Thanks to Wolfman for helping with edits.
A video game’s opening stage is its most important one. It’s the tutorial and sales pitch, a taste of its defining mechanics and aesthetics. If they aren’t fun or interesting, many will understandably drop the game then and there. But a good opening stage instills wonder, excitement, and an insurance that you’ll keep playing.
Welcome to “Level with Me,” a new series where we’ll dissect interesting video game stages, good and bad. And there’s no better way to begin such a series than with an opening level I know well: Jungle Hijinxs from Rare’s 1994 Super Nintendo classic Donkey Kong Country.
On the title and file select screens, you’ll discover that Rare’s “new” Donkey Kong has a sidekick of his own, Diddy Kong. He venerates the “video game hero” and wants to become one, too. (Image: Nintendo)
Donkey Kong Country reinvented its then-dormant franchise. Yes, it has direct ties to Nintendo’s iconic arcade games (okay, not so much the third one). The titular Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. characters return, even if they’re older now. Country’s opening cinematic starts with the former—now dubbed Cranky Kong—cranking his xylophone atop a few girders, playing his debut game’s theme. Then the latter, who dropped the Jr. suffix, blasts a louder reinterpretation of it; this isn’t your grandpappy’s Donkey Kong! Even Country’s barrel-tossing and vine-swinging mechanics are arcade homages. But their influence feels… remote. Country humors its roots while evolving the franchise in a fresh new direction, one distinct from them and the wonderlands of Super Mario Bros.
After starting Donkey Kong Country and selecting a file, you’ll find yourself on the map screen. Donkey Kong and his kin live deep in the Kongo Jungle, and the first area he graces is the oddly-named Jungle Hijinxs. Now, Rare’s games have fun with their naming conventions—the Kongo Jungle is named after the Congo rainforests, for example. Replacing the “k” in “hijinks” with an “x” is eye-catching, though, especially since it’s redundant with the “s” sound. But it helps establish the lackadaisical tone Rare would become known for and lightly conveys the somewhat bombastic attitude powering their reboot.
Donkey Kong’s taking a quick breather, admiring the foliage and butterfly before hitting the road. (Image: Nintendo)
Then you start playing—and Donkey Kong outright explodes onto the scene. When I first played Donkey Kong Country as a kid, though, I actually just stood on this enemy-free patch of land for a bit, admiring the visuals. Famously, those were Country’s big selling point: everything had a three-dimension look that, on a technical level, eclipsed everything else at the time. In, say, the Super Mario games of the era, coins and blocks and platforms are visibly defined by the square tiles that compose them. Country‘s pre-rendered sprites camouflage its tiles, and considering its more photo-realistic backdrops and ambient score, invokes a moody, naturalistic aesthetic.
Most people probably start pressing right on the D-pad here and make their way through the jungle; that’s all you can do in Super Mario Bros.’s first stage, after all. What if you pull a Metroid and press left instead, though? Well, curious players who do swiftly learn that exploring off the beaten path is worth doing in Kong Country. You’ll quickly wind up in a cave, indirectly revealing another stage archetype. But it also establishes Donkey Kong’s goal: his banana hoard was stolen and he wants it back.
If you neglected to read the manual, this scene fills you in on everything you need to know about Country’s plot. (Image: Nintendo)
Then he’ll exit, and if your eyes wander above Donkey Kong’s head, you’ll notice a couple of footholds leading up to his treehouse. Jumping up there and entering recompenses you with an extra life balloon, which you can get by jumping atop a bouncy tire. Again, Country rewards exploration, this time with a goodie that requires using a new gameplay mechanic. Donkey Kong’s treehouse is a safe—not to mention unique—environment, too, so you can take your time practicing.
Two neighboring trees that conveniently function as a single, wide platform are situated in front of the treehouse, and if you haven’t yet noticed them, you will after leaving. Daring players will try leaping on them, and then on the next tree a little ways ahead—and then they’ll notice an arrow made up of floating bananas that’s pointing downwards. Landing on that spot uncovers a steel keg, a powerful barrel that bowls over enemies once thrown. Jumping atop certain spots can yield rewards, something true of the rest of the game; Jungle Hijinxs continues teaching how Country works. Oh, and while plummeting downwards, you’ll spot another tree just past the banana arrow, although a simple jump isn’t enough to reach it. Hmm…
Enemies look flustered and make a silly noise when beaten. Same for the Kongs. (Image: Nintendo)
Anyway, we embark onward. Whether you bothered visiting Donkey Kong’s home or not, you’ll soon stumble upon a Gnawty, a small beaver that walks forward. The side scroller is placing a Goomba-esque enemy in your path and gives you four options: you can jump over it, jump on it, roll into it, or walk or run into it. That last one, of course, results in you losing a life. Whether you land on it or not, jumping is the safest option. Rolling into it is the “best” option, though: it extends the duration of the attack, giving you a small burst of speed.
And then you’ll land before a shaking barrel with a “DK” icon engraved on it. Well, barrels are the Kongs’ established go-to tools and this one basically has Donkey Kong’s name on it, so you’ll grab and throw it—and upon its destruction, Diddy Kong is freed! This introduces Country’s second protagonist and health system. Getting hit as one Kong whisks them to a DK Barrel, and retrieving them requires breaking one. Maybe you’ll even tag out Donkey Kong for Diddy here, discovering he’s more acrobatic than his bulkier mentor.
Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are a team; the sidekick isn’t a Super Mushroom but a separate character with quirks all his own. (Image: Nintendo)
Soon, an optional second path appears, which requires jumping to access. You can ignore it and stick with the bottom route; another stray Gnawty isn’t scary. But Rare wants you to take the leap; the top route contains a few bananas and a golden, shiny collectible—the letter K—floats above it. They aren’t going to hand you these goodies without forcing you to deal with a new threat, though! A Kritter walks back and forth, patrolling the area; he’s similar to but slightly more threatening than his mammalian companions. While jumping along, you’ll also spot a series of trees above you, one of which has an extra life you can reach. If you wait until the crocodile walks to the right-most part of the platform, you can stomp him and claim the balloon. There are other trees to the left and right of this batch, though jumping alone isn’t enough to reach them…
Back on terra firma, you’ll walk near two elevated platforms and two Kritters will march off them, likely catching beginners off guard—these toughs can vary their movement patterns; one hit me my first time through. Afterwards, there’s a stretch of land that introduces another Kremling: the girthy Klump, whose helmet protects him from Diddy’s stomp but not his muscular mentor’s. However, by using a dash attack as either Kong, you’ll get a nice burst of momentum that carries you to the Checkpoint Barrel. The letter O and a DK Barrel greet you…
I’m reenacting my first run through Jungle Hijinxs here. I was caught off guard by a projectile that came from off-screen… (Image: Nintendo)
And prepare you for Jungle Hijinxs’ greatest challenge: a coconut-throwing vulture, Necky. There are three levels here, with the bird nesting on the top and another golden trinket on the middle. Like most platformers, you need to take risks if you want rewards, and no stronger does Jungle Hijinxs communicate this than here. See, the Necky throws its projectiles to the left, underneath it, and to the right in that order. Sticking to the bottom route gives you a little more leeway in dodging them, but if you want that golden ostrich trophy, you gotta go right underneath the bird and time its coconuts carefully.
Or, better yet, you can take advantage of that nearby barrel (or the DK one, if you haven’t opened it yet)! Donkey Kong carries them above his head while Diddy hoists them forward; the former is better equipped for this challenge, since a barrel will shield you from a coconut, and you can easily bash it up into the Necky. However, if you time things carefully, Diddy can beat the bird while it’s tossing its tools downwards or to the right. Oh, and once again, a few trees hover above you, out of reach…
Necky throws coconuts underneath itself and to the right in quick succession. Once it throws one to the left, you’re in the clear. (Image: Nintendo)
However you handle Necky, Jungle Hijinxs rewards you for surviving with a wooden crate that hosts Rambi, a brutally strong rhino who effortlessly knocks out the approaching beavers. All you need to do is face forward and his horn does the rest! Of course, pressing right while doing so keeps up your momentum, propelling you into the letter N and an alcove—which Rambi will break open. This whisks you into a cave with a bunch of bananas and an extra life, and exiting bursts Rambi onto a couple of trees and the final collectible letter, G! If you’ve spelt out KONG, the game yields another extra life.
Remember how Hijinxs rewards you from the get-go by going left? Eagle-eyed players will notice a series of footholds to your left here, so what if we try that again? Well, if you make it back up, you’ll pass a few defenseless Kritters and wind up back by that bonus room entrance (which you’ll be unable to reenter). Underneath those footholds, though, is another alcove, which—you guessed it—houses a second bonus room. It contains an admittedly bland minigame where you match up three golden animal icons, one of which curiously matches that ostrich one from earlier. Since there’s a gold icon in Rambi’s likeness, you might realize these are teasing Country’s remaining Animal Buddies.
One of Super Mario World’s big innovations was its reliable steed Yoshi. Country’s Animal Buddies build on that idea, and it makes sense Rambi’s introduced first: he’s the most accessible, empowering one. (Image: Nintendo)
Win or lose, you’re dropped back onto the stage, uncover a barrel, and are in the final stretch. A Klump approaches you, but he’s no match for our steed. That small bottomless pit is easy to hop over, acting simply as a warning of greater dangers to come. And finally… we reach the exit! The sky darkens as you approach, closing Jungle Hijinxs with a melancholy air and giving you the sense that this has already been a long journey (even if an average run through Hijinxs takes, like, a minute). Entering that exit cave brings you back to the world map, the Kongs dance, and you unlock the next level, Ropey Rampage (which is still set at night, maintaining temporal continuity with Hijinxs). If you’ve found both bonus rooms, you’ll also notice that an exclamation mark was affixed to Jungle Hijinxs’ name; this is how Country marks a stage as complete.
Thankfully, there’s even more to the stage, too! Okay, all of those trees I’ve kept mentioning? Both Donkey Kong and Diddy can perform a jump out of their dash attacks. Eventually, you’ll dash off a platform and try jumping out of it while in midair—which will work! This maneuver extends your airtime while giving you a lot of horizontal distance. And this is how you approach Jungle Hijinxs’ canopy: mastering this technique lets you dash across the treetops without ever facing a foe. You’ll score a litany of extra life balloons, too—including a green one, which gives two lives. Oh, and there’s even one final secret: if you climb the hill above the exit with Rambi and jump off him, you’ll grab an off-screen blue extra life balloon. Those rarities contain three lives!
The Game Boy Color and Advance versions of Country tweak Jungle Hijinxs and weaken its ambience. Neither handheld had built-in backlights, so Rare rightfully made everything bright to keep things readable, but still—you’re not admiring the Kongo’s quiet moonlit skies there. (Image: Nintendo)
Donkey Kong Country’s opening stage remains one of the franchise’s most iconic, probably only losing to the original’s construction site. Jungle Hijinxs’ example has been followed by the opening stages in the following Donkey Kong titles; Donkey Kong Country Returns‘ opener even shares its name. Its theme, “DK Island Swing,” is just as iconic, if not more so; I’m sure you can recall its melody. In a more general sense, Hijinxs also helped cement jungles as the default Donkey Kong backdrop: most games start in one, and they usually serve as Donkey Kong’s stages in Mario spin-offs and the Super Smash Bros. series.
And its fame is wholly earned; Jungle Hijinxs is fun and a perfect introduction to Donkey Kong Country. Stages in this series are built for speedrunning: enemies and items are strategically positioned in ways that let you maintain your momentum throughout. Jungle Hijinxs features many opportunities to sample that rush while introducing the game’s essential mechanics: you’ll perform various jumps, dashes, and experiment with both Kongs’ abilities and a wealth of items. Funky Kong, a family friend you meet later in the game, sometimes suggests coming here to stock up on lives. That’s sound advice—you’ll probably spend a lot of time traversing this cozy corner of Donkey Kong Island.
Jungle Hijinxs is up there with fellow openers Pirate Panic, Lakeside Limbo, Yoshi’s Island 1, Green Hill Zone (both the original and Sonic Mania versions), and City Escape as one of my most replayed stages in all of gaming. (Image: Nintendo)
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