Parent's Guide: Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is a 3DS version of the rather similarly titled Wii game, Donkey Kong Country Returns. With a handful of new levels, and a few tweaks to the difficulty in order to make it a tad easier, this will be immediately familiar to anyone who's played the Wii version - because it's pretty much the same.

A platform game that puts you in control of Nintendo's simian sage, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D sees you galloping through the jungle as you hunt down your lost bananas. Along the way you'll swing from vines, bounce on your enemies' heads, and smash things up - although it's harder than you think.

Although some concessions have been made for the 3DS version, the game's still a lot more challenging than other, similar platformers, like New Super Mario Bros. While you have an extra heart, which lets you walk into an enemy three times without popping your clogs, the levels themselves are a bit trickier than some younger players may be used to, especially if they've mostly only played the other Nintendo platformers. With levels on a mine cart, that ask you to time your jumps with split second precision to stay on the rails, and avoid the enemy, along with a number of other one off, and incredibly challenging levels that have something pursuing you through the level, leaving you leeway to only make a small number of mistakes, this may be a bit too challenging for some of the younger Nintendo fans - but older children may appreciate the extra challenge.

A family friendly Nintendo game, there's nothing for parents to be concerned about in Donkey Kong Country Returns. There's no blood, swearing, or sex, and the only real violence comes when Donkey Kong smashes the hypnotising bad guys at the end of a boss fight, where his super charged punch sends them flying.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: Nintendo 3DS