Donkey Kong ('94)

The plot of the original Donkey Kong felt like a dream or misremembering of the classic King Kong film. Rather than the military, it is a blue collar worker who mounts the structure of the Empire State Building, rescues the dame and deals the final blow to the abominable ape! But also, not quite; the levels of the game - the scenes of this fantasy movie - repeat over and over – again recalling a dream’s logic, tossing and turning. The ending skewing each time so that the happily ever after is undermined. Builder and Beast forever entwined...

Moving swiftly on (sorry about that) to Donkey Kong on the Game Boy, we see this plot elongated to form an extended joke – and a fully fledged resolution. Starting with the comforting boards of the arcade game the player quickly finds the rug pulled from under their feet. One of the best plot twists I’ve ever experienced in a game came from this funny little trick (especially if you’re playing on a random cart you’ve found lying around your girlfriend’s old bedroom with no previous knowledge). It  is in fact not a straight port of the arcade but a fully fledged platform game complete with developing mechanics, boss battles and numerously themed zones.

So here’s the joke: Jump Man – now known to be none other than Mario – in order to rescue the dame has to chase Kong not only up the Empire State Building but also through jungles, deserts, cities, and many other weird situations which I wouldn’t want to spoil. It’s kind of funny. I find it funny. Not laugh out loud funny maybe but. In any case, whether you find my analysis humorous or not the game itself is undeniably great.

Directed by Takao Shimizo and the now somewhat enigmatic Masayuki Kameyama (responsible for a weirdly varying and sadly limited output), Donkey Kong is a modest master class in developing a simple set of mechanics to their utmost.

Much more of a sequel to the original game than the Horizontal-Kong Rare would release just months after in the UK, this one has Mario back as the blue-collar hero (after the worrying side of him we saw in Kong Jr. – a Bolshevik Mario perhaps, seeking bloody revenge). There’s a great ongoing rivalry between our hero and villain; meeting many times throughout the game before finally facing off  in a demonic struggle at the very end! It provides a great sense of driving motivation for the player/character in a game whose plot is about as simple as it gets.

I’d say that the game’s mechanics were equally simple but here Mario has a surprising retinue of acrobatic moves to get him through the game’s many stages. This move-set feels great to master and beating the game requires a working knowledge of each one. Some of these recall Super Mario Bros 2, with the ability to lift and throw objects (including those strangely exotic keys), others take their cues from Kong Jr. This diverse set of moves means that the game can divide itself well between instinctual platforming levels and more thoughtful puzzles in which the player has to think for a moment before deciding which of Mario’s actions they need to use. Personally, I think one of the best features of the game is the return of Jump Man’s eponymous jump – which returns to its rigid and heavy form; rather than the more realistic jump physics misery which has haunted me for years and years of trying to enjoy Super Mario (it’s okay I hate myself too).

The game ultimately maintains that quality and pureness of design which has earned Nintendo its shining (and occasionally irritatingly) reputation. I would strongly argue that this is an essential game for the Game Boy. And (even though it features Mario) I feel like it might be one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played in DONKEY’s years! (har har).