Donkey Kong Country

"A good port of an even better game"

Donkey Kong Country was arguably the greatest platformer at the time of its debut on the SNES. It was the beginning of an era where development on the SNES was much more powerful than before. So far, Donkey Kong has spawned over 6 adventures, with three on the Game Boy and three on the SNES. There is only one port, and this is it.

Donkey Kong Country for the Game Boy Color is basically the exact same as the one for the SNES, with a few changes here and there. Most noticeably are the graphics in the game and the mini-games included in the cart. But, not every change was for the better of the game itself, as stated in this review.

Graphics: 4 - One aspect I really didn't approve of when the game was ported over. The Game Boy Color just isn't another SNES. The graphics aren't as rich as the SNES game. I often found many of the sprites blending in with the scenary, throwing me off of their paths. Not a good thing.

Sound: 8 - I liked this part. The sound is about the same as SNES version with a few left out instruments. Some of the individual stages' music selections have been altered a bit to deal with the changes in the musical selection. And, Nintendo and Rare executed this very well. What really disappointed me was the sound effects. The DK Barrel sound effects don't really sound the same as before while some of the enemies lost their ''death sound.''

Control: 5 - The basic commands work out just fine for the Game Boy Color. Run and hold things is now B, while jump is A. That's a decent setup for basic controls. The advanced controlling is not the brightest bulb in the lamp. Jumping off of tires is a necessary part of the game, and it's not easy. Many a time, I got passed stages only by pure luck with tires. I still can't figure out how to jump correctly off of tires.

Story: 3 - Save Donkey Kong Isle from King K. Rool, and recover your stolen bananas. Not the deepest plot, but it works. Note that there aren't any side quests or side plots, so you'll generally forget all about the story and set forth to beat all of the stages in the game.

Replay Value: Medium High - The mini games are a wonderful addition to the game. These are good ''time-killers'' if you don't want to play the game itself. The mini games were executed very nicely, and sometimes makes you wonder what if the SNES version had them.

Buy or Rent? Buy - Overall, it's a decent port from the SNES version. You can usually find it almost anywhere, at a price around $20.00 or so. If you wanted something a bit more out of the SNES version, it's not going to offer a whole lot more. Still a good game if you haven't played the SNES version.

Overall Score: 6 (Not an average)

A nice game for those who missed out on the SNES version.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/08/01, Updated 04/08/01