As an NES game released early in it's life, and an arcade game to the icon Donkey Kong game, Donkey Kong Jr. cements itself as one of the first sequels in video games. While I would attest to the idea that sequels in video games are usually better than the original, you wouldn't know that playing this game.

Donkey Kong Jr. sets itself up as a inversion of the previous game, with Donkey Kong being held captive instead, and it's up to his son to save him. The game is a traditional get from A to B platformer that has you go thru 4 different levels then cycles you back. In every way Donkey Kong Jr. hits the same beats as the first one, but it just doesn't impress.

From the way each level is designed to only having one proper way to go up, to just how bland the levels actually are, it just feels like Donkey Kong Jr. is just riding the coat tails of it's predecessor. The first two levels look nearly the same at a glance, and the 3rd level is just devoid of anything interesting. With the only really interesting level being the final one which you do save your dad. The sounds are far more irritating as climbing vines not only takes longer, but is far more constant compared to Mario's walking in the previous game. Vine climbing itself also has a fair share of problems with the way the mechanics seem simple, but are more difficult to control once you use them more. This all kinda leans into the game just not feeling as good as it's predecessor's easier control scheme and level design.

I honestly was shocked just how much I didn't like this game the more I played it. Each loop just made me think that it was done better in the previous game. Donkey Kong Jr. certainly gets some points for at least trying something different, but that same reason is why the game doesn't feel nearly as good as the original.

A proposta desse spin-off é um tanto subversiva em relação ao Donkey Kong original. Há uma inversão de papel e aqui o DK foi capturado e cabe ao Jr resgatar o macacão. Aqui temos uma variação de estágios que não é tão ampla assim, mas garante um loop de 4 fases, das quais 3 possuem a mesma estrutura de ir do ponto A ao ponto B. A 4ª fase apresenta um desafio na forma de uma tarefa especial de conduzir chaves até o topo dos cipós, quebrando o formato..

Como se trata de um título antigo, o design envolve pontuar o máximo possível, repetindo esse loop à exaustão enquanto se torna cada vez mais difícil.

Uma questão que achei interessante foi refletir se o Jr não seria uma protoversão do Kiddy Kong do Donkey Kong Country 3, no futuro. Será que se inspiraram nele pra reciclar o design?

Vemos aqui também algumas ideias que mais tarde voltarão como características centrais da série Country: cipós e plataformas, apesar de que neste título temos dano por queda, algo que foi posteriormente descartado na franquia.

São ideias bacanas, mas que não são suficientes para tornar o jogo tão bom assim, por conta da natureza do seu design antigo e em minha opinião, anacrônico.

As the sequel to Donkey Kong, this is an alright follow-up. The game is essentially a role reversal of the last one, where Mario is now the villain, and DK Jr. has to save the original Donkey Kong, except this time around, it isn't as good. The graphics are good enough, the music is good, the designs are cartoony and fun to look at, and the gameplay is... frustrating. Climbing instead of jumping isn't as fun, and it can be a struggle, especially with how fast you go down and up, depending on what position you are on the vines. Overall though, it is an acceptable sequel to the original game, but not one I would go out of my way to play again.

Game #13

Honestly I kinda like this one even if it took a couple of rounds to really have it click with me. The vine climbing mechanic is an excellent way of de-emphasising the really janky jumping controls that continue over from the original Donkey Kong, and the spots where they have to be used feel a lot more fair due to the way it's all telegraphed significantly more clearly than before. My favourite thing here really is the level design and the way they're each able to accomplish such different things that all play into the nuances that even a game this simplistic can have, taking full advantage of every capability of the player in the higher difficulty levels especially. There doesn't feel like a waste of space on that front this time around where a single level will feel like a pointless time sink or something relatively redundant, each bringing their own unique challenges to the table.

The first stage does a great job at setting the game up for the player, requiring them to fully utilise and understand the limitations of their mobility while also needing to properly understand the patterns of the small crocodile things. Meanwhile, the 2nd level's greater focus on more precise, timing based sections is an amazing example of risk-reward, not just with a nicely timed spring jump allowing you to skip half the level, but with the entire final section being one you can either take methodically or make it through guns blazing if you pick the right moment. The final 2 levels are really chaotic but in a way that plays to the strengths of the game mostly, with the platforming challenges of level 3 being ones that are telegraphed and predictable, but often balanced the out by having a lot going on in order to force the player to pick the right moment and pay constant attention. This feels significantly better compared to the more reaction focused gameplay that dominated the original Donkey Kong's core experience, as the entirely committal jump arcs and the generally sluggish, clunky movement made it pretty frustrating to die to something that you could only see becoming a problem a split second ago.

This more reaction-heavy gameplay is instead reserved for the final level and its big focus on the climbing mechanics, which I personally find to be a really fun experience in comparison due to the way it all works. The completely frantic nature of having to be dodging so many birds while constantly making decisions about whether holding onto two vines for better upward climbing speed or whether you instead want to sacrifice this for a quick drop down to avoid something is a neat dynamic that is really engaging once you become experienced enough at the game that the slightest daunting situation is no longer instant death. I think it would have been cool to see a game on the NES that took from this vine climbing gameplay style but applied it to the conventions of a home console experience as opposed to an arcade one, because I feel like there was some decent potential here to craft some more intricate, long levels to elevate the systems at play here that the arcade structure does not accomplish. I'd have also liked this even more if there weren't a couple of spots that felt like pretty consistent run killers for frustrating reasons, the little runways at the end of the first 3 stages especially, where the precision you required to get over the enemies felt a bit too much. Still, pretty pleasantly surprised with this one, definitely a fun game to put on for about an hour once in a while even if I also find it to get a bit overly repetitive pretty quickly too.

Donkey Kong Jr. feels like the one that's easy to pick on. Maybe it depends on the person but as someone who likes to watch people do Youtube videos on old games, I usually see this one not praised much.

I can totally see why though, if there's one thing DK Jr. suffers from is the fact that the levels aren't too creative and have a path you usually always go through. I will say the mechanics for the game are pretty good and a great way to differentiate from the first game.

Despite some of the hate I've seen, I still enjoy it. In fact I'd say I like it more then the first DK game on the Famicom. I think a big reason for it is because this game's port actually keeps all four levels which makes it feel more complete to me. I've also just always felt more satisfied playing this one. The vine movement is pretty good and it's way better then Mario's slow ladder climbing.

Of the three launch games of the Famicom, this has to be my favorite. While it's barely higher then the original DK game for me, it's still a game I rather replay to get a high score for if I was given the chance. It's a shame Junior wouldn't find too much success after this game. He's only in like four other games on the top of my head and three of them are spinoffs.