Donkey Kong Country: An Experience of a Lifetime

Donkey Kong Country: An Experience of a Lifetime

Donkey Kong Country holds a special place in my heart as one of my favorite classic video games. I personally consider it to be one of the most defining games of its era, more so than the Super Mario Brothers or Sonic the Hedgehog. Donkey Kong (in my opinion) single handedly set the bar for what it means to be a good video game, even by today’s standards. I wanted to take some time to explain why I think that is, and perhaps convince you that Donkey Kong Country is one of the greatest games of its time.

Story:

Story wise, Donkey Kong Country has a very simple premise. You are Donkey Kong, you like bananas, all your bananas got stolen, get bananas back. It is very simplistic, and that’s for a good reason. Donkey Kong doesn’t need a complicated story. Unlike other games which have to explain why the characters act the way they do through the game’s dialogue, Donkey Kong’s doesn’t have to because it just makes sense. Monkeys like bananas, so when you have all of your bananas stolen, it just makes sense that you would attempt to get them back. It’s that level of simplicity that makes a good game. A lot of the most classic and iconic game franchises started with a simple story; Mario wants to save the princess, Sonic wants to stop the mad scientist, Pac-Man wants to eat pellets and dodge ghosts. Megaman also wants to stop the mad scientist, Spyro wants to stop the evil wizard, and Crash Bandicoot… also also wants to stop the mad scientist… I am noticing a trend here… You get the idea. My point being that a game doesn’t need a complex story, in fact, some games do better without complex stories; and I think Donkey Kong Country really epitomizes this by having you play as a monkey trying to get bananas.

Gameplay:

Donkey Kong Country, at its heart, is a game about exploration. Not only in its theming, but level design as well. You are put onto this massive island, with every type of terrain to adventure in; jungles, lakes, caves, temples, snowy hills, factories, etc. The game creates a feeling of the unknown and unexplored. Playing the game for the first time, you almost never know what the game will throw at you. Each level offers a new experience to the old one, rather it’s through a slight change of atmosphere or different level gimmicks, you truly never know what awaits you on DK Island (yes, that’s what they named it). Speaking of exploration, the game utilizes that idea very well. Donkey Kong Country is a game filled with secrets, and I am not talking about Easter Eggs. Levels are designed to have all types of hidden rooms to find, filled with bananas and other goodies. This is alongside the infamous “KONG” letters, scattered throughout the level. This encourages players to explore and replay levels to find secrets they haven’t seen before. To attempt some of the puzzles and extra challenges along the way, and with success earning a plentiful reward. This is another premise that keeps that game great. Most modern video games have extra rewards that can be unlocked through exploration; and while not all of them are good (looking at you, Call of Duty Zombies with your stupidly complicated easter eggs) it still shows that having hidden paths to explore is almost necessary for a good game nowadays. Donkey Kong was doing it before it became mainstream. One more important factor that contributes towards Donkey Kong’s idea of exploration is his move set. The game manages to strike a nice balance of flexibility and stiffness. Let’s take a look at two games as an example. In Super Mario, your move set is very limited; you can walk, run, jump, and… well basically that’s it. You can do more upon collecting power ups, but other than that Mario was designed to be very limited in what he can do (to be fair, Mario’s moves depend on what game he is in. However in most games we play, these are his most basic moves) Now let’s take a look at a different game, Pizza Tower. It this game playing as Peppino, you can walk, run, dash, dive, punch, roll, jump, super jump, crawl, etc. There are plenty of ways to move in that game. Donkey Kong strikes a balance between these two. He has a decently sized moveset, being able to walk, run, jump, roll, pick up barrels, climb vines, etc. It’s a perfect balance. It gives the player a lot of ways to move and interact with the world, but also keeps it limited. In a way, you act like a monkey. Dumb enough to not know how to preform complex moves, but just smart enough to trash the bad guys. This moveset allows the player to interact the world they are put in. To enable them to investigate and experiment. By grabbing barrels, swinging from vines, riding mine carts, it allows for the world to feel expansive and almost real. It makes them feel like a Kong, a Donkey Kong.

Atmosphere:

As stated earlier, the game hosts many different terrains for the player to explore. This ultimately contributes to the feeling of the game. You are on this massive island, with deep jungles, dark caverns, dense snowy hills, and degraded factories. You feel a sense of insecurity, feeling like whatever lies in those unexplored areas could be horrific. But then the game those something you wouldn’t except, it fills you with an adventurous spirit. All this land, all these forests, jungles, caves, caverns, lakes, mountains, factories; they are all yours to explore. A calm feeling washes over you when you realize it’s not an obstacle, but rather an experience. To get to see all these different locations and places along the way, that’s the real game. Of course, none of this wouldn’t be possible without the great music of David Wise. David Wise might have made some of the best music in video game history for a game about a monkey that really likes bananas. If you have never listened to the Donkey Kong Country OST I absolutely encourage you to do so. It is amazing; and it’s that very same music that helps create an atmosphere. Each track tells a different story. DK Island Swing creates a feeling of the expansive jungle, filled with life and wilderness. Aquatic Ambiance creates a feeling of an open sea, unexplored and untouched by the chaos of the surface. Life In The Mines creates a feeling of being deep under ground, a lifeless place, where many work doing the jobs to extract necessary materials. And Fear Factory creates a sense of dread, impending doom, as the player moves deeper into the labyrinth of the beast. All these songs and the entire game’s OST manage to convey something to the player. It makes the player feel the story, the events that have happened here, the things that are happening here. It truly is a mystic experience.

Conclusion:

Overall, Donkey Kong Country makes them feel the world around them. It goes out of its way to make sure the player feels like they live in the world of Donkey Kong. Through its level design give the player plenty of control but still maintaining the mindset of a monkey, its atmosphere creating new feelings you never felt before, and of course the journey it puts you through. I think Donkey Kong remains one of the best all time classics for these reasons, I thank you for reading. Ciao.