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Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Gamecube

Format:
Gamecube

Genre:
Rhythmaction

Buy/Support:
Support Clare, click to buy via us...

Five years ago when this game was first released, we'd played our way through the Gamecube Donkey Konga bongo drum games, and were intrigued to know how a platform game could possibly work using a bongo drum controller, which only really has three options - left drum, right drum, and clap/tap.

The game is essentially a simple scrolling platform, with the lovable DK as the main character. In true Nintendo fun style, you run through the levels using the left and right drum pads to control direction, and clapping for 'action', which can be anything from hitting/kicking enemies to activating switches or bringing little helper monkeys to your aid. The game is compatible with the standard controller, but isn't half as much fun to play without the drums.

Mario collects coins, Sonic collects rings, so of course Donkey Kong collects bananas! The bananas you collect in the level can be multiplied by doing combo moves, and they are then counted up and used as your health point score in the final boss at the end of each level. Simple. Then after the boss fight, if you are lucky enough to have any bananas left, you may earn a crest from the tree in the Jungle, and earning all the crests unlocks a special final level at the end.

This is one of the very few games that I have played to total completion; collecting every single banana and earning all the crests possible in the game, defeating every boss along the way, all on a simple bongo drum controller, and enjoying every minute of gameplay.

The game is quite easy - I guess it had to be easy in order to be playable with the drum controller. However, this is what gives the game its charm, and it didn't matter that in some ways it couldn't compare to the best other platform games available at the time, because it had a unique playing point in the bongo drum controller.

As usual from Nintendo, the graphics are clear and fun, and the game is almost as enjoyable to watch as it is to play.

Written by Clare Sharpe

You can support Clare by buying Donkey Kong Jungle Beat



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Clare Sharpe writes the Eclectic Gamer column.

"I think it's probably true that most of us have grown up with computer games - I have a dark and distant memory of some sort of black box with two controllers that allowed us to play an extremely primitive and pixelated game of tennis."

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