When people make comments about the Wii having an endless supply of casual mini-game collections and nothing for long-time Nintendo fans, it boggles my mind. Do these people enjoy walking around with their eyes shut and their fingers lodged firmly into their ears?
 
Nintendo's Wii successfully carried the torch for just about every one of the company’s mainstream franchises, and revived many beloved series we thought we'd never see in a true console game again.

Donkey Kong Country is one of these series. Thanks to Rare, Donkey and Diddy Kong had a truly memorable run on the SNES in the DKC trilogy of games that arguably rivals even Mario's platforming adventures. The series continued to push boundaries on the next console with Donkey Kong 64, a game so big, the console needed a memory expansion to run it. However, Rare was sold to Microsoft near the start of the GameCube's life and, production on all future Donkey Kong games was canned. The big ape's career shifted into a series of quirky handheld puzzle adventures and rhythm games (sadly, the innovative, bongo-powered Jungle Beat flew under the radar). We began to wonder if we'd ever see DK in a big-name console quest again.

Thankfully, Retro Studios, the developer who stunningly reinvigorated Metroid on the GameCube, was given the helm. After an 11-year absence, it was time for Donkey Kong Country to return. And return it did!

DKCR pays tremendous homage to the game’s that preceded it, but also updates and expands upon that traditional formula. As the game begins, all is not well on DK Isle. The large volcano in the center of the island awakens, and out from the fiery depths of the earth erupts an ancient evil: the Tiki Tak Tribe. The beings of wooden wrath quickly search for a source of nourishment with which to spawn more of their kind, and make a beeline for Donkey Kong's gigantic hoard of bananas.

While not much of a plot, it's nice to have the game’s premise fleshed out a little. Back in the original games, King K. Rool stole DK's bananas just to be a jerk; these guys actually need them to survive. Ultimately,, though, they mess with the wrong monkey, and DK sets out to tackle the Tikis and reclaim his bananas.

Everything that made the series’ SNES games great comes back in spades. There's plenty of platforming goodness, with all the enemy-bashing, vine-swinging, barrel-hurling action you’d desire from a Donkey Kong game. Rare took the greatest of care to make this game feel like a nostalgic progression from the roots of the series, from the sound effect bananas make when collected, to the harrowing mine cart rides (of which there are plenty of this time around). There are still death-defying barrel cannon mazes that fire you over bottomless chasms, plenty of dusty old ruins and temples full of deadly traps and crumbling passageways to explore, and much more. Gone are the underwater swimming levels, though the slower pace of these undersea explorations wasn't all that exciting the first time around, and put a jarring halt to the island adventuring.

Even the soundtrack is a faithful recreation of the original Donkey Kong Country jams we used to hum along to, with plenty of updated remixes of favourite themes and some exciting new tracks that suit the style well.

Rather than the tag-team Kong-swapping of the original game, DKCR incorporates Donkey and Diddy into a single entity. When you smash a DK barrel, Diddy hops onto Donkey Kong's back, providing a few extra hits of health and the use of Diddy's jetpack barrel to hover in the air and make things a little easier. Once you take two hits, Diddy jumps off and flees the stage until you can find another DK barrel. A two-player co-op mode allows a second player to take control of Diddy Kong separately, as well.

One aspect to the game I found particularly interesting is the island’s destructability. DK literally rampages through each levelss with a calamitous malice, smashing open walls and floors, knocking down gigantic totem poles and structures, collapsing caverns, and at times even reshaping the landscape with his quake-like recklessness. Many of the more memorable levels in the game use this as a core mechanic, with DK scrambling across ledges and cliff faces as everything crashes down around him.
If we're toassume the Tiki Taks were the original inhabitants of the island, it's no wonder they're so miffed at Donkey Kong for laying waste to their sacred temples and grounds.

Levels in DKCR teem with action in the backgrounds and foregrounds. All manner of wildlife awakens and reacts to your presence, such as the giant octopus that stalks you throughout the second world before attacking directly, or the large family of bats you accidentally awaken by igniting a nearby rocket ride. One level requires you smash your way through a nest of baby spiders, and the remainder of the stage has you frantically escaping from a literal tidal wave of angry, writhing arachnids. Another sees you crossing a long beach during a violent storm, with tidal waves crashing forth from the background as you scramble between rocky outcrops that shelter you from the deadly torrents. The game’s mine cart and rocket barrel levels are a test of precision and determination, as hazards and enemies come at you from all sides while you cling desperately to your terrifyingly ramshackle vehicle.

The design of the game deserves a special note. The DKC trilogy was already a kooky, cartoony experience, but this game takes what worked back then and turns it to 11. Donkey Kong and his (slightly downsized) group of friends and family are superbly modeled and animated, with tons of expression in every movement they make.
I'm a fan of the Kremlings, and while I was initially saddened by their absence in DKCR, the Tiki Taks are a fitting replacement. These little mask creatures are hilarious, and come in many ingenious and creative variations, their crazy, musical instrument-themed tribe leaders in particular.
The game’s scenery is lush and vibrant, with no repeating chunks of background art—everything is entirely unique. Whole forests made up of individual plants and trees with little Tiki totems hidden in the shrubbery. Each temple, every mineshaft, even the beaches and rocky ocean cliffs, has its own distinctive formations and designs that set them apart. The attention to detail is incredible.

True to the style of the series, DKCR is absolutely jam-packed with secrets in every level; true to Retro's penchant for unlockable bonuses, there's also a plethora of concept artwork, character models, and music galleries to uncover as you progress. Simply completing the game is no easy task even for DK veterans, but obtaining the elusive 200 percent completion stat requires a keen eye and a lot of skill (and lives!) There's plenty for the hardcore completionists to work a here, and for those crazy types who still want more challenge, there's the legendary gold time trial medals for every level, which require intense concentration and split-second precision to grab.

The intense difficulty may actually turn some people away from Donkey Kong Country Returns, but fortunately the Super Guide is there to take control if things get out of hand. For everyone else, there's a prime example of solid Nintendo gaming on show, demonstrating why the DK franchise, the Wii, and Nintendo in general are top banana for so many people.