Game:

Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010)

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Product provided by Nintendo

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So Nintendo provided us with a review code for Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for Nintendo Switch. And they asked us to try out the game in co-op.

So, we did, and, honestly, I almost can’t believe what we discovered.

Now, I was aware that there was some controversy surrounding this game, I've even covered some of it here.

Like how it’s an HD remaster of an almost 15-year-old Wii game, but this new version is still full price.

I’ve also seen reports that there are some weird quirks with some of the game’s textures, backgrounds, and effects. There’s even some load-time and frame-rate issues.

But, after actually playing through the game, I can say that, although the technical issues are legitimate, they'll likely never be noticed by anyone other than those looking to nit-pick.

I’m much more concerned about the co-op mode. Because, although this is a genuinely fantastic game that I adored when playing solo, I’m sad to say that I simply cannot recommend the co-op mode as it is right now.

You see, jumping on and off enemies is a huge part of the platforming. So, when playing in co-op, both players need to be able to jump on the same enemy in order to successfully traverse certain levels.

You could do that in the original game back on the Wii. But–as you can see in this demonstration by Kong Kompendium–in this version, after one player jumps on an enemy, the second player can’t–they just pass straight through.

In my opinion, this pretty much ruins the co-op mode, because now there are lots of levels that you can’t make it through without at least one player dying.

Apparently, this same issue existed on the 3DS version. But that kinda makes it worse. It was a known problem, and it didn’t get fixed.

Also, I’m not a fan of the choice to take away two lives every time you die when playing in co-op–but that's more of a personal gripe.

I get why they do it, but, to me, it feels just a little punishing. The game’s challenging to begin with, and with its problems, playing it co-op can actually make it more difficult.

Ultimately, we got frustrated and gave up on the co-op mode. I ended up just playing the game solo, and like I said, it’s a great game–one of the best platformers I’ve played.

I see why this game keeps returning, but the co-op mode needs to be fixed or patched before I can recommend playing Donkey Kong Country Returns HD with someone else.