Donkey Kong Country was originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System near the end of 1994. This game would become known for its silicon graphics that gave the game a 3-D effect. Donkey Kong Country started a new trilogy of games for the SNES for the next generation of gamers in the mid 1990s. This was the second to last video game I played as a kid, and I got it as a gift from my mom at Christmas in 1994. The last game I ever played was Primal Rage for the Gameboy. For me, DKC is kind of bittersweet. It's a shame I never played any of the other games until years later in 2014.

I got to play: Donkey Kong Country (SNES), Donkey Kong Land 1 and 2, Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES), Donkey Kong Country (GBC and GBA), and Donkey Kong Country 2 (GBA). This is a series I'm not as familiar with such as: Mario or Sonic. This is the first game in a series of I have not played at all until I started playing them online a few years ago.  

Graphics 10/10: The graphics in Donkey Kong Country are like no other game before it. The sprites look like they are 3-Dimensional even though this is a 2-D platformer. As a kid, I remember getting a VHS tape in the mail explaining how Rare designed this game. They explained, in detail how they did the sprites for Donkey Kong and Diddy. Not only that, but Rare also showed how the game looked in action with the graphical effects of the blizzard levels and all. The images appear crystal clear here in this version, and the graphics are the strongest part of this game.

Music 10/10: Most of the music in this first DKC sounds very original and catchy. Now that I think about it, there isn't a bad song in this game. All of it is A quality material! You have so many memorable themes: Aquatic Ambiance, Voices in the Temple, the Jungle theme, the Forest theme, etc. There might be a few that aren't as great, but they don't stick out to me. Most of the tracks that I remember are the ones I just mentioned. Rare made some games that had great music and graphics. They made Battletoads, a game that was badly designed but had some of the best NES music ever. The same applies to Donkey Kong Country. All of it sounds amazing!

Gameplay 10/10: In Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong travel through the levels as a team. The Kong in the front is the one that is in control, and if he takes a hit the other Kong takes his place and goes through the level solo. If you are solo and take a hit from an enemy or other obstacle, you'll lose a life. There are also save points throughout the game called Candy's Save Point, and you can continue your game from here if you get a Game Over. You can also use Funky's Flights to go back to areas of the game you have already been to. This can also be used to go back to the save point and save your game.

If you do happen to lose your partner, you can recover them by breaking a DK barrel. You can also hit star barrels that give you a checkpoint if you lose a life in a level. DKC takes place on Donkey Kong Island, and a map of the Island is shown at the start of the game or when the player finishes an area. Donkey Kong Island is the big map, but there are also maps of the individual areas of this Island. Once a level is completed, a path is made to the next one. This same mechanism occurs when you finish one of the individual worlds of DK Island.

There are other supporting characters in this game that help DK and Diddy. Candy Kong can save your game, Funky Kong can transport you back to levels and worlds you have already been to, and Cranky Kong can give you tips on how to play the game and find some of the bonus areas. These bonus areas are not necessary for completing the game, but they are necessary for 101% completion. I think it is worth trying to find them all, and I love the challenge of doing so. Donkey Kong Country encourages players to explore the levels instead of just playing them in order to finish the game properly.  

King K. Rool (who is the villain of DKC) has trapped DK's animal buddies in crates all over the Island. After breaking the crates, you free the animals,  and they can aid you in your quest by giving you an extra hit and defeating enemies that cannot be defeated by DK or Diddy. The animal buddies found in the game are: Rambi, Enguarde, Winky, and Expresso. The addition of the animal buddies makes the gameplay more fun because it makes progression with the game easier than it normally is. These stages are pretty short and length and pretty numerous. They also have their own themes with: jungles, caves, glaciers, underwater levels, factories, mines, etc. This is a game with very interesting concepts and level design!

King K. Rool has sent his Kremling hoard to try to prevent Donkey Kong from getting back his bananas, and this adds to the appeal of this game. The animal buddies along with the help of the other members of the Kong family can aid DK and Diddy in their quest. The bonuses give the game even more of a challenge for players who have already finished the game. With all the extra bonuses, cool stages with nice themes, animal buddies, short levels, and smooth/tight controls, you get a game that has some of the best level design I have ever seen in a video game!

Story 8/10: One day Donkey Kong goes to his cave to find his bananas have been stolen and his buddy Diddy are gone. He finds Diddy trapped in a barrel outside his hut, and the two go off on their adventure to find DK's bananas. They travel all over DK Island battling through crocodiles and other enemies with the help of: Cranky, Funky, and Candy Kong. Eventually, they get to the top of the Island where they see a ship. The pair finally reach the ship called Gangplank Galleon.

On the ship, they are attacked by a giant crocodile named King K. Rool. He has stolen the banana hoard and plans on taking it back to his home on Crocodile Isle. The two Kongs must fight K. Rool in order to stop him from stealing the hoard of bananas. The storyline for this game leaves a little to be desired. The goal of the game is pretty boring, but I like how DK and Diddy get help from the other members of the Kong crew. I really enjoy reading the humorous dialogue from Cranky Kong when the pair go to ask for advice. It isn't the plot as much as it is the characters that make this script work. The story is kind of bland, but all of the characters are well thought out by Rare and Nintendo.

Funky is a trendy, surfer, dude with a jet barrel that can take the Kongs anywhere on Kong island they have already been. Cranky is the same Kong that played the villain for the original Donkey Kong that was in the arcades in the early 1980s. He has unlimited wisdom, but also has something smart to say to the pair, especially DK! Candy is a sexy, female Kong who DK is in love with. She even blows him a kiss when the two go to save their game. Donkey Kong Country is a cool game with lots of character and personality to it. King K. Rool and his Kremlings also have a lot of character. It wasn't until the late '90s, a Saturday morning cartoon was made based off of these games. The plot may be pretty generic, but these characters are just as iconic, if not more iconic, than the ones in Mario or Sonic.   

Content 9/10: Donkey Kong Country takes only about 2 or 2 and 1/2 hours to beat. This game doesn't have as much content and levels to it as some of the other games do. It includes a total of 6 worlds: Kongo Jungle, Monkey Mines, Vine Valley, Gorilla Glacier, Kremkroc Industries Inc., and Chimp Caverns. There is also the final battle with King K. Rool that takes place on Gangplank Galleon. There is no Lost World in this DKC game, but players can explore the levels in order to find bonus rooms for 101% completion. I like how the 6 worlds each have their own layout and theme. This was something that would be expanded on more in the next DKC game. For this one, things are pretty plain but not boring.

Difficulty 5/10: When I played this game as a kid, I didn't think it was all that hard. The Super Mario Bros. games for NES were way harder. It is a game with average difficulty. You'll lose a lot of lives, but you'll earn a lot of lives. I never got to see the Game Over screen very much. Even if I did, you always got to continue from Candy's Save Point. The game also gave you many checkpoints, so DKC is a game where players might find themselves dying a lot but can still make progress. Things don't seem to get all that discouraging. Mine Cart Carnage sucks, but beyond that, the game's difficulty drops off a good bit. As long as you are willing to continue, you will beat this game.