Additionally, “New” mode curbs the games difficulty considerably, providing items and tweaking balance to make the game approachable for people of all skill levels, which is to be commended. It works so much better this way and easily puts it above the Wii version in terms of gameplay.

No longer do you have to waggle the controller to roll, instead you can just press a button while running.

It’s good to see that Donkey Kong Country Returns makes a great transition to the 3DS and plays extremely well following the transition as well. Yes, the Kremlings from the original trilogy are still gone and likely won’t be coming back, though we admit if you were hoping this were to be changed with this port that you were setting yourself up for disappointment anyway. The animals themselves are not malevolent at all, and instead are controlled by a group of shamanistic creatures known only as the Tikis. Donkey Kong’s most treasured horded banana pile has been stolen by the animals of the jungle – but there is an insidious twist. Much like previous games, the storyline for Donkey Kong hasn’t really been the series forte. So, with some rather tempered excitement, I approach the 3DS port of Donkey Kong Country Returns with an open mind and hope that it lives up to all of my expectations.

Despite my lack of interest, Nintendo managed to turn this around by announcing that the port would not only include new features, but also additional levels crafted specifically for this release. Just like I opened my review of Donkey Kong Country Returns with scepticism as to whether or not Retro Studios could do a decent job bringing my favourite platforming franchise back to the forefront of cultural relevance, I was also incredibly sceptical of just how interesting or useful the 3D enhanced port of Donkey Kong Country Returns would be.

Donkey kong country returns 3d review