Right, we're back on the 10/10 games this week, writing about a game that I have probably played through from start to finish more than any other game. It's a game I got for my birthday in 1995 and actually finished later that day and I had a weird pang of initial disappointment - is that it?

I just started playing it again, from the beginning. I've basically been doing that ever since.

Jungle Beat.

Donkey Kong Country AKA that time Shigeru Miyamoto was WRONG. Big Shigs had it in for DKC, saying it was all flash and no trousers upon its release but I reckon he was just salty that Rare were about to completely do in his admittedly brilliant Yoshi’s Island game in terms of sales. I’m sure this is a big part of why, but Donkey Kong Country has got a reputation for being a bit shit in some circles, and I don’t think they could be any more wrong. What the fuck does he know about videogames, anyway?

The best platform games - for me, anyways - should follow a few rules. First of all, the character should have a feeling of weight and inertia that, once understood by the player, can be mastered and manipulated in order to tackle increasingly more difficult stages and challenges that ask for more advanced skills. The second rule is that the core abilities and moves of the character should be enough to finish the game and overcome all obstacles, encouraging the player to increase in skill as they move through the various stages. Finally, exploration and experimentation should be rewarded in some way, even if it is minor, to not only encourage further exploration and experimentation but to tell the player that whatever skills they used to get into that position are worth continuing to use and improve upon.

Mario obviously wrote a lot of the book on this there’s plenty of notable titles - look at the way Sonic CD delivered on the promise of the first few Sonic titles by putting an emphasis on exploring the larger levels and utilising skill and use of the character’s abilities for more than just making a beeline towards the level goal. Mega Man has the same feel to his movement and rhythm to his combat that has made for a whole series of games that feature levels, bosses and other challenges to overcome using them. Donkey Kong Country ticks all of these boxes.

Once you figure out that the Kong’s rolls appear to defy most physics, allowing you to speed up when you hit an enemy and the fact that you can leap out of a roll at any point - including when you’re in mid-air over a gap, you have a way to get across certain objectives that takes skill and practice to master. Most levels have secret rooms hidden away in them - inessential to finishing the game, but a reward for anyone curious enough to see what is down a suspicious looking drop or through a conveniently placed wall.

There’s no additional abilities you acquire, you’ve got everything you need from the word go and by the end of the first world you should be well versed in getting Donkey and Diddy through the stages and also, be aware of the slight differences between the two apes. Diddy has a turn of pace that can be useful when platforming while Donkey can take out some enemies that Diddy otherwise has to throw a barrel at, which takes some pre-planning. So, from world one onwards, it’s just a series of increasingly more difficult or interesting stages for you to navigate, with a couple of minecart levels thrown in to keep you honest. It’s not the longest game, but there’s invention on every level. It might not have the wild inventiveness of Super Mario World, but there’s always a new challenge to tackle and it doesn’t outstay its welcome.

The levels are all fairly commonplace platform game tropes - snow level, mines, underwater etc - but every one of them has a gimmick. Even the fairly straightforward ones feel unique and memorable, with simple platforming stages like Ropey Rampage and Ice Age Alley getting fairly impressive rain and snow effects that aren't used elsewhere to make them stand out. Hell, even the two minecart levels have one major difference between them to keep you on your toes!

I've played better games and there's games I have a greater nostalgia for but I don't find myself going back to play them on a near yearly basis. I have - no shit - finished the game start to finish twice already in 2022. Some kind of combination of how unique and satisfying the controls are, the fact that you can punt through the entire game in an hour or so and a sprinkling of the best kind of nostalgia make Donkey Kong Country something of a comfort game for me. There's an article in this concept alone, the idea of a comfort game. There's not many that have the same sort of appeal, when I'm being indecisive or burned out and just want something low stakes but with enough about it to keep me mechanically engaged and that reminds me of simpler times. I can only think of Ridge Racer, Doom and Wave Race 64 that also have this hold over me. Pretty good company.

And then there’s the music. Christ, the music. Rare’s audio team is responsible for some all-timer pieces of videogame music and Donkey Kong Country’s soundtrack is right up there with the very best of them. Almost every level is backed by a memorable tune. I'd love to know what the brief was for the soundtrack to this game and would love to have been a fly on the wall when people first heard Aquatic Ambience - accidentally creating the sub-genre of Donkey Kong Chillwave in the process. Again, I'm sure nostalgia is doing a fair bit of heavy lifting here but the soundtrack to this game can soothe me. I've been on the brink some days and a quick blast of some DKC soundtrack compilation on YouTube has talked me off the fucking edge. I absolutely love it.

Although many would say that the sequel, Diddy’s Kong Quest, is the superior game (and it is bloody brilliant) there’s a lot to be said about the simplicity of Donkey Kong Country. It’s a tight, fun platformer and one of the few times Shiggsy ended up with egg on his face. Even if he now claims he was misquoted. I'm onto you, Shigeru.

THANKS FOR READING.

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