Introduction:
Sixteen years ago, Rare was originally one of the masterpieces of the Super Nintendo’s Donkey Kong Country series. They had formed great games from the 80’s but with this title achieved its peak of fame, to get to clutch the Super Nintendo hardware to the absolute limits, using pre-rendered graphics with a master as never been done earlier, would repeat with Master Killer Instinct results released that same year on gaming consoles, with a conversion to Nintendo’s console next year. After successively been the hero of a 3D game, racer or conga player, the monkey’s mainly well-known video game returns to its first love: the pure and simple platform, scrolling 2D.
In 1995 and 1996 reached its two sequels, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!, Completing a brilliant trilogy that has been in the minds of the players of that time, but if we recover Today we realize its expertise and enduring fun. Rare recovered in 1999 to bring the character into 3D, but without achieving the success of the three 16-bit titles, and after its sale to Microsoft in 2002 all we had to lay back and enjoy a Donkey Kong developed by British, but by staying in character licensed Nintendo knew that sooner or later, we once again enjoy the charismatic primate.
3D models and character modeling in computer graphics at the time had outperformed the generation of machines in place. He had to wait 16 long years for this architecture is taken without permission, without superfluous mechanism. But DKC Returns is not a remake because it proposes an original adventure and a bunch of small innovations. He, however, to escape the comparison with Donkey Kong Country which is largely based. However, Retro Studio, which was responsible for development, has not hesitated to draw some ideas elsewhere, notably from New Super Mario Bros.. Wii.
The mixture is explosive, without difficulty validating the comeback of the gorilla, chimpanzee with his friend, is the hero of one of the best games on the Wii platform. No wonder you say, should we still have shoulders wide enough and clear enough ideas to make this a worthy successor Returns to a game as legendary as Donkey Kong Country! Now in charge of bringing back to Donkey Kong, while respecting the structure and gameplay of Super Nintendo titles, and demonstrating their good work with their previous titles, Retro Studios getting it again and does not disappoint in the least, ranking one of the best current developers, which will be followed closely in the coming years.
Gameplay:
The story is anecdotal, as we rejoice and celebrate, because it does not follow the fashion of having to always include an intricate and complex history in a title that does not need it, and after a brief introduction we will be at the controls, and little again we are interrupted in their development, only the sequences sympathetic presentation of the end of the world leaders that even grateful. We will have to go with Donkey Kong, accompanied by Diddy, an island divided into eight different worlds (and their bosses) consisting of several phases, which in total account for more than 60, a good number and a very successful term.
Whether with the Wiimote and Nunchuk or the Wii Remote alone, controls respond very well and found the gameplay dynamics of the time, demanding in terms of timing. Because once again, often collapses faster Donkey in the air, either through guns, lianas or flying barrel rocket, new means of locomotion. In fact, management has obviously breaks major importance, jumps we found far less assistance than in the past. However, some passages can quickly turn into hardcore galley if you have this reflex old player who is to constantly evolve with the speed button pressed. In this case, the accuracy is not always what you and bewares of dead silly!
In this connection, plan to start many times levels or portions of levels (as checkpoints, very well placed for that matter) since the increase in the last pictures of each of the eight worlds is through failure. Do not panic just yet! It knows no other game, all genres and all media, where it is easier to win a life! Whether collecting 100 bananas, winning the famous red balloons or using your parts-bananas as a bargaining chip in Cranky’s cabin, there are many ways to boost your stock of lives. For example, we had 99 (the maximum) dice 3 in the world yet having failed many times. And nothing to spoil, if you die too often in the same place, we suggest you follow the advice of Super Kong to unlock you!
We can choose between two options of control, first play only with the Wiimote, and another combining this with the Nunchuk. In the first we take the lead in a horizontal position with the spreader to move and buttons 1 and 2 run, we hold and jumping and shaking the controller can shoot, striking the ground or blow, a new action that serves to reveal secrets and weaken certain enemies. If we choose to play with more Nunchuk control option, with this we will move and the A and B button of the Wiimote will make the remaining shares, having to shake the two knobs to make the moves that we mentioned before. Neither of the two types of control can be said to be superior to the other, and their choice depends on how we like better control the character, if with an analog stick or the crosshead taking command of a more classic, but this is way back to have feelings like we were playing the titles of 16 bits, and we are most convincing.
The architecture levels closely resembles DKC first name. If the tables have gained in length, they are still riddled with secret passages as giving access to caves filled with bananas. These passages make use of your facility to retrieve each result and where appropriate, a puzzle piece. These, once reconstituted, can unlock pictures and dioramas in the bonus menu A menu of the game which also houses music for those who manage to collect four letters of the word KONG, a quest well known to fans series. All this means that if the adventure is not very long, finishing the game 100% with every puzzle, every word and every room KONG-bananas requires hours and hours of practice.
But to help you, you can count on a parrot whose services are for sale in Cranky’s cabin. It will give you guidance on locations sometimes tortured pieces of the puzzle. The spirit is kept DKC since it is often a wolf jump we discover a cave or a piece of the puzzle. Obviously, each world has a boss, of varying difficulty, but generally it is an animal that guzzler pullover in bananas that were stolen from the reserve of Donkey and Diddy. What put the two monkeys pissed off! Not to mention staging, we appreciate the little pre-battle cutscenes where there are masks that voodoo that control the minds of all wild animals except … monkeys!
The levels are varied and they always manage to surprise, and although at first may seem quite continuous with respect to the trilogy developed by Rare, as we go on an adventure that will show their cards and new playable, very subtle and are in tune with the tone of the franchise, but they are there. Repeated phases of cars, riding on the back of the rhinoceros Rambi and shoots between barrels, this time with a special in which we will go flying through the air like a jet plane, is involved in some very funny moments and frantic. Bonus stages are also very well hidden, we used to get bananas and a piece of the puzzle, and the truth is that these could be more varied and original, and constantly repeating the same four types of them out there, it’s over are not very different. Before we proceed to the next world we will face a boss, and they let us down a bit. Clashes are sometimes complicated and always fun, but with a very simple mechanical and repetitive, lacking in originality, and we believe that Retro Studios could have given more of himself in this aspect, it would ask others not, but we know that they can do better.
In arguably one of the most colorful Wii titles, and less out of tune on a TV in high resolution, revealing colorful graphics and well defined. In addition, everything moves with a huge flow, which is necessary in its sometimes frantic gameplay. At times it is very spectacular, making great use of different planes of the scenario, and taking a class at certain stages, like a precious have no doubt seen a sunset in which we only see the shadow of our character and his red tie very early and that makes us rub his hands over her style and beauty, but ultimately it is a blip and we must overcome some worlds to return to see something similar. Besides the famous barrel-rocket, we discovered some peculiarities in this Returns. We think including walls clad with turf that allow Donkey cling and grow along it until it is covered by the grass, whatever the shape of the wall (flat, circular …). Another element of original gameplay is the superposition of multiple planes in depth.
Indeed, some guns ship our hero to the bottom of the screen or in a hidden area or on a platform, a visual effect often used in nature and would not distort the principle of no game! Quite the contrary! The nostalgic will not feel lost with, for example, the presence of levels of mining trucks (among the most complicated of the game). Conclude with a word about the cooperative mode, the main feature of this game but which is quite disappointing. So we expected a real coop mode with extensive interaction between the two monkeys, it is ultimately only repeat the two levels. The difference is that the player who embodies Diddy, for once down the back of Donkey on which it is still solo, can throwing peanuts with his pistol magic to get rid of enemies he cannot knock.
Conclusion:
Returns Donkey Kong Country is one of the best games of the 2010 platforms. If it proves that we can develop some very beautiful games on the Wii, Donkey Kong Country Returns only confirms the talent of Nintendo in the area of the platform. With stunning accuracy, the level design and difficulty ecstatic jubilation, competition can only see the gap that separates it from such a title. The level design is much higher than the first DKC, what should be taken into account as much for looks as for the grip.
A fun, addictive, nice, long difficult and replay, which respects the work done by Rare, but it brings new features, and gameplay is solid as a rock. Retro Studio is able to pay tribute to the original episode while imagining a whole new adventure and grafting mechanisms that bring a lot of fluidity to the action. The work on the physics of Donkey allows the monkey to another dimension in this album. Beautiful, sometimes hardcore but ultimately rather balanced, funny, one or two significant, DKC Returns is a small happiness to which side you’re not allowed to pass!
