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.
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.