Donkey Kong Country Returns is one of my favorite Nintendo titles. I loved the original game when it came out on the Wii and loved it significantly more on the 3DS, where the motion controls were thankfully replaced by something more precise. That's why Donkey Kong Country Returns HD on the Switch is right up my alley. I knew it was a good game, and it still holds up. It's difficult to mess up Donkey Kong Country Returns, and the new version is a perfectly acceptable port. However, it doesn't go much beyond that, leaving it in the unenviable position of being a lackluster remaster of a fantastic game.

As you might imagine, Donkey Kong Country Returns plays an awful lot like the old Donkey Kong Country titles. You take control of the titular Kong as he platforms across a variety of environments, seeking out his precious stolen banana hordes. He can jump, roll, ground pound, and blow, and each move allows him to interact with the environments in different ways. In many ways, it's a very easy game to pick up, as most of Donkey's basic moves can be learned in moments. There's a surprising amount of depth to be had in learning exactly where each move shines. Knowing when to roll can be essential for gaining some extra height in your jumps.

Of course, you can't have Donkey without Diddy. Unlike the older games, Diddy Kong is more of a secondary feature than an alternate protagonist. In single-player mode, he'll function like a secondary life. As long as he's alive, you can use his jetpack to get extra boosts on jumps, but if you take damage, you'll lose him. You can take multiple hits in Returns, which gives you more leeway, but it means Diddy is an asset to be guarded. In multiplayer mode, a second player can take control of Diddy, but functions more like an assist character than a fully fledged player two. You can also find a helpful rhino pal to ride around, but that's more of a stage gimmick than an alternate character.

Donkey Kong Country Returns has about 80 stages, and most of them shine in some fashion. The game is quite good about making sure you're always doing something new. Whether it's the aforementioned rhino riding, boosting through stages in rocket barrels, zooming along in mine carts, swimming underwater, or fighting giant bosses, each stage stands out in its own unique way. They're also packed to the brim with secrets, ranging from collectable K-O-N-G letters that can unlock hidden stages to puzzle pieces that unlock artwork. There's even an unlockable harder mode, where you're more restricted in what you can use.

Perhaps the biggest thing that defines Donkey Kong Country Returns compared to a lot of other recent Nintendo platformers is that it is difficult. It frequently makes a lot of precision platforming demands and mechanical expectations that you wouldn't see in something like Mario Wonder. Donkey Kong Country Returns isn't afraid to kill you, and it will do so often. The slightest misstep can send poor Kong to his unfortunate demise. The minecart levels are nail-biters and sometimes toe the line between being fun and unfair; they regularly demand you pay close attention to the slightest hint of platforms or bananas to see where to go next. More often than not, it is very much on the side of hard but fair, and overcoming a particularly nasty area feels deeply satisfying. The remaster has a new Modern mode that eases up on the difficulty if you'd rather enjoy your ape action without a side of masochism.

The Modern mode is a good feature and gives the game a distinctive place in Nintendo's platformer pantheon. As much as I adore Kirby games, they're designed to be as low-difficulty as possible, and Mario is only a few steps ahead. Offering another variety of platformer geared toward those who are looking to push themselves means that everyone can find a Nintendo platformer that works for them. It helps that Returns is excellent overall, but I do think it's eclipsed by its sequel, Tropical Freeze.

Graphically, Donkey Kong Country Returns looks good, but it's a noticeable step backward from Tropical Freeze, even in the remaster. The incredibly strong art design goes a long way, with various stages having lots of extremely beautiful and creative touches. My favorite ones involve the Kongs being turned into silhouettes against a sunrise, a gorgeous-looking backdrop for a creative stage. The music is fantastic and contains remixes of classic Donkey Kong Country tunes, which are among some of the best video game soundtracks.

Donkey Kong Country Return's core problem is that it's unimpressive as a remaster. It's still an excellent game, but it's a straightforward port with very little that's new about it. It's difficult to not compare it to Xenoblade Chronicles. Both games began on the Wii, were ported to the 3DS, and eventually found a home on the Switch. Xenoblade is a significantly bigger game to begin with, though, and it received a much heavier makeover and a brand-new lengthy epilogue, while Donkey Kong Country Returns is basically the Wii version with some of the 3DS tweaks that have been slightly gussied up. Xenoblade tried to increase its visual fidelity to its sequel, Donkey Kong looks more like a shinier Wii game. Even compared to other ports, it feels like it's the minimum amount of effort.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD on the Switch is by far the best way to play the game; it avoids the awkwardness of the Wii's controls and doesn't have the visual compromises of the 3DS version. It makes it difficult to be impressed with it as a remaster, especially a full-priced one. There's a lot that could've been done to improve the visuals or add more features to the game, but as it stands, you're basically getting the same game as before. It's still an absolutely fantastic game and well worth playing. If you've already played Donkey Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze and are hankering for more, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is well worth picking up. If you haven't played its predecessor/sequel yet, it's better to start there.

Score: 8.0/10