Donkey Kong has been a core brand in the gaming industry for a similar length as Mario during the original arcade days of Donkey Kong, when Mario was known only as Jumpman, and Donkey Kong was the villain who continuously threw barrels down inclined planes at Mario. During the Super Nintendo era, Donkey Kong flourished as a 2D platformer, but struggled to adapt in the 3D space. Now, with Donkey Kong Bananza on the horizon, Nintendo is looking to give DK another go with a new 3D adventure.
Prior to that release, we’ve decided to rank all of the major Donkey Kong games from worst to best. This list excludes the Donkey Kong Land series, which follows the gameplay and story of the Donkey Kong Country series.
7) Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat
Donkey Kong with bongos; what could go wrong? Unfortunately, a lot. This version of Donkey Kong was not met with commercial success. The requirement for gamers to consider progressing in a 2D-platformer by combating and defeating bosses with a bongo controller was an unrealistic expectation. The name Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, as well as the inclusion of actual bongos, also created confusion with audiences. The bongos led to Jungle Beat sounding like a DDR or Guitar Hero type game, compared to the 2D platformer experience that it is.
6) Donkey Kong Country 3
Donkey Kong Country 3 features a similar core loop to the other Donkey Kong Country games, with traveling through different worlds and levels to rescue Donkey and Diddy Kong. The return of Dixie Kong still allows for her famous spinning ponytail. Meanwhile, Kiddy Kong had the ability to bound across water. While the game showcased quality gameplay and graphics, similar to previous Donkey Kong titles, Kiddy Kong is perhaps the Kong that nobody asked for. With so many famous Kongs like Cranky, Candy, and Funky Kong, the inclusion of Kiddy Kong felt underwhelming.
5) Donkey Kong Country Returns
In Donkey Kong Country Returns, there is some innovation seen with the franchise. For example, instead of immediate death, life hearts are added that give better hope to younger players looking to get acquainted with this 2D platformer. However, the level design and controls of the game made it more difficult and frustrating. While it is a fan service to the original Donkey Kong series, DKCR lacks the optimization of the SNES era of Donkey Kong Country games.
4) Donkey Kong 64
He’s the leader of the bunch, you know him well. He is finally back to kick some tail. It’s DK, Donkey Kong in 3D!
Donkey Kong 64 was the first 3D platformer for the franchise and offered a gameplay experience similar to Banjo-Kazooie with the collection of Golden Bananas and hordes of singular bananas. The game begins with Donkey Kong, but slowly unlocks additional team members in Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong, Chunky Kong, and Lanky Kong. Each world is highly replayable, as each of the 5 protagonists has their own missions and collectables that need to be completed across each level.
Donkey Kong 64 felt a natural progression of the franchise with its creative approach, keeping in play all the OG Kongs like Cranky and Funky Kong, while expanding with different fruit-based guns, gameplay mechanics, new Kongs, and epic boss battles. Given the quality of Donkey Kong 64, Nintendo is long overdue for a remaster of this classic title.
3) Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong Country Returns offered fan service and nostalgia to the original Donkey Kong Country series, but Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze offered all those same things, but also more innovation for this 2D platforming adventure.
Diddy Kong is still on piggyback, but the opportunity arises to also have access to Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong, who are seamlessly partnered with across each of the different levels. Separately, the Nintendo Switch version of Tropical Freeze offers Funky Mode, which allows users to play as Funky Kong. The mechanics and level design can still cause angst and issues in terms of difficulty, but where Donkey Kong Country Returns was proof of concept, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is the better optimized, next-gen version of DK.
2) Donkey Kong Country 2
Donkey Kong Country 2 takes the Donkey out of the Donkey Kong, but in an exquisite fashion with the introduction of Dixie Kong as a partner to the already well-known Diddy Kong. Donkey Kong finds himself kidnapped by the Kremlings and shuffled off to King K. Rool, and this magnificent Kong duo needs to rescue him across several worlds and levels.
While a similar gameplay experience to Donkey Kong Country, the game was overall more graphically intensive and impressive. It also introduced a few new animal partners like Squitter the spider and Rattly the snake. These new features built into a successful Donkey Kong formula, and in combination with the creative ponytail spin of Dixie, made Donkey Kong Country 2 a wholesome follow-up to the original.
1) Donkey Kong Country
The legacy of Donkey Kong Country is long and well-earned in gaming history. Thinking of Donkey Kong Country, you likely immediately have the intro theme song playing in your head. Thoughts towards an underwater level? The Aquatic Ambience song probably comes to mind. If you had a Super Nintendo, likely the original packaging featured Donkey Kong Country, which made the two feel hand in hand of equal importance and as a core memory of early gaming experiences.
Donkey Kong Country and the subsequent sequels are iconic for an entire generation of Super Nintendo kids and set the stage for this brand to flourish. Realistically, given the success of Donkey Kong, it is somewhat surprising that DK never received the same amount of love and attention as Mario, to grow over time and with each generation of gamers.
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