Review: Donkey Kong (1994)

If you’re a fan of classic Donkey Kong, this game is awesome.  Now, when I say classic, if you’re going back to the SNES… pull up the internet and get a history lesson.  I don’t mean that in a harsh way, but in a “there were some awesome games before the SNES one came out” way.  You owe it to yourself.  I owed it to the readers of this site to actually post a review on this game since it is in my general description of this site.  Since it’s been more than a few months since it’s been there, I figured this was past due.  The review is short, but that just means you have time to take part in the current giveaway. Now, the story is the same as the 1981 version of the game where Mario (originally called Jumpman) must save the “damsel in distress” named Pauline from Donkey Kong.  You know… it’s never really said why the big DK goes and kidnaps Mario’s woman.  After a while we’ve been given the impression that Bowser has a crush on Peach, but Donkey Kong just seems to want to take her for funzies; aka no real reason.  I may have to actually watch King Kong to figure this puzzle out.

When DK gets angry, he starts throwing junk at you.  It's like an angry girlfriend on a TV show.
When DK gets angry, he starts throwing junk at you. It’s like an angry girlfriend on a TV show.

So Donkey Kong is a straight forward platformer.  There are puzzles galore and way more levels that I thought.  I just rechecked and there are about ten main areas with ten levels each.  It’s pretty sick.  Some of the levels will obviously give you more of a challenge than others, but that’s too be expected.  There are three items in each level to collect for extra goodness and points (sometimes difficulty).  If you care about points… I don’t care too much though.  High point systems were the achievements of yesteryear.  Not to say I don’t go for them.  I personally don’t feel a level is completed unless I get all 3 “hidden” items since it’s not that tough.

The puzzles won't be making your brain hurt, but the "how to" part will have you putting some thought into this.  That's a good thing.
The puzzles won’t be making your brain hurt, but the “how to” part will have you putting some thought into this. That’s a good thing.

There’s a lot here to play and it’s super cheap @ $3.99 on the 3DS eShop.  Since it’s so simple, it kind of helps itself in being replayable.  Maybe not right after beating the game the first time, but you will definitely be able to come back to it easily which is awesome.

Final Score:

Overall:  The game is a steal at $3.99.  I know I keep harping at that, but what's $4 now a days?  With 100 levels, you probably won't beat it in a single sitting.  Keep it for lunch breaks or whatever and this will have been worth far more.  You should buy this game.
Overall: The game is a steal at $3.99. I know I keep harping at that, but what’s $4 now a days? With 100 levels, you probably won’t beat it in a single sitting. Keep it for lunch breaks or whatever and this will have been worth far more. You should buy this game.

Jonathan Amarelo Sig

2 thoughts on “Review: Donkey Kong (1994)

  • May 27, 2013 at 17:07
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    Gnarly. DK will always hold a place in my heart. Both that and Donkey Kong Jr. We have an arcade here locally that is totally awesome, and has so many classic coin-op games it’s nuts. DK & DK Jr. are among them and I play them EVERY time.

    It’s cool to see newer incarnations of a classic game, with few changes to the original format.

    Reply
  • May 28, 2013 at 03:56
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    Thanks man. Classic gaming is just plain good stuff. I remember playing DK in arcades too. Crap… I remember playing in arcades lol. Now the most I’ve got is one downtown and a couple of junkers in the local theater. Remember when they were the place to hang out?

    Reply

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