A Corny Review: #1. Donkey Kong Country Returns!

[PaJami]

Day 19, hoorah! As promised, I have a review for you all today, woooo! Now, there's been a change of plans. I was going to get about halfway through Sonic Colors (knowing I couldn't beat it before today) but I ended up playing a TON of Donkey Kong. That being said, I decided to review it instead. I mean, would you rather have a delayed good review, or an on time crappy one? Now I haven't beaten Returns yet, but I'm on the fifth world (out of eight) so I think I'll know what I'm talking about. Since I got no suggestions for topics, I'll pick them out myself. Music, controls, replayability. Let's begin, shall we?

Donkey Kong Country Returns​

Welcome to Donkey Kong Island, aptly named for it's main resident Mr. Donkey Kong himself. He and his little buddy, or son, or nephew or something... Diddy Kong are chilling out one day when they notice all their bananas are being stolen! Oh no! Now these bananas are being stolen by the island's residents, animals. These animals are being posessed by tiki-things that came out of a volcano. Now one tiki-thing tries to posess Donkey, but it fails. Donkey and Diddy punch the tiki out of their house and begin their quest to save their bananas.
Now, not having played the first Donkey Kong Country, I can't give much background information. But by listening to other reviews, I found out that this game has a lot different from the last one. The only Kongs in this game are Donkey, Diddy, and Cranky. I believe the last one had a lot more. Also, the Kremlins (sp?) are gone, being replaced by the tiki-dudes. A lot of materials are the same, like mine cart levels and collecting items. Anyway, time to review the game based on the three topics I picked.

Music​

Donkey Kong, though a well balanced out game, has a high point in its music. The tunes sound PERFECT for the level you're on. For instance, in one level in the Beach, you're racing to avoid tidal waves that kill you on impact. The music is suspensful and fast paced to match the action. When you find a secret area with a "minigame" to play, it sounds light and fun, like a minigame should. It all fits and it's incredibly catchy! Oh, some music from previous Donkey Kong games returns! How awesome, am I right?

Controls​

This game controls VERY easily. Quite comparable to Kirby's Epic Yarn, you have to hold the Wii remote sideways. Press two to jump and one to grab. The directional pad makes you move, obviously, and shaking does many different things. A solitary shake makes you ground pound with Donkey, and "Peanut Pound" with Diddy, which shoots peanuts from his popgun while he pounds. These pounds can activate switches and stun enemies. If you hold a side direction while shaking, you can do a roll. With Diddy on your back, you can sustain it. Otherwise, it fades out after a bit. Finally, if you hold down and shake you can blow. Believe it or not, this skill is amazingly useful, mainly to find secrets though. That's about it. Pretty simply, right?

Replayability​

Hoo boy, this is one of the most replayable games EVER. I swear, it's the first game I've had the urge to backtrack to discover secrets. This is based on the four K-O-N-G letters scattered around every level (besides temples) and the 5, 7, or 9 puzzle pieces scattered around. The puzzle pieces are hidden really well, but not hard to get once you find them. It's vice-versa with the K-O-N-G letters. These are right out there, but usually very hard to collect. Regardless, once you collect all these hidden items, you unlock a temple. These temple levels are SO hard, but SO rewarding to finish. Plus, they're a ton of fun and give you a 3D diorama to view if you finish it while collecting the puzzle pieces. So far, I've 100%'d the first two worlds and I'm on the fifth gameplay wise (my plan is to beat a world, then go back and fully play through the beginning worlds ((like beat world three, replay world one. Beat four, replay two..). That's a first for me!
Donkey Kong Country has GREAT music, superb controls, and replayability to last you a very long time. With all these features and many more, plus a reasonable price of 49.99, why wouldn't you buy Donkey Kong Country Returns? Next time you're out and about, buy this game.

Conclusion​

I give Donkey Kong Country Returns... 9.5/10! The only flaw, if you'd count it a flaw, is its difficulty. It's really hard to beat the levels, let alone collect everything, and it results in minor frustration, but a challenge keeps the game long lasting.
Well I could go on a VERY long time talking about this game, but I'll cut it off now. Thanks for reading and tune in next week for my Sonic Colors review. Seeya!
Question of the Day: Should I continue reviewing games? Or was this a complete abomination?

 

[corny<3]

I guess you COULD continue reviewing games, if you shorten it for people like me 'cause I hate to read, and that was just waaaay too long for me. Especially since i'm not planning on getting that game anytime.