Donkey Kong 64: Recompiled gets a native Switch port, with optional 60 fps and Tag Anywhere built in

DK64Recomp-NX takes the PC recompilation of Donkey Kong 64 to modded Switch consoles, swapping its Vulkan renderer for GLideN64 on OpenGL. It needs your own US cartridge dump.

AI-drafted from 3 sources. This story was written with AI from the outside reporting listed under Sources, and checked by automated tools before it went up. The originals have the full detail.

Donkey Kong 64 now runs natively on Switch consoles with custom firmware. DK64Recomp-NX, by GitHub user Trinalord777, is a homebrew fork of Donkey Kong 64: Recompiled, the PC static recompilation whose 1.0.0 release came out on 29 August. The first Switch build, v1.0.0, went up on 6 October and the project had reached v1.1.2 by 11 October.

Same game code, new renderer

As on PC, the N64 game's MIPS code is translated to C ahead of time and there is no CPU emulation. The README says the game code is unchanged from the PC version 1.0.3. What changes is everything around it. The PC build draws with RT64, which needs Vulkan, Direct3D 12 or Metal, so the Switch port uses GLideN64 on OpenGL instead, along with its own OS layer and threading.

By default the game runs at its original 30 fps at 960 by 720, in 16:9 with the HUD pushed to the screen edges, or in the original 4:3. A frame rate setting goes from 30 to 60 fps in steps of 5 and is marked experimental. The recommended Interpolated mode keeps the game's 30 steps per second and draws an in-between image, as the PC version does, at the cost of one frame of latency. The README says the CPU clock matters most here: in a busy DK Isles view the two passes of a frame take 9.35 and 8.79 ms at the stock 1020 MHz, more than one screen refresh allows, so steady 60 fps relies on overclocking through Horizon OC. Docked, it measured 98 to 99% of frames getting their in-between image while running through the levels.

Mods, cheats and fixes

An options menu, opened by pressing minus and plus together, is laid out like the HarbourMasters ports' menus, with tabs for settings, enhancements and developer tools such as level warps. Version 1.1.1 bundled the Tag Anywhere mod, which lets you switch Kong from almost anywhere without a tag barrel, and a Sparkles add-on for it. Both start switched off. The release also carries a corrected set of GameShark codes, though the README notes that codes which patch the game's instructions do nothing, because the game runs as recompiled code.

The v1.1.2 release fixed textures turning black after long sessions. The Switch GPU service had 8 MiB set aside for texture records, and past about 5,000 textures every new one failed to load, so the area is now 32 MiB. The same update added an experimental 1080p mode for docked play. Known issues include short hitches the first time a room is seen and about 10 seconds of black screen at start-up.

The port needs a Switch running Atmosphère, launched from the Homebrew Menu in title mode, and your own Donkey Kong 64 (USA) ROM, which is the only version supported. The repository and releases contain no game assets.

Sources

Image: Trinalord777

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