Shaved Monkeys - Donkey Kong Country 3 for GBA

Rare’s Donkey Kong Country for the SNES was a hallmark release in its day. It took Nintendo’s then archaic Donkey Kong franchise, infused it with state-of-the-art CG like visuals, engaging gameplay and Rare’s famous blend of quality and humor. The title sold very well on the SNES, spawned two sequels and forever changed the Donkey Kong franchise and family. The third game in this series was a game I played for countless years. I loved Donkey Kong Country 3 on the SNES, and is probably the one game I remember playing the most when I was a kid. Even after all these years the gameplay still seems fresh, which is a good sign, and with a few new additions the game is better than ever.

This is not a straight port of the SNES title, although it is very similar, as many aspects of the interface, gameplay and even story have been expanded upon. The story still revolves around Diddy and Donkey Kong being kidnapped and Dixie and her cousin Kiddy having to rescue them. For many of you who have experienced the DKC games on the SNES you should feel right at home almost immediately, and the visuals, gameplay, music, and level design should bring back nothing but good memories – that is of course you come across the later and more difficult levels where timed precision jumps are the order of the day. The control method is basic and easy to master and you’ll convince yourself that you’re a monkey in no time.

All the levels are here intact from jungles, to underwater reefs, to huge mountains this is classic DKC and none of it feels dated. Thanks to the wonderful level design and variety, one minute you’re riding a rocket up a mountain and the next your barrel jumping over a bottomless pit. One of the things I loved about the game on the SNES, was the detailed levels. They have gone into a lot of trouble to give the gamer a sense of being in a jungle world. Wherever you look, there’s always something to nice to look at. Also, throughout these levels are plenty of vicious animals and K-Rool’s cronies who want to see our two apes six feet under. The kongs are capable of numerous actions, such as climbing, swinging on vines, jumping, rolling, running and swimming. Dixie and Kiddy can also interect with each other to access different areas, for example Kiddy can carry Dixie and throw her up to higher places, while Dixie can throw Kiddy into the ground and smash cracks in the floor.

In its day the visuals in DKC3 were more than just impressive, it basically blew away most 32-bit and PC titles – which was remarkable considering that the SNES was entering the last couple of years of its life. Using Advanced Character Rendering (ARC) the games sprites looking like 3D models and spawned a new look for 2D games – which can still be seen today. Sound-wise the game is also cracking with the classic soundtrack returning and even a few new songs have been including aswell. The overall sound library has been expanded to include more sound effects and character grunts.

Donkey Kong Country 3 is a faithful recreation of Rare’s classic platformer and for most people should provide a nostalgic trip back to the mid 90’s. For the few out there who’ve never played the title, well then if you’re a fan of the genre then there’s no real excuse to not pick this one up. The classic gameplay, wonderful level design, impressive visuals, great music and atmosphere, it’s all here and more. Although it would be nice if they made an all-new DKC game. Classic : )