Donkey Kong Jr.

For the character of the same name, see Donkey Kong, Jr..

Donkey Kong Jr.
Developer(s)	Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Artist(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto[1] Yoshio Sakamoto[1]
Composer(s)	Yukio Kaneoka[2]
Series	Donkey Kong
Platform(s)	Arcade, Atari 2600, Game & Watch, ColecoVision, Intellivision, Commodore VIC-20, Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, Atari 7800, e-Reader, Virtual Console, eShop
Release date(s)	Arcade 1982 NES JP July 15, 1983 NA June 1986 EU June 15, 1987 Virtual Console JP December 2, 2006 NA December 4, 2006 EU December 22, 2006 3DS Virtual Console NA September 1, 2011 EU September 1, 2011
Genre(s)	Platforming
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ACB: G CERO: A ESRB: E PEGI: 3+
Cabinet	Upright
Display	Raster, 224 x 256, vertical orientation

Donkey Kong Jr. (ドンキーコングJR., Donkī Kongu Junia^?) is a 1982 arcade-style platform video game by Nintendo. It first appeared in arcades, and, over the course of the 1980s, was later released for a variety of platforms, most notably the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game's title is written out as Donkey Kong Junior in the North American arcade version and various ports to non-Nintendo systems. Its eponymous star, Donkey Kong Jr., also called simply Junior^[3] or abbreviated as DK Jr.,^[4] is trying to rescue his father Donkey Kong, who has been imprisoned. Donkey Kong's cage is guarded by Mario, in his only appearance as a villain in a video game. This game is the sequel to the video game Donkey Kong, which featured Mario as the hero and Junior's father as the villain.

Plot

Mario, known beforehand as Jumpman, has incarcerated Donkey Kong after re-capturing him in Donkey Kong.^[5] Donkey Kong Jr. must save his father from Mario by putting the key or keys in the stage into all of the locks. Mario attempts to stop DK Jr. by releasing the many animals he controls to knock DK Jr. off the vines and platforms.^[6] DK Jr. defeats Mario if the player completes the fourth stage by putting all six keys in their locks, making the floor disappear. DK Jr. catches Donkey Kong while Mario falls onto the ground.

Like in Donkey Kong, if the player completes the final stage, Donkey Kong Jr. restarts at the first stage with a higher level of difficulty. Mario makes an attempt to chase after DK, but DK kicks Mario into the air. Mario then retreats.

Gameplay

The player controls DK Jr. and has to rescue Donkey Kong from Mario, who had captured him. Like its predecessor, Donkey Kong, Jr. is an arcade-style platform game. There are a total of four levels, each with a somewhat different theme. DK Jr. can run left and right, jump, and grab vines/chains/ropes to climb higher on the screen. He can slide down faster by holding only one vine, or climb faster by holding two. Enemies include "Snapjaws," which resemble bear traps with eyes, bird-like creatures called "Nitpickers" that Mario releases to thwart DK Jr., and "Sparks" that roam across the wiring in one of Mario's hideouts. These enemies will cost DK Jr. one life if he touches them, but they can be defeated by dropping fruit onto them. At the top of every stage is Mario and Donkey Kong, and when DK Jr. reaches the top, he chases Mario to the next stage. If the player beats the fourth level, a cut scene is shown of the floor disappearing and the three fall to the ground. DK Jr. catches DK and Mario falls and hits the ground. Once the four levels are completed, the player restarts the game with increased difficulty and his or her points and lives retained. Up to two players can play the game alternately.

The game is split into four levels.

• The first level is simple. DK Jr. must climb up vines to get to the top while avoiding Snapjaws.
• In the second level, DK Jr. must get to the top by jumping on platforms and climbing across chains, while avoiding Nitpickers and the eggs they drop.
• The third level is much harder. DK Jr. must avoid Sparks sent out by Mario as he climbs the platforms.
• In the last level, DK Jr. must push several keys up to the locks in the top platform to unlock DK's cage.

Note: In the Japanese version of the game, a complete cycle consists of one play through each of the four levels in the above order. However, the American version uses the following cycle: 1, 4, 1, 2, 4, 1, 3.

You lose a life if:

• DK Jr. touches Mario or any enemy;
• DK Jr. falls off the bottom of the screen or into water;
• DK Jr. drops off the end of a rope/vine/chain and falls too far;
• The bonus timer reaches zero.

History

The game was principally designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and one of his coworkers.^[7] Miyamoto also created the graphics for the title along with Yoshio Sakamoto.^[1] As with its predecessor, the music for the game was composed by Yukio Kaneoka.^[2]

Donkey Kong Jr. is regarded as one of the Top 100 Video Games by the Killer List of Videogames. It was selected to be among five arcade games chosen for history's first official video game world championship, which was filmed at Twin Galaxies in Ottumwa, Iowa by ABC-TV's That's Incredible! over the weekend of January 8–9, 1983.^{[citation needed]} The game later spawned a cereal which featured fruit-flavored cereal pieces shaped like bananas and cherries. Donkey Kong, Jr. is shown on the box wearing a red shirt with a big yellow J printed on the front.^{[citation needed]}

Competitive play

For more than twenty years, the Donkey Kong, Jr. world record had been held by noted gamer Billy Mitchell, who had achieved 957,300 points in 1983. On August 10, 2008, Mitchell's benchmark score was eclipsed by Icarus Hall of Port Angeles, Washington, who scored 1,033,000 points.^[8] On April 24, 2009, Steve Wiebe eclipsed Hall's score, finishing with 1,139,800 points.^[9] On September 3, 2009, at 1984 Arcade in Springfield MO, Mark L. Kiehl of Enid, OK surpassed Wiebe's record with a score of 1,147,800.^[10][11] Steve Weibe has since regained the record with a score of 1,190,400 on his home machine set on Tuesday, February 16, 2010.[11]^[12] Billy Mitchell recaptured the world record for Donkey Kong Jr. on the weekend of July 24, 2010 with a score of 1,270,900. Mark Kiehl has since eclipsed the previous world record with a score of 1,307,500.

Ports

Like most arcade games of this era, this game was ported to many home systems, including the video game consoles NES, Family Computer Disk System, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari XE Game System, ColecoVision, Coleco Adam, Intellivision and BBC Micro. Two Game & Watch versions of the game were also made. One black-and-white version for the New Wide Screen handheld series, and a color version for the Tabletop and Panorama series. The NES version was one of the three launch titles for the system in Japan.^{[citation needed]} This game, along with the original Donkey Kong, was re–released in 1988 in an NES compilation titled Donkey Kong Classics. The NES version of the game was later released on the e-Reader and is now available on the Virtual Console for the Wii.^[13] The NES version was also a playable game on Animal Crossing, but required a special password from the official website which is now no longer available. It is now available to Nintendo 3DS users through the Nintendo eShop and has been given away free to Nintendo Ambassadors.

Interestingly enough, if one plays the Coleco Adam (that is public domain) version, one will find that there was a fifth level exclusive to this port. If the player pressed and held both of the fire buttons, and punched in on the keypad "1-3-2-1-2-1-2", then a message will appear stating "Revision 13" (Possibly due to this level being added on the 13 revision of this game). Basically, it is a kitchen level. Mario will throw blobs and food at you, while a mixer moves back and forth when a button to the right is pressed.

In other media

Donkey Kong Jr. was also a cartoon on Saturday Supercade, a cartoon series that aired on Saturday mornings from 1983-1985. The plot had Jr. looking for his dad Donkey Kong who is on the run from Mario and Pauline. In an episode of Captain N: The Game Master, Simon Belmont got hit on the head and thought he was Donkey Kong Jr. In the Game Boy Advance version of Super Mario Bros. 3 the king of World 4 was transformed into a monkey with a 'J' on his shirt resembling Donkey Kong Jr.'s shirt.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Kohler, Chris (2010-04-07). "Q&A: Metroid Creator’s Early 8-Bit Days at Nintendo". Wired: GameLife. Condé Nast Digital. http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/04/sakamoto/. Retrieved 2010-08-26. 
2. ^ ^{a b} (2004) Album notes for Famicom 20th Anniversary Original Sound Tracks Vol. 1. Scitron Digital Contents.
3. ^ Sakurai, Masahiro (2008-04-09). "Sticker List". Smash Bros. Dojo!!. Nintendo, HAL Laboratory. http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/gamemode/various/various37_list.html. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
4. ^ Camelot Software, Nintendo. Mario Tennis. (Nintendo). (2000-08-28)
5. ^ Donkey Kong (video game)#Story and characters
6. ^ "Video Gameplay of Donkey Kong Junior". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb616ldPlwk. Retrieved 2009-07-25. 
7. ^ "Miyamoto Interview". Nintendo Official Magazine UK (EMAP). September 2003. http://www.miyamotoshrine.com/theman/interviews/081403.shtml. 
8. ^ "Twin Galaxies' Donkey Kong, Jr. High Score Rankings". 2008-08-24. http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=22&pi=2&gi=126&vi=24. 
9. ^ "Steve Wiebe Takes Donkey Kong Junior World Record With Score of 1,139,800". 2009-04-24. http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=19&id=1728. Retrieved 2009-04-25. 
10. ^ http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=22&pi=2&gi=126&vi=24
11. ^ http://www.1984arcade.com/
12. ^ http://forums.twingalaxies.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=20051
13. ^ Parish, Jeremy (2006-10-31). "Wii Virtual Console Lineup Unveiled". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3154811. Retrieved 2006-11-01. 

External links

• Donkey Kong Junior at the Killer List of Videogames
• Icarus Hall - Donkey Kong, Jr. World Record Certificate
• Donkey Kong Jr. at MobyGames
• Donkey Kong, Jr. Scoreboard at Twin Galaxies
• Donkey Kong Jr. guide at StrategyWiki
• Donkey Kong Jr. at NinDB