Donkey Kong Country is now 25 years old, yet the game is still just as fun and addictive to play now as it was when it first hit store shelves a quarter-century ago. While Nintendo gamers were well familiar with the titular ape as an antagonist from the original Mario Bros. game, Donkey Kong Country turned him into a hero complete with a new sidekick – an adorable little monkey with a ballcap named Diddy Kong. Together, the duo embark on a quest to recover their stolen bananas from the dastardly crocodile King K. Rool and his Kremlings.
Certainly, one of the most memorable aspects of the game would be its graphics, which were far ahead of their time as a 1994 video game. The game pushes the 16-bit capabilities of the Super Nintendo to its limits with the use of 3D sprites, giving the game a look and feel unlike any other platformers on the console. Even going back to play Donkey Kong Country now after 25 years, the graphics developed by Rare are extremely impressive, especially when considering the limitations of the hardware they were working with.
Looking beautiful is one thing, but how does Donkey Kong Country play? While many other games age rather horribly by the time they’re over two decades old, this classic title is certainly not one of them. Its simplistic platformer premise allows anyone to just pick up a controller and play right away, whether you’re new to the game or coming back to it many years later. And yet, it’s almost impossible to stop playing once you start. Though many levels can still feel pretty challenging, Donkey Kong Country remains as incredibly addictive to play as it’s always been.
One thing I want to make sure not to gloss over would be the phenomenal music in the game. Donkey Kong Country has some of the best video game tunes you’ll ever hear, and even after so many years, that fact has not changed. Featuring music that’s perhaps just as addictive to listen to as it is to play the game itself, you’ll want to keep the volume up every time you play. All of us who remember playing the game in the ’90s can instantly recall some of those classic melodies from the game’s various levels, many of which were released for the soundtrack DK Jamz in 1995 (excuse me while I go try to find a copy on eBay).
Because the classic game was such a success, it spawned a franchise. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble! would release in the following two years on the Super Nintendo, each introducing the new playable characters Trixie Kong and Kiddy Kong. In 2010, the series finally came back to Nintendo consoles with Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii, and its sequel Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze would follow in 2014. While the graphics are a bit updated, the levels are just as fun and challenging as you would expect from the franchise.
Oddly, Donkey Kong Country is not included in Nintendo’s list of Super Nintendo games on Nintendo Switch Online, though it was included in the game line-up for the Super NES Classic Edition. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has also gotten a recent re-release for the Nintendo Switch, giving today’s generation their own introduction to the franchise. Still, perhaps no installment in the series will ever feel quite as magical as the original game – even after 25 years!
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