14th June 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of Donkey Kong for the Game Boy’s Japanese release. It’s one of the finest games on the system and a hybrid arcade port/spin-off that ushered in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series which recently came to Switch.
In honour of the occasion, we thought we’d highlight this 2020 video examining the game made by erstwhile NL YouTube chap and all-’round good bloke Jon Cartwright. Here’s hoping Nintendo adds this to the Switch Online GB lineup soon. Enjoy!
Nintendo’s legacy owes so much to the original Donkey Kong; after all, this was the game that introduced the world to Mario.
They could have played it safe with a straightforward Game Boy conversion – it still would have been impressive to have an arcade game in the palm of your hands – but Nintendo decided that wasn’t ambitious enough. Instead, Donkey Kong ’94 (as it is unofficially known) uses the original arcade levels as a prologue for something much larger and more exciting.
This game saw Mario with his most agile moveset yet, showcased Donkey Kong with a design that split the difference between his arcade roots and Rare’s upcoming interpretation, and its level design still wows us today.
Join us as we delve into why Donkey Kong ’94 is one of the very best titles on the Game Boy!
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