Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Is Pure Nostalgia

Nintendo just can't miss with these HD remakes

Nintendo is known for many things. Fun Family games, an enduring legacy of characters, and holding an iron fist over their intellectual property. However, this enduring legacy has come at a cost to their dedicated fans. Many people have played Nintendo games since they were small children. As a result, characters like Mario and Donkey Kong have become synonymous with childhood.

Unfortunately, as time continues to pass, playing these cherished games can become difficult. While the games themselves may be timeless, the graphics don’t always hold up to our modern standards. That’s assuming that you can even find a copy of the original game or a system to play it on. Luckily, Nintendo has finally taken notice of this and has been slowly releasing HD remakes of some of these classic titles for the Nintendo Switch.

The newest in this long line of entries is Donkey Kong Country Returns HD. For those who may be too young to remember, Donkey Kong Country operates as a side scroller. The main objective is to clear the map while avoiding hurdles and traps. As the game progresses, these levels become increasingly more difficult. However, it is unclear at this time whether the remake will provide more or less of a challenge than the original game.

I've been in lots of movies. - Donkey Kong

As with most platformer games, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD has a fairly short runtime. For those who want to experience the rich tapestry that is Donkey Kong storylines, you should expect to see around 13 hours of gameplay. However, if you are a hardcore player who intends to complete every objective in the game, you may be looking at closer to 40 hours. The game will feature 9 worlds, each featuring around 9 missions. This matches the amount of content released in the Nintendo Wii reboot.

It is wonderful that Nintendo is taking the time to remind players of the platform's roots. For those unaware, the original apearence of the beloved Mario was in the 1981 Donkey Kong. At that time, poor Mario didn’t even have a name at that time. The character fighting Donkey Kong was known simply as Jump Man.

Since that time Donkey Kong has appeared in 38 of his own games while also being included in countless crossover titles. This doesn’t even scratch the surface that is the pop culture icon of Donkey Kong. His name has become synonymous with gaming. Even non-gaming adults are aware of the kooky ape and his gaggle of friends. Donkey Kong has managed to go from arcade villain to a household name throughout his varied exploits in gaming.

Whether Donkey Kong Country Returns HD will put Donkey Kong back in his rightful place in the gaming space is unclear at this time. The important thing is that new gamers and old will be able to revel in the majesty that hooked so many players in the early 1900s. We can only hope that Nintendo will continue to honor their legacy and the great characters who made them so iconic to begin with.