A Barrel of Fun: Donkey Kong Country

[Macawmoses]

Developer: Rare
Players: 2
Genre: Platformer
System: Super Nintendo (later: VC, GBC, GBA)
Release Date: November 25, 1994

Super Nintendo Entertainment System. SNES. There are key words in there; Super, Nintendo, and Entertainment all come to mind as "important". But why? Well, the SNES was not a system, it was a promise. The "Super" told you that the titles were generally that. "Nintendo", as evidenced today, is a seal of quality. And of course, "Entertainment" refers to the fact that  good title will give you lots of just that. While not all titles would uphold this promise, the memorable ones did, and the SNES would go down in history because of it. But did Donkey Kong Country a memory that will fade with the rest, or did it uphold the promise of a corporation that was struggling?

Donkey Kong Country (DKC) is a platformer title, reminiscent of the Mario series, of coure, in all of the right ways! Poor old Donkey Kong, the grandson of the DK that would steal Mario's beloved Pauline, would have his stash of bananas stolen by a true monster, known as K. Rool. It's a truly riveting tale of a monkey and his bananas, but sadly, that got old when King Kong was first on the big screen. Certainly, the story is uninspiring, at best, but the characters are all vibrant, from the main duo of DK and Diddy, to the fiend K. Rool and his flunky's, each is memorable. Even though the story is weak, the writers did do a good job of developing lovable characters.

Once again, weak story. But we all know gameplay is what matters, right? DKC pairs the duo of Donkey and Diddy Kong up, literally. You control the two primates at once, well, you control one, while the other follows. The eclectic pair each have unique talents, like DK being the stronger of the two, while Diddy is easier to control, and faster. Furthermore, each attacks in a unique manner, as well as jumps certain distances. While you'll find both favorable in different parts of the game, most will lean towards Diddy. Even though he can't dispatch an enemy as quickly as his counterpart, he makes the game have a tolerable pace about it.

However, switching between the two is important, as some areas require you to use the other, or you'll be forced into doing as such in a matter of minutes. As you progress, and take damage, you'll ultimately lose a partner. While jumping on enemies to kill them sounds simple, it can take a lot of patience and precision, and you will take damage, and you will lose your ally. The answer, though, is in the crates marked "DK". Simply smashing one open brings your partner in crime back, which is a god send on its own.

On the subject of removing the foe, though, it should be noted that normal barrels, that roll into the enemy, as well as exploding ones exist. They add a certain depth to the game, as their placement can be key to your victory, but not essential. In addition to jumping on your enemies, as well as barreling through, you may also use a helper (which include a swordfish, condor, rhino, and more) to move through the title. You gain assistance by hopping aboard, and picking up tokens that match them leads to a bonus level of sorts. You may also pick up pieces spelling KONG, for an added life, as well as collect 100 bananas, your love, to garnish another life.

The gameplay is solid, but even by 1994, this formula seemed overused. However, some aspects of Donkey Kong Country would be reused in the future, and storied, at that. In terms of gameplay, there was being blasted through barrels, which is a lot of fun, and avoiding pits and being forced into using timing to hit the next just right. Furthermore, there was a mine cart section, where you would not really control the protagonists as much as you would their runaway mine cart; jumping, smashing, and avoiding with it. Both of which are brilliant ideas, and add to the gameplay.

Further innovations, though, came from the graphics. Originally rendered in 3D, the characters would be made 2D through some processes, and because of this, they looked fantastic. The background on the levels, which feature jungle, underwater, cavern, snow, etc themes, and offer a great deal of diversity, were simply marvels at the time. In fact, in comparison with some GBA/DS titles, DKC still holds strong looks. Honestly, though, DKC had the best graphics at the time, and honestly should be applauded for that. That doesn't mean it's a Crysis, though.

The reason it isn't a Crysis, in my eyes, is the fact that Crysis only has the look going for it. Another aspect that DKC delivers on is the music. The tunes perfectly match each locale, and sound wonderful at the same time. These pieces are among the best I've heard on any video game to date, 14 years later, and once again, Rare pushed the limits of the SNES to deliver such a sound. In fact, the music was so amazing, a CD was released. That's impressive.

Now, I realize I touched on the gameplay, but I needed to iterate the best parts of DKC. It has its' flaws, and I find them to be in the mini-games and two player modes. The mini-games are just tests of your eyes, and really, guessing. You play through the uninspired little devils, reap your reward, and leave. The joy in them stems from actually finding them, though. It's a daunting task. As for the two player mode, you essentially just pass the controller back and forth, as both the challenge and "co-op" modes only allow one to play at a time. There could have been so much more if they would have allowed for two at once, but oh well, it's still a solid game.

Going back through the game at a later time may happen, but sadly, once you're done, you're done. There is no real reasoning to play through it all again; no bonus modes, no harder level of play, no anything. You'll have trouble getting 101%, and a dedicated gamer will do just that, but, not much draws you back. Conversely, I do occasionally play through just to listen to the melodies, but that may be just me.

DKC still stands proud today, though. The gameplay and story were by no means revolutionary, but they sufficed, and kept the gamer involved. Where the title truly shines, though, is within the graphics and sound, both of which are more than impressive, and a force to be reckoned with then, and now. The SNES was a promise of quality, held by the Nintendo name, entertainment, and just a good time. DKC may have its flaws, but it certainly keeps the promise Nintendo made when the released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Now on Virtual Console, it's well worth your time and money.

Scores:

Gameplay: 7.5 Decent, repetitive, unoriginal.
Story: 7.0 Your bananas are in another jungle! Yeah...
Graphics: 9.5 Top of the line upon release, and even today.
Sound: 10 Hands down amazing. Brilliant.
Value: 7.0 No replay, production values are present, solid.
Longevity: 8.5 Still a decent title today.

Overall: 8.5 Gameplay and Story hinder amazing production values. Still fun.

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Authors Notes:

RT Round III at NS2 Entry.

Fair use of images, not mine, with source left in tact.

Feel free to discuss the title or constructively criticize my work. Constructive is the word.

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