Donkey Kong Jungle Climber DS review (King of Swing sequel)

Donkey Kong Jungle Climber for DSGet back into the swing of things as Donkey Kong goes vertical in Donkey Kong Jungle Climber. King K Rool is up to no good again, and it’s up to Donkey Kong to swing into action. Using the same simple control scheme that made the 2005’s DK: King of Swing GameBoy Advance game so accessible and fun to play, players of all skill levels can swing and climb to new heights made possible by the dual screens of Nintendo DS.

Pick from Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong or Funky Kong, and let the monkey business begin.

System: DS
Genre: Action-platformer
Release dates: September 10th 2007 (USA), October 12th 2007 (EURO), November 15th (AUS)
Players: 1 & 1-4 multiplayer
Developer: Paon Corporation
Publisher: Nintendo
Origin: Japan

DK Jungle Climber DS screenshotGame storyline: DK and friends were enjoying their vacation on a tropical island. However, King K. Rool’s sinister schemes have ruined Donkey Kong’s tropical vacation. King K. Rool and the Kremling Krew were up to no good. This time, King K. Rool is plotting to steal the Crystal Bananas from a visiting alien and use them to take over not just the jungle but the whole universe.

How to progress through the game: DK: Jungle Climber’s simple controls set it apart from any other platformer on the market. Players need only three buttons to play the game: The L button controls DK’s left hand. The R button controls his right hand. Pressing the A or B button makes DK do a jumping attack. When DK is holding onto a peg with just one hand, he spins around that peg, and by timing the release just right, players can launch DK wherever they want to go. By using the L and R buttons, players grasp onto pegs and jump, climb and fling their way through different settings. Diddy Kong chips in to help from time to time, offering a more powerful attack with a longer range. Diddy Kong’s added range helps DK strike far-off barrels to open up new pathways in a level. With Diddy Kong’s help, Donkey Kong can use certain special items, like the feathers: Diddy Kong flaps a small feather on the right, and DK flaps a larger one on the left. Together, they can fly. With the hammer, Diddy swings around in a circle behind DK and bashes away at obstacles DK couldn’t clear on his own.

Tutorials: The game introduces basic game-play mechanics in minigames that can be replayed at any time. These minigames include a jumping game, in which DK must jump oncoming logs, a juggling game, where players control DK’s hands in order to juggle bananas, and a climbing race.

Characters: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong (primary characters). Cranky Kong (tutorials, major story role). Funky Kong (chips in to fly you off for minigame challenges). Xananab (a banana alien, reverse the name and it sounds familiar). King K. Rool (primary villain). Kremlings (King K. Rool’s minions).

Multiplayer: Some of the minigames can be played in multiplayer mode for high scores. Additionally, up to four players can race using a single game card. Players will choose from Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong and Funky Kong and race through game levels to beat the other players to the end.

Watch the DK: Jungle Climber launch trailer.

So what are the main features in DK: Jungle Climber?
* King K. Rool is up to no good again, and it’s time for Donkey Kong to swing into action.
* Simple controls make the game easy and fun to play, so that players of all skill levels can swing and climb their way to new heights.
* Team up with Diddy Kong for even more attacks and abilities, or call on Cranky Kong for some quick tips and advice. The whole Kong crew is here to help – even Funky Kong chips in to fly players off for exciting challenges.
* If players are more in the mood to rumble, they can take on up to three friends in fun multiplayer challenges using DS Download Play via local wireless. Pick from DK, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong and Funky Kong, and let the monkey business begin.

See some DK: Jungle Climber gameplay.

As a conclusion let’s rate this game on its fun-basis.

FUN FACTOR – 8.0
You go from grabbing pegs while avoiding lots of enemies to rolling huge wheels through the levels, this pattern builds up the difficulty through smart design as you progress in the game (the glass labyrinths for example require a lot of puzzling). Part of this comes down to the difficulty of finding all the coins in each level, of course you can go through the levels without them, but where’s the fun in that? The mini-games give you a nice breather in between. You’ll find yourself having to retry a level often as Donkey Kong dies after one touch of an enemy, but you’ll be able to get plenty of extra lives to keep trying. The game feels fresh, rewarding and fun to play.

Graphics – 7.5
Vibrant visuals and the 3D rendered style give the game a distinct charm of its own. I felt like I was playing a zoomed-out Donkey Kong Country (on SNES) with different controls. The graphics are a good fit.

Audio – 7.5
As it should be, the game’s soundtrack has a tropical jungle beat to it. Makes me happy to be playing, it’s very cheerful.

Ingenuity – 8.0
Practical controls by using the L and R buttons to move around. Different feels good here. The adventure mode features Diddy Kong as a sub-character, gives you new moves, new items and a bunch of mini-games. Not only that, but fun tutorials that ease new players into the game’s controls can also be accessed as mini-game challenges. Get used to them, because the levels get more challenging as you progress through the game.

Replay Value – 7.5
It’s a sizable game with 25 levels in 6 stages, what expands it to a good replay value is that the coins you collect in the levels can buy you extra mini-games and cheats, and fuel tanks open up a secret difficult level in each stage. The game records Ghost Data of your best times in each level, so you can get back to them to improve upon, a very nice touch. You only need one cartridge of the game to play with up to four monkeys in the multiplayer mode. For $30, the game will give you hours upon hours of fun. If you’re a fan of Rare’s SNES game series, get this one instead of needlessly waiting on Donkey Kong Country 4.