| Donkey Kong | |
| |
| World 8-9 Boss | |
| Class | Boss |
| Species | Ape |
| Affiliation(s) | Kong Family |
| Original Appearance(s) | Donkey Kong (1981), Donkey Kong Country (1994) |
Donkey Kong is one of the many bosses found throughout Mushroom Kingdom Fusion.
History[]
Donkey Kong first appeared in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, which arguably introduced the video game industry's biggest mascot, Mario. Here, Donkey Kong kidnapped Mario's girlfriend, Pauline, and held her captive on top of a construction site, forcing Mario to climb up ladders and dodge Fireballs and other obstacles to rescue her. Donkey Kong next appeared in 1982's Donkey Kong Jr., this time being held captive by Mario (in a rare villainous role), leading DK's son, Donkey Kong Jr., to rescue him. Donkey Kong's next appearance was in 1983's Donkey Kong 3, where he invades the greenhouse of Stanley the Bugman and causes the bees to go crazy, causing the rather obscure Stanley to use his bug spray to keep Donkey Kong from destroying his flowers.
After over a decade of irrelevance, Donkey Kong returned in 1994 in the Game Boy game Donkey Kong (also known as Donkey Kong '94 or Donkey Kong Game Boy). Not only does the game start up as a remake of the four levels of the original Donkey Kong arcade game, but it also introduces new levels and puzzle mechanics, such as Mario needing to find a key to a door to unlock the next area. Throughout the game, Mario chases Donkey Kong, who has captured Pauline and is aided by Donkey Kong Jr., and has to battle him several times. During the final battle, Donkey Kong is defeated, and Mario rescues Pauline. At the end of the game, Donkey Kong is seen in a group photograph with Mario, Pauline, and Donkey Kong Jr., seemingly making amends for his misdeeds.
Donkey Kong's revival continued in 1994 with the SNES game Donkey Kong Country, which featured a modernized Donkey Kong, who is the hero of his own island and has to recover his large banana hoard that was stolen by a gang of crocodiles, known as the Kremlings, led by King K. Rool. The game introduces other members of the Kong family, such as Diddy Kong, who assisted DK throughout his journey, and the elderly Cranky Kong, who is revealed to be the original Donkey Kong from the 1980s arcade games, meaning that the current DK is either Cranky's son or grandson (which varies based on the game being played). The Donkey Kong Country series will spawn several sequels, such as 1995's Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, where DK finds himself kidnapped by King K. Roll (under the pirate guise of Kaptain K. Rool), forcing Diddy Kong and his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, to rescue him.
While Donkey Kong remained a star in his own series, he would regularly make appearances in the Mario spin-offs, such as the Mario Kart series, the Mario Party series, and the many Mario sports spin-offs. In 2004, Nintendo released Mario vs. Donkey Kong for the GBA, in which the modern Donkey Kong develops a rivalry with Mario reminiscent of the latter's battles with the original Donkey Kong (now known as Cranky Kong) in the 1980s. In this game, Donkey Kong is watching TV and finds out about a Mini-Mario doll that he wants. He rushes to a store to buy one, only to find out they are all sold out. Enraged, Donkey Kong enters Mario's Toy Company to steal a bunch of Mini-Mario dolls, forcing Mario to give chase. Much like the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong, Mario must solve puzzles, such as unlocking doors with keys and hitting switches at the right time, to further advance in the game. Mario and Donkey Kong battle several times, with Mario coming out on top. After Donkey Kong's final defeat towards the end of the game, he cries, and a sympathetic Mario gives him a Mini-Mario doll, and the two make amends. The Mario vs. Donkey Kong series would give the Mini-Mario dolls a larger role, in addition to reintroducing Pauline to the Mario series, usually in her damsel-in-distress role she served in the original Donkey Kong game.
Role in MKF[]
Donkey Kong is seen as a boss in the level Wreck City, a role he serves in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. Here, he is seen on top of a construction site that is facing demolition. However, he is wrecking havoc by throwing barrels at the Mushroom Kingdom Coalition, who are sent to further along the demolition. Both Donkey Kong and his barrels are immune to the player's attack, forcing the player to find another way to defeat him. On top of that, Donkey Kong is aided by Foreman Spike, who continuously tries to hinder the player's progress by climbing up and down the ladders while attacking with his mallet.
To attack Donkey Kong, the player must first detonate the bombs to destroy the walls, which will reveal a larger barrel at the bottom of the stage once all of the walls have been destroyed. The player must then throw the barrel upward to the top of the stage to throw at Donkey Kong. After Donkey Kong is damaged, another larger barrel appears at the bottom of the stage, forcing the player to repeat the progression two more times. After the third larger barrel is thrown at Donkey Kong, both he and Foreman Spike fall off the screen in defeat, and a key is revealed on top of the stage, which leads to the player clearing the level's flagpole.
Trivia[]
- In earlier versions of MKF, there were 8-bit versions of Donkey Kong found in the since-removed level Arcade Factory.