A Retro Review – Donkey Kong Country

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presents a 


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	(SNES)
	(Platform)
	(Single/Multiplayer)
	(Coolness not guaranteed)
	(Great game)
	Top-notch controls Incredible soundtrack Fun tagging system works well in both single and multiplayer
	Smudgy looking backgrounds Bosses are a little too easy I HATE giant bees
	Inflating unexpected charisma into an already beloved classic franchise, Donkey Kong Country hits all the right notes while establishing a new evolutionary foothold in the genre

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Story

Donkey Kong is enjoying a nice happy life on Donkey Kong Island where he has amassed a very large banana collection and is training his nephew Diddy Kong in the ways of the ape. One day the Kremlings, led by King K. Rool, decided that they wanted all of Donkey’s bananas so they stole them and threw Diddy into a barrel for good measure (…how rude). Of course, Donkey ain’t having this so he sets out to free Diddy, find every last banana and put the Kremlings on the extinct list for good measure!

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Overview

Donkey Kong Country is a running, jumping and rolling platform game where your object is to make it from the start of the level through various obstacles and enemies on your way to the finish (or exit). Donkey and Diddy can work together (whether playing single or multiplayer) by “tagging” each other in at different times and utilizing their unique abilities. For instance, Diddy can move faster and jump higher while Donkey can defeat some enemies that Diddy cannot and also slam his hands on the ground to damage foes and shake items loose from trees. Both Kongs can attack by rolling (or cartwheeling) and jumping on enemies but can also ride on animal buddies (found randomly in crates) such as Enguarde the Swordfish who can swim with ease and charge forward with his large sword-shaped bill in underwater levels.

The levels are populated with multitudes of Kremlings that block your path as well as the typical hazards that inhabit platform games (most notably pitfalls) but there’s also plenty of unique innovations like barrel blasting and rope swinging that keep this from feeling like just another run and jump affair. The different stages are divided among 6 zones complete with a boss battle at the end of each one guarding entry to the next area. Guide Donkey and Diddy through all the different levels of Donkey Kong Island defeating as many Kremlings as possible (including King K. Rool himself) to retrieve Donkey’s precious banana hoard and complete the game!

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Cast

Donkey Kong (main protagonist) Formally-dressed banana enthusiast and exclusive top primate gaming representative

Diddy Kong (main protagonist) Promising up and comer… master of the cartwheel

Cranky Kong (protagonist support) Back in his day he didn’t need fancy digitized graphics, witty dialogue, more than one action button, a tag-team partner… (rant trails off into disapproved grunts and mumbles)

Candy Kong (protagonist support) The sultry seductress Candy Kong saves your progress at any one of her checkpoints while simultaneously making you feel way more uncomfortable towards primates than you ever have before

Funky Kong (protagonist support) The resident “dude” of the Donkey Kong universe, Funky Kong provides traveling services to players but more importantly – coolness!

Enguarde (protagonist support) Your ticket to swifter travel in the water, Enguarde the swordfish provides the Kongs with the ultimate ocean mount while displaying a happiness that’s hard not to get swept up by at first glance

Expresso (protagonist support) Sporting sweet running shoes, Expresso the ostrich tramples the dirt with authority blitzing through levels at high speed when ridden by a Kong while also providing some limited flying ability

Rambi (protagonist support) Charging through obstacles like a turbo battering ram, Rambi the rhino rules the roost for the simple fact that he allows a gorilla to ride on his back which would no doubt be one of the most terrifying things that could be bore witness by man if this happened in real life!

Winky (protagonist support) The high-flying hopper, Winky the frog helps the Kongs reach high places with his impressive jumping when ridden and apparently found his own batch of Ninja Turtle Ooze which is the only thing that can explain his giant size

Very Gnawty (antagonist support) Champion of the Gnawty family, Very Gnawty aligns himself with the Kremlings with little-to-no effort offering the quote – “Nice is for LOSERS!”

Master Necky (antagonist support) Part of an ancient race of giant Jurassic birds, Master Necky fears the Kongs rapid advance as a fledgling sign of his own doom prompting his inclusion in King K. Rool’s band of cohorts

Queen B. (antagonist support) The mother bee responsible for the recent Zinger outbreak on Kong Island, Queen B. and her drones struggle to live cohesively with the Kongs due to their constant shaking of trees which resulted in the political decision to join forces with the Kremlings

Really Gnawty (antagonist support) The REAL Champion of the Gnawty family, Really Gnawty is much more charged up than Very Gnawty though just as bad a strategist

Dumb Drum (antagonist support) Giant, dumb and fueled by hatred, the Dumb Drum has the look of an ultimate predator with the precision of a candy-crazed toddler maintaining unknown motives for its inclusion in K. Rool’s army

Master Necky Senior (antagonist support) The older brother to Master Necky and leader of the Necky empire, Master Necky Senior was the first to form an alliance with K. Rool combining his flyers with the Kremlings ground forces to launch the initial assault on Donkey’s banana hoard

King K. Rool (main antagonist) Crocodile pirate monarch with unclear motives, the alpha Kremling King K. Rool stands as the Kongs ultimate foil and the key to returning their banana hoard back to its rightful place

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Do Crocodiles Even Like Bananas? (XL section)

How does a game come from complete obscurity (at least for me) to rise up to the level of quality and workmanship that is Donkey Kong Country? I mean, I had absolutely zero expectations for this after reading about it in one of my magazines back in the day and still find myself in shock of just how much I click with Donkey’s first adventure outside of the single-screen arcade world. I can still remember playing this at a house party for the first time and being floored by well… everything. “This is 16-bit Donkey Kong? … COOL!” It was good to see the old goofy gorilla back as the original trilogy of arcade games that bear his likeness are some of my personal favorites not to mention, Donkey Kong the character is as classic as there is across the entire landscape of video games. Plus, he’s now wearing a tie letting you know that he means business (very professional)!

Donkey Kong Country is a glorious return to the video game world for Donkey Kong  (although apparently Cranky Kong in this game is the Donkey Kong from the original arcade days) as this time they decided to turn him into a platform mascot as opposed to an antagonist for Mario. As soon as you turn the game on the music starts out with the original arcade jingle (played by Cranky on an old crank started Gramophone … nice touch) instantly giving you memories of quarters lost to the old barrel jumper. Next thing you know our star of the show, Donkey Kong , drops in with a huge 90’s boombox  and a brand new rockin’ tune playing letting you know that it’s out with the old and in with the AWESOME! I’m already hooked…

Donkey Kong Country is certainly unrecognizable compared to any of its arcade predecessors and is more alike with the other great running and jumping platform releases of the time like Super Mario World and Sonic the Hedgehog. Once the game starts, Donkey will flip out of his house and the first thing you’ll notice is a hole in the wall to your left which after entering, our gorilla groundpounder will despair at the sight of his empty banana hoard (“Where the HELL are my 5 million bananas!!!”). Without any in-game explanation or exposition, Donkey takes flight and will stop at nothing until he reaches the far right point of the screen (…best story EVER). Well, there is a sort-of story (I guess) found in the instruction manual involving Donkey tasking his apprentice Diddy with guarding the bananas for hero training or some junk but who cares??? All you have to know is some crocodile dude stole your merchandise, locked your pal into a nearby barrel and is now living on borrowed time… done.

Jumping on enemies, swinging from ropes, blasting out of cannon-like-barrels, swimming underwater (perfect for gorillas by the way) and riding in mine carts are some of the highlights as you traverse through 6 worlds in a quest to find King K. Rool  (leader of the Kremlings) and pound him into crocodust! You’ll notice in seconds the game’s tight controls, catchy music and unique graphics instantly catalyzing the grand adventure before you. After freeing your nephew Diddy  (still pending a DNA test) from the first shaking barrel you come across, you’ll partake in a new style of platform game as now you can tag in your buddy (whether playing single or multiplayer) allowing you to utilize the talents of whichever Kong you’re controlling.

Diddy is faster than Donkey and can jump farther but has trouble killing certain enemies which adds a strategic approach when tagging each other in at different points of a level. This also comes into play if you lose a Kong as getting hit once ends a turn resulting in circumstances where your “stuck” with one where the other would have been more appropriate adding more nuance to the multiplayer dynamic previously unrealized within the genre. Your main attacks involve jumping on an enemy or rolling (cartwheeling for Diddy… yipeeee) though my favorite way to dispatch foes in this game is by chucking a barrel right at their FACE (smile for me CROCS)! The Kongs can also find animal buddies and employ their unique skills to attack enemies like charging them with Rambi the Rhino  or bouncing on top of them with Winky the Frog  giving you even more ways to spread destruction to the wildlife of Donkey Kong Island in addition to being able to absorb an additional hit from an adversary so be sure to break these guys out of their confinement whenever you come across them.

In terms of collectable items, it’s all about the bananas ! The Kongs find these delicious fruits everywhere though they don’t do much other than giving you more lives if you can collect 100 or more of them at a time (just like coins in Mario). Still, isn’t the point of the game to get Donkey’s bananas back! I feel a sensation of justified re-collecting as I’m gathering these as if Donkey’s like- “Oh hell naw… ain’t gonna be any bananas missing from my collection I’m gettin’ every last one!!!” Some additional items to look out for include 1-up balloons , gold animal icons that lead to a bonus area when three of the same are collected and letters that spell the word KONG  (granting a 1-up when all are gathered) scattered randomly throughout the stages.

The enemies are represented by animals which is fitting for this jungle like setting. Snakes , giant bee’s (YIKES), bi-pedal crocodiles and many more dot the playing field and are all begging for a steel keg to the teeth ! There’s boss battles too which brings more variety to the game but for the most part they are a little lacking and not too difficult to overcome which is a barely-noticeable letdown. The final battle against King K. Rool is pretty epic however and deserves mention as one of my favorite end boss encounters in any platform game as you dodge falling cannonballs and the King himself amidst an outstandingly memorable musical score. Overall, the gameplay in Donkey Kong Country is excellent thanks mainly to the variety of levels that you’ll traverse through (man do I love the water stages in this game) which has you doing something unique in pretty much each progressive area with your Kong buddies.

The controls are unquestionably some of the best that I have ever encountered in gaming and are a big part of why this is so easy to pop in today. Everything just feels right whether swinging from ropes or blasting out of a spinning barrel and it’s very satisfying to conquer a tough level after making a tricky jump or avoiding a hard-to-dodge enemy. Pound for pound these handles can match-up with any controls found across the gaming spectrum and deserve recognition for supplying Donkey Kong Country with a much more visceral experience as your brain connects with the game at the sub-atomic level.   

The music is absolutely outstanding as well with every stage providing foot tapping beats and beautiful melodies that pair with the game like a fine wine. Whether drifting off into a calming trance with the ultra serene sounds found in the underwater levels or kickin’ it to overdrive with the heavier riffs in the factory stages (sound bar above), the music is amazing and a perfect compliment that always has me JAMMIN’ out! The sound effects are clear and distinctive while also being funny (with the Kongs grunts and random enemy noises like Krushas giggle  to name a few) and remain a constant instant-memory tick every time I hear them which accounts for their level of quality.

Visually, the game is interesting to say the least. At the time of its release, Donkey Kong Country introduced a new graphical style by using 3-d models and compressing them into 2-d for the SNES which looked amazing and revolutionary in 1994. Nowadays however, I find a lot of the backgrounds appear muddy and “squished” together and the over world screens are just plain unacceptable resembling something created by a kindergarten class. Many of the sprites still please the eyes though especially the Kongs themselves and they move with a rotoscoped fluidity that reminds me of Out of This World or Flashback which has always been a visual style that I appreciate from this era.

I feel like the game is trying to convey some ‘tude with the opening boombox scene displaying a radical “changing of the guard” and some other characters (Funky Kong is gnarly dude ) though overall Donkey Kong Country has more of an atmospheric anyone-can-play feel to it with its charming aesthetic combined with a harmless plot and characters which prevents an overabundance of superficial edginess from being found in the game. Still, as cool as it would have been if Donkey sported sunglasses and an “I Luv Pauline” arm tattoo, it really wouldn’t have changed much in the grand scheme. In some ways, Nintendo’s kind of being ‘tudey by not force feeding any rebelliousness in this title when so many other platform games at the time were relying on cheap gimmicks to set themselves apart. Be that as it may, the ‘Tude Meter doesn’t lie detecting a moderately rebellious title after analyzing which is par for Nintendo’s “play-it-safe” course.  

One of the best ways that I can sum up Donkey Kong Country is that it is simply one of the easiest and most fun pick-up-and-play games that I have ever come across in my life. The controls are a breeze to handle and the music is so good that you’ll become a lap bongo drummer before you know it. Plus, its simple learning curve and versatility as both a great single and multiplayer experience make it a prime choice for gamers of all varieties. In a generation defined by platform titles and mascots, Donkey Kong Country turned in an awesome performance that will make you glad to help the Kongs find those bananas again and again. In fact, all this banana talk is making me want one… mmmmmmm!

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Critical Analysis

5/5 While some of the enemies can fall into the forgettable realm, overall I find the gameplay to be awesome thanks in large part to the excellent level variety which feels new and fresh in seemingly every stage. Barrel Cannon Canyon and Mine Cart Madness stand out to me as personal favorites but I also have to give a tip of the cap to any of Donkey Kong Country’s water levels which are among the best swimming type stages I have played in a platform game (or game period). How can you not like a game where a gorilla rides a rhino and charges at an army of crocodiles in order to get his mountain of bananas back?

5/5 There is no better way to say it… Donkey Kong Country has some of my favorite controls that I have ever used within a video game… PERIOD. Whether running and jumping over gaps or traversing the many ropes of Donkey Kong Island, the controls feel tight and responsive every step of the way and never let you down. Even after extensive combing I truly cannot find one complaint, these are simply some of the best “handles” I have ever experienced in any game bar none.

5/5 Yet another high point for the game, the sound effects are good and appropriate but the real star here for me is the excellent music. Ranging from heavy drum beats to soft and mellow easy listening melodies, the music always gets me hummin’ and many of the songs are staples in my playlist at home. Time to grab the bongos!

3/5 The visuals are the first real stumble for me in the critiquing department. While they were certainly revolutionary in their time, they haven’t aged well compared to the more transcendent cartoon-like graphics of other games in the ‘tude era specifically the backgrounds and over worlds. The sprites still look good though and I definitely give credit for making them appear fluid when they’re moving which is the high-point for me graphically. My God, those over world screens look like a sat-on painting though… YUCK!

The ‘Tude Meter spikes up whenever Funky Kong is around with his sunglasses and surf board in tow however the rest of the game doesn’t push the envelope in any way in terms of edginess as it’s definitely a more universal type release that’s meant to be appealing to everyone limiting its chances at moving too far within the moderate range. Still, Nintendo wrote the book on how to be successful during this time without the need to appeal to this category and this is yet another outstanding example but what were they really supposed to do anyways? Maybe Funky could take Donkey out on the town and shop around for a leather jacket and sick sneakers instead of wearing just a plain old tie?

Great game One of The ‘Tude Dude’s personal favorite SNES games of all time WOW, what a stellar performance from start to finish! While the Mario Bros. series had always been the staple and measuring stick for great Nintendo first-party “run n’ jump” titles, Donkey Kong Country swung in on a vine outta nowhere to claim a seat at the table of the highest-order right away establishing itself among its peers with the impact of a silverback gorilla’s ground pound! With an outstanding combination of hairline-precision controls, ridiculously awesome music and robust level variety, Donkey Kong Country is pure unadulterated fun showcasing many of the best traits that fuel the lifeblood of the platforming genre while simultaneously innovating several new ideas to the difficult-to-experiment-with formula. I mean, who doesn’t want to charge through army helmet-wearing alligators and armadillo legions with a pair of primates riding a rhino at maximum speed while a bass-thumpin beat propels you forward? …And that’s literally just 1 of the stupidly amazing out-of-context scenarios that you’ll find yourself in after Donkey finds his bank vault-like banana hoard stolen from the game’s onset.  As far as detriments go, Donkey Kong Country’s visuals aren’t exactly what I would call “eye-candy” with over world screens and backdrops appearing like abstract Rorschach ink-blot tests at times though the sprite work deflects much of this criticism. Additionally, like many other Nintendo first-party products, the game lacks a resolute grittiness suspending the laws of realism to ensure a family-friendly product which doesn’t exactly warm itself up to someone like myself. Honestly, these mentions (and any others) are entirely minuscule though and only worth noting so you know that it was actually diagnosed from an analytical perspective since I’m usually having WAY too much fun rolling into snakes and jumping mine carts from track to track to really ever notice any of these slights. In the end, Donkey Kong Country is without question one of the most satisfying and simple to pick up and play games EVER beating its chest proudly as it gazes down on the crowded undertow of inferior titles below it. In the grand exhibit of video game culture, there can be no denying the masterpiece status that affixes itself among this epic adventure of potassium intake!

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“I guess I’m not the only one coming up with zingers around here!”

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