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Hmm... a game with apes. Thats very different...
Donkey Kong Country had been a highly anticipated game in 1994 because of its new graphics, which would be using the FX chip and it was going to be unlike anything we had ever seen before, and the boys down at Rare weren't kidding for a second. It was a virtuoso, brilliant game that had changed the rules for graphics entirely and gameplay had new structures and rules, like having more and more secrets, more nooks and crannies, alternate ways to get endings, and riding on animals and having them kick the baddies right in the ass. Yes, you can thank DKC for changing gameplay and making Rareware into a household name.
The story is very small, but it gives you something to work for. The evil King K. Rool has stolen Donkey Kong's entire banana hoard and now Donkey Kong and his little buddy Diddy need to get it back, no matter what the cost might happen to be. Now, you go through seven worlds and you risk life and limb in over fifty levels. Thats pretty large, but that is nothing for a determined ape who is out to get his bananas, right? We sure hope so.
The graphics were revolutionary for 1994 and they still hold a considerable amount of power today, as it influenced how backgrounds would be made from now on. They won the Best Graphics award in a walk and there is very little slowdown. When there is, there are usually a lot of enemies in the vicinity. (Something that would haunt Rare for years and still does)
The controls are very simple to use, and riding the animals is remarkably simple, too. Throwing barrels and knocking over enemies is very responsive and so is jumping, even though there are a few very rare exceptions to that rule. Overall, the controls really aren't that bad, and they won't cost you too many deaths. There might be a few unfair deaths near the end of the game, but you'll likely have eighty lives by then.
The music is very DK, with the bongo drums and the woodwinds in the backgrounds for the better part of the game. All of it fits in with the themes, and it does a pretty good job of working with the atmospheres.
The gameplay was unlike anything we had ever seen before, and it was influential for games like Mario 64 by having plenty of hidden secrets in the nooks and crannies. Of course, that little idea was inspired by Metroid originally, but DKC brought it to a new generation. The game is very short, but finding all of the hidden areas will definitely take some time. I, myself, have never found all of the secrets, but I have come close. The final boss battle is a little anti-climatic, which is a shame.
Overall, this is one of the finest SNES games of all-time. Not the best. Not by a long shot. But it definitely stands near the top of the second tier of the SNES greats. -- Chris Vavra, PGNx Media
---- May 11, 2003
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