This is another of my favorite video games of all time, favorite platform action games and favorite games for the SNES console. The game was a phenomenon for the system as it of course was not just a reinvigoration of one of Nintendo old properties but another legendary entry for the platform action genre and the very beginning of a franchise all on its own as this game much like Mario had plenty of volumes afterward and probably many more to come as long as time keeps rolling on. I remember getting my SNES console for Christmas when I was an adolescent and in seventh grade and this game came with it, it was a dream come true because I was only able to play this game as a demo in the toy and department stores. I loved playing the game back then and as an adult I still love playing it now.
It makes sense that they would change the Donkey Kong franchise into a action platformer as in the 90's the action platform genre was a genre on the rise with the popularity of "Sonic" and "Mario" a lot of games were trying to get in on the action, so why not an old franchise that helped start the genre in the first place.
I really love the graphical presentations; I remember how much they blew me away as it was CGI which in the 90's was a novelty and on the rise. This game to me is one of the best examples as it's CGI animation when used the right way, as it still looks beautiful today from the background to the character models themselves; it really showed how much further video games can go and were well on their way to taking that next step. The characters models are great as their still unique looking to this day because they don't even look CGI, they look almost like Claymation like the kind you see from Will Vinton. From how they move but just how lively the characters move and act, could almost mistake them for being real.
The music is great, there are plenty of memorable tracks, each of them fit the theme of the game on pulp jungle adventures. I like that each of the tracks, despite adventurous their also rather relaxing, a few of the tracks you could probably play as relaxation tune when you either want to meditate or help you sleep. My favorite track is the underwater track which fits as my favorite parts of the game, it just beautifully soothing and relaxing with its otherworldly tune which makes sense as going underwater is like going into another world. It also helps having this music as it makes the frustration you endure less painful.
The gameplay is great, it's like the Mario games, from the overview map and the controls of move, run, jump, nothing really new but everything done right but with some additions to make it more unique. Really like the heroes Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong who are your buddy buddy dynamic, which made sense as buddy cop films and buddy buddy comedies were still a big thing in the 90s.
Really like the use of the co-op function as this game was one of the first to utilize it. You're able to switch characters whenever you want and need to. But also having another buddy around helps as it goes with the rules of double elimination competition, "you lose twice your out, you lose once you still have one more chance." Both characters play well as both vary in strength and weaknesses where Donkey Kong is agile, medium speeded, and has strength as he can take out stronger enemies with both his jump and roll attack but is also able to lift barrels and chuck it at enemies, which makes him have a stronger offensive.
Diddy Kong is also agile, small and not as strong but fast as he can take out enemies with his jump and cartwheel attack. Can lift barrels too but doesn't have much range in the throw but can hit targets at short range and can still carry the barrel to use to ram enemies or as a shield, making Diddy's strong on defense. You also get to ride on animals much like how Mario rides on Yoshi. Only here you get different kinds of animals each with different abilities required for each of the stages.
Also really like the levels you play, each of them have a particular them and each of the stages are always a different challenge, giving the game slight unpredictability, you never sure what to really expect mainly how high or low the difficulty on the next stage will be. There are plenty of memorable stages like the romp in the ancient ruins and the mine cart which are despite trick are fun and just gave me the feel of the "Indiana Jones" films. But I really love the underwater stages as to me as there is just a lot to see and explore, and just because I love the ocean.
The game is on the medium hard difficulty as there are some parts of the game that aren't too much of a problem to get through, but there are others that are tricky which will just make a monkey out of you (no pun intended) as they can cause some real frustration. But at least the difficulty is fair as most of the time it's really because I made a small misstep, or I timed it incorrectly. It's the old principle of not getting it right the first time, so it will take some practice to safely make it from point A to B; this just makes the game all the more rewarding as you know it's your own skill that got you though.
Speaking of rewards, this game also has a risk reward element which is common in all platform action games, as Donkey and Diddy collect bananas much as Mario and Luigi collect coins which all add up to a reward of buying yourself another life. There are also prices like multiple bananas or a letter to spell Kong another opportunity to get another life, both are sometimes placed in some hazardous places which make you must do careful decision making on whether you really can and want to risk losing a life just to collect the reward. There are also barrels or even cave channels that can lead you to the bonus game to get you the extra bananas you need.
"Donkey Kong Country" is a vintage classic that has a big swing.
Rating: 4 stars.
It makes sense that they would change the Donkey Kong franchise into a action platformer as in the 90's the action platform genre was a genre on the rise with the popularity of "Sonic" and "Mario" a lot of games were trying to get in on the action, so why not an old franchise that helped start the genre in the first place.
I really love the graphical presentations; I remember how much they blew me away as it was CGI which in the 90's was a novelty and on the rise. This game to me is one of the best examples as it's CGI animation when used the right way, as it still looks beautiful today from the background to the character models themselves; it really showed how much further video games can go and were well on their way to taking that next step. The characters models are great as their still unique looking to this day because they don't even look CGI, they look almost like Claymation like the kind you see from Will Vinton. From how they move but just how lively the characters move and act, could almost mistake them for being real.
The music is great, there are plenty of memorable tracks, each of them fit the theme of the game on pulp jungle adventures. I like that each of the tracks, despite adventurous their also rather relaxing, a few of the tracks you could probably play as relaxation tune when you either want to meditate or help you sleep. My favorite track is the underwater track which fits as my favorite parts of the game, it just beautifully soothing and relaxing with its otherworldly tune which makes sense as going underwater is like going into another world. It also helps having this music as it makes the frustration you endure less painful.
The gameplay is great, it's like the Mario games, from the overview map and the controls of move, run, jump, nothing really new but everything done right but with some additions to make it more unique. Really like the heroes Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong who are your buddy buddy dynamic, which made sense as buddy cop films and buddy buddy comedies were still a big thing in the 90s.
Really like the use of the co-op function as this game was one of the first to utilize it. You're able to switch characters whenever you want and need to. But also having another buddy around helps as it goes with the rules of double elimination competition, "you lose twice your out, you lose once you still have one more chance." Both characters play well as both vary in strength and weaknesses where Donkey Kong is agile, medium speeded, and has strength as he can take out stronger enemies with both his jump and roll attack but is also able to lift barrels and chuck it at enemies, which makes him have a stronger offensive.
Diddy Kong is also agile, small and not as strong but fast as he can take out enemies with his jump and cartwheel attack. Can lift barrels too but doesn't have much range in the throw but can hit targets at short range and can still carry the barrel to use to ram enemies or as a shield, making Diddy's strong on defense. You also get to ride on animals much like how Mario rides on Yoshi. Only here you get different kinds of animals each with different abilities required for each of the stages.
Also really like the levels you play, each of them have a particular them and each of the stages are always a different challenge, giving the game slight unpredictability, you never sure what to really expect mainly how high or low the difficulty on the next stage will be. There are plenty of memorable stages like the romp in the ancient ruins and the mine cart which are despite trick are fun and just gave me the feel of the "Indiana Jones" films. But I really love the underwater stages as to me as there is just a lot to see and explore, and just because I love the ocean.
The game is on the medium hard difficulty as there are some parts of the game that aren't too much of a problem to get through, but there are others that are tricky which will just make a monkey out of you (no pun intended) as they can cause some real frustration. But at least the difficulty is fair as most of the time it's really because I made a small misstep, or I timed it incorrectly. It's the old principle of not getting it right the first time, so it will take some practice to safely make it from point A to B; this just makes the game all the more rewarding as you know it's your own skill that got you though.
Speaking of rewards, this game also has a risk reward element which is common in all platform action games, as Donkey and Diddy collect bananas much as Mario and Luigi collect coins which all add up to a reward of buying yourself another life. There are also prices like multiple bananas or a letter to spell Kong another opportunity to get another life, both are sometimes placed in some hazardous places which make you must do careful decision making on whether you really can and want to risk losing a life just to collect the reward. There are also barrels or even cave channels that can lead you to the bonus game to get you the extra bananas you need.
"Donkey Kong Country" is a vintage classic that has a big swing.
Rating: 4 stars.