This kind of a strange game, but its weirdness is appealing. It's notably the first game of the studio that would later develop Super Mario Galaxy, which is probably why Jungle Beat has such an appealing flair to it.

But ultimately, it ends up feeling more like a "prototype" to me. It's a fun idea, but I think DK is too heavy for this sort of free-flowing platforming the game is asking of you, the idea is to do tricks to build up your combo, which resets when you touch the ground, but it feels like a constant struggle to keep that combo counter running. I guess they expect you to replay it many times, which is fair, but not really my thing.

This was really apparent in one of the secret levels, this Asteroid Belt thing. I was gonna try to go for 100%, but this level in particular really disencouraged me.

👍70%

After seeing Dunkey's review of this and hearing about recycled mechanics in Mario Galaxy, I thought that before I played that game I'd play this. Jungle Beat was a fun DK adventure that did something new, but I feel like it was missing something to make it a great. I'm not entirely sure what it is. Maybe more levels, more variety, better controls, I'm not sure. But I just feel like it was a little empty at times. I did enjoy using the motion controls, especially in boss fights as it added something new to the franchise. Overall I felt like the game could've been a bit better, but I still thought Jungle Beat was a fun entry in the DK franchise! I'd recommend checking it out if you love motion controls.

Without Rare's guiding hand to shape Donkey Kong's world, Nintendo went in their own new feverish direction, in what is less of a reboot and more a complete system format.

The number of things DKJB carries over from older games can be counted on one hand:
- Donkey Kong
- Bananas
- Jungle Hijinks remix
- Barrel Cannons (Wii version only)
- Ground slapping

All other references to the Country and arcade sub-series have been scrubbed away (Hell, none of the level names are alliterations!).  DK himself looks out of place next to the uncanny designs of the enemies and even some of his allies.  The slate is so clean that you could substitute the protagonist with anyone else and it'd probably make no difference. 

I don't have a problem with any of this, I just find it interesting.  The game itself is really good!  It's built for satisfaction, from the sounds of DK's claps to the levels that let you string acrobatics together to the big cash out of bananas at the end when you touch the ground.  Unless you dropped the combo sooner than you'd hoped.  That's the opposite of satisfying.

DK is sedate when walking and jumping normally, but that's what the combos are for.  Soon he will be flung across great distances by a monkey in a bush, launched by a ball of orange jelly, clamber up vertical sections with his wall jump, and hitch a ride on an animal buddy.

A highlight for me would be Pristine Sea.  You could do it normally, picking up combos as you go along and collecting bananas without a second thought, or you could avoid all bananas entirely and do everything else in the level to max out the combo first, then collect everything and score a massive 3000+ banana cash out.

With DKJB there is always something to improve, a combo that can be pushed a little further, or a high score that can be pushed a little higher.  A boon for someone like me who prefers to frequently revisit and master games rather than one-and-done them.  A shame we'll never see this style of platformer revisited by the potassium-rich primate, but ah well.