Donkey Kong Country Returns HD review for Nintendo Switch

Originally released nearly 15 years ago for the Wii, Donkey Kong Country Returns was well received for being a return to form for the Donkey Kong series, which until that point was pretty dormant other than a couple other gimmick titles such as Jungle Beat and Donkey Konga. Three years later it was re-released as a 3DS title with an additional mode to make the game less punishing/challenging.

Here in 2025 we have another re-release of Donkey Kong Country Returns, this time in High Definition (which is almost comical at this stage in technology). Adding to the comedy is that this most likely will be one of the final first party releases for the OG Switch. While absolutely a surprising one to revisit again, it’s definitely a welcome one to me.

The DKC series has always been one of my favorite franchises dating back to its origins on the SNES. You see, growing up I was a SEGA kid owning the Genesis. The only times I played the Super Nintendo was when I went over family or friends houses. Seeing how far I could make it in single sittings became a trend as this was my only opportunity as a kid to play the original Donkey Kong Country games, that is until they started the Donkey Kong Land series for the Game Boy. While the Donkey Kong Land series was extremely limited by the Game Boy technology, it still had similar gameplay and gives me fond nostalgic vibes. All of these titles are available on the Switch Online (cheap plug) and are definitely worth checking out still to this day.

As you can tell I’m a big fan of the series, so this re-release intrigued me. What kind of changes would Nintendo make? It’s also worth noting that DKC Returns had a sequel for the Wii U titled Tropical Freeze… and that title has already been rereleased on the Switch years ago with improvements. Tropical Freeze is the better game and there’s really nothing Nintendo could have done with DKC Returns to elevate it to that level in my opinion, but I do wish they had done something more. Don’t get me wrong, DKC Returns HD plays solid and the graphics do look improved, but outside of combining the alternate modes from the 3DS release and upscaling the graphics, there’s nothing new here. Being one of many first party re-releases for the Switch, I’m slightly surprised they didn’t include any new levels, playable characters, or additional new modes. For a full priced release of a game that is practically 15 years old, that’s a tough pill to swallow.

Overall if you’ve never played DKC Returns, this is a fantastic game with tight gameplay and a satisfying level of challenging/frustrating stages. There’s plenty of collectibles which the franchise is known for so there’s no shortage of things to do and collect, but it’s exactly the same game you could play on the 3DS twelve years ago just with HD graphics. Also you can get the sequel, Tropical Freeze, for less money typically and have an all around better experience in my opinion.

As much as I feel I’m beating up DKC Returns HD, I do love the game, I just happen to love and appreciate Tropical Freeze more. Hopefully this means more platforming DKC titles are on the horizon when Nintendo launches the Switch 2, but until then I’m glad a larger audience of fans can still play DKC Returns.

Note: Nintendo provided us with a Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Switch code for review purposes.