Genre: Platformer | Players: 1-2 | Developer: Retro Studios, Monster Games (3DS)
Donkey
Kong’s return to ridiculously difficult platforming brings with it a
number of changes that vary in degrees of contentiousness. King K. Rool
and his goons are nowhere to be seen and the Kong family has been
reduced to Donkey, Diddy, and Cranky. Further, your friends are limited
to Rambi and Squawks.
Diddy,
for his part, is no longer an independent playable character, if you go
it alone. Instead, he acts as two additional hit points, a jet-pack
that allows you to slow your descent, and the means to access an
infinite roll. A second player can take control of him, however, while
still being able to attach themselves to Donkey when they’re feeling
generous.
These
changes don’t bother me as I’ve always liked Donkey’s lumbering
platforming abilities and was bothered by his disappearance from his own
series so quickly in the original trilogy. I know many people enjoy the
lighter characters, but this is DONKEY KONG Country, after all. The
other playable Kongs can take a permanent vacation with Zero as far as I’m concerned.
The
change I predictably take issue with is the motion controls. The ground
pounding and blowing mechanics are fine and add to the variety of
collecting activities but having rolling mapped to a flick of the
wiimote is borderline inexcusable. This is notably remedied in the 3DS
port. I will admit that it is impressive to see Donkey piloted by the
competent hands of speedrunners, though.
Still,
I can just BARELY excuse it as the time trials don’t count towards your
completion percentage. Collecting the KONG letters in every level is
the only thing that matters. Doing so unlocks the challenge levels in
each world which, in turn, allow you to gain access to the final area.
Clearing it will unlock mirror mode where you will complete the levels
backwards, without Diddy, using a single hit point. This allows your
percentage to climb to 200%.
There
are also 5 to 9 puzzle pieces hidden in each level. I collect them
because it allows me to explore the world. The rewards (images and
songs) are NOT worth it. You can lease Squawks from Cranky if you have
trouble in this endeavor. And, you will.
Overall,
if you can live with Diddy’s new, reduced role and the lack of the
extended DK and Krool crews, this is a fresh but still very challenging
adventure worth tackling.
Buyer’s Guide: Available on the Wii and 3DS. If you feel the need for speed—and can suffer a graphical hit—go with the 3DS version. Many years later, I've had the chance to try it; I don't recommend it. Yes, rolling is mapped to a button press, but it didn't help. It makes Donkey fly past platforms. I'm honestly impressed that the game was explicitly designed around Donkey being slow. That's his thing; it makes him unique in this genre. Think about the time trials the same way as 10 star rankings in Silent Hill: They go against what the game(s) is/are about. You're supposed to linger in atmospheric games; Donkey is supposed to be lumbering. But, speed is a thing for some people. Yay for them; I guess. Can you tell that I've become disillusioned with speedrunning? You can play in a 'new' mode which has additional items appear in Cranky's shop (which you shouldn't need) and gives Donkey and Diddy an additional heart each. 6 Hearts. Jeez. It feels like they wanted to introduce an easy mode; something else anathema to DKC.
The biggest thing is that it makes the corners of the 3DS cut into the palms of my hands, jamming my flesh up into the cutouts in my case. Plus, I already knew that the Chiclet buttons were unacceptable for platforming games.
It's bad. It's miserable. Get it on Wii. No debate.
4 Barrel-Chested Banana Hoarders out of 5
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