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It seems that in the last few year a strange wave of nostalgia has washed over the games industry. Classic franchises brought back to life, old school gameplay making a comeback and on a personal level I couldn’t be happier.

You see I’m now 28 and while that is not old it does mean that, having got my first proper console at age 8, I have been gaming for more than 20 years. It also means that the current nostalgic wave is a double hit for me as many of the games making a return are the games of my childhood.

Of the studios bring it all back I think its fair to say that Nintendo have been pretty much been leading the charge. Their latest game to see itself brought out of gaming oblivion is the classic Donkey Kong Country.

Donkey Kong Country Returns sees the series returning to its familiar 2D side-scrolling format seen in the first games of the series all the way back on the Super Nintendo. Like its SNES predecessors the game’s story is…well the same as always…someone has stolen all of DK’s bananas and he wants them back.

This time, rather than the Kremlings of the previous games, an evil tribe of floating Tiki masks known as the Tiki Tak Tribe have hypnotised all the animals on the island. Under their control the animals steal the bananas, leaving it to Donkey and Diddy Kong to get them all back while also defeating the Tikis and restoring normality to the island.

However the story is only really there to justify why he is running around again, so can be forgiven for being a little simple. The strength of these games have always been the platforming and I’m glad to say, that despite spending a decade relaxing in his treehouse, this is just as true of this latest version.

As you jump and climb around the levels you are treated to a world that is both visually stunning and incredibly well designed. From glorious sandy beaches where pirates try to shoot you with cannons and you have to jump between bits of wrecked ships, to dense jungles where you have to climb up grassy rock faces dodging attacking vines.

However I do recommend you try not to get to caught up in the atmosphere, as there are lots of little secrets to find dotted around the levels. Little hidden tunnels that hide puzzle pieces, Flowers that when stomped or blown give rewards and even on occasion your old friend Rambi the Rhino to stampede about on.

The true beauty of the levels however is that they seemed to have just the right difficulty balance, all the levels seems to pose a small challenge, but none of those ever felt insurmountable. Sometimes its as simple as jumping between crumbling platforms to steering a rocket across the screen while dodging incoming explosions.

The will even throw in the regular curve ball, one such example was a series of barrels that you had to transfer between fast as the scenery was falling into your way and would kill you otherwise. However half way through the series of jumps there is one that needs you to wait a short while first. Its little touches like this just make the game feel all the greater.

What also helps is the slight change in the way the you control both Donkey & Diddy Kong. Unlike earlier versions you can no longer choose to switch control the two Kong’s, this time you can only control Donkey Kong.

When Diddy is around he will ride on Donkey’s back, but as a result it will allow you access to a small hover ability from Diddy’s jetpack that can allow you to get over some of the more difficult jumps easier.

If instead you chose to play co-op, which is my personal preference, both players get to control a Kong each for most of the time, however there is still the option to have Diddy ride on Donkey’s back where needed.

This is great for if your playing the game with someone who isn’t quite as skilled at this type of game, in my case that was Mrs DrunkenGamer. She is not a natural gamer, so when things got a little too difficult for her it meant she was able to take a more passive role until we got to a part she could manage.

Overall then calling this Donkey Kong Country ‘Returns’ couldn’t have been a more apt choice of names. As far as comebacks go there are very few that are as well done as this one has been. The game both looks and plays brilliantly, as well as being a perfect mix of nostalgic glory and modern gameplay.

If you don’t find a copy sat in your stocking over Xmas, then be sure to grab yourself a copy in the January sales.