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Summary
One of the many announcements made during the new Nintendo Direct was that ofDonkey Kong Country Returns HDfor the Nintendo Switch . While the game was a hit on its original chopine of the Wii and aid re-start the franchise in many respects , getting it on Switch does n’t helpDonkey Kongreach unexampled stature as a character or as a franchise . In short , Nintendo has a DK trouble , and it ’s ostensibly not being address .
The original version ofDonkey Kong Country Returnscame out in 2010 . It was a surprisal announcement by Nintendo at E3 2010 , and the proclamation was only made potent when it was reveal thatRetro Studios was the squad making the reboot . Prior toDonkey Kong CountryReturns , Retro Studios had grown to prominence by developing theMetroid Primegames . Returnswould go on to have great success on the Nintendo Wii , and it would spawn a continuation , Donkey Kong Country : Tropical Freeze , on the Wii U. However , after that Wii U dismissal , the franchise has n’t had a novel entry .
Mario and Luigi : Brothership , the first entry in the series in over nine year , has been officially revealed by Nintendo during the recent Direct .
Nintendo Keeps Porting & Remaking Old Donkey Kong Country Games
Tropical Freeze Is A Decade Old
Nintendo is leaving theDonkey Kong Countryseries to flounder without new game , a trouble highlight by the success of the larboard ofTropical Freezeon the Nintendo Switch compared to the Wii U version . The Wii U release arrive in 2014 and had good sales . Then , in 2018 , the Switch got a port with some small upgrades and additions , andit doubled the Wii U sales by December 2022 , grant toVGChartz . By all account , it was a highly successful Switch interface , proving that the great unwashed were still concerned in the dealership . Yet , Nintendo did n’t make a newfangled game , but ported an even elderly one to the console .
While the Nintendo Switch has been praised for its unbelievable batting order , include some of the new gamesannounced during the Nintendo Direct , many critics have also called it a port simple machine . During both the early years and in 2024 , Nintendo has been more than content with porting or upgrading preceding games versus making new ones . That applies toDonkey Kongmore than once , as one of the early Switch expiration in 2024 was theremake ofMario vs. Donkey Kong , a title of respect that was released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004 .
The Donkey Kong Country Reboot Should’ve Been A Trilogy
Small Changes Helped Make Retro Studios' Take Unique
One of the biggest frustration about this want of a new game is that theDonkey Kongfranchise is n’t the most complex series from which to make a new game . In the case of theDonkey Kong Countryset of titles , it ’s very much a 2D platformer with various chemical element that separate it from title with Mario . There ’s discover the KONG letters , ride various animals to get through levels or unlock secret area , and collecting bananas . Plus , in the Retro Studios title , there were only instant changes to the expression from the SNES games .
For model , Retro Studios did n’t just upgrade the graphics to match modern times , but look at the visuals and gameplay to interesting places to make the most of each level . In multiple stage , Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are rendered in silhouette chassis , which makes the level palpate completely differentand forces the player to think about what is in front of and behind them . Tropical Freezeeven has four playable characters , adding Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong to the card in a series first . Then , there were the Tikis and the Snowmads , who were entirely young enemy compare to King K. Rool and his minions in the SNES entry .
The Need For A New Donkey Kong Title Is Growing
Other Franchises Have Flourished On Switch
Arguably add another big nail to this coffin is that , despite being a embrasure of a nearly 14 - year - honest-to-god title , Donkey Kong Country ReturnsHDisn’t coming out until January 2025 . That meansthis port wine will be one of the last big games for the Nintendo Switch before the modulation to the Switch 2 . The game had also already returned previously when it was port to the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 . The Switch version will in reality compound all the levels from the previous two versions into one .
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3Dsold nearly 3 million units , accord toVGChartz .
Even still , that does n’t justify not make a newDonkeyKong title . In just the Switch ’s lifespan , there will have been severalLegend of Zeldatitles , let in the newly announcedEchoes of Wisdomstarring Princess Zelda , numerousPokémongames , threeXenoblade Chroniclestitles and their expansive DLCs , twoWarioWaretitles , an almost uncountable routine of game headline by Mario , and so on . With how prolific many serial have been in the Switch earned run average , it ’s rather confusing to see Nintendo not publish another new title have Donkey Kong , Diddy Kong , Cranky Kong , and the residual of the Kong kin .
In the terminal , theDonkey Kongfranchise is technically continuing with the upcoming HD port , which means that , in a minor manner , Nintendo is prove making love for the serial . However , compare to the love it ’s showing to other franchises , include unity that were n’t big sellers in the past , it ’s curious why te company is n’t elevating Donkey Kong and his family . His games have been rise seller on multiple platforms , which is commonly enough to get new titles . Whenever the Switch 2 comes around , this particular problem needs to be figure out .
Source : VGChartz
Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic.
