You can never quite predict what Nintendo has in store for its games. Last night, the company quietly uploaded a trailer for a new update to Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, the belated Nintendo Switch port of the 2011 Wii classic. While it was pretty expected that we’d see some updates for better Switch 2 compatibility, I don’t think anyone anticipated a new mode and character.
If you were bummed that Dixie Kong didn’t feature in Returns 15 years ago, Nintendo has rectified that for you. She now joins the game with all of her moves from Tropical Freeze, almost bridging the gap between the two entries. She comes alongside “Turbo Attack” mode, which is like a time trial amped up to 11. Movement is dramatically faster and the game takes on a whole different feel where your reaction time needs to match Neo’s in The Matrix.
On the Switch 2 side of things, Returns HD will now render in 4K output when docked and 1080p for handheld. The load times have also been dramatically decreased, besting the Wii original instead of the sluggish loading the Switch original featured. That should make replaying levels or doing time trials more palatable.
As for other lingering issues that Returns HD had, such as missing graphical effects and strange multiplayer deficiencies, those have been fixed. In essence, this is now the definitive version of Returns and what the HD port should have launched as last year. Better late than never, I suppose. Now, let’s update Tropical Freeze to 4K output.
For a closer look at all the details, check out a list of all of Nintendo’s Ver. 1.1.0 patch notes.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
