Retro Profile: Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
Sunday, December 2nd, 2007 at 8:00am by Jamie
It feels like it was only yesterday that I had first laid my eyes on that commercial for Donkey Kong Country all bright-eyed, wishing for a Super Nintendo. I always jumped at the chance to play it at my local game store. I usually only got past the first two levels before I had to go home, but I didn’t care…I was just happy to play it. DKC made a big splash with gamers of all ages, and helped to line Nintendo’s already fat pockets with our cash. And really, it was worth every penny since the game was a 32 megabyte cartridge featuring awesome level designs, beautifully rendered characters and backgrounds, and some of the best graphics on the Super NES.
This game gets things started off on the right foot by having Donkey Kong blast out of his house, ready to start the journey. Things really get rolling after you free Diddy from the “DK” barrel and go on to romp through the jungle. You can easily switch between Donkey or Diddy by tagging the character to jump in front. This will prove to be very useful, as both monkeys have their own specific abilities. Donkey Kong, for instance, is the strongest and best at defeating the tougher enemies in the game. He can even pound the ground to make hidden bananas appear in certain levels. Diddy isn’t as strong, but he is faster, able to fit in smaller places, and can jump to higher ledges that are just out of the reach of Donkey. With that in mind, you’ll find it useful to have both characters available to you if you want to have an easier time making it to the end of the game. At the same time, it won’t be impossible to progress through the many levels of DKC, but you will definitely come across certain spots that are easier to navigate through with either Diddy or Donkey Kong.
Donkey Kong Country was truly one of the more challenging games on the SNES at the time of its release. At first, you’ll start off doing the simple everyday platforming duties- jumping chasms, pouncing on enemies, and swinging on a rope or two. But as you progress through the different sections of the island, the game gets much more involved. You will find yourself having to guide the Kongs through mine cart rides, carefully blast them from cannon to cannon, travel through a blizzard storm in the icy glaciers, and many other interesting tasks. Some of the levels can feel a little gimmicky at times, but it’s not too bad and it serves to keep you on your toes. It’s also quite a task to get a 100% rating by the time you finish the game. There are many secret areas to be found in DKC, and most people have spent months trying to discover everything….people like me. And I still have yet to find everything. So without a doubt, this game has a high replay value to be enjoyed by all.
Although the game is of a side-scrolling variety, every character has been modeled in 3D, which makes for some uncommonly realistic animations on the Super NES, as I mentioned before. The backgrounds are also in 3D, but they’re pre-rendered. Even so, it was big deal back in 1994 and a nice milestone for Nintendo’s 16-bit hardware. Some of the most vibrant levels are the ones that feature rain, snow, or take place under water. The various special effects of each environment add to the richness and polish of DKC. In short, your eyes won’t be sore or just plain bored from the visuals to be seen in this game. Not by a long shot.
Play or Stay? Overall, DKC has enough charm and challenge to please even the most hardened of platforming veterans and beginners that may have never played the series before. If you don’t have it in your gaming collection, I highly recommend that you track down a copy for yourself. Or better yet, download it on the Virtual Console. Donkey Kong Country is more fun than a barrel of monkeys!
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:32 am
I have to disagree with you about the game’s difficulty, back when I was a kid the game was indeed somewhat challenging but in the past week I have actually been playing this co-operatively with my brother. Although we haven’t finished the game yet (we are pacing ourselves) by the time we finish we would have clocked in under 3 hours with a near perfect completion rate.
Maybe I am a hardened 2D platfomring gamer but the game really isn’t as challenging as I remember it.
This game shouldn’t be missed by anyone, infact buy the whole trilogy as they are just so damned polished and worth your time. Furthermore buy the SNES versions, nothing beats the old SNES controllers and DKC. ^_^
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:18 am
This game was really great and it did have some of the most impressive graphics on the SNES. It’s a shame the franchise fell apart with Donkey Kong 64. That game was a piece.
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:41 am
I may pick up the games and play them on my Gameboy Micro.
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:39 am
Nice retro review !
Yes ,this was one of the best looking SNES games..ever. Only DKC 2 looked better. It WAS a little easy compared to say Super Mario 2D games, but still fun and new.
I think its amazing visuals really helped it at the time to make it so popular.
The DKC series was great on the SNES. On N64? It was long, boring, lots of BACKTRACKING and much to much collecting…
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:33 am
Ah man, this game was brilliant when it came out! I played it to death during Christmas of 1994.. those were the days. Sigh..
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:44 am
In the mid-90’s I was all about PC games because they hadn’t yet devolved into tedious RPGs and brown FPS games. The one time I played Donkey Kong Country it seemed really clumsy and a little slow compared to Mario or Sonic platformers, or even Commander Keen. Maybe I’ll try it again on the VC if I have points to burn sometime, but there are a lot of other games I’d want first.
I resent the game because it was so popular that when people talk about Donkey Kong games nowadays they’re talking about otherwise generic, 3D-style 2D platformers instead of the less overused, more traditional Donkey Kong or even Donkey Kong Jr. gameplay. I’d like the Donkey Kong franchise to come back on the Wii, but I’m talking about the actual Donkey Kong, not “Donkey Kong wears a tie, lives in the jungle, has creepy, sunken eyes under a prominent brow, and has a theme song that’s an awful rap.”
OK, so that last bit was from a later game, but you get the idea.
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:50 am
@Daniel Primed: No, the first DKC wasn’t all that difficult, save a couple levels involving those moving platforms near the end of the game.
Anyways, this is still one of my favourite games for the SNES, second only to SMW and Donkey Kong Country 2 (which is my favourite game on the SNES).
December 2nd, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Donkey Kong Country is a masterpiece.
December 2nd, 2007 at 3:00 pm
This game was harder than I could handle at such a young age.
December 2nd, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Donkey Kong Country was an awesome game, but for me it was just the game that made Donkey Kong Country 2 possible. DKC2 is my all-time favourite platformer. Great levels, much longer, better atmosphere, and the much wider variety of baddies made it a truly memorable experience.
Also, it was not until just a couple of years ago that I finally was able to complete the Lost World area and truly beat the game. That was actually the coolest feeling ever.
Ahhhh… Good Memories.
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:10 pm
DKC is great, but DKC2 is even greater. For some reason, part 2 holds a lot of nostalgia for me. Especially the music. I just love the pirate theme.
Plus, DKC2 is a lot harder in my opinion.
If you have the money to burn, I say download both on the VC.
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:12 pm
I love DKC. It’s one of my favorite games of all time. DKC 2 is better, in my mind, but my heart is set with the original.
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:21 pm
This is my favorite game, i remember that when my dad bought me my snes it was a combo snes + dkc, everytime i play this game i remember that smell, the smell when i first open my snes
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:47 am
I still have the Donkey Kong Country promotional SNES VHS tape. Oh man, the SNES glory….
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:13 am
i bought a SNES late in the game after being a Genesis whore for so long, and it was because of this game. It was fun and somewhat easy, but oh so cool-looking. How ’bout Nintendo produce a new fixed-camera side scrolling DK platforming in Wii glory? here here.