Publishers Nintendo Platform of origin Arcade | Creators Shigeru Miyamoto | |
Genres Platformer
Action-adventure
Puzzle
Racing Developers Nintendo
Rare (1994-1999)
Namco (2003-2005)
Paon (2005-2007)
Retro Studios (2010-Present) Platforms Arcade, Game & Watch, Intellivision, ColecoVision, Atari 2600, TRS-80 CoCo, Atari 8-bit Computer, TI-99/4a, IBM PC Booter, Commodore 64, Commodore VIC-20, BBC Micro, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari 7800, Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom Disk System, Game Boy, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, e-Reader, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U |
Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング, Donkī Kongu, [dõŋ.kiː kõŋ.ɡu͍]) is a series of video games featuring the adventures of a gorilla character called Donkey Kong, conceived by Shigeru Miyamoto in 1981. The franchise mainly comprises two different game genres, plus spin-off titles of various genres.
Contents
- Characters
- Original series
- Donkey Kong Country series
- Donkey Kong Land series
- Donkey Kong 64
- Racing games
- Donkey Konga series
- Mario vs Donkey Kong series
- DK series
- Miscellaneous genres
- Cancelled games
- Spin offs
- Crossovers
- Television series
- Film
- Medal games
- Critical response
- Impact and legacy
- References
The games of the first genre are mostly single-screen platform/action puzzle types, featuring Donkey Kong as the opponent in an industrial construction setting. Donkey Kong first made his appearance in the 1981 arcade machine called Donkey Kong, in which he faced Mario, now Nintendo's flagship character. This game was also the first appearance of Mario, pre-dating the well-known Super Mario Bros. by four years. In 1994, the series was revived as the Donkey Kong Country series, featuring Donkey Kong and his clan as protagonists in their native jungle setting versus a variety of anthropomorphic enemies, usually against the Kremlings, a clan of crocodiles, and their leader King K. Rool. These are side-scrolling platform games. Titles outside these two genres have included rhythm games (Donkey Konga), racing games (Diddy Kong Racing), and edutainment (Donkey Kong Jr. Math).
A hallmark of the Donkey Kong series are barrels, which the Kongs use as weapons, vehicles, furniture, and lodging. The Donkey Kong character is highly recognizable and very popular; the franchise has sold over 40 million units worldwide.
Characters
Donkey Kong first appeared in the eponymous arcade game in 1981 as an antagonist. He would become a protagonist in later games. Donkey Kong Jr. first appeared in the arcade style game Donkey Kong Jr. released in 1982. The plot was that Donkey Kong Jr. saves his father, Donkey Kong, from Mario (initially known as Jumpman in the Japanese arcade version of Donkey Kong). Cranky Kong is the original Donkey Kong who has alternately been called the modern DK's grandfather and father. He is elderly and frequently berates the younger generation of heroes. Diddy Kong was first introduced in Donkey Kong Country and is featured in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest as the main character. Dixie Kong first appeared in Donkey Kong Country 2 as a sidekick to Diddy Kong and has been referred to as his girlfriend. She later starred in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble alongside Kiddy Kong. Other notable members of the Kong family include Funky Kong, Candy Kong, Wrinkly Kong, Tiny Kong, and Lanky Kong. King K. Rool is the main antagonist of the Donkey Kong Country series, though additional villains have appeared as well, including Wizpig (Diddy Kong Racing), Ghastly King (Donkey Kong Jungle Beat), the Tiki Tak Tribe, and the Snowmads.
Characters from the Donkey Kong series have appeared in Nintendo's crossover titles such as the Super Smash Bros. and the Mario Kart series.
Original series
Donkey Kong Country series
Released in 1994, Donkey Kong Country (in Japan, Super Donkey Kong) was an entirely new DK series established by the British company Rare and Tim Stamper which took the Donkey Kong premise in an entirely new direction and became a showcase title to show off then-revolutionary CGI graphics. In Donkey Kong Country, the original Donkey Kong's grandson, also called Donkey Kong, was the hero and he and his sidekick Diddy Kong had to save his hoard of bananas from the thieving King K. Rool and his Kremling Krew. The game was an action sidescrolling title similar to the Mario games and was enormously popular for its graphics, music and gameplay. The sequel, Diddy's Kong Quest (Super Donkey Kong 2 in Japan) involves DK being kidnapped by K. Rool, who was now a "Kaptain", and getting rescued by Diddy Kong and his girlfriend Dixie Kong, in a less cheery and a more darkly-themed game. In Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (in Japan, Super Donkey Kong 3) Donkey and Diddy both got kidnapped by K. Rool, now Baron K. Roolenstein, and Dixie and her cousin Kiddy Kong had to save them in the final game of the series for the SNES. All three of the Donkey Kong Country games for the SNES have been made available on the Wii's Virtual Console. In addition, Donkey Kong Country was ported to the Game Boy Color, and the entire Donkey Kong Country trilogy has been ported to the Game Boy Advance. Tim Stamper stated that an SNES emulator was used to rip the graphics and port it to GBA, and that the GBA versions were coded from scratch.
Donkey Kong Country Returns was developed for the Wii by Retro Studios and was released in 2010. In this adventure, Donkey and Diddy Kong must retrieve the Banana Hoard and save the island from the Tiki Tak Tribe with their leader, Tiki Tong. The 3DS edition of the game was released on May 24, 2013 under the name Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D with Monster Games as the developer and it includes a secret ninth world, extra items and new stages. A new title was revealed at E3 2013 and which would be called Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. The game was released for the Wii U in February 2014.
Donkey Kong Land series
The Donkey Kong Land trilogy for the Game Boy were smaller handheld counterparts of the Country games and were presented in yellow cartridges instead of the typical grey ones.
Donkey Kong 64
A successful Nintendo 64 sequel to Rare's Donkey Kong Country games was also developed. In Donkey Kong 64, DK once again has the starring role as he joins forces with Diddy Kong, Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong, and Chunky Kong to save Donkey Kong Island from destruction at the hands of K. Rool and his Kremling Krew in a fully 3D adventure. The game allows you to play as each of the six members of the DK Crew. It also features multiplayer arena-battle modes. This game features a unique yellow cartridge and is only playable with the included Expansion Pak.
Racing games
Donkey Konga series
Mario vs. Donkey Kong series
Nintendo's first Donkey Kong title for the Game Boy Advance after Rare left was Mario vs. Donkey Kong, a return to the earlier arcade-style games that incorporated many elements from the Game Boy version. While its style was that of other games, the Rare design for Donkey Kong carried over. Donkey Kong, originally a villain, returns to this role in the game: wanting a Mini Mario clockwork toy, he finds that they are sold out at a local toy store. Enraged, he terrifies the Toads at the factory and steals the toys. This sets up the game's plot, where Mario chases Donkey Kong until he can take the Mini Marios back from Donkey Kong. The game was followed by March of the Minis for the Nintendo DS, Minis March Again on DSiWare, Mini-Land Mayhem in 2010 for the DS, Minis on the Move for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 and Tipping Stars for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U in 2014.
DK series
Miscellaneous genres
Cancelled games
Spin-offs
Crossovers
Television series
The Saturday Supercade was the character's first role in a television series. In it, Donkey Kong (voiced by Soupy Sales) has escaped from the circus and Mario (voiced by Peter Cullen) and Pauline (voiced by Judy Strangis) are chasing the ape. As with the original game, Donkey Kong will often grab Pauline, and Mario has to save her.
Donkey Kong also had its own television series called Donkey Kong Country, which is based on the SNES game of the same name. Aired in France in 1997 and in the USA in 1998, the series lasted 2 seasons with 40 total episodes featuring exclusive characters including Bluster Kong, Eddie the Mean Old Yeti and Kaptain Scurvy.
Film
The original arcade iteration of Donkey Kong is the main antagonist of the 2015 film Pixels.
Medal games
During the seventh generation of video games, there were two arcade Donkey Kong titles released in Japan. The first was Donkey Kong Jungle Fever, a medal game released in 2005, and the second was a sequel, Donkey Kong Banana Kingdom (released on November 16, 2006). Both games were developed by Capcom and published by Nintendo on the Triforce arcade system board. Neither title has been released outside Japan.
Critical response
Since his debut in Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong has received mainly positive reviews from critics.
Impact and legacy
After the first Donkey Kong was released, Universal Studios sued Nintendo, alleging that the video game was a trademark infringement of King Kong, the plot and characters of which Universal claimed for their own. In the case, Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd., a United States District Court ruled that Universal had acted in bad faith, and that it had no right over the name King Kong or the characters and story. The court further held that there was no possibility for consumers to confuse Nintendo's game and characters with the King Kong films and their characters. The case was an enormous victory for Nintendo, which was still a newcomer to the U.S. market. The case established the company as a major player in the industry and arguably gave the company the confidence that it could compete with the giants of American media.
The success of the Donkey Kong series has resulted in Guinness World Records awarding the series with 7 world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. The records include: "First Use of Visual Storytelling in a Video Game" for the rudimentary cut scenes featured in the original Donkey Kong arcade game, and "Most Collectible Items in a Platform Game" for Donkey Kong 64.
"It's on like Donkey Kong" is an expression used in pop culture that is inspired by the game. Nintendo requested a trademark on the phrase with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in November 2010.
The original game was the focus of the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.
In 2007, the USHRA Monster Jam racing series licensed Donkey Kong's appearance for a monster truck. The truck is driven by Frank Krmel, and is owned by Feld Motorsports. The truck is decorated to look like the character and has Donkey Kong's tie on the front. The truck made its debut in the Monster Jam event at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US on December 8, 2007. It went to the Monster Jam World Finals 9, as well as World Finals 10, where it was the fastest qualifier.