Games Time Forgot – Donkey Kong Country

August 19, 2010

Ah, who can forget the old Super Nintendo? For many of us gamers, including myself, the successor to Nintendo’s original console was one of the first opportunities we had to play video games outside of the average arcade. For its massive library of games, and quality titles at that, the SNES is regarded by many as the most successful console of gaming’s 4th generation. However, for every game in the SNES library that remains in the memory of every gamer, such as the Super Mario series and the original Final Fantasy games, there is another game that shared in its quality but doesn’t have the attention it deserves. One of those games I speak of is the 1994 title “Donkey Kong Country”, the subject of today’s “Games Time Forgot”.

Donkey Kong Country would have 3 different iterations in the SNES Era. The original game was released in the States on November 21. 1994.

Games Time Forgot: Donkey Kong Country

People sometimes forget that there wouldn’t be a Mario character or Mario series in general had it not been for Mario’s earliest villain, Donkey Kong. The original Donkey Kong games for arcades are still much adored even today, as highlighted in a major way through the documentary “King of Kong” that I have discussed in an earlier article. Is it possible that Mario’s early success with the original Mario and Mario 3 led to Donkey Kong getting himself a similar series? We might never know the answer to the question, but there is no doubt that the decision that Nintendo and Rare made in the mid 90’s to create Donkey Kong Country was a great decision, as the game itself is easily one of the best on the console.

Just like most of the earlier games that Nintendo released upon the world, the story isn’t much to go home about, but it has a nice enough ring to it that it drives you to move on to see what might possibly come next. The premise of Donkey Kong Country revolves around everyone’s favorite ape, Donkey Kong, and his ongoing search to find his hoard of bananas that have been stolen by his good ol’ nemesis and King of the Kremlings, King K. Rool. Coming along for the ride is his best friend and regular sidekick, Diddy Kong, as the two travel through multiple areas and a total of 40 levels of platforming action. It’s a nice touch also to see the many different Kong characters help you out throughout the game as well, including everyone’s favorite grandpa, Cranky Kong.

Ah, that lovable Cranky Kong. However, don't let his old demeanor fool you, he can pack quite the hit onto DK if you are not careful.

Now certainly by today’s standards, you can argue that Donkey Kong Country doesn’t have the greatest graphical strength out there. But for its time, it was no doubt a revolutionary piece of hardware. In fact, it was one of the first games ever to include pre-rendered 3D graphics, along with other hits of the time such as fellow Rare title Killer Instinct. We take 3D graphics in games today for granted, but in 1994 it was a pretty big deal to have graphical power like that for a game, and I would argue that the game’s graphics still carry their own weight pretty well for 2010. According to Rare, many financial risks were taken in order to make the “Advanced Computer Modeling” project a success, and fortunately for them it did have the positive feedback they were looking to receive, leading to 2 sequels later on in the 90’s.

Donkey Kong Country’s gameplay mechanics aren’t that much different from other sidescrolling platforming games of both the past and present. You take Donkey Kong, and depending on if you find certain barrels, Diddy Kong, for a ride through 40 different levels in order to reach the top of the mountain where Rool awaits. Along the way, the game adds some flavor by bringing in some animal helpers to assist the player through specific levels suited for them. For example, in the game’s underwater levels, a swordfish named Enguarde will show himself on occasion to help you get through the water faster. Or if you find yourself in a cave like level, a parrot named Squawks will help you get through the many cliff ridden floors in order to get to the end. If you are looking for some fun in the game with another person, then you can certainly do so by exploring the “Contest” and “Team” portions of the game, in which you can race with a friend to see how fast you can get through a level or team up with them to improve your chances of getting through the story portion of the game. Because of this two player functionality, its easier for new players to get acquainted with the game, which only expands the player base further from the original diehard Donkey Kong fans.

Donkey Kong Country also has specialized levels such as traveling through with only a mine kart. Try to not get too frustrated with these levels if you ever have to deal with one, as they can be quite difficult at times.

Of course, as with any other great SNES game, the soundtrack for Donkey Kong Country is top notch. The soundtrack is made up of over 20 different tracks, which were later put together in a CD titled DK Jamz. A trio of composers (Robin Beanland, Eveline Fischer and David Wise) put together this fantastic soundtrack, some tracks of which I will place below for your listening pleasure:

Aquatic Ambiance

Mine Kart Madness

Bad Boss Boogie

I will end this column with a little story. I’m sure that most of you know by now that the Donkey Kong Country series is getting a bit of a reboot this upcoming fall with the Wii title “Donkey Kong Country Returns”. Now I do suggest that all of you pick up the game, even if you haven’t played the original game of discussion here or any of its sequels. The funny link between this reboot and the original is in their release dates. The original DKC came out on November 21, 1994. So when does the reboot game come out you ask? Try November 21, 2010 — 16 years to the day of the series’ original release. Pretty cool how it came out that way, huh? Now, go pick up the original and try it out for yourself, as you will not be disappointed. I believe you can now find it on the Wii Virtual Console now, so anyone with a Wii has absolutely no excuse not to give this one a shot, even if you are not a fan of platformers or the Donkey Kong himself.

So, are there any of you who have actually played Donkey Kong Country for yourself? If so, I would love to hear what you have to say about the game in the comments, along with any other games you can suggest for future GTF columns. Anyway, until next time MvG Viewers, thanks once again for reading!

Comments

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

NAME*
 
EMAIL*

Your email address will not be published.

  1. TheFraudulent

    This game can be so unforgiving at times, but such a great game…makes me wonder how good the new Donkey Kong will be :D

    1. MAN

      The new Donkey Kong does look pretty awesome, from what little I’ve seen so far. It really doesn’t take much to please me as long as a game is a 2D Platformer. :D

  2. Elisheba

    This makes me wish I still had an SNES :(