While Mario has become the face of Nintendo, and perhaps video games as a whole, it’s important to remember that it was in a Donkey Kong game that he really became an icon. Since then, our beloved ape has bounced between being friend and foe of the plumber, as well as broken free to star in his own series of games with an expanded cast of friends and enemies. It’s been a long time since we’ve been graced with one of his banana-fueled adventures, so we decided this was as good a time as any to look back at Dinkey Kong’s legacy and decide which of his many solo efforts stand as the best.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
E
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Platform
Developer
Retro Studios
Publisher
Nintendo
Release
May 04, 2018
While we are certainly bummed that it’s been over 10 years since the last true Donkey Kong game, at least it was the best one of the bunch. There’s nothing not to love about Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, from the solid platforming to the diversity of levels to the new kongs that all play differently, adding variety and a reason to replay stages. Nothing is lacking here for a fan of DK or platformers, with tons of secrets, challenging endgame stages for hardcore players, delightful graphics, and a David Wise score to tie the entire thing together.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
E
Platforms
Wii, Wii U
Genre
Platform, Adventure
Developer
Retro Studios
Publisher
Nintendo
Release
November 21, 2010
There were a lot of ways Donkey Kong Country Returns could have gone wrong. It was the first time DK had returned to a 2D platformer since the SNES days, and the game was now being made by Retro Studios since Rare had been purchased by Microsoft. Retro had proven itself to be a great developer with the Metroid Prime series, but no one knew if it could bring that same magic to a 2D platformer. Boy, did it prove it had the stuff. Yes, there were some annoyances with Wii motion controls, but this is a fantastic reinvention and modern take on 2D Donkey Kong games from top to bottom. It’s only bested by its eventual sequel, which mastered the formula it established.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
E
Platforms
Wii, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Wii U, Super Famicom, New Nintendo 3DS
Genre
Platform, Adventure
Developer
Rare
Publisher
Nintendo, Gradiente, Playtronic, Hyundai
Release
November 21, 1995
And now we need to head back in time to the SNES for the greatest of the Rare trilogy, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest. This was Rare’s second shot at helming a 2D DK game, and it somehow managed to make a game even more impressive than the first. It isn’t a quantum leap above the previous entry, but it featured enough small changes to difficulty — as well as better controls with the new Kong and more secrets and levels — to easily push it to the top of the pile.
Donkey Kong Country
E
Platforms
Wii, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Wii U, Super Famicom, New Nintendo 3DS
Genre
Platform, Adventure
Developer
Rare
Publisher
Nintendo, Playtronic, Gradiente, Hyundai
Release
November 18, 1994
This is the one that started it all. Rare took what was ostensibly a side character and villain and reinvented him (and literally invented Diddy) to be a mascot all on his own. Donkey Kong Country immediately gained attention for its unreal graphics, but hooked players with amazing platforming and music. So much of what we know and love about DK was established here, and it holds up as a worthy platformer to check out today.
Diddy Kong Racing
E
Platforms
Nintendo 64
Genre
Racing
Developer
Rare
Publisher
Nintendo, Gradiente
Release
November 21, 1997
Alright, we’re kind of fudging the rules here with Diddy Kong Racing, but this game deserves more love. Rare setting its sights oncompeting with Mario Kart 64, and this might be a hot take, but Diddy Kong Racing is the better game. It has all the positives of a Mario Kart game but none of the annoyances and way more to do. There are power-ups, cool characters, and unique tracks, but also different vehicles, a real single-player mode, and tons of other modes to mess around with. Plus, and this may just be our preference, but driving, flying, and hovering in this game just felt better than its competitor.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
E
Platforms
Wii, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Wii U, Super Famicom, New Nintendo 3DS
Genre
Platform, Adventure
Developer
Rare
Publisher
Nintendo, Playtronic, Gradiente, Hyundai
Release
November 18, 1996
It isn’t that Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble! is bad, just that there wasn’t much gas left in that tank. It again introduced a new Kong, but Baby Kong wasn’t fun to look at or play as, unlike the two other newcomers, Diddy and Dixie. It’s a completely solid game, but just doesn’t offer many new or interesting ideas to make it feel like a necessary sequel to the amazing Diddy’s Kong Quest.
Donkey Kong 64
E
Platforms
Nintendo 64, Wii U
Genre
Platform, Adventure
Developer
Rare
Publisher
Nintendo, Gradiente
Release
November 22, 1999
Let’s make this clear upfront: Donkey Kong 64 isn’t a bad game, it just isn’t to everyone’s taste. If you love collectathons, then you will adore this game. If you want a more pure 3D platformer, Donkey Kong 64 will frustrate you to no end. There’s not a lot of in-between with this game. In terms of content, there’s almost too much here. You have an entire cast of Kongs to unlock and play as, each with their own moves, weapons, and abilities, as well as tons of levels with challenges and missions specific to each Kong. The fact that the game requires you to collect so many things to progress is really the only fault people find with the game, and it isn’t unjustified, especially when you get to the end of the game. However, we can all agree it is worth playing.
Donkey Kong
E
Platforms
Wii, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Family Computer Disk System, Family Computer
Genre
Platform, Arcade
Developer
Nintendo R&D2
Publisher
Nintendo
Release
July 15, 1983
We have to end with an honorable mention to the arcade game that started it all, Donkey Kong. Most people think of this as a Mario game now, but DK was clearly the star of the show. It’s clunky and dated now, and quite frustrating too, but it’s a bit of history that should at least be played by anyone who considers themselves a gamer.
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