"Before the Donkey Rap, there was DK Jr."

Donkey Kong Jr.

Gameplay: 8

Visuals: 7.5

Sound: 7.5

Ingenuity: 8

Replay Value: 7

Nintendo released Donkey Kong Jr. in 1983 all across Japan. DK Jr. is pretty much a sequel to Donkey Kong, except with the hero and the villain switching roles. Instead of being Mario and having to save the Princess, you play as Donkey Kong Jr. (he was in Mario Kart as well) and try to save Donkey Kong from the evil Mario! What a plot twist! That’s right. In this game Mario plays the villain and you have to defeat him to get back your father.

The gameplay is similar to Donkey Kong. You start at the bottom of the screen, and must work your way up to the top, where Mario has DK in a cage. The levels are much more complex than the ones in DK. DK Jr. must swing from vines, avoid Klap-Traps, pits, hop on platforms, and take down that evil, evil plumber. Instead of jumping over barrels, DK Jr. can collect different types of fruit to boost your score. The visuals are pretty good. It’s bright and fun to look at, but there’s really not anything that leaps off the screen. The sound is also decent, but again, there isn’t anything too stellar here. Just your standard blips and bleeps. However, I do like the opening song a lot. I’m not sure why, its just catchy. Replay value is pretty decent. Since it’s a solid arcade title, and it’s easy to just pick up and play, I find myself coming back to it every now and then when I’m in the mood for some old school gameplay. The title does offer some innovation despite copying the style of the original DK game (nothing wrong with that for sequels). Having Mario as the villain this time around offers a neat little gimmick for the game. There haven’t been too many titles over the years that have taken a company’s main character and used him as the bad guy.

I recommend this game for anyone who’s looking for some good retro action, or who just liked the original Donkey Kong. It is a great follow up to the first game in the series. It managed to be somewhat innovative by offering a nice twist with the roles of Mario and Donkey Kong, and is a very fun game at the same time. If you liked the original, then you are sure to like this one.

Final Score: 80%

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/12/04