Once again, get ready to pick up those bananas- Diddy and Donkey Kong are back with their fans, who couldn’t be happier. The gaming community had a second chance to play one of the most nostalgically remembered platform games of the last few years after Donkey Kong Country Returns HD made a fantastic comeback to the Nintendo Switch. But this new version is not only a beauty; it’s also a recognition of how the studio behind the Metroid Prime series, Retro Studios, managed to revive a classic franchise and become a part of the fan-favorite Nintendo circle.
When Retro first came into the limelight for the work on the Metroid Prime trilogy, they were already known as the masters of moody, atmospheric first-person journeys. Therefore, the news that they would be the ones to reboot Donkey Kong Country came as a shock to many people— and understandably so. According to the story of the longtime Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe, it all happened by accident. With several prominent staff members leaving Retro, the company was looking for its next move. At that moment, Shigeru Miyamoto arrived with a project proposal about restarting Donkey Kong, and Tanabe recommended Retro as the best team to do it. The idea of just one thing led to the creation of what would eventually become Donkey Kong Country Returns – a title that both pays tribute to the SNES classics and at the same time takes the series in daring new directions.
The devs were under immediate pressure. Later on, as developers Kynan Pearson, Mike Wikan, and Tom Ivey explained, the changes that happened within the studio led to a vacuum, but, at the same time, it was a chance for new ideas and a different perspective. Most of the new staff were also the original trilogy’s biggest fans, and that great zeal was reflected in their work. Pearson tells of how the shared love for the series drove their creativity and how that excitement got even bigger due to the fact that they were working close to the developers of Nintendo in Kyoto. The joint work cleared up the doubts of whether Retro could do something so different from Metroid.
When Donkey Kong Country Returns was revealed at E3 2010, it generated a lot of buzz. It not only managed to resurrect the series’ signature platforming precision and innovative level design but also brought a more vibrant appearance and new gameplay elements. The game’s triumphant critical and commercial reception soon quietened the skeptics. As Tanabe would later say, it was Retro’s intrinsic grasp of what made Donkey Kong Country great that led to its success.
At the moment, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is reviving that enchanting jungle for an entirely new audience. The HD remaster, which is to be released on January 16, 2025, includes all 80 levels from the original Wii version, along with the extra content that was added for the 3DS. Whether you’re doing mine carts alone or playing local co-op with a friend, the Switch version aims to keep intact everything that made the first one great, now with upgraded graphics and a more fluid frame rate to meet modern standards.
Definitely, no Donkey Kong game would be without some unforgettable enemies, and Retro has gone all out. The player’s adversaries were the hypnotic Tiki Tak Tribe in Donkey Kong Country Returns, but Tropical Freeze actually did most of the work in terms of changes by the introduction of the Snowmad, headed by the plump, horn-blowing Lord Fredrik. His cold conquest and Viking-inspired design gave the game a certain taste, and though his boss battle didn’t really refrain from being compared to King K. Rool, at least he brought some fresh air to the series. From snowy battlefields to frost-breathing dragons, the Snowmads were instrumental in making Tropical Freeze different, even if Fredrik himself was a bit of a mixed bag for longtime fans.
However, one can easily tell that Retro Studio was equally packed with reverence and risk-taking when they made their contribution. They wouldn’t hesitate to tamper with the formula if it meant upsetting villain lineups or experimenting with level mechanics. Their eagerness to do new things, together with the fact that they clearly loved the source material, enabled the series to develop without losing its roots.
At the heart of Donkey Kong Country’s comeback is a deep respect for the past—plus an equally aggressive push to go beyond it. Retro Studios didn’t just re-release a platformer—they rescued a franchise. With Donkey Kong Country Returns HD arriving at the Switch very soon, both old school and newbies will be able to soak up the charm, the challenge, and the creativity that make this series so lovable. Whether you are set to rumble through jungles once more or grab a barrel for the very first time, Kong Country is calling—and it has never been livelier.