Donkey Kong Jr.

I only seriously played Donkey Kong Jr. for the first time very recently. I have been returning to the original Donkey Kong for years, and the idea of making Mario the antagonist in the sequel was definitely interesting, I just wasn't ever drawn to the climbing-style platforming. After giving it a real chance, I definitely think that it's fun, but it doesn't hold a candle to the series' progenitor.

I can't help but think that Nintendo made a serious gamble with this game. It probably would've been easier to follow up Donkey Kong by simply using the same skeleton and building new levels. Instead, they propelled the story by creating a new protagonist and implementing brand new platforming mechanics. While I personally would have enjoyed something that felt a little more like the first game, I appreciate the introduction of climbing as a way to shake up the formula, and I'm definitely not mad with how it turned out.

Taking control of the titular Donkey Kong Jr., your goal is to free your father from closely guarded captivity after his defeat in the previous game. You'll run, jump, and climb through a loop of four stages as you try to achieve that goal. The standout gimmick is the climbable vines and ropes found on every level and often adorned with fruit. Donkey Kong Jr. can climb individual vines slowly or can grab onto two adjacent vines and climb much quicker, although that leaves him far more exposed to the game's various enemies. While there isn't an all-powerful hammer this time around, DK Jr. can still defeat his opponents by dropping fruit on them. Fruits fall after they are nudged, and take out anything unfortunate enough to be below them. However, if the enemies are coming from above, dodging is the only option. This approach, while more difficult to master than brute-force hammer-based destruction, offers a nice additional layer of strategy to the stages.

When compared to its predecessor, Donkey Kong Jr. shook up the formula enough that it felt like it could be a brand new game while still holding onto enough elements to feel at home as a sequel. The addition of vines and the shift in protagonists definitely added flavor, but I go back and forth on whether or not that's a good thing. On the one hand, I think more classic Donkey Kong would have been great, but on the other, it's hard to argue with creativity and innovation. In the end, I definitely don't prefer this to the original, but I absolutely appreciate what it does, and I enjoyed the time that I spent with it.

The game is available for 3DS here (as of 5/26/22): https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/donkey-kong-jr-3ds/The game is also available for Switch here (as of 5/26/22): https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/arcade-archives-donkey-kong-jr-switch/

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