Donkey Kong Circus

Voices of: N/A
Developer: Nintendo
Designer: -
Rating: E
Genre: Platformer
System: Game & Watch
1984

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: Donkey Kong performs in a circus while Mario watches.

Review:
Tim: I always enjoy going back the origins of things I'm interested in. That's what led me to Donkey Kong Circus, a small Game & Watch game from 1984. I obviously played on an emulator, but it was fun to experience this small game. Donkey Kong and Mario have become such staples of the video game world, it's always fun to see these rough origin games.

This one (like all the Game & Watch games) is pretty basic. Donkey Kong is balancing on a barrel, moving left and right, trying to catch pineapples and dodge fireballs. Mario is watching in the corner. This seems like a very simple set up, but the game is pretty challenging. I died a lot of times as I learned to time up the various falling items. It's a very simple game, so there's no "winning", necessarily. It's just about getting a higher score. In Game A, I got 131 points. That might not seem like a ton, but I felt like anything over 100 would be a win. Sure, I could have played longer and gotten a higher score, but what's the point? I feel like I played enough to understand the game. I got progressively better, although there's definitely a frustration factor as more random elements and timing come into play. On Game B, I got a score of 71. It was definitely more challenging and the rhythm was different, but basically the same. I had fun playing this and getting better, but it's definitely not a game I cared deeply about. Life is short and I felt like I got the mechanics down, so I was good moving on and marking this as "complete".

I will say, I'm glad I checked this game out. I read that it's the first playable appearance of Donkey Kong. In previous games, he was throwing barrels or captured, but this is the first time you could actually play as DK. That's pretty cool and it reinforces why it's worth seeking this game out. The design is solid for a game like this, the colors and the music work. It's addicting, when you set a personal goal and then struggle to get it, turns pass by quickly. I can't tell you how many times I said, "Okay, this is my last try" and then continued way past that. The game was definitely addicting. By the end, my eyes started to strain. So, all in all, Donkey Kong Circus is a small but fun Game & Watch game- definitely one of the best ones I've played.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong II, Fire