Highlights

  • Donkey Kong 64 deserves a remaster to update its challenging collectathon gameplay and enhance its beloved charm.
  • The game's excessive collectibles and backtracking make it frustrating, but a streamlined remaster could improve the experience.
  • Donkey Kong 64 is hard to find on modern consoles, but a remaster could bring it back to the limelight for new and old fans alike.

Mario vs Donkey Kong is a surprising choice for a remake, but a fun way to give an old title another chance in the limelight. However, now that this remake of the 2004 GBA classic is out there, another DK outing should get a new coat of paint after Mario vs Donkey Kong.

Bringing back Donkey Kong and Mario's rivalry has spawned more than a few opportunities for Mario to return to his old nemesis. With Nintendo's recent remastering spree, from Super Mario RPG to Mario vs. Donkey Kong, there's a collection of games that could see similar treatment. Old DK games and classic Donkey Kong Country titles are all on the table, not to mention sequel possibilities or continued remakes of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.

donkey kong glares at mini mario toy
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Mario vs. Donkey Kong's Remake Should Be Followed By A Donkey Kong 64 Remaster

The DK title that could use a remake the most is Donkey Kong 64. Released in 1999 for the N64, the game is a 3D platforming collectathon where players take on the roles of Donkey Kong and his family in the fight against King K. Rool. Developed by Rare and released a year after Banjo-Kazooie, DK 64 is best known for the DK Rap and other elements of staple Rareware humor, not to mention some intensive collecting that has made it a challenge to speedrunners everywhere. However, its excessive collectible quantities and backtracking requirements have caused it to be as infamous as it is beloved, making a remaster all the more warranted.

Donkey Kong 64 Could Do With Being Streamlined

Donkey Kong 64 can be frustrating, even for those used to collectathon titles. The game actually won a Guinness World Record for its staggering 3,821 collectibles—around 2,000 of which are needed just to beat the game. However, the main source of annoyance in this number can be easily seen with the biggest chunk: the 3,500 colored bananas. They come in five different colors throughout the game, one color for each kong. Each kong can only pick up their own color of banana. Furthermore, players can't switch between kongs at will—only at swapping barrels found across a level. This means that many areas will need to be revisited with different kongs for all collectibles to be accounted for.

Despite this repetitive loop, Donkey Kong 64 is still beloved thanks to its charm, fun stages, and great music. In fact, it being jam-packed with content has worked to its benefit, making it a great bang for its buck. A remaster should do its best to cut down on frustration, uniting at least the colored banana system, so they can be collected by any ape. Furthermore, the vast content could be preserved by adding new areas or some of the bosses the team didn't have time for in the original, all without the artificial lengthening brought by backtracking.

Donkey Kong 64 Is Hard To Find

Since the Wii U eShop got the axe, Donkey Kong 64 has become scarce. It's not available on Switch Online, nor is it available on the Switch eShop. It's quite the outlier considering that most other DK titles, such as the arcade trilogy and the Donkey Kong Country titles, are available on the machine.

Interestingly, the original Mario vs. Donkey Kong also can't be found on the Switch Online service, nor can Super Mario RPG. While this doesn't confirm a remake is coming, especially since many believe the Switch is nearing the end of its life, it does make the request for a remake all the more reasonable. It would be great to see the trend with games not on Switch Online being remastered extend to Donkey Kong 64.