Can Retro top Rare as king of the jungle? I think so!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressions/24357
After games like Kirby's Epic Yarn, it's refreshing to see a truly challenging 2D platformer. Donkey Kong Country Returns' stages get progressively harder, but each world offers its own unique challenges. The stage designs are clever and often devious; I often thought, "I can't believe they want me do that," but with a big smile on my face. Just making it through the levels is challenging; I imagine 100%'ing all of the levels will take quite an effort. It's hard enough to find some of the hidden items and survive the levels; doing both will be much harder. The one downside is that because of the difficulty, it doesn't work as well as a two-player game.
Much of the stage design is simply genius. But you really have to pay attention to what is going on. Sometimes, the levels force you forward, like a forest stage that features millions of spiders chasing the player. Other times, blindly jumping forward will get you killed; you have to watch for platform patterns. In almost all cases, the game keeps you moving. Platforms often self-destruct, but they may take out other platforms on the way, or open up new areas; and these changes can happen on more than one plane. The levels are very dynamic, and they really need to be experienced.
This time, Nintendo let us play using the sideways Remote control scheme, and I have to say that it changed the game for me. Instead of having to hold the triggers, I could now just hold the face buttons, making some of the complicated grabs much easier. I thought the shake controls were easier with just the Remote, though others preferred the Nunchuk combo for the same reason. Remote-only control is tight, though the stiff D-pad will kill your thumbs given the intensity of this game. The only complaint I really have about the game is the motion-based roll control -- that really should have been mapped to a button. I did eventually get used to it, but can't help but feel that control could have been more precise without it.
As for animal buddies, I only ever saw Rambi in stages, and sometimes he is quite well hidden. Squawks also makes an appearance -- you can buy him from Cranky's shop and use him in a level to scout out hidden items. Speaking of Cranky's shop, you can also buy heart boosts, power potions, extra lives, or keys that open up new paths. While the game readily eats lives, it's also pretty generous with banana coins, so keeping a large stock of lives isn't much of a problem.
Mine cart stages, a favorite of mine, are much more common than the original, with each track more spontaneous than the last, and a boss battle even takes place on one. And you're not limited to riding linear tracks -- there are a few levels that have the cart rolling around on circular surfaces, but in a really clever and smooth way. There are also rocket-based stages where you must tap lightly to boost up while avoiding enemies and environmental hazards. These stages were almost like a combination of Lunar Lander and Gradius. So, the lack of animal buddies isn't too big of a deal with all of the other modes of transportation available.
Each boss battle is punctuated with a cutscene. The Tikis have used their musical powers to possess the animals and bosses throughout Donkey Kong Country. Though still based on pattern recognition, the boss battles are much more inventive and harder than those found in the original games.
Super Princess Peach may have been the emotion-based platformer, but Donkey Kong Country Returns will evoke its emotions directly from the player. You'll feel happy from the platforming joy, sad when said platforms disintegrate under your feet, and anger when the boss narrowly beats you for the 50th time, while the Tiki spectators literally laugh at your failure. Retro Studios did an amazing job capturing the feeling of the original games, while adding meticulously-crafted immersiveness and ridiculous, yet humorous challenges. Donkey Kong Country Returns may be my new favorite Wii 2D platformer.
Click here to check out our exclusive footage from the first six worlds as well as the new trailer and B-roll!
Topic: Donkey Kong Country Returns Impressions (Read 28322 times)
