Donkey Kong, you know him, I know him, he’s the ape with the likeable face and even more likeable tie. This version of Donkey Kong was introduced in the game Donkey Kong Country in 1994, which I recently played for the very first time. I didn’t grow up with a SNES, but this was one of the primary games I was interested in for that console. I dabbled with it here and there, but it wasn’t until recently that I finally decided to beat the game on my Nintendo Switch.

Generally I’m a big fan of platformers, but this game… I LOVED it! You control Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong, DK is stronger but Diddy is faster and more agile so you’ll want to play with them both in order to find every secret (and there are a lot of those). Everyone has their preference but mine is DK… it’s the tie honestly. Both can roll, which I found was a great way to take out enemies and pick up a bit of speed. You lose whichever Kong you’re controlling if you get hit, but each level is filled with barrels that allow you to restore your fallen Kong.

Speaking of which, this game loves barrels. Find secret entrances? Barrels. Attack enemies? Barrels. Fly through the freaking sky? Barrels. It’s incredibly creative how much mileage they got out of this one concept… but I do find it a bit odd that not many other elements from the arcade games retuned. I’m not saying Stanley the Bug Man would have been a better final boss than King K Rool… but I’m not not saying it either. The level design is amazing! Especially for the time. Some of the more memorable levels for me were the mine cart levels as I thought they were a great change of pace, and really exciting. I also loved all of the animal friends you got to ride, the specific areas they are found in make it easier and more fun to traverse the level. Now some areas, especially in the beginning, felt a little similar, but overall each level was very unique.

Oh, and the presentation of this game, in many ways I feel that’s where it shines the most, and that is not to downplay the other elements I’ve talked about so far. The music is BANGING! I could listen to this soundtrack in any situation, it’s so funky and cool, but Aquatic Ambience takes the cake, that is a calming treat to my ears. Also, despite being a bit dated, I love the graphics. Famously, this game based it’s sprite work on 3D models to create the illusion of 3D in a 2D space. I feel this gives this game a distinct style which in many ways, still holds up today.

Whilst obviously much more revolutionary at the time, Donkey Kong Country still holds up today as a great 2D platformer, jam packed with fun times. This was a great introduction to the series and I am now more excited than ever to play the sequels and hopefully, HOPEFULLY… we haven’t seen the last of Stanley yet!