ack in the day, when they weren’t developing half-hearted motion titles or games with papier-mâché animals in them, Rare had a partnership where they developed games for Nintendo, and they got their big break reviving one of the Big N’s biggest icons; Donkey Kong. While the reception toward the Donkey Kong Country franchise has always been wildly mixed (seriously, what’s up with these guys?) it’s definitely secured enough of a following for Retro Studios to live up to their name so to speak, and release a modern sequel on Wii…
Flash forward to 2013, Nintendo makes the call for Retro to port the monkeys over to the 3DS, and Retro being the forward-thinking bunch that they are, decided to work on all of the criticisms of its Wii cousin, it’s safe to say that they succeeded.
While the concern towards the fidelity of the visuals and scaling of the content may immediately jump to mind, the biggest improvement in the handheld iteration of the redux platformer that calls attention is hands-on (no pun intended) the controls; they’re vastly improved. Where the Wiimote nostalgia-enforced “NES” style of control, it hardly accommodated a lot of the more complex maneuvering like rolling or blowing, so these actions were mapped to the less-than-stellar motion component of the controller and the response was a bit—iffy, at best.
The 3DS eliminates all of these woes with a fully realized layout that allows for proper input for rolling, barrel carrying, and the like. Choosing between two different layouts that are designated between the control pad and the analog, you’ll find a much more 
flexible fit for your thumbs but some certain choices are a still a bit strange (still can’t barrel-carry and roll with the same button.) Sadly, there’s no way to physically customize the inputs individually, but hey; it’s a step up from having to constantly lift your controller up right? This subtle change makes a large difference because for those who are reading this and didn’t originally play DKCR, it was pretty hard, stupid hard even, and the controls made a significant difference, but even then, the design and elements were pretty difficult; Retro Studios took the initiative to address this in DKCR 3D too and it’s a welcomed change.
For purists who didn’t have any issues with the difficulty can play the version in its Wii incarnation, but the new mode now allows for changes that will make the go-around a lot friendlier than last time. Changes include both monkeys gaining two additional hearts, and more DK barrels. In addition, when visiting Cranky’s shop, you’ll be able to access lives cheaper, buy a new green balloon that dives in after you and saves you, and finally Crash Guard which lets you take a hit during the rocket barrel/mine cart sequences; saving you frustration and sparing everyone around you the usual barrage of swear words. The improvements refine what was already solid foundation for gameplay, just smoother romps. Each stage has a real frenetic sense to it that keeps you constantly moving and bumping against walls and barrel cannons in a constant flow of movement that’s easier to manage with responsive, ergonomic, more intuitive controls.
The 3D elements adapt well to the base visuals thanks in large part to the inherent design behind the 2.5 mechanics of the stage layout that give the game a natural pop, accentuating the vibrancy effect of depth and color in every stage; especially when you’re hopping between the foreground to background, it’s like a tropical pop-up book. The 3D maybe difficult to bear from the vision cone limitations already inherent in the hardware and the frenetic nature of the gameplay but it definitely stands up to be a worthy piece of evidence towards the benefit of 3D gaming. The wireless multiplayer works for the most part, but there’s a slight delay in co-op partner response as far as what your buddy sees you doing on screen and visa-versa, which can cause some issues when working together during team-up moves but the lag was consistent, just a minor hiccup that grew to be annoying at times.
For those who missed out on DKCR the first time, and own a 3DS, you’re definitely getting the definitive version. The platforming design and quirky graphics not only pay homage to the landmark 90’s franchise but it expands on the principals with a bigger emphasis on the cartoonish charm and graphics that throw a new spin of whimsy on the title. Definitely one of the best hop ‘n boppers on the handheld, this throwback comes recommended and will be sure to satisfy any nostalgic jumping desire with the right balance of modern conventions to support it.
