Dusting off old franchises has become a staple of Nintendo’s game development arsenal and lucky for us, they are really good at it.

                Donkey Kong Country Returns is a complete blast from the past, being the first console platformer for Donkey Kong since the Super Nintendo era.  While there have been other Donkey Kong games in the years since, none of them have been in the style of the original Donkey King Country games.  Once again Donkey Kong’s banana horde has been stolen by some baddies and he must make his way through level after level to retrieve his stolen goods. Level design is pretty basic in the beginning, really evoking the early worlds from the original Donkey Kong Country.  While this isn’t a bad thing, the nostalgia isn’t quite as nice as it is in some other games.  The first world or two can actually be a bit boring for an experienced gamer. Fortunately, this isn’t the case with the rest of the game.  Later levels are designed beautifully, and I found myself looking forward to what the next set of screens would challenge me with.

                The only potential downside to this game is that a challenge is exactly what it is.  While not as blisteringly hard as Rayman: Origins, DKCR still holds a lot of challenge for gamers, especially less experienced ones.  However, this game does offer an auto play mode that most games of this sort do not.  After failing a particular level a certain number of times, the game offers to complete it itself.  If selected, the gamer can put their controller down and watch the computer navigate DK through the level.  While this will not appeal to some people, it does offer players a chance to skip particularly hard sections and allow them to experience the entire game.  For this reason even inexperienced gamers are able to fully enjoy DKCR, while they wouldn’t be able to do so with other games of this caliber.

                Another aspect that helps make this game more enjoyable is the introduction of simultaneous co-operative play.  Co-op play was available in the original games on the Super Nintendo, but players had to take turns controlling their characters, only playing when the other players character had died.  In this version players can play simultaneously, making some of the platforming sections a little tricky but providing a lot of opportunities for tense and wacky fun.

                Donkey Kong Country Returns is another game on the list of franchises that Nintendo has revived from the past.  As solid as its predecessors, this game is fun for players of any age, even parents who used to love playing their old Super Nintendos.  If you’re looking for a game to play with your kids that the whole family can enjoy but are sick of the usual board game fare, try this one on for size and you will not be disappointed.