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Donkey Kong (1983)

Nintendo R&D2

Port of Donkey Kong

Family Computer · Family Computer Disk System · Nintendo 3DS · Nintendo Entertainment System · Wii · Wii U

3.13 from 1231 ratings

2440 members have it in their collection · 17 playing now · 164 backlogged · 79 wish listed

How long? Main story 3h · with extras 1h · 100% 1h (from 11 logged playthroughs)

Donkey Kong has kidnapped Pauline, and it is up to Mario, the fearless carpenter, to come to her rescue. Throwing fate to the wind, Mario tries desperately to climb the labyrinth of structural beams from the top of which Donkey Kong taunts him. Help our hero ascend the metal structure by dodging an assortment of fireballs, steel beams, and exploding … Read more
Donkey Kong has kidnapped Pauline, and it is up to Mario, the fearless carpenter, to come to her rescue. Throwing fate to the wind, Mario tries desperately to climb the labyrinth of structural beams from the top of which Donkey Kong taunts him. Help our hero ascend the metal structure by dodging an assortment of fireballs, steel beams, and exploding barrels the angry ape hurls at him. Prepare yourself for a never-ending adventure as Donkey Kong takes Pauline away to the next level every time Mario gets to the top. Based on the arcade game of the same name, this classic will keep hardcore and casual gamers entertained for hours. This Donkey Kong port differs from the arcade game, having only three stages instead of four. Read less
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Details

Developers
Nintendo R&D2
Publishers
Nintendo
Genres
Arcade, Platform
Themes
Action
Franchises
Donkey Kong, Mario
Series
Donkey Kong

Release dates

  • Jul 15, 1983 (Full Release) (Japan) Family Computer
  • Jun 15, 1986 (Full Release) (North_America) Nintendo Entertainment System
  • Oct 15, 1986 (Full Release) (Europe) Nintendo Entertainment System
  • Apr 08, 1988 (Full Release) (Japan) Family Computer Disk System
  • Nov 19, 2006 (Full Release) (North_America) Wii
  • Dec 02, 2006 (Full Release) (Japan) Wii
  • Dec 08, 2006 (Full Release) (Europe) Wii
  • Apr 26, 2008 (Full Release) (Korea) Wii
  • Dec 17, 2012 (Full Release) (Japan) Nintendo 3DS
  • Jul 15, 2013 (Full Release) (Japan) Wii U
  • Jul 15, 2013 (Full Release) (North_America) Wii U
  • Jul 15, 2013 (Full Release) (Europe) Wii U
  • Jul 15, 2013 (Full Release) (Australia) Wii U
  • Aug 15, 2013 (Full Release) (North_America) Nintendo 3DS
  • Nov 21, 2013 (Full Release) (Australia) Nintendo 3DS
  • Nov 21, 2013 (Full Release) (Europe) Nintendo 3DS
  • Mar 02, 2016 (Full Release) (Korea) Nintendo 3DS

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Featured in lists

Tiny Games by Roach · 186 games · 4
NSO Classics Collection - NES by Roach · 84 games · 2

Rating distribution

5 stars
100
4 stars
252
3 stars
627
2 stars
210
1 star
41
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Community All Reviews Statuses

deadpixel1791

Review deadpixel1791 5/5 · Mar 6, 2023

One of the Best Games of All Time

I can't believe this game is rated so low! This game brought a new level of production to video games with it's amazing sprites for the time, cool little animations at the start and end of levels (something games didn't really do), awesome music that changes based on what's happening, fairly complex gameplay while only using one button, and the …

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I can't believe this game is rated so low! This game brought a new level of production to video games with it's amazing sprites for the time, cool little animations at the start and end of levels (something games didn't really do), awesome music that changes based on what's happening, fairly complex gameplay while only using one button, and the introduction of different levels. This game created platformers, Mario and Donkey Kong. It's an incredible game that is still fun and engaging all these years later and miles ahead of it's contemporaries.

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3 Comment
scoopings

Review scoopings 2/5 · Jan 30, 2022

Hugely Influential, But Not A Favorite Of Mine

Look: 7/10 Obviously I love the rudimentary starts of the Donkey Kong and Mario sprites, but beyond that, the colors are drab and the setting boring -- nothing striking about the graphics at all, even the sprites I will come to love in later games

Play: 5/10 I didn't find it fun. Even Crazy Climber was more fun than this. …

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Look: 7/10 Obviously I love the rudimentary starts of the Donkey Kong and Mario sprites, but beyond that, the colors are drab and the setting boring -- nothing striking about the graphics at all, even the sprites I will come to love in later games

Play: 5/10 I didn't find it fun. Even Crazy Climber was more fun than this. With contemporary games like Wizard of Wor and Robby Roto, this is an easy skip.

Feel: 6/10 A little boost for being important, and I have respect for it. I love the platformer genre and did enjoy using the hammer on enemies ha.

Attachment: 5/10 Kinda fun, but the controls are just meh for me. And simultaneously, it isn't rewarding enough compared to Berzerk, Head on, etc.

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6 Comment
Yungbeck

Review Yungbeck 3/5 · Oct 19, 2021

Humble Beginnings

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Donkey Kong was too difficult for me as a kid. I only played the original a few times before I gave up. I was interested, but got stuck on early levels. Not until the series moved to the SNES and became the Donkey Kong Country series - some of the greatest games ever to come out, period, did I get …

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Donkey Kong was too difficult for me as a kid. I only played the original a few times before I gave up. I was interested, but got stuck on early levels. Not until the series moved to the SNES and became the Donkey Kong Country series - some of the greatest games ever to come out, period, did I get to really know the character. In Mario Kart, to me, he was just an opponent from 'that old, hard, "first" Mario game'.

This game is still difficult to me. It holds great historical significance in gaming, and I think it should be kept alive and made available for gamers to play at an early age. I can't score DK's debut higher than a three though, personally. It is what it is for what it is. Three bananas...

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6 Comment
ApramPepo

Review ApramPepo 3/5 · Oct 9, 2021

I spent almost an Hour playing this.

This game Aged way better than It has to be. Timeless, It's just doesn't get old and the more you go forward, The game becomes faster, and more difficult.

I Enjoyed this so much.

Now here is a question: Why is there too many cut Animation, stages, and Audio samples in the NES port?

3 Comment
OvalsOk

Review OvalsOk 3/5 · Aug 17, 2021

One Small Jump

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Donkey Kong is such a neat little game. Coming out in 1981, it obviously doesn't contain much, content-wise. But it makes up for in addicting gameplay.

Donkey Kong puts you in the shoes of Jumpman (Soon to be known as Mario). Donkey Kong has taken your girlfriend, Pauline. It is your job to rescue her. The gameplay is extremely simple …

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enter image description here

Donkey Kong is such a neat little game. Coming out in 1981, it obviously doesn't contain much, content-wise. But it makes up for in addicting gameplay.

Donkey Kong puts you in the shoes of Jumpman (Soon to be known as Mario). Donkey Kong has taken your girlfriend, Pauline. It is your job to rescue her. The gameplay is extremely simple as you would expect for a game to have come out in the early '80s. You run up a set of platforms by climbing ladders while avoiding Donkey Kong's barrels. You can use a hammer to destroy the barrels but this prevents you from climbing. Make it to the top and you win. There are 2 additional levels afterwards. The second requires tricky platforming and the 3rd requires you to destroy the platforms to rescue Pauline. After the 3 levels, it goes and repeats them but the difficulty slowly ramps up.

Donkey Kong is a great little game to play when you are bored or just interested in what started a gaming icon. To those who saw my Sonic The Hedgehog retrospective and to those who haven't. This is the first game in my next retrospective. A Super Mario retrospective (Which will take a whole lot more work).

Here We Go!

3/5

Would Recommend

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3 Comment
TatskyNuki

Status TatskyNuki Aug 6, 2021

This game actually gets really frustrating once you get past Level 2. I have no idea how to deal with the fire monsters and the conveyors level is insane. I also have no idea how to set myself up for the triple barrel or quadruple barrel jump achievement for RA. I guess I'll figure it out eventually.

2 Comment Permalink
AmyAmes

Review AmyAmes 4/5 · Aug 3, 2021

The big ape's debut

Amazing sound design and eye catching levels and the debut of Donkey Kong aswell as Jump Man aka Mario, the game Is pretty basic where you Jump over barrels, use hammers, climb ladders and activate switches, the game Is 3 levels long on NES so If you have time to kill you can't go wrong. but there are some flaws …

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Amazing sound design and eye catching levels and the debut of Donkey Kong aswell as Jump Man aka Mario, the game Is pretty basic where you Jump over barrels, use hammers, climb ladders and activate switches, the game Is 3 levels long on NES so If you have time to kill you can't go wrong. but there are some flaws like how you can never tell If a barrel Is going to go down the ladder or keep rolling and It becomes a game of chance, should I risk climbing or wait for the barrel to pass and you don't get much time to move out of the way, mario also has awful fall damage in the game.

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2 Comment
TatskyNuki

Status TatskyNuki Jul 29, 2021

Because Arcades are straight up dead in the US, I am emulating the Arcade version. Sue me. RA may have audio bugs but THAT WON'T STOP ME

Mario apparently dies on contact with the ground from like an inch down if they don't jump, and like 3 inches down if they do. Did Mario originally skip leg day?

I might …

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Because Arcades are straight up dead in the US, I am emulating the Arcade version. Sue me. RA may have audio bugs but THAT WON'T STOP ME

Mario apparently dies on contact with the ground from like an inch down if they don't jump, and like 3 inches down if they do. Did Mario originally skip leg day?

I might need to watch speedrunners or records but is the best way to rack up points is to complete levels as fast as possible or to continually jump over barrels? Or the hammer? I'm not sure which racks up the most.

Trying to get achievements to work on this thing with RetroArch is insanity, do not do this. Arcade games do not work with RetroArch if you're emulating, stick to MAME or literally anything else. Do NOT be me.

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1 Comment Permalink
giopep

Review giopep 5/5 · Jul 9, 2021

I remember, as a kid at the arcade, not being good at this and watching older kids playing so much better than me. I did not have the skill, the perseverance and, frankly, the money needed to persist and become good. But in 2021 I tackled it again and learned to love it, mainly because playing it every day and …

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I remember, as a kid at the arcade, not being good at this and watching older kids playing so much better than me. I did not have the skill, the perseverance and, frankly, the money needed to persist and become good. But in 2021 I tackled it again and learned to love it, mainly because playing it every day and getting better and better at it didn't mean flipping coins after coins. It still is a lovely game, that challenges you in a fun way and that gives you a chance to get better and better with practice. Now, of course after a few stages it needs a level of skill and/or perseverance that I simply don't have, but it was so much fun while it lasted, much more than I expected. And, as usual, Nintendo games are so good at being more readable and welcoming than other games from the same age. Even when they are punishing pieces of shit like this one is, because it's an arcade games from the Eighties. But still, it's less of a punishing piece of shit than many contemporaries.

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2 Comment
Reset_Tears

Status Reset_Tears Jan 10, 2020

Everyone's favorite monkey named Donkey -- and he's here to throw barrels and look miffed. What a weird game this is, but it apparently did something right.

Level 1 is great stuff. Jump over the barrels, time your ladder climbs just right, and make your way to the top. It's fun and exciting. What's not to love.

Level 2 is …

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Everyone's favorite monkey named Donkey -- and he's here to throw barrels and look miffed. What a weird game this is, but it apparently did something right.

Level 1 is great stuff. Jump over the barrels, time your ladder climbs just right, and make your way to the top. It's fun and exciting. What's not to love.

Level 2 is kind of boring in comparison. You're waiting for elevators, and waiting on elevators. And then you jump off an elevator, but for whatever reason Mario can't survive a 3-foot jump. (A 2.5-foot jump, maybe.)

Level 3 is shit. Walk over some Legos and somehow the entire building DK is on will disappear. Just watch out for the living fire flames. The hammer for this level usually just means you're standing around like a doofus while nothing happens, except maybe kill one flame.

3/5 a solid arcade game that stands the test of time, but the first level's really where it's at.

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MellyHeals

Review MellyHeals 3/5 · Mar 16, 2019

Dankey Kang

I never thought this game was really hard playing it on the Nes.

My opnion changed when i played on an actual Donkey Kong arcade cabinet at a convention, boy does this game gets hard when you play using a joystick !

3 out of 5, the definition of classic.

0 Comment
Intervigilium

Status Intervigilium Jun 30, 2018

Una joya de las plataformas, la mecánica de juego sencilla pero bien implementada permite ser entendida rápidamente y es aprovechada al máximo. El objetivo del juego es claramente entendido así como lo son los poderes y peligros que en el se encuentran. Con un objetivo más que obvio no es difícil para el jugador comprender e interactuar con el juego.

0 Comment Permalink
Pale

Status Pale Jun 19, 2018

I completed my first run ever finishing "Level 3" in International mode on the new Switch version. This includes many attempts at it on the actual arcade cabinet over the years. I'm pretty proud of myself. For those that don't know, that's the point in the game where you play each of the four stages in order for the first …

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I completed my first run ever finishing "Level 3" in International mode on the new Switch version. This includes many attempts at it on the actual arcade cabinet over the years. I'm pretty proud of myself. For those that don't know, that's the point in the game where you play each of the four stages in order for the first time. My score is improving too, as I fight to stay in the top 100 as more and more people are picking up and playing this one.

Sooooo happy to have it on Switch.

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1 Comment Permalink
Pale

Status Pale Jun 14, 2018

Super excited to get the actual arcade Donkey Kong on my Switch when I get home tonight!

0 Comment Permalink