Mario games are the strongest influence on the platforming genre today, but it represents just one of many styles that have developed over time. Sonic games are the first alternate approach most would think of, but cinematic platformers were the clear inspiration for Donkey Kong Country. It utilizes some key sensibilities of the genre, prioritizing natural environments over readable ones, moody tracks over catchy loops, and limiting the amount non-diegetic elements on screen. One final similarity is in the difficulty, but this is where the strength of cinematic platforming turns into a traditional platforming weakness. In cinematic platformers, the difficulty is usually meant to enforce a deliberate pacing. You’re meant to feel like your life is actually on the line, and that you should carefully consider each move before making it. Donkey Kong’s implementation of that difficulty however sticks with Mario tradition, testing how well you can learn new level gimmicks. Just as you’re getting immersed in the atmosphere, brutally difficult level gimmicks break the flow and leave you wishing that the environments were more clearly defined. This means you can either interpret the game either as a traditional platformer that’s beautifully atmospheric, or as a cinematic platformer with bad pacing. With atmosphere being something I’m personally drawn to in games, I leaned towards the latter. The high difficulty of the later parts of the game let down what I felt were its best qualities, even though it still makes for an all-around decent game.