Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo) review on HonestGamers

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Review by Felix Arabia
April 14, 2007

I’ve been in denial for nearly thirteen years. While legions of my reviewing colleagues have claimed Donkey Kong Country to be one of the most over-rated games of all time, I have stood quietly idle, refusing to agree with their ravenous opinions. DKC is a 2-D platformer I’ve beaten numerous times from start ‘til stop without ever once wanting to call the adventure anything less than sheer perfection.

It was hard for me not to love this. DKC is one of the most endearing games I have ever played. Whenever you errantly roll Diddy Kong, the limber monkey sidekick to bashing bruiser Donkey Kong, into spiny enemy bee, he rubs his cheek as if he’s trying to soothe the pain. Rare gave the adorable little monkey and big dumb gorilla plenty of personality. This is only further emphasized when you see big DK jamming in the jungle canopy to some hot beats.

That level of detail was what made Donkey Kong Country for me. For nearly thirteen years, this would have received a rabid 11/10 score, common sense be forgotten. Until now.

Recently I had the displeasure of playing through it again; and for some reason or another, things just didn’t click this time. It became horribly apparent that the many stages Donkey and Diddy must traverse are nothing more than the simple, straightforward variety lacking challenge and diversity. Sure, they look great and harbor a variety of different locales, but they’re stilly basically the same. You constantly move from left to right.

Where DKC2 added in stages that climb upward, DKC does nothing of the sort. And it’s perfectly happy with it. I was, too, until I realized after all this time that it’s not okay. It’s not okay that I can blitz through the whole game without ever breaking a sweat, without ever even having to worry to check my watch to see if I may be taking too much time. It’s not that I get lost in some sort of la-la land within the game, but rather that I just can get through it so quickly without even really trying. Just move Donkey and Diddy to the right, occasionally hopping and rolling onto enemies, and then it’s stage complete.

It is such a shame. DKC still possesses beautiful aesthetics. The level of detail is excellent for a 16-bit Super Nintendo game, and the music is still particularly memorable. Swimming through the boringly crafted underwater levels is one of the game’s brighter points since you get to bear witness to that lazy aquatic flair that soars out of your television’s speakers so resonantly. The same thing still happens when traversing the stony temple pathways in the second world’s final stage. Wooden flutes add ambiance to a place that is sorely lacking any sort of life in terms of difficulty or interest. The places still look great, yes, but graphics have advanced to such a degree that DKC can longer claim to have something that other games don’t.

At least one stage still works in every single aspect. The first stage in the snowy fourth world will never lose its luster. It involves an abnormal amount of barrel blasting – the Kongs can get shot out of barrels like it’s no one’s business – and it even utilizes some precarious platforming. When you begin the level, the majestic mountains in the background are perfectly visible, but the more you progress through the dangerous wintry land, the heavier the snow will fall. By the time you get to the midpoint of the level, which is marked with a pitiful save barrel, the whole screen will be blanketed in a fury of snowfall. I love this stage because it tries to be different, and it succeeds.

Yet even here you may get the hint that this level is special since I reminisce about the graphics. There is not a single part of DKC that doesn’t rely on beautifully pre-rendered 3-D graphics. Some levels let you ride animal buddies such as a surly rhinoceros or slick swordfish, but it does not change anything. All of the other stages in Donkey Kong Country are far easier and less striking. Regardless of enemy design, most of the animal foes can be killed with a simple stomp to the head. Kremlings, which are scaly crocs and the like, can all be dispatched with relative ease. They simply amble back and forth, indifferent to Donkey and Diddy. You can only die if you run into an enemy or fall of a ledge into a bottomless pit.

Not even the bosses pose a challenge. Giant beavers account for two of the game’s seven bosses, while goliath, coconut-spitting vulture heads account for an additional two. Though their size may lead you to think they’re more dangerous than their smaller counterparts, five stomps to the head will be enough to put them out of commission. The giant bee boss and levitating oil drum are not much more difficult. Not even the rotund Lord of the Kremlings, King K. Rool, a poor man’s Bowser, will give you that much trouble. You just have to dodge his crown and cannonballs and stomp him on the head when the time is right.

Stomp, stomp, stomp.

I can’t believe it took me so long to realize that Donkey Kong Country isn’t anything special.

Rating
5	Average As a whole, this game is quite average. You're unlikely to find much of anything remarkable about it at all.
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Game Profile & Content

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Donkey Kong Country (SNES) game cover art

Staff Score (Avg): 5.0 User Score (Avg): 7.2 Press Score (Avg): N/A
Reviews: 8 Guides: 5 Cheats: 2 Ratings: 14	High Scores: 0 Screenshots: 0 Videos: 0

Title: Donkey Kong Country
Genre: Action (Platformer)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Rare
Release Date: November, 1994
ESRB: K-A
Save: Battery
Platforms: GBA, GBC, SNES

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