30 Years Later, Donkey Kong Country Stands Strong as the Boldest Side-Scrolling Adventure of 1994 (2024)

November 1994. Donkey Kong Country was released worldwide as an exclusive game for Nintendo's SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). The game was set loose just in time for the holiday season, becoming an instant smash-hit, offering fans a Mario-styled game for a character who previously did little more than throw barrels and beat his chest. With across-the-board boundary-pushing in graphics, gameplay, and soundtrack -- the retro colliding with the future, all in one gray plastic cartridge -- Donkey Kong Country was revered as an instant classic almost 30 years ago. Unsurprisingly, it also became the third best-selling SNES game of all time.

Between Thanksgiving's Black Friday sales and the December holidays, Donkey Kong Country was one of the Nintendo console's must-have games in a year already overflowing with top-shelf masterpieces from a wide range of studios in an even broader array of genres. Earthbound, Final Fantasy VI (Final Fantasy III in North America), Super Metroid, Sonic & Knuckles, and Doom II -- these iconic games are just a sampling from an unparalleled era whose achievements continue to reverberate throughout the medium. However, Donkey Kong Country stood above these already amazing games for many reasons, thus making it a staple of many gamers' childhoods. That said, there's a lot more to its legacy than just what gamers may fondly remember.

Like Their Namesake, Rare Had a Golden Opportunity with Donkey Kong

Nintendo Took a Gamble and Let Rare Remake Donkey Kong From Scratch

How Donkey Kong Country came to be is as interesting as the game itself. In 1985, Tim and Chris Stamper founded Rare, Ltd., based out of Twycross, Leicestershire. Born from the company Ultimate Play the Game, the UK-based developer created Sabre Wulf and a host of other titles for the ZX Spectrum. After some time solidifying their reputation as homegrown home entertainment specialists, the Stampers set their sights on the Famicom (Family Computer) -- the 8-bit console otherwise known outside of Japan as the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) -- and a larger market. Ever the toilers and tinkerers, the Stampers formed Rare, reverse-engineered the console, developing a tech demo for Nintendo, seeing the company as the future of gaming.

The Stampers' efforts paid off, and they were given carte blanche to pursue projects exclusively for Nintendo. Their relationship led to iconic titles such as the successful Battletoads franchise and more. With several ongoing projects from original ideas and licensed properties, Rare sharpened its scope when the SNES was released. Paring down and rethinking their priorities, the Stampers invested in Silicon Graphics workstations, which would allow them to explore 3D modeling, animation, and other aspects of technology that weren't yet fully implemented in gaming at the time.

After more arduous hard work and a proof-of-concept, Nintendo offered Rare the opportunity to select a property from its vast trove of characters to give a glitzy 3D upgrade. Rare chose Donkey Kong, a then-forgotten franchise that was outshined by its most famous side-character, Mario. At the time, Mario was Nintendo's top star who made astronomical figures with his 2D side-scrolling platformers. Mario himself became a pop culture icon who was synonymous with the best that video gaming offered. Meanwhile, the original 1981 Donkey Kong by Shigeru Miyamoto didn't leave much room to consider the titular great ape. His game was unremarkable, and he was a forgotten video game boss. Donkey Kong was only really in his original game to throw barrels and kidnap Pauline, all while Mario jumped, dodged, and progressed through vertical levels. To add insult to injury, Donkey Kong wasn't even the player character in his debut game.

Whatever Rare saw in Donkey Kong -- possibly the creative potential of ill-defined characteristics -- their decision is the stuff of gaming history. From the top down and with Rare's vision, a new Donkey Kong -- both the character and game -- was born. Everything from his visual design (now rendered in 3D and converted into nearly tactile sprites) to the fundamental mechanics of his gameplay were given a complete overhaul, resulting in one of the finest games of not just its era but of all time.

What Donkey Kong Country Lacks in Plot, It Makes Up For in Design

Each Level Can Be Approached in Different Ways, Rewarding Revisits and Player Engagement

Donkey Kong Country is notably light on plot. There are few details other than that the villainous King K. Rool, a crowned, anthropomorphized crocodile, pilfered a hoard of bananas. Various stops along the map provide interactions with other characters, like Candy Kong, who offers utterly necessary Save Points; Funky Kong, who provides air travel to previously completed areas; and the aforementioned Cranky, who dispenses with pro tips and amusing asides. The real story is told in visual clues, like the animal friends trapped in crates and a later area of the map that has become home to oil refineries, smog, and other unsavory things. Donkey Kong's 1994 adventure finds him with no greater ally than Diddy Kong, a smaller ape sporting a cap and t-shirt. Diddy offers in-game opportunities to tag in an asset with a different set of skills. At the press of a button, at any moment, so long as Diddy or Donkey are within reach, the player can switch characters and consider their path anew. Regarding differences, Donkey Kong is heavier, allowing him one-jump kills, while Diddy is more agile and can jump further. Where Donkey Kong rolls, Diddy Kong cartwheels and it's up to the player to decide what approach best suits the level.

As for the map itself, it's Donkey Kong Country, first presented as an island idyll. However, as the character progresses throughout the game's 40 levels, it becomes a much darker place, sometimes literally. The basic game structure is similar to the Mario games, where verticality does, in fact, play a part, especially in regards to secret areas. But this time around, the primary gameplay loop has players moving from left to right to collect bananas and tokens that spell out K-O-N-G. While this is happening, it's up to players to either avoid or stomp on King K. Rool's horde of Kremlings. In the realm of game design, Donkey Kong Country's levels might be its least revolutionary aspect, but they are cleanly conceived. They're full of fascinating details in foreground and background, and offer ample opportunities to revisit areas to mine secrets. Replayability is a huge factor in the game's enduring appeal. There's even a way to play at a full-tilt pace. For those less interested in taking the time to discover hidden passages, the game is a speedrunner's dream. With precisely timed movements, players can rip through maps in no time -- they just have to get the rhythms of ropes, barrels, enemies, and platforms down.

Donkey Kong Country doesn't reinvent the side-scroller, nor does it need to. After all, it's a genre that has been around since 1981. Instead, the game refines its core concepts, creating an alluring and often intoxicating experience. The game presents levels and characters that improve the side-scrolling formula by adding a coat of 3D polish that invigorates a familiar experience, even if the framework is as old as home gaming. With novelties like the ability to roll on steel barrels or jump inside other barrels that can launch the player in different directions, the moment-to-moment experience of playing Donkey Kong Country is riveting. It can also be very frustrating. For those who are revisiting this classic on the Nintendo Switch through its Online SNES add-on, one suggestion is to save a freeze state at every major junction. While Candy Kong's Save Points suggest a recommended approach of multi-level stints per sitting, the best thing to do is to rely on the Switch's capabilities. Save states are there for a reason; don't be shy.

This game's enduring influence cannot be overstated. Donkey Kong Country's release offered a challenge to game designers everywhere and helped usher in a wave of competition that made the medium -- not solely limited to one platform -- better. Its 3D renderings are captivating, from animations activated when Donkey Kong stands too close to an edge and invokes Tex Avery-styled bulging eyes to instances where he beats his chest in wicked abandon, hooting and hollering like an ape. The levels are brief but thoughtfully considered to offer multiple approaches and cinematic set pieces. To this day, the impact of Donkey Kong Country's groundbreaking innovations and fun touches can be felt in new games. That being said, the game's most significant component, inextricable from its success, is its score.

David Wise’s Work on Donkey Kong Country Is One of Gaming’s Most Enduring Soundtracks

The Game’s Score and Levels Withstood the Test of Time

Donkey Kong Country begins with Rare's logo and a bit of fanfare courtesy of composer David Wise, Rare's then-in-house composer. From there, players meet Cranky Kong -- who, rumor has it, is the original incarnation of Donkey Kong, now hunched and bearded -- playing a hand-cranked gramophone while perched atop steel beams, not unlike those found in the 1981 game and its immediate follow-ups. But before staleness can settle in, the main tune, "Theme," whisks gamers out of the past and throws them right into the contemporary. As the thumping beat begins, players might as well be bopping around in the well-underway Manchester scene.

Wise's soundtrack, with contributions from Eveline Novakovic (née Fischer) and Robin Beanland (whose contributions are limited to "Funky's Fugue"), is a masterpiece. With 64kb of the SNES cartridge devoted to music, it's astonishing just what could be crammed into the unassuming package. Listening to the soundtrack now (readily available on YouTube), each composition's diversity of tones and sheer emotiveness makes it well worth revisiting. Within the context of the game, the soundtrack is spot-on in capturing the range of levels.

Listen to Donkey Kong Country's soundtrack with a nice pair of headphones when possible. Better yet, just play the game with headphones and consider what visual cues might have led to certain sounds. In "Aquatic Ambiance," most fans' favorite track, one can hear soft mallets, offering a steady, metronymic drip that recalls the formation of stalactites and stalagmites. Then, as the soft synthetic swells build, a shimmering glissando kicks everything into high gear. Even in a shorter sequence, like the introductory fanfare comprised of clipped and compressed horns, the momentary pause, and Cranky's game introduction, the aural aspects of Donkey Kong Country are stunning. Sure, it's dated, but in today's age of vaporwave, hyperpop, and manufactured audio degradation, Wise's soundtrack only grew stronger as an influential collection of music.

Donkey Kong Country's success led to two direct SNES sequels, and Rare's designs have since become the base standard for how Donkey Kong is represented in current games. To this day, Wise's music evokes positive memories and inspires new game musicians' works. Donkey Kong's 3D relaunch represents a watershed moment in gaming, but it's most important to know that it has only improved with age. In today's era of excessive complexity in terms of games' mechanics, lore, and whatever else, Donkey Kong Country gets straight to the point and offers an experience that caters to multiple playstyles. For the price of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, gamers can access Donkey Kong Country and a boatload of other games for the SNES and other consoles. It's worth giving it a go -- for the first time or the hundredth.

Donkey Kong Country can be played today on the Super NES Classic Edition and the Nintendo Switch.

Donkey Kong Country

9

10

Waking to find his banana hoard clean gone, Donkey Kong sets out with his nephew Diddy Kong through jungle and cavern, past temples and reef, across pine forests, factories, and mountains to rid the island of the wicked Kremlings and reclaim his bananas.

Platformer

Platform(s)

SNES , Game Boy Color , Game Boy Advance

Released

November 24, 1994

Developer(s)

Rare

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

How Long To Beat

4 Hours

Metascore

78 (GBA)

Franchise

Donkey Kong Country

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

ESRB

e

Pros

• David Wise's soundtrack is one of the greatest video game scores of all time
• The gameplay is invigorating
• Each map offers multiple approaches, despite being a linear side-scroller

Cons

• DKC is light on story, only offering visual clues as to some of the more insidious goings-on

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