visual style, but a $60 game needs more than that. It should deliver variety, innovation, and a charm that stands on its own rather than leaning entirely on nostalgia. Even considering the game’s new features to mark up its value, I couldn’t see myself buying it for anything more than $30, and that’s already a stretch.

Unless you’re a die-hard nostalgic, a DK superfan, or someone with $60 burning a hole in your pocket and no better way to spend it, this is one to skip. Save your money—maybe even treat yourself to some real-life bananas instead.

Digital Storefronts
Switch
Price		$59.99

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD FAQ

How Do I Enable Modern or Classic Game Modes in Donkey Kong Country Returns HD?

Both Modern and Classic game modes can be enabled whenever you start a new game. Players are unable to switch game modes unless they delete a profile and restart a new game.

How Do I Unlock New Art, Cutscenes, and Music in Donkey Kong Country Returns HD?

Extra content like art, cutscenes, and music can be unlocked by collecting enough puzzle pieces, progressing the game’s story, and deafeating bosses, respectively.

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Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Product Information

Title	DONKEY KONG COUNTRY RETURNS HD
Release Date	January 16, 2025
Developer	Nintendo
Publisher	Nintendo
Supported Platforms	Nintendo Switch
Genre	Action, Adventure, Platforming, Puzzle
Number of Players	1-2 (Local Co-op Multiplayer)
Rating	ESRB Everyone
Official Website	Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Official Website

Aaron Bruce Albert..

A massive fan of roguelikes, turn-based RPGs, and open world adventure games. His gold standard games include The Binding of Isaac, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and Dragon Quest Monsters Joker.