Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Ook! Ook! Banana emergency! Donkey Kong's stash of beloved potassium sticks has been nicked by the Tiki Tak Tribe, leaving the grumpy gorilla – and sidekick Diddy Kong – no choice but to chase them around a tropical island to get them back.

It's as simple a premise as ever for a Donkey Kong game, but not an unfamiliar one – not only is it a redux of the original Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, swapping out that game's Kremlings for the evil Tikis as villain du jour but, as a remaster of a 2010 Wii game, it's sure to have lingered in the memories of many players.

Even the addition of the 3DS version's extra levels [...] can't help make Returns HD feel like more than the previous releases stitched together in an ape-shaped Frankenstein's monster.

Donkey Kong Country Returns', err, return is technically the fourth go-around for the game, too. After the Wii release, it received an enhanced port for the 3DS in 2013 featuring extra levels, and then a no-frills digital re-release of the Wii version on the Wii U's eShop. With its gameplay always deliberately evocative of those SNES-era games – that classic run-to-the-right 2D platforming model – it's all feels a bit too nostalgic.

Unfortunately, that all makes this release victim to the law of diminishing returns. The high-def gloss developer Forever Entertainment (building on the work of original developer Retro Studios) has delivered is lovely, especially in finer details or the gorgeous lighting and colour palettes of certain levels – an early one casting Donkey, Diddy, and the entire foreground layer in silhouette against a setting sun is particularly stunning – but it all feels a bit "been there, done that". Even the addition of the 3DS version's extra levels, playable on a full-size screen for the first time and benefitting from the same visual glow-up as the core game, can't help make Returns HD feel like more than the previous releases stitched together in an ape-shaped Frankenstein's monster.

Still, for those who are discovering it for the first time, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD remains an excellent, if unforgiving, platform adventure. Donkey's movement, a loping run, speedy barrel-rolls through enemies, and slow, almost floaty jumps, still feels unique compared to the likes of Mario or Sonic, while combo moves with Diddy – joining Donkey after smashing DK barrels throughout levels – allow a jet-pack hover to make longer leaps. A more tactile world with climbable walls and vines to swing from, plus a fun use of depth where cannon barrels will blast the great ape in and out of background layers, makes level design feel distinct too.

Navigation is tough from the off though, and you'll need to master the intricacies of those controls, often in ways the game never explains – rolling off an edge into the abyss, then making a physics-defying jump to grab a collectible, for instance – if you want to make it through. Completionists aiming to grab every last hidden doo-dad, such as puzzle piece unlocking gallery art or music and the iconic K-O-N-G letters scattered through each level, may find this more frustrating than it's worth at times. This is especially the case with on-rails minecart levels where enemies or hazards can appear suddenly, leaving no chance to react short of learning the layout by heart and repeatedly trying until you get the timing right. While Returns HD offers up "Original" or "Modern" difficulty modes, the latter offering an extra heart of health and making more support items available, you should still expect to play through levels multiple times.

While Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is unquestionably the definitive edition of the game, with all the extra content from the 3DS version and newly added visual oomph, it's hard not to feel as though it's one too many trips to the same well. A great release for those encountering it for the first time, or those who relish tougher platformers, but there's not enough here to warrant returning players to revisit.