Donkey Kong Barrel Blast

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
Developer	PAON
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Wii
Release Date	JP June 28, 2007 US October 8, 2007 EU January 25, 2008 AU February 7, 2008
Genre	Racing
Gallery	GH Gallery
Rating	ESRB: E

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast is a racing game featuring Donkey Kong and the other Kongs competing against their Kremling foes. Rather than karts or planes, the characters use jet-powered barrels attached to their waists to race through the air. The game was developed by PAON, who had previously developed DK: King of Swing and DK Jungle Climber.

Development

The game originally was meant to be a Gamecube game that would make use of the DK Bongos and was titled Donkey Kong Bongo Blast. It was renamed to Donkey Kong Jet after it was announced as a Wii title. After E3 2007, it received its final title of Donkey Kong Barrel Blast.

Gameplay

In keeping with the DK Bongo gameplay, the 'drums' the Wii Remote and Nunchuk up and down. To jump, both are lifted up at the same time. Motion sensing is additionally used for attacking foes or using items. Characters can use items, which can include temporarily riding Animal Buddies, and each character can also use a Speed Boost known as a Wild Move after collecting 50 bananas. There are also some areas where characters can temporarily ride minecarts or tobbogans.

There are several different gameplay modes. Jungle Grand Prix is the game's main mode and is divided into several cups that can be played at varying difficulty levels. Other modes include Single Race (for racing on just one course), Time Trial, Free Run (for practicing courses without competitors) and Cranky's Flight School (a tutorial mode hosted by Cranky Kong). There is also Candy's Challenges, a mode in which there are a variety of challenges set forth by Candy Kong to win.

The game starts off with six playable characters, and with all of the unlockable characters, the roster ends up totaling at 17 characters. The game can be played by up to four players, with Jungle Grand Prix and Single Race being the game's only multiplayer modes.

Legacy

The game was negatively received and has not had any follow-ups. Super Smash Bros. Brawl would later contain several trophies and stickers reflecting the characters from the game, and it also included one of the musical tracks from this game.