Donkey Kong Country Returns HD: A Nostalgic Adventure with Surprising Flaws

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is the latest installment in a series of returns for DK, reintroducing the signature Wii-style gameplay for the Nintendo Switch as the console approaches its twilight. It’s an intriguing project as well, as Nintendo entrusted the development to Upward Mode Entertainment, who revamped everything to work within the Unity Engine.

The Returns of Kong is indeed a different experience, yet there is a bit of rationale here – the more engaging DKC Tropical Freeze is already available on Switch, allowing you to enjoy all of Retro Studios’ Kong adventures in a single collection.

This was their initial non-Metroid Prime title, launched back in 2010, and represented quite a shift considering the difference in genres. I personally enjoyed the game back then, but its controls felt somewhat lacking compared to the stellar NES classics, and the soundtrack seemed like a cheap imitation of the originals. Three years later, the game was adapted for Nintendo 3DS, resulting in a change from 60fps to 30fps gameplay, with the port managed by Excite Truck developer Monster Games.

For the latest port to Switch, I was a bit apprehensive about the game’s fate given Upward Mode’s track record, which includes some mediocre remakes of Panzer Dragoon and The House of the Dead. However, I shouldn’t have been concerned – this is arguably the best work to emerge from Upward Mode Entertainment to date.

The remastering process is tastefully executed, with the new textures often looking stunning, capturing the essence of the original. Furthermore, as a Unity game on Switch, the resolution and frame rates are surprisingly solid, especially when considering how poorly Upward Mode’s previous Switch titles performed, though there are some unexpected flaws as well.

Let’s start with the opening FMV. This has seen a significant enhancement and could have potentially been entirely rebuilt if the original assets were still accessible. This might appear to be a minor detail, yet the treatment of video assets often reveals a lot about the quality of a conversion. When minimal attention is given to FMV quality, it usually indicates that shortcuts have been taken, at least in my experience. Fortunately, that’s not the case here.

Initial impressions in-game are also striking, with the remaster closely aligned with the original visual style. The focal point here is on fresh textures, improved effects, and updated character models, with the foundational scene geometry largely unaltered. The new textures are remarkably sharper, holding up well at the higher resolutions – 1080p when docked and 720p in handheld mode – and the film quality is commendable. I particularly appreciate the new sky textures and am pleased they have enhanced the background scenery to avoid a low-resolution appearance. The renderings of rain and water are also significantly improved.

However, the closer you observe, the more you begin to notice some peculiarities. Visual effects that were absent in the original trailer have been applied and refined, yet some minor issues still persist – the dust clouds generated while striking the DK emblem are diminished, and the animation of the barrel breaking as DK emerges from it looks somewhat unrefined.

While you might not perceive such details during ordinary gameplay, you’ll certainly notice the absent sunset in stage three, the less luminous floating KONG letters, and simplified shadows at the introduction of the main boss fight. These minor tweaks are pervasive throughout, and although they are slight adjustments, it feels unusual to see a game released on a vastly more powerful system with fewer effects and details.

If these were the extent of the changes, I would likely be more inclined to overlook them, as the overall outcome remains quite commendable. However, there are two additional concerns. Firstly, loading times. They aren’t excessively lengthy, yet they are nearly double what they were on the Wii version running off a disc. Sure, asset sizes have increased, yet this still feels like a significant step back.

Secondly, let’s discuss the frame rate. It’s important to note that we have seen Unity games running at 1080p 60fps on Switch – including Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair with improved visuals – yet most Unity releases tend to experience performance issues or operate at lower resolutions, so 1080p 60fps is certainly something to celebrate. However, the Wii version of this game typically ran flawlessly, making the few moments of slowdown quite noticeable. The fact that this game performs worse than its more technically advanced sequel leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

That’s what makes this game so difficult to discuss. On the surface, Upward Mode has done a commendable job here compared to the remainder of their back catalogue, yet it still falls short of what Retro Studios accomplished with their Switch ports, and at this point, compromises should not be necessary.