NES Classic Game # 6 / 30: Donkey Kong Jr.

My perspective on Donkey Kong Jr.'s NES port is about the same as my opinion on Donkey Kong's port. It's a fantastically accurate port but I've never been super duper interested in learning the game to get high scores. However, I'll gladly play a little bit of it to waste time. I think I might like Donkey Kong Jr. slightly more, maybe because it feels like there's more going on here with the climbing. I don't really know.

Considering again that the NES was built around playing really accurate ports of Nintendo arcade games (specifically Donkey Kong), it makes sense that this is on the classic mini. I understand people scratching their heads at their inclusion in place of other better games, but I'm happy these are here. I wouldn't replace them.

6/10

I prefer the movement in this game to the original Donkey Kong, it's just a lot faster, and I think the way they expanded upon the climbing mechanics from the first was greatly appreciated. The 2nd level and 4th are probably the most intriguing in that respect, and I especially like the twist on DK's last level in this game. Sort of ironic, but I feel due to the fact it's much smoother to control, you kind of lose some of the charm and tension of the original because of that fact, and in general I just find it way easier than it's predecessor in both handling and level design.. but that's not exactly a bad thing.
It still has some of the weirdness of the first but you kind of just get used to it after dying like twice.

in donkey kong, one plays as jumpman, but in donkey kong jr, jumpman has taken our beloved dk, so jr must be controlled through four hazard-filled screens of jumping, vine-climbing, fruit-dropping fun. my favorite part has got to be seeing the mustachioed kong captor fall to his death at the end of the four stages, but he unfortunately comes back from the dead with a vengeance on following loops. or perhaps it’s only unfortunate if you’re afraid of a challenge, which i’m not. bring it on, you vile snapjaws, nitpickers, and sparks! rahhh!! anyway, great arcade game, great nes game, big w.

Like its predecessor, Donkey Kong Jr. has interestingly varied level layouts and obstacles, but in practice I find it to be a much less enjoyable experience. Compared to Mario, DK Jr. feels worse to control, which is a kind of major problem. The single-vine vs. double-vine climbing mechanic is somewhat interesting, but not especially compelling. Donkey Kong Jr. is not necessarily a bad game, but it is nowhere near as memorable or fun as the original.

This improves on the previous game in a fundamental way by making movement feel a little more snappy and responsive. Moving around on the vines feels intuitive, and even rewarding when dodging enemies. Thankfully, like in the first game, hit detection feels pretty generous which adds to that responsive feeling. Even level design feels more varied, making each stage feel like an unique challenge separate from the others. Sadly, any of that novelty gets thrown out the window as soon as you complete your first loop. I’d genuinely enjoy a game built around this same concept but with dozens of new stage layouts; I think the concept here has a lot of potential. Overall, I can see some positives but they’re all cancelled out by that one big negative in practice. The more I play it the more I dislike it.