For those who are very familiar with some of the most noteworthy titles in video game history, then you would know that, generally, the Mario franchise is the one that not only catapulted Nintendo into the limelight for many years to come, but it also managed to revive the industry as a whole at one of its lowest points, making sure that the series would live on and go strong all the way up to this very day. However, what many may not realize is that, without the original Donkey Kong, we never would’ve gotten to this point at all. While it will never be as popular and beloved, the Donkey Kong series may just be one of the most important in Nintendo’s entire catalog, with the original three arcade titles still holding up pretty well to this day, even with the… weird changes that it would make with each entry (still not quite sure if Donkey Kong 3 was a real game).
However, after the third game, and aside from a few Game & Watch titles here and there, the Donkey Kong series would kind of just… vanish from the face of the Earth, going on an indefinite hiatus for an entire decade (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?). It makes sense, seeing that Mario was now taking the spotlight, but it is still kind of weird to think about. Thankfully though, after this period of nothing, the series would eventually bounce back in two big ways, starting off with the natural evolution for those original arcade games, Donkey Kong for the Game Boy.
Upon seeing the cover of this game and reading the title of the game, you may not initially think anything of it. You would probably suspect that the game is just a port of the original arcade game, with not much else of value to offer then just another portable version of Donkey Kong. Hell, the game even opens up with the four levels from the original arcade game as if to drive that suspicion home. However, upon completing the last of these levels, that’s when DK decides to flip the script, kidnaps Pauline once again, and Mario sets off to save her once again. This is where the game truly begins, giving you a lot more to experience and enjoy then ever before, making what I would consider to be the best classic Donkey Kong game ever made. Of course, it isn’t perfect by any means, and there are some issues that I do somewhat dread whenever I go back to this game, but for the most part, this does remain one of the best classic DK games, as well as one of the best games you could get on the original Game Boy.
The story is exactly what you would expect, with DK kidnapping Pauline and going to the extreme to keep you from reaching her, so it is up to Mario to travel all around the world to do just that, which is about as basic of a plot as you would expect, but it is one that is fine enough for the type of game that it sets up. The graphics are Game Boy graphics, but all of the sprites for the characters, locations you travel to, and the animations are incredibly detailed and charming, making the game a joy to look at all the way through, the music is wonderful, having plenty of classic and new tracks to listen to, each of them fitting both the situation at hand and the area that you are in as you keep going, the control is about what you would expect from a classic DK game, but it does add in a little more to where it doesn’t feel like just more of the same, and the game is mostly what you would expect from a classic DK game as well, but adds just enough in both the variety and content to where it ends up being much more enjoyable as a result.
The game is a 2D puzzle platformer, with the gameplay being divided into three different types of gameplay segments. For all of them though, you take control of Mario once again, go through many, MANY different levels all throughout plenty of different environments, jump over plenty of hazards, or even use tools to help get rid of said hazards, such as by throwing enemies at each other or by using the good ol’ fashioned hammer, gather plenty of items to not only help you proceed forward, but also give you the chance at getting extra lives, and take on DK himself in plenty of scenarios to get that extra shot at finally rescuing Pauline… only for her to be snatched from your grasp every time. Most of it should feel pretty similar for those who played the original DK arcade game, and it may not seem like it offers much new for those who are familiar with that game, but as you keep playing, there is quite a bit added here to make the game stand out more from its predecessors in plenty of ways.
In terms of Mario himself, he still controls how you would expect him to in most cases, but he also has plenty of new moves to his arsenal that you can use to your advantage. He can now pick up things and throw them, he can do backflips, somersaults, handstands, and he can fling himself on wires to reach higher places, making him much more capable and versatile than ever before. Not only that, but each of the levels in the game, no matter how far into the game it is, manages to either introduce something new to the formula to shake things up, or integrates said elements into the gameplay to make for some unique challenges and puzzles, which, for the most part, are pretty fun to tackle.
For most of the game, the levels consist primarily of puzzle stages, where your main goal is to simply get this oversized key to the door located somewhere into the level, and while that may sound easy enough to do, there are plenty of elements and hazards present in these stages that make this much harder to accomplish. These take up most of the levels in the game, and for a good majority of them, they are pretty damn fun, not only being very satisfying to clear as you jump or climb through all these obstacles, but also take advantage of the new gimmicks present to propel you forward towards your goal. For those of you that would rather prefer the old style of Donkey Kong over this though, have no fear, because there are also plenty of Battle Levels, which consist of you needing to reach the top where Pauline is by dodging plenty of obstacles, and these can be pretty fun to take on as well. And finally, there are the boss fights against DK, which just mostly consist of you taking any barrel you can get your hands on and throw them at him, which can get boring, but again, there are plenty of different elements present to make these boss fights varied enough to not get too boring.
Despite all of the good things this game has going for it though, there are some things about it that does drag it down from being perfect. For one thing, the game is WAY too long. The game has 101 stages, all of them being spread over 9 different worlds, and while a good number of these levels can be beaten pretty easily, there are also a good amount of levels that can take much longer and be much harder than before. Sure, that does give you plenty to do in the game, which I am all for, but there is a point where it feels like way too much, and every time I reach, like, the seventh or eighth world, I am always thinking to myself “God damn, how am I not done yet?” Not only that, but some of the levels themselves can be a huge pain in the ass, integrating elements that make going through them much more annoying rather than fun or satisfying, making going through them a complete slog whenever they do come up. This doesn’t happen all too often, thank god, but whenever it does, it truly does suck, and I never look forward to these levels whenever I go back to play the game again.
Overall, despite it lasting a little too long and having several levels that can just go fuck themselves, Donkey Kong for the Game Boy is a pretty great time, one that brings back the classic DK formula in the perfect way, while adding more and more to it that make it quite a surprise and a must-have for any owner of that good ol’ grey brick. I would definitely recommend it for those who are fans of the Donkey Kong series, as well as those who are fans of puzzle platformers in general, because trust me, this game will give you more than enough to have fun with for the amount of time that it lasts for. And hey, with this new game coming out, we would also eventually get a brand new sub-series out of it that is still going onto this day, so that is pretty cool. Or at least, it would be if, you know…. they would just get rid of the damn toys.
Game #486
However, after the third game, and aside from a few Game & Watch titles here and there, the Donkey Kong series would kind of just… vanish from the face of the Earth, going on an indefinite hiatus for an entire decade (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?). It makes sense, seeing that Mario was now taking the spotlight, but it is still kind of weird to think about. Thankfully though, after this period of nothing, the series would eventually bounce back in two big ways, starting off with the natural evolution for those original arcade games, Donkey Kong for the Game Boy.
Upon seeing the cover of this game and reading the title of the game, you may not initially think anything of it. You would probably suspect that the game is just a port of the original arcade game, with not much else of value to offer then just another portable version of Donkey Kong. Hell, the game even opens up with the four levels from the original arcade game as if to drive that suspicion home. However, upon completing the last of these levels, that’s when DK decides to flip the script, kidnaps Pauline once again, and Mario sets off to save her once again. This is where the game truly begins, giving you a lot more to experience and enjoy then ever before, making what I would consider to be the best classic Donkey Kong game ever made. Of course, it isn’t perfect by any means, and there are some issues that I do somewhat dread whenever I go back to this game, but for the most part, this does remain one of the best classic DK games, as well as one of the best games you could get on the original Game Boy.
The story is exactly what you would expect, with DK kidnapping Pauline and going to the extreme to keep you from reaching her, so it is up to Mario to travel all around the world to do just that, which is about as basic of a plot as you would expect, but it is one that is fine enough for the type of game that it sets up. The graphics are Game Boy graphics, but all of the sprites for the characters, locations you travel to, and the animations are incredibly detailed and charming, making the game a joy to look at all the way through, the music is wonderful, having plenty of classic and new tracks to listen to, each of them fitting both the situation at hand and the area that you are in as you keep going, the control is about what you would expect from a classic DK game, but it does add in a little more to where it doesn’t feel like just more of the same, and the game is mostly what you would expect from a classic DK game as well, but adds just enough in both the variety and content to where it ends up being much more enjoyable as a result.
The game is a 2D puzzle platformer, with the gameplay being divided into three different types of gameplay segments. For all of them though, you take control of Mario once again, go through many, MANY different levels all throughout plenty of different environments, jump over plenty of hazards, or even use tools to help get rid of said hazards, such as by throwing enemies at each other or by using the good ol’ fashioned hammer, gather plenty of items to not only help you proceed forward, but also give you the chance at getting extra lives, and take on DK himself in plenty of scenarios to get that extra shot at finally rescuing Pauline… only for her to be snatched from your grasp every time. Most of it should feel pretty similar for those who played the original DK arcade game, and it may not seem like it offers much new for those who are familiar with that game, but as you keep playing, there is quite a bit added here to make the game stand out more from its predecessors in plenty of ways.
In terms of Mario himself, he still controls how you would expect him to in most cases, but he also has plenty of new moves to his arsenal that you can use to your advantage. He can now pick up things and throw them, he can do backflips, somersaults, handstands, and he can fling himself on wires to reach higher places, making him much more capable and versatile than ever before. Not only that, but each of the levels in the game, no matter how far into the game it is, manages to either introduce something new to the formula to shake things up, or integrates said elements into the gameplay to make for some unique challenges and puzzles, which, for the most part, are pretty fun to tackle.
For most of the game, the levels consist primarily of puzzle stages, where your main goal is to simply get this oversized key to the door located somewhere into the level, and while that may sound easy enough to do, there are plenty of elements and hazards present in these stages that make this much harder to accomplish. These take up most of the levels in the game, and for a good majority of them, they are pretty damn fun, not only being very satisfying to clear as you jump or climb through all these obstacles, but also take advantage of the new gimmicks present to propel you forward towards your goal. For those of you that would rather prefer the old style of Donkey Kong over this though, have no fear, because there are also plenty of Battle Levels, which consist of you needing to reach the top where Pauline is by dodging plenty of obstacles, and these can be pretty fun to take on as well. And finally, there are the boss fights against DK, which just mostly consist of you taking any barrel you can get your hands on and throw them at him, which can get boring, but again, there are plenty of different elements present to make these boss fights varied enough to not get too boring.
Despite all of the good things this game has going for it though, there are some things about it that does drag it down from being perfect. For one thing, the game is WAY too long. The game has 101 stages, all of them being spread over 9 different worlds, and while a good number of these levels can be beaten pretty easily, there are also a good amount of levels that can take much longer and be much harder than before. Sure, that does give you plenty to do in the game, which I am all for, but there is a point where it feels like way too much, and every time I reach, like, the seventh or eighth world, I am always thinking to myself “God damn, how am I not done yet?” Not only that, but some of the levels themselves can be a huge pain in the ass, integrating elements that make going through them much more annoying rather than fun or satisfying, making going through them a complete slog whenever they do come up. This doesn’t happen all too often, thank god, but whenever it does, it truly does suck, and I never look forward to these levels whenever I go back to play the game again.
Overall, despite it lasting a little too long and having several levels that can just go fuck themselves, Donkey Kong for the Game Boy is a pretty great time, one that brings back the classic DK formula in the perfect way, while adding more and more to it that make it quite a surprise and a must-have for any owner of that good ol’ grey brick. I would definitely recommend it for those who are fans of the Donkey Kong series, as well as those who are fans of puzzle platformers in general, because trust me, this game will give you more than enough to have fun with for the amount of time that it lasts for. And hey, with this new game coming out, we would also eventually get a brand new sub-series out of it that is still going onto this day, so that is pretty cool. Or at least, it would be if, you know…. they would just get rid of the damn toys.
Game #486