DONKEY Kong (affectionately known as DK) has played both hero and villain in different games in the series.
In the latest title, DK Jungle Climber, Donkey Kong is a hero. His family vacation in Sun Sun Island is disrupted by the appearance of a giant banana. This soon has him chasing the villain crocodile King K. Rool and his bunch of cronies known as Kremlings around five islands, including Sun Sun.
You play as DK, a human-like ape, in this platformer which differs from the usual run-and-stomp fun of titles such as Super Mario Bros. There is a fair share of running around and attacking enemies, but most of the time will be spent climbing and swinging on branch-like pegs, Tarzan-style.
The control scheme takes some getting used to. Mostly, though, you will be using the L and R shoulder buttons since they control almost everything from walking to holding on to pegs to jumping.
Many elements in the levels make use of DK's climbing and swinging. In one level, you will have to use DK as a weight to roll around a giant wheel filled with pegs. Another level will have you picking up rocks to fling at normally unreachable barrels.
While on your adventures, there are many things you can collect along the way, including bananas, panels that spell out K-O-N-G, and an oil barrel that can bring you to a special stage.
These little collectibles will take up most of your time.
All is fine and dandy, but one major gripe I have is the boring and repetitive music.
Music aside, DK Jungle Climber is a well-designed platformer, with great controls and levels. Recommended for fans of this genre who are looking for something different.
