Collection essentials #50: Donkey Kong (NES)

 

A big and hugely significant arcade classic, Donkey Kong was the game that really put Nintendo on the map in 1981. It was one of the three launch titles for the NES/Famicom upon its Japanese release in 1983, and was one of the main motivators for Nintendo to create the console in the first place, as a way for fans to enjoy their arcade games in the comfort of their own home. Donkey Kong marks the first appearance of probably the most famous video game character of all time, Mario, the hero of the game, as well as of course the eponymous villain, Donkey Kong. The game was one of the earliest platformers, and was groundbreaking in the way that it involved a plot (albeit an extremely simple one) that advanced as you played the game.

The arcade game has you traversing four different levels as Mario tries to save his girlfriend Pauline (and rack up a high score in the process). Once you get through all four levels, the game loops you back to the first level and the game becomes a little more difficult, and this keeps going until you eventually die. Unfortunately, the NES version of this game cuts out one of those four levels. This was presumably due to space issues on the cartridge, which may seem ludicrous as there are NES games that have far more content than Donkey Kong. The reason for this is because during the NES’s lifetime, they developed technology that allowed their cartridges to hold far more space. It’s kind of a wonder why they never re-released Donkey Kong with all four levels and all cutscenes intact, honestly.

The three levels start with the iconic scene of Mario having to go up a bunch of slanted girders as Donkey Kong rolls a series of barrels down to trip him up. The second level has Mario riding elevators dodging fireballs and bouncing springs. In the last stage, Mario must remove the supports to a platform holding up Donkey Kong while dodging wandering fireballs, and when he does so Donkey Kong will fall out of harm’s way and he gets to be reunited with Pauline…before being booted back to the beginning again. I guess Mario let her get kidnapped again so he could score more points, huh?

Donkey Kong is obviously not as impressive anymore as it was in 1981, and new players may find the jumping controls still and weird. But once you get used to them, it’s still certainly enjoyable. However, if you want to play the game in modern times, I wouldn’t recommend the NES version. The original arcade version is available as a downloadable title on the Nintendo Switch, so that’s the way to go. Still, the original NES cartridge is an absolute essential.