Nintendo seemingly has big plans for the next few years. A reveal and possible release of the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected sometime in 2025, and a slew of long-awaited entries in beloved franchises are sure to accompany this new chapter of the company's hardware. But first up on the docket for this year is Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, which is coming to the Switch on January 16.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a remaster of the 2010 Wii game (which was later ported to the 3DS). Revealed last year, the remaster definitely had Donkey Kong fans perking up their ears, but not necessarily out of excitement or red-hot anticipation. Indeed, DKC Returns HD is something of a bittersweet project as, while access to more Donkey Kong games on Nintendo's massively successful hybrid console is good, it's also a reminder of how neglected Donkey Kong has been in the age of modern gaming. Many have hoped that the beloved primate would make a full-fledged return in 2025 after being dormant for so many years, but this Donkey Kong Country Returns remaster may be sending the opposite message.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD in January Could Preclude a More Substantial Game in 2025
Donkey Kong Country Returns Is Yet Another DK Remaster
It's rather bizarre that Donkey Kong, one of Nintendo's leading mascots and oldest pieces of iconography, hasn't gotten a new game in over a decade. The last original Donkey Kong game was Tropical Freeze, which came out over a decade ago. This title was eventually remastered for the Switch, but the fact that so many years have passed since then without a proper new chapter in the series is quite bitter. It's worth noting that Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze are only separated by four years, so an almost eleven-year gap is certainly not par for the course for the IP.
It doesn't help that Tropical Freeze is one of the best 2D platformers of the 2010s, making the wait for a new DK game even more arduous.
It could be argued that Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is little more than an attempt to keep the franchise alive while Nintendo decides what to do with it. That's all well and good, but this would indicate that there are no real plans to release a new DK title anytime soon. After all, if Nintendo was working on a new Donkey Kong Country or, God willing, a follow-up to Donkey Kong 64, one would imagine that this would be positioned as the "main course," with a DKC Returns HD remaster being an added bonus of sorts. Perhaps Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is merely a bone that's being thrown to fans hungry for a morsel of fresh DK content.
All Hope May Not Be Lost for Donkey Kong
Right now, the Nintendo Switch is on track to be the first Nintendo home console to never host an original Donkey Kong game. Naturally, this is incredibly disappointing, not just for Donkey Kong fans, but also for Nintendo's first-party and contracted developers, who would no doubt jump at the chance to make a new game in the storied franchise. In other words, there is definitely still a strong creative and financial incentive to keep Donkey Kong alive with new releases, and Nintendo is rapidly running out of older games to remaster.
Maybe Nintendo has something big in the works with respect to Donkey Kong, and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is just an amuse-bouche for this larger entrée. With any luck, 2025 will see this theoretical new Donkey Kong game rear its head, but even if audiences have to wait a bit longer, DKC Returns HD suggests that Nintendo isn't planning to totally abandon the IP.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 71%
- Released
- January 16, 2025
- ESRB
- E for Everyone - Mild fantasy violence
- Developer(s)
- Forever Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
WHERE TO PLAY
Help Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong recover their precious banana hoard from the villainous Tiki Tak Tribe! Stomp enemies, blast through barrels, and ride rockets and mine carts (and even Rambi the rhino) in 80 levels across nine worlds.
Play the game as it was first designed for the Wii™ system, or reduce the difficulty for extra hearts and other goodies to make your journey a little easier. This barrel-blasting adventure is visually enhanced in HD for the Nintendo Switch™ system and includes the extra levels from the Nintendo 3DS™ version!
Team up with a friend and take on the whole game as Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong
Pass a Joy-Con™ controller to a buddy and take on the Tiki Tak Tribe as DK and Diddy in two-player local play. Pelt foes with Diddy’s Peanut Popgun and hover using his Barrel Jet, and slam bad guys into submission with DK’s Ground Pound—or just Barrel Roll right through them. Work together to reclaim those bananas by the bunch!
- Multiplayer
- Local Co-Op, Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Donkey Kong Country
- Number of Players
- 1-2
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- January 16, 2025
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- How Long To Beat
- 11.5 hours
