Zera Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 (edited) Greetings, folks! Today I am here to review Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, the 3DS port of Donkey Kong Country Returns. Released for the Wii in 2010, Donkey Kong Country Returns returned many gamers to the days of platformers filled with hardcore retro challenge. It was so hard, in fact, that only the most masochistic of platforming experts could enjoy it at all. At least, that's the vibe I got from a few reviews I read. In truth, DKCR is a very approachable game with easy to learn controls, a (mostly) steady difficulty curve, and banana coins which exist for the sole purpose of buying lives and powerups to make the game easier. Most reviewers forgot to mention this last part, which is why Nintendo has created "New" Mode. In "New" Mode, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong both get 3 hit points instead of 2, there are a handful of new powerups (including one that let's you take a hit in a minecart/rocket level without instantly dying), you can use up to 3 powerups at the same time, and everything can be bought cheaper. So even if you suck at platformers, you can still enjoy DKCR's vibrant visuals, ambient music, and creative level design. Original Mode still exists for those who want to play it as it was meant to be played, but you cannot switch difficulties after you start your game. DKCR3D has 2 slight improvements over the original. In the original, if you wanted to roll for a long jump, you had to shake the Wiimote. I am one of the few people who can time a Wiimote shake to a fraction of a second, but you might prefer the button-pressing control scheme of this portable outing. In addition to removing the waggle, 8 new levels have been added, but that is no reason to buy this game for $40 if you own the original. Unlike the original, which runs at a smooth 60 frames per second, this version only runs at 30fps, although this is something you'll barely notice. If you never played Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii, this excellent portable version with more levels is for YOU! 9/10 Awesome! Edited January 16, 2015 by Zera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zera Posted May 18, 2013 Author Share Posted May 18, 2013 By the way, if you have any questions or comments about the review or wish to discuss DKCR itself, feel free to post here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randoman Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Alright, I'll bite. I've played the game fully on Wii, so since I can't really ask anything I don't know about, I'll ask about your experience with the game. Have you finished all levels in time trial and mirror mode? If you did the latter, what levels did you find the hardest in mirror mode? Also, what golden temple did you find the hardest in non-mirror mode? I personally got at least silver in all time trials. There were at least eight shiny gold medals that I obtained, mostly from them being rocket and mine cart levels and the progression speed of the levels being set as a result. I did get shiny gold on the 8th World Temple, which I was quite suprised of. The mirror mode levels I found the hardest were the fourth and sixth boss and Jagged Jewels (the fourth world temple). Those bosses last so long and having to do them with one health and all those hazards were ridiculous. The inconsistency of the patterns in which the moles popped out and the amount of time Thugly spent unsheathing his back also didn't help. Jagged Jewels drained so many lives (30-50) since no Diddy made jumps a pain, especially the ones with platforms that eject spikes. Even having one health but having Diddy's jetpack would've made the level so much easier. I found the world five and six temples the hardest. One mistimed cannon launch in the former and it's back to the beginning. The latter required lots of trial and error and the electric bugs were relentless in tracking you down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zera Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 Personally, I'm not a huge fan of time trials in general because they usually just add artificial difficulty with extra tight time limits. As such, I only tried to get bronze in each level for my completion percentage. But time trials in temple levels, which are already extremely tough? No thanks, man! Mirror Mode, on the other hand, is a challenge of pure survival, which is more my style. I've beaten every level in Mirror Mode except the temples and bosses, which are too long and challenging without checkpoints. In fact, the lack of checkpoints in these levels is the only "unfair" difficulty in the entire game. The rest is just level design. Many people, including me, agree that the hardest level, or at least most frustrating is definitely... And it's all because of those electric bugs! At least you get more than a title screen! Jagged Jewels, The Mole Train, and Thugly's Highrise on Mirror mode were too much for me, but I was able to complete the first 3 worlds on Mirror Mode. In the end though, 181% completion is enough for me. I like all the unlockable artwork, music, and dioramas. It reminds me of the unlockables in Metroid Prime Trilogy (another game by Retro Studios and THE best game collection on Wii). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randoman Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Yeah, I prefer survival challenges over timed ones as well (I still need to the overall Gold Medal for all Time (have Bronze Medal as overall because I can't gold or silver the last 6) and Boost Mode (2 are still silver, as a result it shows silver overall) New Super Mario Bros. U challenges, but I got all Gold for the 1UP, Coin, and Special Challenges). I guess I can't blame you for skipping some temples and bosses for mirror and time trial mode. I still don't really know how I finished the Mole Train on mirror mode. I just had to keep trying and hope the random "mole popping out patterns" didn't kill me. I do remember how tedious the pick ax throwing part got doing it repeatedly every time I died. Yeah, World 6-K is probably the level most people say is the hardest, and all mostly due to the electric bugs. I wonder if the electric bugs somehow return in the new world for the 3DS... What were your favourite levels? Mine was definitely Music Madness and The Cliff Minecart one. Music Madness I liked for the awesome factory remix and how the hazards were in synch with the music and I liked the Cliff Minecart one for how crazy and ridiculous the action was (the egg part was just beyond brilliant). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zera Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 (edited) My favorite level is all of them. I can't think of any two levels that use the same exact ideas. I did particularly like the switching mechanic in Switcheroo (And I intend to try that DSiware game Mighty Switch Force), and Prehistoric Path was indeed amazing. Edited May 20, 2013 by Zera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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