Donkey Kong Country Returns

To do: Regional differences Prerelease article. Supposedly there's some unused text hinting at a 4-player mode More unused music. More Music Gallery oddities. The US version of the game contains "_pal" versions of the demos seen in the game. They are much shorter than the used ones. Comparisons between both demos: attract01/attract01_pal, attract02/attract02_pal attract03/attract03_pal Are the "_pal" versions used in the European version? And does the European version has the US version's demos in the disc? With the January 2026 update, the Switch version probably has enough changes that it can be split into a separate article. Placeholder video unique to Japan version? Does 3DS version have build dates?

In Donkey Kong Country Returns, Retro Studios (of Metroid Prime fame) takes on the Donkey Kong Country series, with results both fun and faithful to the originals. If you listen, you can hear it coming.

The game got a 3DS version in 2013, under the borderline word-salad title Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.

And then over 11 years later, they swapped out the 3 for an H, with a Switch version that was released in January 2025.

Unused Music#

jingle13#

Labelled "jingle13", this track is a leftover from Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, where it was used in the hint movies.

Internal Boss Names#

Aside from Tiki Tong, none of the Tiki Tak Tribe members who serve as bosses are ever referred to by name in-game; however, they're named in the game's data.

Nintendo gradually confirmed these were the Tikis' official names: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U named Kalimba, Gong-Oh, Banjo Bottom, and Xylobone in trophy descriptions, while the remainder were confirmed by Nintendo of America in promotional materials for the Switch version in 2025.

Development Text#

Build Info#

Some build info can be found at varying addresses across releases in boot.dol.

#$MetroidBuildInfo!
#$2010/10/14 00:29 Build v74844 (F8) [EF7D27E8BEDA17B19C176852F8402560]

#$MetroidBuildInfo!
#$2010/10/16 18:49 Build v74887 (F8) [82DC97E2AF835134FD4C7A744E32FE3A]

#$MetroidBuildInfo!
#$2010/10/22 21:39 Build v75001 (F8) [50D7FB9CEA76DA84C364FCD7C0E9FD8F]

#$MetroidBuildInfo!
#$2010/11/15 18:37 Build v75508 (F8) [5DFFAF5D521BF631F1A65BAE5F212D6D]

Japan Revision 1 has the same build info as Rev 0.

boot.dol#

Present at 0x550348 in boot.dol is text for some debug displays.

MEM1: %2.2f/24.0 RcntPeak: %2.2f Peak: %2.2f
MEM2: %2.2f/%2.2f RcntPeak: %2.2f Peak: %2.2f
FRAME RATE FRAME RATE FRAME RATE
FRAME RATE FRAME RATE FRAME RATE
FRAME RATE FRAME RATE FRAME RATE
CPU .GPU .FPS: %3.0f %s.LOW

30fps.txt#

The Wii version attempts to read a file called 30fps.txt from the root of the disc. If a blank file with that filename is present, the game runs at 30 FPS instead of 60 FPS.

Although the 3DS version does run at 30 FPS, this file is not present.

Anti-Piracy#

The NVIDIA Shield TV version uses the NVIDIA Security Interface (NVSI) copy protection to strip functionality of an important gameplay function if the game's license check was bypassed. In this game's case, part of the function that calculates Donkey Kong's jump speed has been replaced with a call to lingcod_callNVSISnippet(). If the snippet fails to run, Donkey Kong's jump speed is always set to 0, preventing him from actually jumping and thus rendering the game impossible to beat.

Oddities#

Nintendo DS Texture#

The Nintendo DS Donkey Kong sometimes plays when left idle has a front graphic that is nearly impossible to see in-game.

Music Gallery#

To do: Clarify the internal music name! Some may not accurate!

Some of the music in the unlockable Music Gallery has noteworthy differences from what is played in-game.

• "Aquatic Ambience Returns" (a remix of "Aquatic Ambience" from Donkey Kong Country) uses beach_blubbo_bpm150, which has an extended intro that does not play in beach_blubbo_bpm150_rev1, the in-game variant.
• The music option titled "Boulder Roller" uses Cliff04_05_06_32kBPM132, a remix of "Northern Hemispheres" from Donkey Kong Country. What's odd is that this track never plays in the level named Boulder Roller, instead playing in Weighty Way and Precarious Plateau. The opening area of Boulder Roller uses a different "Northern Hemispheres" remix, Cliff02_10(var1)_32kBPM128 (which is present in the Music Gallery under the title "Clifftop Concert"), while Cliff03_09(var2)_32kBPM110 plays for most of the level.
  • Cliff04_05_06_32kBPM132 is also included on the Japanese OST release, where it's properly named after Weighty Way ("上げ下げゆかの谷" in Japanese).
• "Life in the Mines Returns" (a remix of "Life in the Mines" from Donkey Kong Country) uses Factory05_06_32kBPM134, with slightly different arrangements from "Cog Jog" level's version. It's the variation that heard in the Japanese Official Soundtrack CD (Named "ロックンローリング" in Japanese). However, in both levels in which it's used, it's played simultaneously with another track (Factory05_06_32kBPM144 in Cog Jog, Factory06_only32kBPM144, Factory06_only32kBPM144_blue (Blue Switch Percussion Assist), and Factory06_only32kBPM144_red (Red Switch Percussion Assist) in Switcheroo) that adds Factory-themed instrumentation. The Music Gallery is the only way to hear the regular track on its own in-game.

Regional Differences#

Title Screen#

Static#

Japan	International

Animated#

Ripped Graphics#

Save Banner#

Japan	International

Horizontal Wii Remote Prompt#

Does not appear right away in the Japanese version if the game first runs in this Wii Remote configuration. If the Nunchuk is connected/disconnected manually, still pops up as normal.

Battery Warning#

Japan	International

File Select#

Japan	International

Main Menu#

Japan	International

Revisional Differences#

Revision 1#

To do: Compare US v1.0 to JP v1.0 and EU v1.0, as the game was released in the US a fair bit earlier and neither Japan nor EU got a v1.1. Investigate v1.1 for other differences.

A US-exclusive revision, containing some adjustments compared to the initial release. This version was used for the Wii U eShop (2015) and Nintendo Selects (2016) re-releases, but standard Wii copies are known to exist, so it's not exactly clear when it was released.

• The sound effect for collecting all the K-O-N-G letters, which was missing in US v1.0, was added.
• The speed of the turning Barrel Cannons in bonus rooms was reduced.
• In 6-K Perilous Passage, the Robo Bees fly away instead of dying, as they did in US v1.0.

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D#

To do: The enemy bounce change possibly breaks one of the Golden Temple levels when playing in multiplayer

In 2013, a version of Donkey Kong Country Returns was released for the Nintendo 3DS. This version was developed by Monster Games and contains a plethora of differences:

• Whereas the Wii version contains only the Golden Temple level in World 9, the 3DS version's World 9 is an entire world called "Cloud". It contains eight levels exclusive to this version (each stylized after each world in the game), and concludes with the Golden Temple.
  • These new levels' designs are credited to various staff at Monster Games besides the final two, as indicated by their file names:
    • 9-1 - Crushin' Columns (l0x_jungle_mitch1): Mitch Ernst
    • 9-2 - Gushin' Geysers (l0x_beach_todd): Todd Legare
    • 9-3 - Spiky Surprise (l0x_ruins_isaac): Isaac Turner
    • 9-4 - Mischievous Moles (l0x_cave_john): John Schneider
    • 9-5 - Topsy Turvy (l0x_forest_josh1): Josh Defries
    • 9-6 - Tar Ball Fall (l0x_cliff_cj): Walter "CJ" Boswell
    • 9-7 - Robo Factory (l0x_factory_toshi): Toshihiko Okamoto
    • 9-8 - Lavawheel Volcano (l0x_volcano_toshi): Toshihiko Okamoto
• The 3DS version adds a "New Mode" that can be selected upon starting a new save. New Mode includes various changes that make the game easier than the original:
  • The player has three hearts instead of two in regular play, and two instead of one in Mirror Mode.
  • Cranky's shop has a few new items, and all items are much cheaper than they are in the vanilla game. Also, for those who are too lazy to collect all the K-O-N-G letters, after defeating Tiki Tong, the Rare Orbs become available in the shop for 50 banana coins each.
  • The player can now use up to three items in a single level.
  • The Super Guide becomes available after five deaths, instead of eight.
• If the player does not use items they selected for a level, said items are returned to their inventory.
• Like Super Mario 3D Land, the game encourages players to take a break after a few levels.
• Unfortunately, all these additions come at a graphical cost. The Wii version runs at a relatively stable 60 FPS, but the 3DS version is capped at 30 FPS and unfortunately is much more unstable than the original.
• Models and textures are of lesser quality in the 3DS version.
• There are more loading screens, and the background does not scroll during level transitions.
• Co-op plays slightly differently, as the delay that allows two players to bounce on the same enemy in succession has been removed.

Nvidia Shield#

In 2019, Donkey Kong Country Returns was released on the Chinese Nvidia Shield, the system that modern Nintendo games are released on in China. This version runs through an official Wii emulator, with some enhancements and changes:

• The title screen features a Chinese logo, which is based on the Japanese one.
• The game runs at 1080p HD.
• Fortunately, there are no motion controls. Instead, the game uses the same control scheme as the 3DS version and Tropical Freeze.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD#

To do: More differences, a fair amount of upgrades and downgrades, e.g. missing visual effects, same multiplayer enemy bounce issue as 3DS port 1.1.0 changes, which includes fixing the multiplayer bouncing behaviour and at least visual issues

In 2025, Donkey Kong Country Returns, well, returned yet again, this time on Nintendo Switch. This version is seemingly based on Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, and retains most of that version's changes.

• The game now uses the Unity engine in place of the original game's rendering backend.
• Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have more realistic fur, similar to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
• When left idle, Donkey Kong now plays on a Nintendo Switch instead of a Nintendo DS as in the Switch version of Tropical Freeze.
• While the Wii version's frame rate has been restored, it's a little more unstable, with slowdown in some stages and most bosses. However, the slowdown disappears when the game is played on a Nintendo Switch 2.
• The motion controls from the Wii version have been readded though are now optional.
• The credits for the original Retro Studios development team have been omitted, simply stating in a singular line that the game is "Based on the work of the original development staff".

Build Info#

In Data/StreamingAssets/Version.txt

product, Wed, 23 Oct 2024 20:55:36 GMT

References#