Donkey Kong Land

Voices of: N/A
Developer: Rare
Publisher: Nintendo
Designer: -
Rating: E
Genre: Platformer
System: Nintendo Gameboy
1995

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong battle to save their banana hoard from King K. Rool.

Review:
Tim: In 1995, Nintendo released Donkey Kong Land for the Gameboy. The game translates the approach and mechanics of the SNES game, Donkey Kong Country to the handheld device. It changed up the levels and the bosses to create a new game, rather than a port. I'm very much in favor of this move- I hate when games release simultaneously for different systems. By making some changes, this game emerges as at least somewhat unique. While fans of Country will easily be able to pick it up- the game play is identical- this one at least provides an experience that isn't the same as the SNES one. So, while I highly appreciate the new experience and I do think this game is worthwhile, I admit it's a bit derivative. The challenge is playing a game similar to another, but a watered down version. This game is absolutely limited by the graphics and power of the Gameboy.

The game is quite simplified, as it needed to be for release on the Gameboy. The handheld device had been out for about 6 years at this point. But, I understand the willingness to trade graphics and power for portability. As Rare and Nintendo nearly always do, they still created a compelling experience. I've never been the biggest fan of the Donkey Kong franchise. I admire what these games have done and the ways Nintendo has innovated with them, but the games can be surprisingly brutal at times. I like them, but I never love the experience. That was true here, too. I had fun playing the levels, but I also felt like playing the game was a chore. I was more interested in seeing the game through to completion, verses truly enjoying the experience. To 100% the game, you need to not only complete every level, but find the 1-2 Bonus Barrels in each stage. This adds a new element of complexity to the game. At times, these are relatively easy to find. In a few cases, they can be nearly impossibly difficult to find. I always tried to search them out myself, but I also wasn't going to sink a hundred hours into this game. I did rely on an online guide in multiple instances. Still, I made sure to find every Bonus barrel and I 100%'d the game.

One thing I hate about these games is it's usually difficult to save. Here, you have to find all four K O N G letters in a level to save. It's just an annoyance that makes it difficult to save your progress. The game features some relatively easy levels- I wouldn't claim the game as a whole is hard. But, if you've ever played these games, you know Rare is going to throw a few punishing levels at you. I might not claim the game is hard, but it's not easy, either. It was challenging (and frustrating) at times, especially because you were so limited by the graphics and movements. Like I said, this is a game that was mildly amusing, but I was mostly focused on just finishing it.

Donkey Kong Land was certainly an overall success for Nintendo. Rare successfully translated the enemies, gameplay, and level design from Country over to the handheld, pushing the boundaries of the Gameboy system. The game came with a banana yellow cartridge, which was a unique innovation back then. While I didn't love the game, I admit it challenged me as a gamer and I did have some amount of fun pushing to 100% completion. It's not a long game- I finished just under three and a half hours (but again, I wasn't blindly searching for the hidden barrels for hours on end). The game does throw a number of challenges at you, and some of the bosses require legit skill to overcome. As a whole, this is a valid and worthy entry into another Nintendo stalwart franchise.



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



If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Country