In our bi-weekly retro game feature, we flashback to a retro game that is easily recognizable. This week, we flashback to a simpler country time.
Title: Donkey Kong Country
Release Date: Fall 1994
Genre: Platforming
Birth of a hero… as a villain?
Back when games weren’t very profitable but the ideas were immense, there was one on arcade cabinets that took in the imaginations of the world. In the summer of 1981, the very first video game to be named after the protagonist’s nemesis would be born. That game was called Donkey Kong. When many people think of Super Mario, they think of the main villain as a Giant green turtle “Bowser”. But in his very first installment, a character was created that took the world by storm, a character that would throw barrels at Mario and he would have to evade them… ultimately defeating Donkey Kong to rescue the damsel in distress. After his untimely demise at the hands of Mario, we fast forward to the fall of the year 1994, when the first title to feature our villain as a hero was released.
Country Life
In the epic first installment of Donkey Kong Country, firing up the Super Nintendo couldn’t be done fast enough, of course, you had to blow the cartridge to clear the dust out to play first, as this was not a disc game and it would not work if you did not use this “advanced” technique to clean it. This was considered one of Rare’s gaming masterpieces, and their influences can be seen heavily in the googly eyes of each character which they were known for in almost all of their games. After being greeted by excellent graphics and animation, a short introduction on a crocodile named K. Rool stealing ALL of DK’s bananas. This game featured a second protagonist also, DK’s nephew Diddy Kong. The music track can still play in your ears after this first image of starting the game is seen(image 3).
The soundtrack for this game was stellar, and way beyond its time. After the smooth platforming gameplay begins, you realize this game is not easy… it is very hard. Much harder than losing all your bananas to a crocodile in a crown and a cape. There were so many lush backgrounds as you’re trying (and probably failing a lot) to get through the many worlds the country has to offer (Image 4+5). At the end of each world featured a boss fight, which was a usually oversized animal beaten by gameplay mechanics (image 6).
Until you’re near the end (what a long journey) and face to face with the banana thief himself K Rool. Finishing this title was probably the greatest feeling ever, due to the return of rightfully owned bananas, and also due to the incredible difficulty for its time. This game was so popular that a sequel was created aptly named Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest. Where K Rool kidnaps Donkey Kong himself and Diddy is the main protagonist. What’s with these Nintendo villains and being serial kidnappers?
Country Life Today
There are many people who play these games still on the Twitch streaming service, or they upload their videos to Youtube to share their adventures in the country. Others “speedrun” the game to see how fast they can complete it (sadists…). Importantly, you can even buy new games in the series in 2010’s Donkey Kong Country Returns, or most recently 2018’s Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. (Nintendo) There are new stages to complete, and you can use different characters. But fans of the original could appreciate these also, as we return to the Country… so does the difficulty. These games were timeless epics and should be experienced by all gamers and could be a way that older gamers can relate to new ones alike. Returning to the Country never felt better, or so punishing.