Wii Game Review
Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Nintendo Wii is a glorious revival of one of gaming’s most beloved platforming franchises – only now with more barrel-blasting, banana-hoarding, and controller-clutching challenge than ever before. Developed by Retro Studios and released in 2010, this modern take on Donkey Kong Country brings back everything fans adored from the SNES classics, while amping up the action and injecting a bit of modern flair. It’s not just a nostalgia trip – it’s a gorilla-sized gauntlet of platforming excellence.
The setup is delightfully simple. Some nefarious tiki creatures known as the Tiki Tak Tribe have hypnotized the wildlife of Donkey Kong Island and stolen DK’s precious banana hoard. Naturally, our hero sets off, chest pounding and eyebrows furrowed, with his trusty sidekick Diddy Kong in tow to reclaim every last piece of fruit. No princesses, no world-ending threats, just one very motivated monkey and a whole lot of airborne fruit to recover.
Gameplay-wise, Donkey Kong Country Returns is 2.5D platforming at its finest. Levels are side-scrolling masterpieces full of dynamic environments, hidden secrets, clever puzzles, and the kind of timed jumps that will make your palms sweat. You’ll ride minecarts through collapsing tracks, cling to rocket barrels in lava caves, and roll your way through jungles and cliffs – all while dodging enemies and trying not to lose your last balloon.
Donkey Kong controls with a satisfying sense of weight. He can ground pound, roll, and cling to grassy surfaces, while Diddy adds jetpack-assisted hovering and peanut-popping action when riding on DK’s back. The two-character setup works beautifully, whether you’re tackling the game solo or in co-op mode, where a second player can control Diddy independently for some wild tag-team platforming. Fair warning though: this game is hard. Like, throw-your-Wii-Remote hard. But it’s the kind of difficulty that rewards perseverance, not just reflexes.
Visually, the game is a treat. The levels are richly animated, with backgrounds that feel alive and packed with little surprises – crumbling ruins, shadowy caves, and giant contraptions that spin, collapse, or explode at just the wrong time. The soundtrack is a masterstroke of remixed SNES tunes and new jungle jams, capturing the spirit of Donkey Kong Country while giving it a Wii-era polish.
Motion controls are minimal but present – you’ll need to shake the Wii Remote to roll, pound the ground, or blow on flowers (yes, really). While not everyone loved this addition, the controls are responsive enough that it rarely becomes a deal-breaker. If you’re a purist, you might pine for a button-based roll, but the gameplay is smooth regardless.
In the end, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a triumphant comeback for the Kong crew. It honors its SNES roots with reverence, but isn’t afraid to add some modern muscle. The challenge is real, the level design is tight, and the charm is off the charts. Whether you’re a veteran of the original trilogy or a newcomer to Kong country, this one is well worth the bananas.
Wii Game Cheats and Tips
Bonus level:
All levels in a world except for the Boss levels have hidden K, O, N, and G letters. Collect all four of those letters in all levels in a world to unlock a bonus level. There are a total of eight bonus levels.
Rare Orb:
To unlock a Rare Orb, complete the bonus level in a world.
Extra lives:
Resume a game from a saved game file with a Wiimote that’s battery is low. Cranky will give you three extra lives.
Feed the Animals:
To perform this trick, you will need to play as Diddy Kong with a second controller in either World 1-B or 7-B to pull this trick off. When fighting Mugly or Thugly, the rhino-like bosses, they will try to attack by charging at you and swallowing you. Stand at one end of the stage away from Mugly or Thugly and shoot peanuts directly at the boss or specifically when their mouths are open. If you get enough peanuts into their mouth they will pause to eat munch them, openly revealing the weak spot on their back. This gives you the perfect opportunity to attack them. You can also keep shooting to increase the time they stop and eat and let Donkey Kong attack them for you.
Unlockable music:
Unlock the following music at the Extras menu by performing the corresponding tasks:
MUSIC – HOW TO UNLOCK
Beach Music – Beat the boss of the Beach section without Super Guide
Cave Music – Beat the boss of the Cave section without Super Guide
Cliff Music – Beat the boss of the Cliff section without Super Guide
Factory Music – Beat the boss of the Factory section without Super Guide
Forest Music – Beat the boss of the Forest section without Super Guide
Jungle Music – Beat the boss of the Jungle section without Super Guide
Ruins Music – Beat the boss of the Ruins section without Super Guide
Volcano Music – Beat the boss of the Volcano section without Super Guide
200% Game Completion images:
Complete the game while collecting every KONG letter and puzzle piece. Then, do it again in Mirror Mode to get a 200% game completion and unlock the following eight images in the gallery:
Petroglyph
Mole Carts
Steamy Adventure
Volcanic Ascension
Temple Entrance
Temple Exterior
Tiki Extremes
Tiki Tong Storyboard
How to Punch the Bosses and Barrels:
At the end of levels, when you collect your prize from the barrel, look for the SHAKE icon to appear and shake your Wii Remote to get in multiple “hits.” You’ll get more goodies for each punch. Do not shake to early or else you will cancel the bonus. You can also use this to punch bosses at the very end a boss fight. If you shake the Wii Remote early it will not work.
Mirror Mode:
To unlock Mirror mode, complete the Golden Temple (World 9). In Mirror mode, every level is reversed and you move from right to left. You have only one chance and you won’t be able to use inventory items or Diddy.
Infinite DK Coins:
As Diddy, go to the first checkpoint in World 2-2 (Sloppy Sands). Here you will find two squid cannons underneath a bridge. Hit JUMP and UP to bounce from the lower squid to the higher squid. Hit the squid and drop to the lower squid again. Repeatedly bounce between them for infinite DK Coins.
World 9, The Golden Temple:
In every level except for boss levels there are letters to collect that spell out KONG. Collect the KONG letters in each level in a World to unlock a bonus level. Complete that bonus level to collect a Rare Orb. There are 8 Rare Orbs to collect, one in the bonus level of each World. After collecting them all, you will unlock the path to World 9 via The Golden Temple.
Roll Recovery:
When a KONG letter is hanging off the edge of a cliff, perform the Roll Recovery move by rolling off the edge of the cliff and jumping at the last second to reach a safe ledge above.