Donkey Kong's Conquest

The Donkey Kong Country games were never my favourite platformers on the SNES. They’re fun, but their design limitations amplify their challenge in unfair ways. This is especially true of the second entry, which starts off moderately-challenging before becoming infuriating 1/3 of the way through. It’s not like these games can’t be excellent, especially given Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii, but I’ll take Mario any day of the week. Sorry to disappoint.

I say all this because I recently replayed Donkey Kong Country again via NSO. It’d been over a decade, and since the Switch saw a slew of Donkey Kong-related rereleases recently, I figured why not. I remembered enjoying my last play-through, and my memories couldn’t be lying to me. Since it’s the only one of the original games I’ve beaten, I thought it wouldn’t be difficult to replay. So was it?

By the way, I’m not great at video games. Like, at all. I’ve covered this before, but the general reason is a processing delay. Video games, even “easy” ones, take longer to grasp, so what most consider simple I often find challenging. This is also true of older games, as they have preset technological limitations and have to offset their runtimes. It’s inevitable that Donkey Kong Country, a 30 year-old game pushing the limits of its console, would be no different. That it’s a Rare title adds insult to injury, as they’re notorious for challenging games.

Despite this, Donkey Kong Country isn’t as bad as many games of that era. It’s not a cakewalk, especially compared to modern standards, but as a Rare title it’s more accessible than later Donkey Kong Country games. For that reason alone, it’s easily my favourite of the original trilogy. Its level design’s dated, but it isn’t trying to overcompensate. No, that’s for the sequels to accomplish…

The relative-simplicity extends to the actual game. There’s an overworld hub with mini hubs in each World, and you progress one at a time. Each time you complete a level, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong dance to a little jingle. The levels themselves are varied, with repeat concepts-a jungle, a cave, an ocean-being distinct enough to not feel repetitive. Considering Rare didn’t have to do that, as there weren’t standards for the Donkey Kong IP in 1994, it’s impressive that they put in the effort.

This extends to sprites and background designs. Donkey Kong Country broke new ground with 3D-inspired layouts in a side-scrolling platformer, and you can see the attention to detail. The backgrounds indicate masterful use of seasons and lighting, highlighting the time of day and weather conditions. The character sprites also have expressive animations that change if you’re moving, staying still or dying. Again, Rare didn’t need to do this.

I can’t go without mentioning the music. Given the limitations of the SNES, composing quality tracks was going to be difficult. But Donkey Kong Country makes it look easy. The tracks are varied and full of life, and while they repeat, they’re never boring. They’re easily the best part, transcending any and all flaws. Give me Aquatic Ambience any day of the week!

Of course, the game’s fun. Like many of Rare’s classics, even unfair ones, there’s a certain appeal to repeating your failures over and over. Whether it’s because of the scenery, the playful character designs, or admiring the level mechanics, I can’t help shaking off my failures and Game Overs. I might be too engrossed! I think I have a problem…

All that said, I don’t think this game has aged too well. While fun, and easier than its sequels, not everything’s so smooth. The controls work, but there are delays in the response times of the buttons. The Switch joystick gets stiff in overuse, making you to move too quickly or slowly. The draw distances are also limited, and if you don’t memorize what’s outside of the screen it spells doom. There were instances where I didn’t see a trap or enemy in time, or even forgot it was there, and paid for it.

The background and foreground often also blurs together. It’s not the game’s fault, but there were moments where I couldn’t tell what was a platform. This was made worse by environmental effects like snow and haze, which obscured visibility. Never mind in-level gimmicks like outmaneuvering flickering lights, forcing me to rely on guesswork. It’s tiresome.

One last critique involves King K. Rool. Despite preset patterns, his response times differ from a standard boss. He also requires you to carefully plan your attacks, which is hard if you aren’t paying full attention. And he fakes defeat 2/3 of the way through. I know the bosses only allow for one DK Barrel, so as to not make them too easy, but King K. Rool should’ve been the exception. He’s the final boss, and it’s not like the sequel didn’t take this to heart with Kaptain K. Rool.

Despite my grievances, I enjoyed my replay of Donkey Kong Country. It took an in-game total of 2.5 hours, more if you ignore the save mechanics, and that was time well-spent. Did I 100% the game? No, I don’t have the patience for that. But of the original entries, this one’s aged the best. And I’m not only saying that because of the final boss, though that’s a factor.

Now then, about that ScrewAttack g1 who chastised me for calling this game “hard”…what happened to them? I’d like to give them a piece of my mind!