Donkey Kong (Game Boy) is a remarkable puzzle-platformer that expands upon the arcade classic with surprising depth. Initially, it looks like a simple port. However, after the familiar four levels, the game opens up into a sprawling adventure with over 90 unique stages. Mario must master new moves to traverse complex environments, solve clever puzzles, and repeatedly outwit Donkey Kong. While occasional control quirks can sometimes cause frustration, the game's creative level design and satisfying sense of progression make it a standout Game Boy title.

Can’t believe how much they fit into this stupid little gameboy cart. Donkey Kong 94’ is constantly throwing new ideas at you. Not all of them are super fun or anything but they sure are there. Swimming, swinging on beams, portable ladders and floors. It’s pretty impressive.

The funnest thing this game adds is honestly just the movement. Mario can do headstands and backflips. It’s kind of got his triple jump. Really fun.

I had a good time finally playing this and it’s pretty easy overall. Except for worlds 7 and 8 which have some bullshit in them. Damn Kongs.

Hard to blame DK for this one. He's only one ape. It's nearly impossible to smuggle an authorial vision intact through the creative process. Of any art form! Let alone one as corporate as gaming. So I'll give him this, Donkey Kong '94 is better on every level of construction than the terrible reboot series. I just don't like it much.

At the core of it, I'm not sold on these micro-platforming stages as compelling puzzles. Even at this much quicker pace and with substantially better design (a handful of them even require a bit of thought to solve this time!). I just found myself completely apathetic from front to back. Not enough Drive Impacts in the game is my current theory. Not enough Corner Traps.

What it clarified for me, is how much the bigwigs must have pushed DK out of the editing booth for Mario vs Donkey Kong. They tripled down on all of this game's bad habits. They quadrupled down on the lives system. They butchered the already sloppy platforming. They ruined the DK stages and gave me less of them. They ran the entire thing at 40% speed. They imported the Game Boy aesthetic whole cloth and lazily added colour, resulting in a look as coherent as those godawful AI colourisations of Buster Keaton movies on Amazon Prime. I don't even like this game that much and I'm insulted they would do this to his series. DK is a career artist. He has held this establishment on his back for more than four decades. And they do this to his namesake series? Disturbing. Nintendo would never sideline golden boy Mario like that. And he doesn't even direct or write! Just a producer, not like he'd ever tell you that! But people give him all the goddamn credit!

I've given Donkey Kong enough chances now. I don't think his best work comes from these handheld puzzle platformers. No wonder he pivoted back to home console sidescrollers. I've also noted his recent appearances in other people's work, cameos in party games and the like. Subtly, he puts himself back into the spotlight, steeling the public for yet another comeback. Ever the canny businessape.

the smartest thing about this game is how it varies the balance of puzzling and platforming. some levels make you think but have simple platforming, some levels have simple puzzles and more demanding platforming, some are classic donkey kong style action levels, and everything inbetween. it makes it so smooth to go through a sequence of levels, and on top of that they are constantly introducing new pieces to build levels with, and on top of that the platforming feels incredible, with a 2d mario 64 moveset 2 years before mario 64. the way that puzzles have multiple solutions also makes it fun to replay them. it reminds me a lot of the better breath of the wild shrines, right down to being able to do clever platforming that feels like breaking the level, even though it's all part of the design.

This game has been a pleasant surprise. One would think from the title that this is once again a port of the arcade classic Donkey Kong, but the reality is that this game is a complete reboot (ironically, later would come another reboot) that ends up being a great tribute to the first game starring Mario.

The game starts identically to the original Donkey Kong, with the 4 classic levels, the same sounds, practically the same sprites, and the same objective, to save Pauline, however, when you finish these levels, it is revealed that this is just the introduction of a completely original game with 101 stages, which is much more interesting and mechanically creative. The gameplay is completely revamped, being a sort of combination of the original Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) and a few more additions to Mario's moveset that make it extremely satisfying to control. This game is a precursor to Super Mario 64 in many ways, as you can perform other types of jumps depending on whether you're crouching or make the jump immediately by flipping to the opposite direction, which like in SM64, serve to reward the more skilled players by conveniently using these moves to skip sections of the levels. I've always loved this sort of thing, as it means that newcomers can play the game with simplicity and gradually learn the gameplay mechanics, but those who want to try to push the envelope and skip the easy parts quickly can do so as well.

This is one of the few games that really understands the console it is made for, meaning that the graphics and length of the levels are meant for a handheld console that you will most likely only play in short sessions. So in other words, this game consists of a series of small levels, each with a unique puzzle and platforming challenge, whose duration can range from over a minute to just a few seconds, making them a perfect snack for those dead moments. And this game is really very creative when it comes to level design and mechanics, as each level has its own little gimmick, all starting from the same basics of getting a key to the goal. There are levels where we are literally allowed to place platforms or stairs at our whim, or others where you must wisely use the elements of the stage to reach the goal.

Conclusion
And what can I say, I loved it, it was a very short game (about 4 hours), but also a very pleasant one to play and full of pure fun. It overflows charm and you can tell it was made by a team with ambition that understood the console for which the game was being created, which ends up making it not only an excellent tribute to one of Nintendo's first franchises, but an excellent Game Boy game in general.

This has become my second favorite Game Boy title, only being surpassed by Link's Awakening, but it's still really very good and I recommend it to any fan of retro Mario games. It's a pity that even though it received a sequel (Mario vs. Donkey Kong), other than that, Nintendo doesn't give much recognition to this game.

Super solid puzzle-platformer that holds up really well, even 30 years later. It's a fantastic reinvention of the original Donkey Kong that actually serves as the first entry in the Mario vs Donkey Kong series (before it became about toys). Mario's flips, jumps, leaps and throws are really fun to utilise and the game's level design and world gimmicks never outstay their welcome, making the game feel fresh. I don't know if I would call this game underrated, but I would definitely encourage more people to check it out if they want to play a great Game Boy game.

a real monument to mankind's willpower that this game that starts as a bait and switch remake of the original donkey kong has such a robust moveset, feels so correct and uncompromised, has 101 stages but feels like it could go on for way longer without stretching itself thin (i really disagree with the assessment it loses significant steam, world 9 is such a fun boss rush too). sincerely pretty mindblowing. the moveset alone makes this feel better than any other 2d mario if you ask me. sm64's older portable brother

i have to admit that playing this with my now-girlfriend probably affected my perception of this game, but my god is this such an interesting and fun puzzle platformer. the movement is snappy, fluid, and versatile, the levels implement tons of interesting new gimmicks alongside bringing back almost everything from the arcade original and its sequel, the music is surprisingly varied and catchy, there’s a climactic final encounter, it’s really got it all. my only complaint would be that its length does start to drag on in its later stages, but i wouldn’t say it overstays its welcome if you play it in multiple sessions, which thankfully even the original cartridge allows due to battery saving. honestly, a game boy classic that anyone should try.

Finally finished this beast of a game after so long, and Idk... it just didn't hit with me.
I know its basically the game to start out the Mario vs DK series but I think the GBA version is a more refined take on it. This is the first take and at points it can be fun but man is it exhausting due to how many levels are in each world. The levels range from good to just ok, but it really drags past a certain point. The controls also felt really slippery and imprecise and just controlling mario felt like a challenge in itself. I wouldn't recommend this one tbh, for a gameboy game its pretty impressive but once you look past that, its nothing to really write home about in my opinion.

One of my top 10 GB games. Played it in one sitting over the weekend and it holds up just as well as I remember it when I'd play in high school. The game strikes a perfect balance between arcade action and platforming alongside puzzles, and even if it's comprised of nine worlds, it somehow didn't wear out its welcome for me. The music also goes exceptionally hard for a puzzle platformer- especially at the very end where you're scaling one last tower in a bid to get Pauline back.

If I had any real gripes, it would be that I didn't care for how Mario rolls across the ground if he falls from a non-lethal height (you lose control of him and it will lead to the occasional cheap death) and that the game relies a bit too much on the mini-mushrooms in worlds 8 and 9. You see, the mushrooms in this game actually shrink Mario down and make him unable to progress until the effect wears off. Broke the pacing a bit for me towards the end but absolutely not a deal breaker.

This game really makes you think this is Donkey Kong but on the Game boy but then you beat 100 meters and suddenly a world map. Such a great way to show off the scale of this game compared to the original. Also I really love the movement of this game feels like Mario is an Olympic athlete with how he moves. This is really packed for a gameboy game with like 96 levels granted they are super long but you were hard pressed to find really long OG gameboy games. Overall a great game only really held back by being stuck on the gameboy.