Released in the arcades in 1981, Donkey Kong was not only Nintendo's first real smash hit for the company, but marked the introduction for two of their most popular mascots: Mario (originally "Jumpman") and Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong is a platform-action game that has Mario scale four different industrial themed levels (construction zone, cement factory, an elevator-themed level, and removing rivets from girders) in an attempt to save the damsel in distress, Pauline, from the big ape before the timer runs out. Once the rivets are removed from the final level, Donkey Kong falls, and the two lovers are reunited. From there, the levels start over at a higher difficulty.

Along the way, Mario must dodge a constant stream of barrels, "living" fireballs, and spring-weights. Although not as powerful as in other future games, Mario can find a hammer which allows him to destroy the barrels and fireballs for a limited amount of time. Additionally, Mario can also find Pauline's hat, purse and umbrella for additional bonus points.

Donkey Kong is also notable for being one of the first complete narratives in video game form, told through simplistic cut scenes that advance the story. It should also be noted that in versions of the game for early 1980's consoles, Donkey Kong only used 2-3 of the original levels, with the cement factory usually omitted.

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Alternate Titles

"Donkey Kong-e" -- e-Reader Title
"DK" -- Common Abbreviation
"Crazy Kong" -- Donkey Kong's name in Japan
"ドンキーコング" -- Japanese Spelling

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Part of the Following Groups

Merchant	Title
	Donkey Kong
	Donkey Kong
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User Reviews

There are no reviews for the Atari 7800 release of this game. You can use the links below to write your own review or read reviews for the other platforms of this game.

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The Press Says

The Video Game Critic

Jan 26, 2000

B+

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Trivia

Its success entrenched the game in American popular culture. In 1982, Buckner and Garcia and R. Cade and the Video Victims both recorded songs based on the game. Artists like DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and Trace Adkins referenced the game in songs, as did episodes of The Simpsons, Futurama and Fairly Odd Parents. Even today, sound effects from the Atari 2600 version often serve as generic video game sounds in films and television shows.

The Killer List of Videogames ranks Donkey Kong the third most popular arcade game of all time and places it at #25 on the "Top 100 Videogames" list. It was also rated the 148th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Powers Top 200 Games list. Today, Donkey Kong is the fifth most popular arcade game among collectors. The 2007 motion picture documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters explores the world of competitive classic arcade gaming and tells the story of Steve Wiebe's quest to beat Billy Mitchell's world high score in Donkey Kong.

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This entry was contributed by Corn Popper (66128), Trixter