Kaze ni nare.
Despite being a) beloved and b) hugely successful, the Donkey Kong Country series feels a little… well… under-rated. Offering a weighty yet fast-paced alternative take on the side-scrolling platformer, it’s always been second fiddle to Nintendo’s flagship Super Mario titles. It’s a surprise that such an overt love letter to Rare’s ape-tastic series has taken so long to arrive; Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair came close, but Kaze and the Wild Masks perhaps goes one better – it’s a thrilling, beautifully-designed homage to the SNES Donkey Kong trilogy (with a few elements taken from Tropical Freeze, to boot).
The game makes no secret of its roots, actively inviting comparison with a whole host of features effectively lifted from Donkey Kong Country. For example, there are two well-hidden “bonus barrels” per level in the form of portals leading you to some extremely familiar mini-games; beat all the baddies or collect all the gems. It’s familiar and very polished – rather than dumping you out of the challenge room if you run out of time or take a hit, you’re able to simply press A to restart, reducing repetition and frustration.
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