Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D coming to 3DS on May 24

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D will be available on May 24 through retail and the Nintendo 3DS eShop, Satoru Iwata announced in a Nintendo Direct presentation today.

The game is a remake of the Wii game of the same name, Donkey Kong Country Returns. Nintendo has added a new mode with an adjusted game balance to "better optimize [the game] for portable playability," according to Iwata. Iwata said the Wii version created with the idea that people would "settle in" and play the game for long periods of time. On portable consoles, people tend to play for shorter durations, Iwata said.

The difficulty balance has been tweaked in the added New Mode, making things a bit easier, Iwata said. In New Mode, both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have three hearts instead of two, allowing players to take up to five hits from enemies. New Mode also includes new items to assist Donkey and Diddy, like more portable barrels for calling Diddy out, more green balloons to help you float and more crash guards when riding rockets or carts.

The game includes an Original Mode where players can play at the same difficulty level as the Wii version. The remake also features a whole new world with eight levels, unlockable after clearing the main game. Players can also team up in a co-op mode.