Nintendo has announced that its hairy hero Donkey Kong will be returning this summer on the handheld 3DS in a three-dimensional remake of Donkey Kong Country Returns – and now there’s a trailer to celebrate the comeback of the much loved chimp!
Donkey Kong is up there with the top tier of Nintendo’s classic characters and has stood the test of time since his first outing in 1981 alongside the likes of Link from The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario – who was actually introduced in the very first Donkey Kong game which had DK as the Princess stealing villain and the plumber as the playable hero.
The last time DK was in his own title it was actually in this very game back in 2010, when the original 2D version of Donkey Kong Country Returns was released on Wii as a follow up to the popular Donkey Kong Country series on SNES which showcased the furry chap as a hero in his own right and partnered him up with a sidekick named Diddy Kong.
DKCR was the first in the series not to be developed by British firm Rare but the game was a truly worthy successor to the barrel busting classics and the exciting and chaotic platformer has gotten a 3D makeover and will be relaunched as digital download on the Nintendo eShop for 3DS gamers in the UK and Europe at a price and date to be confirmed closer to the release date.
An interesting fact about Donkey Kong is that gaming lore suggests he was never actually supposed to be called ‘Donkey Kong’. The name was mistranslated when the game was adapted for the western world and the original title – the Japanese for ‘Monkey Kong’ – was printed in error onto thousands of units before they were shipped out!
