Donkey Kong Country Returns Retrospective | Return of the Kong

[@NintendoHero]

For me this game is a perfect example of modernizing a series. The transition is so smooth and effortless that it feels like the series never left. I absolutely adore how natural the world feels with no floating platforms like 2d Mario. This game is a great return, but Tropical Freeze is where things get really spicy. Also that credits concerto tease caused me pain, I had to go listen to the full original song to heal myself

[@chocolatekake]

When I first played this, I enjoyed it a lot, but I remember feeling a bit let down despite its strengths. Level variety was definitely a chief complaint. I even remember the music being kind of underwhelming. But I played it again recently on 3DS and my memories were basically all wrong. The level design is great with lots of fun gimmicks and I was able to see the soundtrack in a new light as well. And you're right, DK just controls so beautifully, Retro did it right. The new levels in the 3DS port are all excellent and I'm a *huge* 3D fanatic (I even adore the rickety 10-20 fps Snake Eater port), so that's my new version of choice.

[@PGReviews_]

Oh gosh, that Snake Eater port. I remember thinking something was wrong with my screen when I played the demo way back when haha

[@leeartlee915]

I’m just gonna say it: the waggle in DKCR is not that bad. I use to speed run the game and the waggle became second nature for me. Was it the best choice? Nah, not really. But I have always thought the criticism for this games controls to be an extension of the general frustration with the Wii as a whole. In short, the waggle just becomes a button press you make with your wrist. Now the blowing move being the same as the rolling move? That IS bs.

[@grandmastermario3695]

I love speedrunning the 1st game for snes

[@k-leb4671]

The waggle controls would honestly be pretty apt if they were only relegated to ground-pounding (or banana-slamming or whatever you call it). Did the Wiimote or Wiimote+Nunchuk not have enough buttons to assign rolling and blowing to another button? The whole motion of shaking the controllers resembles punching, as DK does for his ground-pound, so that makes sense to be motion-controlled. However, what does shaking my fists have anything to do with rolling or blowing?

[@lowtierstears4938]

Wiggle for the roll jump is kinda fun

[@leeartlee915]

@@k-leb4671 It’s obviously shoehorned into the game but I’m more talking about whether the waggle serious impacts the enjoyment of the game. For me, it just didn’t. That’s pretty much the long and short of it.

[@BluewindsLegacy]

I always felt Dixie got a bad rap, She was replaced in 64 with "Tiny" Kong probably because Country 3 didn't pan out to well, but still Dixie was an awesome character. Great video!

[@k-leb4671]

I think Tiny Kong was created so that her flight abilities could be introduced to the player. If Dixie was there, it wouldn't make sense for her flight abilities to have to be introduced.

[@chocolateboy3000]

I remember as soon as they announced the game, I mowed so many lawns in my neighborhood so I had enough to pre order it at gamestop. One of my favorite childhood memories! All the hard work of that summer made me enjoy the game so much more. I literally cried when I beat it

[@dannyrambles]

The DK game everyone forgets to talk about is Jungle Beat. The Wii port, without the bongo controls, is truly a wonderful platformer. It's almost Koizumi-san's audition piece to do Galaxy.

[@cyboyentertainment92]

2 years later, it’s getting a switch port! I watched this video a few hours before that announcement was made!

[@julioflores5946]

Great video. Binging through all these DKC Retrospectives. I love the series and you do great reviews. Got my subscription.

[@lazomaniac]

I just miss how atmospheric and mysterious the the levels felt. Full of soul.

[@xdouche3608]

This is excellent! I really needed a reminder of how good this game is. Now I'm really looking forward to Tropical Freeze

[@Whobornyesterday93]

Something I just noticed a little while ago playing the game through again is when you beat the boss if you leave it and don’t start punching them, you’ll get a jump scare. Which is just something I’ve never seen anyone talk about

[@leeartlee915]

It’s funny, I know the puzzle pieces don’t really open up any more content but I find them enjoyable to collect all the same. I guess he’s right about the bonus levels aren’t the best but I make up my own challenge by trying to get through them as fast as possible. And let’s be honest, the bonus levels in the original DKC series are actually worse in a lot of ways. But I get it, I get the opinion.

[@k-leb4671]

Yeah some of the bonus rooms in DKC were pretty longwinded if you wanted to actually complete them, and a lot of designs got reused. But DKCR is noticeably worse about it, and Tropical Freeze is even worse than DKCR because _every single bonus room_ has the same background.

[@tiredjay3000]

16:14 I like how it cut off before disaster struck

[@awesomeocelot7475]

Man same! Chuggaaconroy was one of my first KZbinrs I ever watched. (Funnily enough I got a notification of him posting on Twitter as I’m typing this)

[@haileysimonds2532]

19:25 “Let’s get ‘em boys!” Ah tune

[@Rivalseeker]

Ah yes... I remember being so psyched for this game when it was announced at E3 2010... and it was shortly after I was finding myself wanting more DKC goodness after I was treated to the SNES games via the old Virtual Console. In contrast to others at the time, I was fully confident that Retro Studios would deliver a worthy DKC game. Why is that? Well, one big key component to the DKC games is atmosphere; I knew that they nailed that with the Metroid Prime games, so I had no reason to doubt their talent on that front. :) While I do agree with you that the motion controls are tacked on for this game, I don't remember having that much issue executing moves when I wanted them to execute. I quickly figured out what the timing was, and it was smooth sailing from there. I wonder if that would hold true since I'm in my 30s now? lol And yeah, glad you got past your exams and stuff, PG! I did as well and now I'm Level Design certified! :D Good vid, btw! Look forward to the next one!

[@TrevTendo88]

Oh boy, I haven't ever played DKCR and I'm so excited it's coming to Switch!

[@BopKingForever]

Yeah the music is fire in this one for sure

[@CQInismeain]

I love the fear factory music is a masterpiece of a soundtrack

[@wills-way7664]

Literally as soon as I finish my friend Zach’s video came out, this comes out. What a great day for KZbin videos!

[@blomborg6120]

I always found it way easier to shake with the wii mote and joy con. Cuz shaking the wii mote by itself, both arms have to go up and down at the same time. My rotator cuffs would get sore after a while (I played baseball through high school so my throwing arm can be sensitive lol). But shaking the two remotes, you can alternate the ground, the way DK actually does. I found it’s a lot easier and a lot less movement

[@k-leb4671]

Yeah I don't know what kind of madman you'd have to be to think using the Wiimote on its own is better for this game because the shaking is better. Wiimote + Nunchuk all the way!

[@LittleBigKid707b]

I played the first DKC way back in the day, but never its sequels. So, after skipping DKC 2 and 3, this was the next DKC game for me. I remember wanting it bad. It was a month before my birthday, so I asked my wife to get it for me. Picked it up when it came out. I got a banana controller holder for pre-ordering. Still have it. My wife and I LOVED it!! We did a 100% together. Yes, even the puzzle pieces.

[@curtisdupree4430]

Love this game. The hardest thing I’ve done in gaming was 200% this game. It was brutal. Some of the K levels killed me near 100 times. But I had a blast.

[@Perceptive-Abyss]

That 6-K level was outrageous to do in mirror mode. I left it to the very last, it was just so difficult.

[@Tffanboy]

Had to come back to this after hearing about the switch port.

[@rodrigoalmanza2830]

Loved your retrospectives, and DKCR is by far one of GOAT platform games ever made.

[@cameronwallace8265]

Really enjoyed the video! I unfortunately played this game after playing Tropical Freeze. And because that game does everything this game does, but better, I came away feeling a little underwhelmed. But I'm sure I wouldn't have felt that way if I had played this back in the day when it was released.

[@k-leb4671]

Tropical Freeze actually does bonus rooms worse, because they all have the same aesthetic across _every world._ Also there's only one music track for the world maps, and maps take longer to navigate.

[@MatsYoo]

i played both and i think dkcr has more content and the worlds and levels look cooler and have better gimmicks imo

[@johnnyboi290]

I played donkey Kong returns before tropical and when tropical freeze came out me and my brother were begging our parents to buy it since on wii u it was only $30 in Canada no sale either. When they bought it I was soooo hyped for it and I couldn't sleep the night because all I was thinking was playing it. In the morning me and my brother hooked the game and both had a blast we beat the game in 2 days. Ahh nostalgia 😅😢

[@leeartlee915]

That’s unfortunate. I played this game day one and was amazed. And I didn’t play TF until years after it was released. So it was almost like DKC came back twice. I have gone back to play DKCR and I think it still kinda rocks. It’s kind of like playing Super Mario Bros after playing SMB3 or World. Those later games are obviously more complex and dynamic but the original still has rock solid gameplay, Good games stay good forever.

[@MegaAngryspoon]

I played Freeze first and honestly thought DKCR was better in almost every way

[@dylancourville8708]

I never played it but the wii controls are never what stopped me from trying. It’s the theme and graphics of the game that I couldn’t cope with. The tiki theme just doesn't hit that spot for me the same way the pirate or military theme did.I liked that in the original trilogy or the first two games had a distinct industrial or pirate them that seems lost here. Pre-rendered style is just such a core part of the country series identity.

[@k-leb4671]

DKC1 doesn't have a distinct industrial theme. It has factory levels and mines but so does DKC2 and 3. You could argue it's themed around an environmentally-varied island getting corrupted somewhat by industrialization. But again, DKC3 also does that. DKC3 has a stronger theme to me with all the Canada-inspired environments, outside of the enemies which are admittedly pretty vague.

[@Kick_VR736]

26:59 Bro predicted it I am super excited to play on switch

[@drasto5834]

Playing this game again. Right now . one of my favorites for sure. Also if one does not mind emulators playing on dolphin with a controler is a perfect way to play without motion controlls and with high frame rate.

[@AllAcacia]

I just simply like how each era of Donkey Kong Country made each generation of people's childhood magic. I like the video, I do have to agree with the bonus rooms though ;-;

[@dejaalston8672]

Donkey Kong Country Returns Wii is one of the greatest video games of all time. It was something new, fresh, unique, inventive, stylish, cool, edgy, hip, and updated such as the concept and theme due to it's gameplay, graphics, and levels as it was so unique, inventive, and challenging. It was decent. To this day I still play it and I consider it a classic. It never gets old.😍💯😎👍

[@spacepope8495]

This is a cool channel man, binging your vids now… you got a new subscriber

[@Doktario_Mystario]

6:40 as someone who grew up with the 3ds version i never had any performance issues with the game i even replayed like a year or two ago and it was still great

[@ryanwilson9555]

This was my 1st Donkey Kong Country game.

[@maccamachine]

This is a great video man good work! I love this game and the whole country series overall plus tropical freeze is one of the best 2D platformers made

[@sfm_pakic3527]

i use to play this game when i was like 10 or something i don't remember and there is one thing i alway love about the game is the rail section of the game and even after all of these years i still remember what the final level look like

[@melodyrose8123]

I really enjoy your reviews there really nostalgic for me! Thanks for sharing 🙂

[@TheBeird]

I got this for the 3DS. It kicked my ass first time around, and I couldn't 100% it. But liked it enough to get Tropical Freeze for the Switch years later. And because I loved that game so much, it made me return to . . . Returns, and get 100%. It's one of the best revival sequels ever made as far as I'm concerned.

[@SugaPappi32]

I love your videos because they're not too long and they're not too short

[@boi6002]

Love your retrospectives & am looking forward to watching this

[@LucatheDingo88]

I recall in an old video interview from when Nintendo first announced DKC Returns the reason the Kremlings aren't in Returns is cause Retro asked Shigera Miyamoto if they should bring K. Rool back and he suggested creating new villains. I assume that's why there not in returns or Tropical Freeze. K. Rool is still in Smash, and the Kremlings still appear in sports titles and spin offs

[@Akay4444444444444444]

Have you thought of covering the non-Country Kong games? The original, Jr., 64, King of Swing, Diddy Racing, the Land trilogy, etc?

[@aidanhever3369]

It's a good game, but I have the same problem as you, especially the villains, controls, and collectibles. Oh boy, this is Donkey Kong 64 all over again.

[@kingkat7113]

I replayed this game emulating it and making the shake a button and it was definitely the best way to play it

[@Akay4444444444444444]

I assumed the Kongs were immune to the mind control cause they eat bananas. Like maybe bananas are their weakness or something, idk

[@pianomanty]

Its still insane that on a console with a controller peripheral that was literally a copy of the snes controller, they didn't even let you play with it.

[@k-leb4671]

Holy shit it aggravated me to no end how many Wii games never supported the Classic Controller and/or Classic Controller Pro. It was right there to be used! The Classic Controller Pro suits this game so well.

[@AndreaAnnibal]

Very nice! I really enjoyed!

[@budgers]

2:35 they got their act toghther with mario and luigi brothership

[@unclegrandpagaming165]

Switch version is gonna be so good

[@Alianger]

Shake to roll was the worst thing about the controls in the game, I would sometimes do it by accident and die and it's just a bit unwieldy considering the increased momentum afterwards. Otherwise they were a minor improvement on the classics besides not being able to just hold the button to grab barrels The worst things besides no clues to some secrets are the 2-player mode implementation and the box saying ages 0 and up (my nephew found the game way too hard), puzzle pieces not unlocking anything interesting, an overabundance of instant death hazards with no shop item to help with them and the lack of most animal buddies. Lives were almost pointless since you automatically regain 5 after a game over. That also just made it annoying how the game automatically kicks you out of a level after one Overall I really liked it though and the variety was pretty great with some creative gimmicks like in switcheroo. Nice vid!

[@tetermc]

I like to spread the word on the fact that in the dolphin emulator, you can map the wiimote waggle to any button you want, eliminating the need for motion controls. It's quite nice and I'd recommend it over the 3ds port because it looks much nicer and plays better. The extra levels on the 3ds version might be worth it for you though.

[@shadhog0187]

Kinda dumb to complain about the half framerate of the 3ds version when it has less input lag, so overall it's the more responsive game.

[@maralinekozial9131]

Honestly the original Snes donkey Kong Country trilogy is still the best & most fun to play even decades later but this is still a cool game

[@xSoporific1]

Amazing video

[@TheRedCometKid]

To be honest, I grew up with this game, and the tikis just felt normal to me. Then I found out about K Rool, and he is totally a more memorable and better villain. The reasoning for stealing the banana hoard is non- existent, though. I thing the tikis at least did good with the use of the bananas to build their army, and become hands (why?).

[@OpiupAlmaManiac]

12:41 Incorrect, because you can actually just shake one for the continuous roll. Really good for time attacks.

[@kfirezrati807]

Fir some reason I did not expect the modern DLC game to be a part of this

[@AmalGum001]

I remember hearing somewhere that the Kremlings weren’t in the modern DKC games because Rare owns King K. Rool, not Nintendo. I guess they didn’t wanna bring them back without him being present. Now that he’s in Smash I think it’s more likely they’ll be back in the next game.

[@lonecom685]

Rare doesn't own them. They've showed up in many games in the 2000s after Rare left. They're not used due to Retro just not wanting to reuse them. That's what Tanabe said

[@novohart1928]

Gongrats with passing exams

[@PGReviews_]

Thanks!

[@captaincam331]

I actually love the tikis but that could be chocked up to nostalgia biases because dk returns was the first video game I ever played

[@PlayF2412]

Finally someone else who hates the bonus rooms! I could just be booming through a level and then I see a barrel so I go in it and NOOOO it’s another bonus room 😢😂

[@capitanpastabase6342]

A great game that I unfortunately can't play again after finishing Tropical Freeze

[@aavventurato]

"this game deserves a remaster on the Nintendo Switch". Well, guess what Mimi? They did it. Lol

[@thebizzbox]

Nice vid man

[@PGReviews_]

Thank you!

[@achilles8]

DKCR on dolphin looks so good

[@devernepersonal3636]

thinks the rocket section is easy and that the bonus rooms are bad. i think you got that flipped.

[@Bloody_FOXY47040]

At least we won't see them again because Tiki Tong is actually one of the few characters in the entire SERIES that actually DIES. It would've been cool if we had a Tiki version of K rool to be the TRUE final boss after Tiki Tong.

[@dailthegoat799]

I personally don’t mined the shacking the remote. But if you want a perfect game get the game cube controller for the Wii Your welcome

[@285wilson]

Switch Port Coming!!!

[@halfauthorized3142]

I'm not gonna lie I thought this game was hard when I played it the first time. Sure I was like 8-9 but I was playing dark souls around the time so idk. Anyone else feel this way?

[@elmojfk]

Love the county series. I need a switch Port of this game. And it would be awesome to see a HD remake of the dk country trilogy. Make it happen Nintendo. Give DK the love he deserves.

[@lemmykoopa1379]

“DKC Cartoon is God’s greatest creation.” Lmao I couldn’t agree more 😂

[@MarioSonicDKPokeFAN]

As much as I loved that DKC was returning, Returns didn't satisfy me as much as I hoped it would. It actually frustrated me more than anything. The music didn't wow me, I definitely missed David Wise around this time. The game was extremely difficult than the previous titles. I ended up letting the Super Kong beat the last world at the end. Got tired of the difficulty

[@lonecom685]

The cool part of these games is that they're difficult

[@Gavman_Gaming_09_79]

You gotta shake the controller to do the: Roll the Blow and the BANANAAAAAAAAAA SSSSLAMMA

[@Kronosgear]

I'd say make 2 hits standard on mine cart a rocket Barrel levels like tropical freeze did

[@BlueFire98]

1:23 I love that game

[@k-leb4671]

22:09 "So not only is there just one rideable animal buddy, he also sucks!" Come on, isn't that a bit hyperbolic? The nerfed hover is a shame, but being able to defeat just about any enemy and charge through levels at great speed is fun. And he's still an extra hitpoint. He's nice to have the few times he shows up (still kinda crazy he only shows up in 4 out of 63 levels. That's a worse ratio than the original DKC!).

[@Fantasygod19999]

RARE! PLEASE PUT KREMLINS IN THE NEXT GAME!

[@WCircuit7224]

Rare doesn't make these games anymore

[@Fantasygod19999]

@@WCircuit7224 so?

[@leftovernoise]

Let's gooooo

[@kylespevak6781]

Currently emulating the Wii version sith waggle mapped to a button

[@mrtree1368]

I never played the new dkc games on wii and up but I love the first dkc 3 games and the dkc land games are nice addition but to me the new games were too zoomed out and I really wish they would make it more or less just like the first 3 dkc games

[@Sourm3l0n]

I am one level away from having all the puzzle pieces collected in every level Update I literally just beat the level and unlocked the golden Temple gallery

[@bad6184]

roll+jump=dopamine rush

[@triboltz3137]

I might be the only person who doesn't mind, and in fact enjoys, motion controls for Nintendo games

[@TopMostFlavor]

Would love an HD rerelease or remaster. I only played it on 3ds.

[@DanteCrowlley]

Unlike everyone else I like DKC 3 'n DK 64 as a platformer not a collect a ton, I did saw a few years ago why the Kremlins aren't back but I forgot why tho, I want them back as much everyone else, since I don't play Nintendo since 64 I barely touched any other DK game so far, even with emulation, but I still say DKC 2 is the definitive edition for now, also Yooka Layle Impossible Lair has a good concept but I just can't stand the char design, the level design 'n the game itself, if feels a bit like DKC but it also don't feel good enough, I really wanted to beat the game but I just can't force myself any turther

[@TheGunmanChannel]

Being on the wii and expecting us to shake controllers is enough for me to stay away from this title.

[@airem5861]

Too much hate on such stupid things, this game is awesome. Also the 3D effect is one of the best in the system with Metroid Samus Return

[@dragonboytsubasa]

I never ended up buying this game. The introduction of Diddy's jetpack and the lack of animal buddies was a massive dealbreaker for me. Diddy's jetpack put me off because the floating gimmick was Dixie's thing and Diddy already had his own gimmick in being really fast and able to jump far. And animal buddies, well, you already covered that in your video. But I really enjoyed watching this video as I did for the previous 3 DKC videos.

[@LittleBigKid707b]

Man are you missing out. I'm currently going through all the DKC games and I'll say that this is just as good as the Rare ones. Each DKC game had its own strengths, but as a platform and DKC fan, it's essential. Never played DKC 3 , but I just ordered it online. I don't care that it gets the least love. I still want to experience it and I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

[@notthebizzbox]

Nice

[@PGReviews_]

Nice

[@ClaireDeLoon]

I’m the worlds biggest fan of the tiki tak tribe. Yeah the kremlins are better but I really just don’t care and like the tikis more I think they’re cool. I love game music and enemies that play into the games music are peak. Nice to find someone who appreciates the genius of the cave world though

[@son12509]

*enjoys playing and reviewing games *buys a mac 🤔

[@connerschorr5511]

4:39: Chuggaaconroy:D

[@johanandersson8252]

DK Jazzy Swing.

[@Kinoparapino]

You have 25,000 likes. Nobody is gonna tell me you have 900 likes

[@NicCamp]

#ass-clinch worthy 🏆

[@watkinator4413]

Thank God for dolphin

[@Frezyman]

The day nintendo release this game on a 60fps console with standard 2D platformer controller, like the pro controller, they can take my money!

[@DrKrFfXx-0]

I never really got into this game, the artificially forced motion controls killed it for me every time I tried to give it a try. I hope the Switch version is the definitive.

[@googoogaming9068]

Only 3 siloet levels is sad but there the best