Once again, get those bananas ready, Donkey Kong and Diddy have returned to their fans, who are overwhelmed with joy. The gaming world was offered another opportunity to enjoy one of the most nostalgically remembered platform games of the last few years after Donkey Kong Country Returns HD made an incredible comeback to the Nintendo Switch. However, this new release is not only a beautification of an old game; it recognizes how the studio behind the Metroid Prime series, Retro Studios, managed to revive a classic franchise and become a fan favorite in the Nintendo circle.
After Retro initially gained the spotlight for their work on the Metroid Prime trilogy, they were already recognized as geniuses of dark, atmospheric first-person adventures. Therefore, when they declared that they would be the ones to reboot Donkey Kong Country, the reaction was great surprise. As the story of the accident that led to it is told by longtime Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe, everything came together by chance. After the departure of the key staff from Retro, the company was on the lookout for its next move. Just at that time, Shigeru Miyamoto came up with the idea of a Donkey Kong restart, and Tanabe was convinced that Retro was the best team to carry it out. The decision of just one idea set off the journey that led to Donkey Kong Country Returns – a game that would not only be a tribute to the SNES classics but would also take the series to new, unexplored areas.
The pressure was on right from the start. As developers, Kynan Pearson, Mike Wikan, and Tom Ivey later stated, the shake-ups within the studio deeply affected them, as a space was left, but at the same time, it allowed them to have fresh ideas and a new vision. It turned out that most of the new staff were the original trilogy’s fanatical proponents, and this fact was strongly reflected in their work. Pearson points out that the common love for the series was the main driver of their creativity,y and that feeling was boosted by the fact that they could work alongside developers from Nintendo’s Kyoto. The combined work helped to overcome the doubt whether Retro was the right team for such a radical move from Metroid.
Donkey Kong Country Returns shockingly made its debut at E3 2010. It was successful in bringing back the series’ standard of tight platforming and imaginative level design while also giving more vibrant graphics and new gameplay mechanics. The game’s quiet commercial success, to a large extent, was the main reason for the quick silencing of the doubters. As Tanabe would later say, what made it possible for the game to succeed was the very thing which Retro took for granted, namely, their deep understanding of why Donkey Kong Country was great.
Currently, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is bringing that magical jungle to a new generation of gamers. The HD remaster with all 80 levels from the first Wii release, plus the extra content made for the 3DS, will be available on January 16, 2025. Whether you are playing Mine Cart mode alone or in local co-op, the Switch version is there to keep the original intact with enhanced visuals and a smoother performance of today’s style.
Certainly, no Donkey Kong game would be complete without some great villains, and Retro has gone all out. The player in Donkey Kong Country Returns had fought against the hypnotic Tiki Tak Tribe; however, Tropical Freeze did the actual work in terms of changing the story by the inclusion of the Snowmads, headed by the overweight, horn-blowing Lord Fredrik. His cold invasion and Viking-inspired design made the game unique in a way, and although his boss fight was somewhat like King K. Rool, at least he brought some freshness to the series. From the frozen battles to the called-in frost dragons, the Snowmads played a major role in making Tropical Freeze different, even if Fredrik was a little bit of a mixed bag for the longtime fans.
Still, Retro Studios mixed reverence with risk-taking in almost equal proportions. They were ready to upset the villain line-ups or mess with level functions if that meant venturing beyond the formula. Such aaring to be new that they had combined with a clear love for the source material allowed the series to grow without losing its roots.
At the heart of Donkey Kong Country’s comeback is a deep respect for the past—along with a brave push to move beyond it. Retro Studios did not merely release a platform game again—they breathed new life into a franchise. With Donkey Kong Country Returns HD soon coming to the Switch, both old school and new players can experience the charm, challenge, and creativity that have made this franchise so lovable. Whether you’re ready to roll through jungles again or pick up a barrel for the first time, Kong country is calling—and it’s more vibrant than ever.