I used to absolutely adore the Donkey Kong Country games on the SNES. I don’t know whether it was their (at the time) stunning visuals, the stellar soundtracks, or just the fact you were jumping and hopping around as an ape and chimpanzee. The series sadly went silent after the third and final part in the trilogy released and beside a few ports to handheld systems; it seemed Donkey Kong had well and truly hung up his platforming bananas. That was until Retro Studios stepped forward however, reviving and refreshing the series with a well received sequel on the Nintendo Wii. Now this same game is making its way onto 3DS courtesy of Monster Games (the studio behind Excitetruck and Pilotwings Resort).

The residents of Donkey Kong’s island have become hypnotised by a number of weird Tiki masks convincing them to steal the ape’s banana hoard. With the help of his pal Diddy Kong, the pair set off to save the animals of the island and more importantly retrieve their bananas.

The game is set out much like a number of 2D platformers spreading its stages over a large world map that take the duo from the jungle to the beach, caves, forests and eventually an active volcano. Overall the platforming in Donkey Kong Country is easy to get to grips with – you move around, jump, roll and cartwheel, swing and climb ropes and so on. Despite its deceptively easy opening world however, the game quickly takes a sharp spike in difficulty throwing a number of tough situations your way that only get worse the further you progress.  For those who love a challenging platformer then look no further.

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