Thanks to Hamada and AShadowLink for helping with edits.
Several franchises appear on consoles and portable platforms. Quality is found in both sectors, but how fans receive an installment in a series can be colored by whether it’s released on the former or latter. Growing up during the Nineties, there was a clear divide between the two: console titles were usually regarded as the “real” entries, while their handheld counterparts were perceived as approximations or weird spin-offs. Because portable titles were helmed by smaller teams, given smaller budgets, and faced harsher hardware limitations, that was probably inevitable. But back then, this was fine. Simply offering software that eclipsed LCD games in complexity and scope was an incredible novelty (compare Tiger’s LCD Sonic to the Game Gear’s interpretation, for example).
1995’s Donkey Kong Land released during this era, complementing Donkey Kong Country of the year prior. Rare developed Land concurrently with Donkey Kong Country 2, and it beat the console sequel to market by four months. Spearheaded by lead programmer Paul Machacek, a few of the big names behind Country – including Steve Mayles, Kevin Bayliss, and David Wise – worked on its humble followup alongside Kong newcomers. So how does Land hold up in a time when Country is readily available on numerous platforms, portable or otherwise?
After grinding through Donkey Kong simulacrum JUJU, replaying a bonafide gorilla game was a pleasure. (Image: Nintendo)
In and out-of-universe, the Super Nintendo’s Donkey Kong Country was a momentous success. It did, however, have one critic in the grizzled Cranky Kong. Above all, Cranky champions gameplay; he claimed Country suffered in that department and solely owes its success to its visuals and audio. Naturally, Cranky expressed this tirade to Donkey Kong, his kid and Country’s namesake, and the hero’s protege, Diddy Kong. The duo eventually had enough; they defended Country’s quality and their heroics therein. Cranky, then, offered a challenge: could Donkey and Diddy replicate Country’s success on a weaker platform, namely the monochromatic, 8-bit Game Boy? So the two, realizing Cranky set them up, begrudgingly accept. Soon thereafter, Donkey Kong bitterly retires to his treehouse, getting a night’s rest in preparation of tomorrow’s adventure…
Although much of Country’s essence remains intact, plenty of concessions were made to allow for the gorilla’s Game Boy excursion. You still control and alternate between Donkey and Diddy, but only one appears on-screen at a time. Their respective characteristics carry over from Country – Donkey Kong is stronger but less agile, Diddy’s the inverse – with the minor loss of the former’s hand slap technique. Overall, both are a tad more sluggish than they are in the 16-bit realm. All of Country’s Kong helpers have been jettisoned: Cranky no longer gives tips, Candy doesn’t save your progress, and you no longer require Funky’s plane to travel across worlds. Saving is now done after finishing a stage, assuming you’ve gathered the four KONG Letters (consequently, they no longer give extra lives). How many lives players accrue are displayed on the bottom of the screen, and obtaining one hundred bananas or a balloon grants an additional one. Accounting for the smaller screen, the HUD only appears when an item is collected. Similarly, the map screens made a few alterations: none of the levels’ names are displayed, so once you complete a stage, an exclamation mark appears above its icon. Although visuals and audio took significant hits, both are nevertheless impressive for the system. A few of Wise’s now-iconic Country tunes are remixed, augmented with new tracks by Graeme Norgate. And those in possession of a Super Game Boy can enjoy Land with a few enhancements, adding a touch of color to the grayscale side-scroller.
Kong Tokens, seen here, are a new item exclusive to Land. Also, checkpoints and exits are now depicted as portals. (Image: Nintendo)
Country has a diverse assortment of level archetypes, many of which Land inherits, including the Kongo Jungle and Gangplank Galleon (still docked off DK Island’s coast, it now provides the setting for proper stages). Split across four worlds, Land also sports territories that went unexplored in Country. Chimpanzee Clouds, a three-stage section within the third world, would look out of place next to Country’s “grounded” settings, but works within the more abstract stylings of the monochromatic platform (flying pig Hogwash and sentient tornado Swirlwind, two Land-exclusive enemies, also exemplify Land’s weirdness). But the most interesting new locale, Big Ape City, isn’t actually new at all. It’s strongly implied (and outright confirmed in supplemental media) to be the setting of the original arcade game, further marrying Rare’s interpretation of Donkey Kong with the franchise’s storied legacy (this was also over two decades before Super Mario Odyssey‘s take on this idea). Another quality unique to Land is how rocks sometimes block off your paths on the map, requiring you to play through a level housing an explosive barrel. These break open one boulder, giving players a choice in which levels they choose to tackle first.
As for the levels themselves, they emulate the design ethos of Country. You run, jump, climb, and swing across stages built around maintaining kinetic momentum. The Kongs’ various barrels mostly return, all retaining their functions: hitting a DK Barrel frees your Kong’s partner, wooden and metallic barrels knock out foes or unveil secret passages, and rocket barrels launch the Kongs across bottomless pits. Bananas are sometimes positioned strategically, helping you jump atop buried items or even just across a chasm. Accessible through hidden barrel cannons, ropes, or tunnels are bonus rooms containing brief obstacle courses or minigames, usually one or two per stage. Here, you collect bananas and lives, the latter sometimes by cashing in Kong Tokens. Those seeking one hundred percent completion must enter every hidden oubliette, although no reward is given for doing so.
Can you see the hidden tire here, which you need to jump on to access a secret chamber? Yeah, it took me a few runs through the stage to notice it, too. (Image: Nintendo)
However, some elements from Country aren’t replicated faithfully or at all. There are no mine carts, and Animal Buddies are limited to Rambi and Expresso (both of whom are usually relegated to bonus rooms). Seeing Country-esque pre-rendered graphics on the Game Boy is neat and technically impressive, but they simply don’t translate well. Land’s backgrounds and large sprites frequently blur together, and when compounded with the Game Boy’s smaller screen, it can be unfairly hard to see items or impending hazards. Another issue lies with the camera; sometimes it struggles to follow along during hectic segments (costing a life when Land registers this as you falling down a pit) or freezes at a disadvantageous angle. Even when evaluated independently of Country, Land is rough.
Although mostly forgotten about now (a Virtual Console re-release and Hey! Pikmin shoutout aside), Land was successful enough to inspire two sequels. Donkey Kong Land 2, a narrative retread of its 16-bit counterpart, hit the following year. Then Donkey Kong Land III capped off its trilogy in 1997. It manages a compromise between its predecessors: it retains Country 3’s stage archetypes and bosses while presenting an original scenario starring Dixie and Kiddy Kong. Gameplay-wise, the later two Lands may be more refined, but they’re frankly less interesting works. The first Land remains the most ambitious of the three, standing as a largely unique experience. If you’re a fervent fan of Rare’s Donkey Kong Country and can excuse archaic aspects epidemic to handheld gaming of yesteryear, Donkey Kong Land is well worth your time.
King K. Rool makes a less impressive showing here, though this belly flop might have inspired one of his Ultimate moves. (Image: Nintendo)
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