Donkey Kong GB

Donkey Kong
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Game Boy
Release Date	JP June 14, 1994 US June 1994 EU September 29, 1994
Gallery	GH Gallery
Rating	E

Donkey Kong, also called Gameboy Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong 94, is an enhanced version of the original Donkey Kong. Among the new features were enhanced graphics, more levels, and new gameplay mechanics.

Interestingly, this was the first game to have enhanced features when used with the Super Game Boy. A border that looks like an arcade cabinet was added as well as a digitized version of Pauline yelling "Help!"

Story

Donkey Kong has kidnapped Pauline. Pauline's boyfriend Mario must track Donkey Kong down and save his girlfriend.

Gameplay

The game begins with the four original levels from Donkey Kong. Rather than stopping there, the game has 97 new levels, making a total of 101. The new levels are divided into the following worlds: Big-City, Forest, Ship, Jungle, Desert, Airplane, Ice Berg, Rocky Valley, and Tower. Each world introduces a new gameplay mechanic. The player faces Donkey Kong every fourth level.

Along with the levels from the original Donkey Kong, a few levels from Donkey Kong Jr. were added. Level 2-4 was Level 1 in Donkey Kong Jr. and Level 9-4 was Level 4. Also, Donkey Kong Jr. made an occasional appearance, helping out Donkey Kong.

If the player found all of Pauline's accessories, they were given the chance to play a bonus game. The game was either a slot machine or roulette. Player's that did well were given extra lives.

Donkey Kong GB added many new moves to Mario's arsenal. Mario triple jumped and back flipped in this game years before Super Mario 64. Other new moves included throwing the hammer, doing a handstand to deflect falling objects, and swinging on a wire for extra height.

Continuity References

• Donkey Kong Junior's presence seems to be foreshadowing Donkey Kong's sequel, Donkey Kong Junior.
• The ending has Mario going through a pipe to what seems to be the Mushroom Kingdom and receives a Super Mushroom. This seems to be a way of bridging the gap between Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros.

Legacy

Ports and Remakes

• Donkey Kong GB was rereleased over the Nintendo Power system in Japan.

Sequels

Originally, a remake called Donkey Kong Plus was planned for the Gameboy Advance. Along with enhanced graphics and backgrounds, the remake was to feature a level editor.

Donkey Kong Plus was never released, but some of the ideas were used in Mario vs. Donkey Kong. Mario vs. Donkey Kong played much like an enhanced sequel to Donkey Kong, carrying on Mario's acrobatic moves and the searching for keys in each level.