Ah, my most anticipated game of the last six months. I think that was a problem, actually, as it turned out I’d hyped the thing beyond all reality. The game is fantastic, but little details disappointed me, which I think reflects poorly on my own attitude.

Being a hardcore member of the DKVine forums, home to the Internet’s biggest Donkey Kong Universe fans, we of course had been overanalysing every scrap we could find since the announcement at last E3. I eventually disengaged from watching every gameplay preview, because going so far in really would spoil it for me.

Reception has been overwhelmingly positive (I agree with it), and I’ve seen more than a few comments indicating that this game was toppling previously-held beliefs on which is the best, or second-best, DKC game. For me personally, among others, my list is now DKC2>DKCTF>DKC3>DKCR>DKC1.

Let me get the niggles out of the way first. The lag on the loading screens disproportionately annoyed me. The swimming controls are not as smooth as Rayman Legends (which they are based on). Bonus rooms are boring. The final boss was a little underwhelming and a little too reminiscent of a certain reptilian monarch, who once again is conspicuous by his absence. Aquatic Ambiance is remixed far too much. The setup and payoff generally aren’t as impactful as they should have been, although progression feels very good. Still too many rocket barrels. And finally, dramatic underuse of Animal Buddies (partially offset by multiple partner Kongs).

So Retro seemingly took on many of the complaints from DKCR, and attempted to address them. They whiffed a few points, but gave us more charismatic antagonists, ways to change up the gameplay with the partners and swimming, and really just ramped up the execution on graphics, presentation, environments, and music.

Let’s give music its own paragraph because it’s a big thing. David Wise is back in glorious form, with excellent tunes. Not always totally appropriate, but nicely varied. Also not enough DKC2 remixes, but the remixes and references to DKC3 GBA were very cool to my relatively recently educated ears. The guy is just great, and the unqueness of the styles he brings makes for a soundtrack like no other game. Getting jazz flute and heavy metal just a few levels apart is totally cool.

Apart from the new features I mentioned and the coup of securing Wise’s involvement, this is really heavily built off the foundation of Returns. All the mechanics are the same, with Miyamoto’s boneheaded blowing mechanic replaced with the more intuitive pulling, piggybacking on another button which also is used for the more extensively implemented throwing of objects, and of course swimming added. The physics, the collectibles, the feel are all the same and that’s fine, really. It’s just been toned up and polished. Maybe they should have shaken it up a little more, plus I wasn’t used to the heaviness and finality to your actions of this engine, as opposed to Rayman and Mairo Galaxy which I thought of as I was starting as they allowed you some recovery wiggle room. I got into the groove though.

Nintendo’s hyping up the difficulty of this game but I don’t see it. In Returns I used many more lives in co-op though, and this has been solo only for me, so similarly I quickly reached 99 lives and stayed there. I used more coins on the new items this time, though, which is good, but they’re not very good. Especially the one-use only items which are gone after use, but then you have to carry on as long as you have lives. Makes them feel less useful. The long loading times also discourage exiting and entering levels often.

Basically the game is just a much better version of Returns, with more imagination and ambition. It’s not perfectly tuned though. For example, it seems to me that Dixie is the most powerful partner and I used her heaps more than the others, but maybe that’s a choice thing—how much of a crutch do you want? Oh and of course the motion controls are no longer compulsory, as the button layout from Returns 3D is now an option on Gamepad or Pro Controller. I found it much better that way.

I feel a little conflicted about this game, because in certain ways Rayman Legends stole its thunder, being an excellently produced 2D platformer that was very fun and had it all together. But despite borrowing a couple of mechanics, they do go in different directions, and it very much has its own identity. Definitely an essential Wii U game, one of if not the best so far. And I’ve already expressed how wonderful it is compared to other DKC games (I really do love DKC3). If you like platformers and have a Wii U, you need this game.

Oh, one more thing. I wish the collectible counters would increment after they appear on screen, not before. See what I mean about my attitude?