Critically-Acclaimed Donkey Kong Wii Game Making the Jump to Nintendo Switch

Highlights

• Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is coming to the Nintendo Switch on January 16, 2025, offering enhanced graphics and over 80 levels.
• The game follows the adventures of Donkey and Diddy Kong as they journey across Donkey Kong Island to reclaim their stolen bananas from the Tiki Tak Tribe.
• Players can look forward to local co-op mode, playing as either Donkey or Diddy Kong, as they face off against various enemies and obstacles.

Announced during the June 18 Nintendo Direct showcase, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD will be coming to Nintendo Switch on January 16, 2025. Retro Studios revived the Donkey Kong Country series with Returns in 2010, but as exciting as this may be, it wasn’t quite the announcement fans were expecting. The community has been waiting for years for Nintendo to produce an original Donkey Kong title for the Switch, as it remains the only Nintendo home console without one. Regardless, the remastered Wii game has plenty to offer as a re-release, including enhanced graphics and extra levels.

The first-ever spin-off game tied to the popular Super Mario character was Donkey Kong, a 1981 arcade game originally released on the Atari 2600 before eventually branching out to the NES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and the since-defunct Wii Virtual Console catalog. Donkey Kong Jr. was released in 1982 as a direct sequel, followed by Donkey Kong 3. In 2010, Nintendo released one of its most acclaimed spin-off games, Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii. Four years later, it was succeeded by a sequel titled Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. After becoming such a huge hit with fans all those years ago, the Donkey Kong Country series even has an expansion coming to Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios.

As part of the June Nintendo Direct, an HD version of the game called Donkey Kong Country Returns HD was revealed to be coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2025. Not only has it undergone some major enhancements, but it will also include all bonus levels from the Nintendo 3DS port, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, for a total of 80 levels overall. Donkey Kong Country Returns is undoubtedly one of the best Donkey Kong games, chronicling the adventures of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong as they traverse Donkey Kong Island to steal back their banana stash from the Tiki Tak Tribe. As in the original, players will be able to enjoy the game solo or in co-op mode, choosing to play as either Donkey or Diddy Kong.

Donkey Kong Country Returns Offers Local Co-Op To Play As Both Donkey And Diddy Kong

Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Rare, the game’s original developer, the Donkey Kong series became less prominent over time, often overshadowed by the beloved Super Mario franchise. Donkey Kong Country Returns was kept under wraps throughout its development, but fans had their suspicions even before the title was announced at Nintendo’s E3 conference in June 2010. The project had been a labor of love from the very beginning, claimed designer Tom Ivey in an interview, explaining that the crew had to work overnight during the game’s final stages, while producer Kensuke Tanabe had to take some time off due to severe back pain.

All the hardships seem to have paid off, as Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is scheduled for release in January 2025. From manic mine carts to high-flying rocket barrels and even an eager rhinoceros mount, there are plenty of transportation methods to help track down the Tiki Tak Tribe. Players should get ready to pass the controller to a friend for local co-op and utilize the powers of Donkey and Diddy Kong against the hypnotized wildlife and the tribe’s mischievous hordes.