Donkey Kong Country Returns HD was released on the Nintendo Switch this week to a lot of hype from fans of the series, making nearly all Donkey Kong titles available on Switch. While I spent a lot of time with Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr, I never had a Super Nintendo or the Gameboy versions of Donkey Kong Land growing up so I decided it was time to visit this revered series before trying out Donkey Kong Country Returns. So if you have the time, jump in a minecart and let’s take a ride through the history of Donkey Kong, and the amazing platformer series Rare helped craft before Donkey Kong Country Returns to the Nintendo Switch.
First, a quick history lesson. The Donkey Kong series started on the original NES with the arcade game Donkey Kong in 1981. Created by the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto, it was a big hit for Nintendo and introduced gamers to classic characters like Donkey Kong, Mario (originally called Jumpman), and Pauline. In the game, Mario had to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong, who had kidnapped her. The original Donkey Kong arcade game was a massive hit and incredibly popular when it was released in 1981. It quickly became one of the top-grossing arcade games of the early ’80s, helping to establish Nintendo as a major player in the video game industry. The game was not only a commercial success but also became a cultural icon, giving us Mario, who would go on to become the face of Nintendo, unfortunately leaving Donkey Kong in his shadow.
Then in 1982, Donkey Kong Junior came out, and this time you played as Donkey Kong’s son, trying to save Donkey Kong from Mario. It was a fun twist on the original and I spent many hours on Donkey Kong Jr on my NES, and have had so much fun sneaking in some sessions on the Nintendo Switch Online Platform. In 1983, Donkey Kong 3 changed things up again, letting you play as Stanley, who had to fight off Donkey Kong and some pesky insects which didn’t really resonate with me and would be the last we heard from Donkey Kong for a while.
In 1994, 11 years after Donkey Kong 3, it would then fall to developer Rare to bring the franchise back to life and they did so in the form of Donkey Kong Country, moving the series to a side-scrolling platformer with phenomenal graphics, tight gameplay mechanics, and an absolute banger of a soundtrack by Composer David Wise. Donkey Kong Country would become the Super Nintendo’s 3rd best-selling game, shifting a whopping 9.3 million units, eclipsing A Link to the Past which moved 4.6 million units, only falling behind Super Mario World and Super Mario All-Stars at 20.5 and 10.5 million units respectively. It took the Super Nintendo to the next level, featuring incredible pre-rendered 3D characters and utilising the SNES Mode 7 graphics. Donkey Kong Country introduced new characters like Diddy Kong and a new narrative to the Donkey Kong Series. I am in awe of how well Country holds up. It’s so fun to play on NSO with my retro controller, and despite it being released 31 years ago, I had so much fun (and frustration) playing this incredible game.
Releasing 6 months later, Donkey Kong Land on Gameboy would once again wow gamers and critics alike, seemingly doing the impossible by translating all the things that made Donkey Kong Country great and shrinking it into the Gameboy system. While it took some liberties to fit onto the system, with different levels and structure to the SNES version, Donkey Kong Land would have some of its content go on to inspire settings and levels in the Donkey Kong Country sequels. I was pleasantly surprised with how well this was translated over to the Gameboy.
Diddy’s Kong Quest was released on SNES towards the end of 1995, with Diddy as the main character as well as a new playable character, Dixie Kong. While it was positively received by players, it didn’t quite hit the sales of its predecessor, largely theorised to be due to cartridge shortages making obtaining a copy hard to come by. That being said, it’s still often regarded as gamers’ favourite in the series due to its unique level design and stellar soundtrack, as well as its improved graphics and gameplay mechanics. I don’t feel like Diddy’s Kong Quest had the same impact on me as Country did, despite being bigger and better, but I can really appreciate the formula changes and interesting level design.
Shortly after Diddy’s Kong Quest was released, an accompanying title was released on Gameboy in the form of Donkey Kong Land 2, based heavily on Diddy’s Kong Quest. The game wasn’t as positively received as other titles, mainly due to the game having to compromise on the improvements Diddy’s Kong Quest made to the series. Still, I had a good time playing the Gameboy version and again, while not as impactful, was still great fun!
1996 saw the final Donkey Kong Country game on SNES come out which was Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble, putting the spotlight on Dixie and her cousin Kiddie Kong. While not differing too much from previous entries, Donkey Kong Country 3 didn’t receive the critical acclaim of previous entries but was praised for once again pushing the bar for graphics on the Super Nintendo System. While I was playing Donkey Kong Country 3, I felt like it had a shift in tone and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
The same can be said for Donkey Kong Land 3, which was originally released in 1997, following Dixie Kong’s Double Troubles format. It was still a great platformer in its own right but came along late in the Gameboy life cycle and didn’t innovate quite enough to set it aside. If used similar levels from its SNES counterpart, with some obvious compromises to translate it to the handheld system.
Finally, we have the last entry that came after Donkey Kong Country returns in the form of Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze. Originally released on the Wii U in 2014, Tropical Freeze was defrosted once again for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. The game went back to Donkey Kong Country’s roots with tight platforming and fast-paced timing throughout vast levels that managed to expertly use 3D space in a 2D platformer. I picked this one up solely to prepare for Donkey Kong Country Returns, and if Returns is anything like Tropical Freeze, then I’m in for a treat!
The most surprising thing for me when experiencing this amazing franchise, with the SNES titles being new to me, is that the gameplay still holds up to this day. The games are bright and colourful while being deviously challenging. Minecart levels offer something truly unique and adrenaline-pumping, and the series in general still has plenty to offer for gamers looking for a return to classic platforming action. I can’t wait to play Donkey Kong Country Returns HD in the next few days. While the title may suggest a return for many players, this particular gamer can’t wait to experience this classic title for the first time.