Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Masterpiece"

The Donkey Kong games from the 90′s have always remembered and praised by fans for years now. So when the news broke last E3 of a revival of the series from a second party Nintendo studio, fans were pleased and a bit skeptical. Rightfully so, as the original developer (Rare) was no longer a part of Nintendo. So Nintendo sought out to find another company, and they picked former Metroid developers Retro Studios. Retro Studios was determined to deliver an awesome Donkey Kong game to fans from past and present, and they certainly delivered.

The game controls in two ways, either using the Wii Remote and Nun-Chuck or using the Wii Remote by its self, NES style. Personally I used the NES style as I don't feel comfortable playing a 2D game with an analog stick. Since I have never used the analog control scheme, I'll be talking about the NES style set up. The game controls using the DPAD for movement and using the 1 button for running faster, 2 button for jump and general "shaking" of the Wii Remote to execute different actions. For example, holding forward and shaking the Wii Remote will make Donkey Kong roll, something that was heavily used in past titles. While this may frustrated many at first, the game is all about timing. That being said, if you time Donkey Kong's rolls right, this shouldn't be an issue. Still, there is no reason as to why there is no alternative controller input to the "shake" and let alone - why there is no support for the Class Controller. So as you can see, the game is relatively accessible but it's incredibly challenging and frustrating at times.

The game is set up much like the old games with worlds and about 7 levels per world, along with a temple level that is mostly like a challenge level. Among the KONG letters for collection per level, there are puzzle pieces hidden in secret areas available as well. Once completely all these tasks on each level, you're rewarded with an extra mode that will extend the game even further beyond collectibles – Donkey Kong Country Returns also features time trials for each level, furthering replayability even more. All in all, there is a ton of content in this game.

The visual style in Donkey Kong Country Returns is some of the best the Wii has seen. Not only is it technically impressive but the art direction is outstanding, though we can't really expect anything less from Retro. There are a ton of little details and easter eggs scattered throughout the game and various levels. There are certain levels that have unique artistic direction. For example, one of the levels includes silhouettes of Donkey Kong and Diddy as they traverse through a sunset level.

In terms of difficulty, the game can get increasingly challenging and frustrated, most especially towards the end. I found myself losing lives constantly in the last world - there are eight worlds in total. This is great for people who wanted a more challenging platformer than something like the Super Mario Galaxy titles. Though, if things get too challenging you can always invite a buddy for some local 2 player co-op play, a la New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The second player can actually roam free or can hang on Donkey Kong's back and assist the first player by shooting his peanut gun or allowing Donkey Kong to glide using his barrel jet pack.

Donkey Kong Country Returns manages to live up to the high expectations set forth by the previous SNES titles, but what's more is that it actually is able to outshine the work Rare did. With incredibly smart level design, amazing artistic direction and simple, accessible controls - the game is definitely one of the Wii's best. What's more is that it has a ton of content, lasting well over 25 hours. Personally, it took 25 hours or so to get all the puzzle pieces and KONG letters for each level and I have not even started the unlockable things from the post-game. If there are any faults with Donkey Kong Country Returns, they're pretty minor. Sure, the game could have offered up more customizable controls or controls that don't use shakes for rolling. The game could have also included a better soundtrack of original songs, instead of a lot of remixes. Though, none of that really matters - as the game manages to shine and show with the right mix of terrific level design, a vision and hard work, a company can produce something great and memorable for years to come.