Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Nintendo Gamecube
Release Date	JP December 16, 2004 EU February 4, 2005 US March 14, 2005
Gallery	GH Gallery
Rating	ESRB: E

In the first Donkey Kong adventure since Donkey Kong 64, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat takes the series in a different direction than previous games. Although the game looks and feels much like a Donkey Kong game, many of the series previous elements are lost or replaced. In particular only Donkey Kong himself appears in the game, rather than an assortment of his friends and familiar enemies.

Story

Interestingly enough, the game is intentionally left without a storyline. What can be gleaned from the game suggests that Donkey Kong, on the behalf of the little white monkeys seen frequently in the game, is liberating several different kingdoms from evil Kongs and other monsters.

Gameplay

Unique to this game is the fact the game is controlled by the bongos, a peripheral used only for the Donkey Konga series. Although a controversial 'gimmick' to the game, it provides a unique way to play using the palm of your hands rather than your thumbs. The result is a much more agile Donkey Kong as he swings from vines, performs wall jumps, and racks up huge combos to earn big bananas.

The game pits DK against a variety of bosses. Disappointingly there are only five basic boss types that are repeated in different, more difficult forms. What makes the bosses stand out are the four Kong bosses in each different 'world'. With the exception of Manky Kong, there has never been evil Kongs in the series. Unlike the other boss battles, the Kong battles are brutal slugfests where DK and his opponent trade punches until one of the two goes down.