DK King of Swing

Last updated
The correct title of this article is DK: King of Swing. The omission of the colon is due to technical restrictions.
DK: King of Swing
Dk-king-of-swing-20050630070154301.jpg
North American box art
Developer(s) Paon
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Director(s) Atsushi Kaneko
Masataka Sato
Producer(s)
  • Toshiharu Izuno
  • Tatsuya Watanabe
  • Iwao Horita
Designer(s) Yuzuru Tsukahara
Programmer(s) Kenichi Minegishi
Artist(s)
  • Hiroaki Endo
  • Kazuto Sato
  • Youichi Magome
  • Wataru Nanaumi
  • Rika Hirono
  • Hiromi Ito
Composer(s) Takashi Kouga
Series Donkey Kong
Platform(s) Game Boy Advance
Release
  • EU: February 4, 2005
  • AU: March 16, 2005
  • JP: May 19, 2005
  • NA: September 19, 2005
Genre(s) Puzzle-platform
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

DK: King of Swing [lower-alpha 1] is a 2005 puzzle-platform game developed by Paon and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. King of Swing diverges from the gameplay of other games in the Donkey Kong series, instead featuring characters rotating around pegs to progress similar to the NES game Clu Clu Land . [1] King of Swing has a single-player adventure mode, as well as a competitive multiplayer mode for up to four players. The game received mixed reception.

Contents

A sequel, DK: Jungle Climber , was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007.

DK: King of Swing was re-released for the Wii U's Virtual Console in Japan and North America in November 2014 and in Europe and Australia in January 2015.

Gameplay

Donkey Kong swings on a blue peg as a Flitter enemy flies by on the "Tropical Treetops" stage. DK King of Swing - Gameplay.png
Donkey Kong swings on a blue peg as a Flitter enemy flies by on the "Tropical Treetops" stage.

In DK: King of Swing, gameplay is primarily based around the use of the L and R triggers, which control the player character's left and right hands respectively. By holding the trigger, the character's fist will clamp shut, grasping anything in its range. Pegs and pegboards are positioned throughout the environment for characters to grasp, allowing the player to climb and traverse their surroundings. Grasping a peg with the character's right or left hand will respectively cause them to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise around it, and the player must use their spinning momentum to propel them through the air. Both the triggers and the D-pad can be used to affect horizontal character movement while airborne or on the ground. Pressing both triggers simultaneously while grounded will cause the character to jump, while holding the triggers at any time will cause them to store up power, after which they will perform a charge attack when the triggers are released. This can be used to attack enemies and obstacles or cross short gaps. Players can also perform other tasks with their character's hands in combination with their spinning momentum, such as turning cranks, pulling levers, and throwing rocks at distant enemies.

In the game's single-player Adventure mode, King K. Rool steals the prize medals from the upcoming Jungle Jam tournament, prompting Donkey Kong to chase after him and retrieve the stolen medals. Players control Donkey Kong as he travels across five worlds, each made up of four stages and a boss battle. Scattered across each stage are bananas for Donkey Kong to collect, which the player can spend at any time during gameplay to recover Donkey Kong's health or grant him temporary invincibility. Players can find one of 20 Crystal Coconuts hidden in each stage, which are used to unlock an additional character. A stolen medal can also be found in nearly every stage, as well as earned from defeating each boss. Completing Adventure will unlock a time attack mode, while collecting all 24 medals will unlock "Diddy Mode", a more difficult version of Adventure where the player controls Diddy Kong.

In Jungle Jam mode, the player can participate in four-player competitive events against computer-controlled opponents or up to three other players via the use of a Game Link Cable. There are five types of Jungle Jam events: two based around racing, two based around battling, and one based around capturing territory on a board. Players are awarded bronze, silver, or gold medals for defeating CPU opponents in single-player events, with additional events unlocked as the player earns medals in Adventure. Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong and Funky Kong all appear as playable characters in Jungle Jam by default; by obtaining collectibles in Adventure and gold medals in Jungle Jam, players can also unlock Wrinkly Kong, Kremling, King K. Rool, and Bubbles from Clu Clu Land . [2]

Reception

DK: King of Swing has received mixed reception, garnering an aggregate score of 71.85% on GameRankings based on 39 reviews. [3] IGN gave the game a score of 7.8 out of 10, criticizing the cartoon-style graphics as being a big step back from the pre-rendered 3D rendered graphics featured in the Donkey Kong Country series, but they considered DK: King of Swing as an example of a Nintendo game attempting something that's both unique and familiar at the same time. [7]

Legacy

A sequel to DK: King of Swing, titled DK: Jungle Climber , was released in 2007 for the Nintendo DS. It received favorable reviews and was generally considered an improvement over King of Swing. [10]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Swinging Donkey (Japanese: ぶらぶらドンキー, Hepburn: Burabura Donkī).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donkey Kong (character)</span> Video game character

Donkey Kong, also shortened to DK, is a fictional gorilla character in the Donkey Kong and Mario franchise, created by Shigeru Miyamoto. The original Donkey Kong first appeared as the title character and antagonist of the eponymous 1981 game, a platformer by Nintendo, which would lead to the Donkey Kong series. The Donkey Kong Country series was launched in 1994 with a new Donkey Kong as the protagonist. This version of the character persists as the main one up to today. While the 1980s games' Donkey Kong and the modern Donkey Kong share the same name, the manual for Donkey Kong Country and subsequent games portray the former as Cranky Kong, the latter's grandfather, with the exception of Donkey Kong 64 and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, in which Cranky is depicted as his father, alternatively portraying the modern Donkey Kong as the original Donkey Kong Jr. from the titular game. Donkey Kong is considered one of the most popular and iconic characters in video game history.

<i>Donkey Kong Country</i> 1994 video game

Donkey Kong Country is a 1994 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is a reboot of Nintendo's Donkey Kong franchise and follows the gorilla Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy Kong as they set out to recover their stolen banana hoard from the crocodile King K. Rool and his army, the Kremlings. The single-player traverses 40 side-scrolling levels as they jump between platforms and avoid obstacles. They collect items, ride minecarts and animals, defeat enemies and bosses, and find secret bonus stages. In multiplayer modes, two players work cooperatively or race each other.

<i>Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddys Kong Quest</i> 1995 video game

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is a 1995 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was released on 21 November 1995 in Japan, 4 December in North America, and 14 December in Europe. It is the second installment of the Donkey Kong Country series and the sequel to Donkey Kong Country (1994).

<i>Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kongs Double Trouble!</i> 1996 video game

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is a 1996 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was released in November 1996 in North America and Japan, and on 13 December in Europe and Australia. It is the third installment of the Donkey Kong Country series and serves as a direct sequel to Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. It was also re-released for the Game Boy Advance (GBA) in 2005. The game was made available to download on the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2007, as well as for the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2014.

<i>Donkey Kong Land</i> 1995 video game

Donkey Kong Land is a 1995 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It condenses the side-scrolling gameplay of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game Donkey Kong Country (1994) for the handheld Game Boy with different level design and boss fights. The player controls the gorilla Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy Kong as they defeat enemies and collect items across 30 levels to recover their stolen banana hoard from the crocodile King K. Rool.

<i>Donkey Kong 64</i> 1999 video game

Donkey Kong 64 is a 1999 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the only Donkey Kong game to feature 3D gameplay. As the gorilla Donkey Kong, the player explores themed levels to collect items and rescue his kidnapped family members from King K. Rool. The player completes minigames and puzzles as five playable Kong characters—each with their own special abilities—to receive bananas and other collectibles. In multiplayer modes, up to four players can compete in deathmatch and last man standing games.

<i>Diddy Kong Racing</i> 1997 video game

Diddy Kong Racing is a 1997 kart racing game developed and published by Rare for the Nintendo 64. Set on Timber's Island, it revolves around Diddy Kong and his friends' attempt to defeat the intergalactic antagonist, a wizarding pig named Wizpig, through winning a series of races. The player takes control of any of the featured characters throughout the game. Diddy Kong Racing features five worlds with four racetracks each, and the ability to drive a car, hovercraft, or pilot an aeroplane.

<i>Donkey Konga</i> Donkey Kong spin-off video game series

Donkey Konga is a series of rhythm video games developed by Namco and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. A spin-off of the Donkey Kong series, they are played with a special controller called the DK Bongos that resemble two small bongo drums, but can optionally be played with the standard GameCube controllers.

<i>Donkey Kong Jungle Beat</i> 2004 video game

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is a 2004 platform and score-attack game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It follows the gorilla Donkey Kong as he sets out to defeat a series of evil kings to conquer the jungle. Jungle Beat is designed for use with the DK Bongos, a bongo drum-style GameCube controller created for the Donkey Konga (2003) rhythm game. The player controls Donkey Kong through various side-scrolling levels as he collects bananas, swings on vines, chains combos, rides animals, and defeats enemies and bosses.

<i>Mario Superstar Baseball</i> 2005 video game

Mario Superstar Baseball is a 2005 sports video game developed by Namco and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. The game was created in the vein of other Mario sports games such as Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Power Tennis. A sequel, Mario Super Sluggers, was released for the Wii in 2008.

<i>Donkey Kong Land 2</i> 1996 video game

Donkey Kong Land 2 is a platform video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is the sequel to the 1995 Game Boy game Donkey Kong Land and is part of the Donkey Kong video game series. It was released worldwide in Autumn 1996. It was enhanced for the Super Game Boy with different shades of color, as well as a 16-bit banana border on the edges of the television screen. Like the original Donkey Kong Land, it came packaged in a banana-yellow cartridge. The game was followed by Donkey Kong Land III, which was released in 1997.

<i>Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber</i> 2007 platform video game

Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber, also stylised as DK: Jungle Climber, is a puzzle-platform game developed by Paon and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was released in Japan on August 9, 2007, and in western territories later that year. It was re-released for the Wii U's Virtual Console in Japan and North America in July 2015 and in Europe and Australia in August.

<i>Donkey Kong Barrel Blast</i> 2007 video game

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast is a 2007 racing game developed by Paon and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The game was shown at the E3 convention in May 2006 for the GameCube under the title of DK: Bongo Blast, but this version was ultimately cancelled in favor of a Wii release. It was released for the Wii in Japan and the United States in 2007, and in PAL regions in 2008 with the title Donkey Kong Jet Race.

Donkey Kong is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. The franchise follows the adventures of Donkey Kong, a large, powerful gorilla. Donkey Kong games include the original arcade game trilogy by Nintendo R&D1; the Donkey Kong Country series by Rare and Retro Studios; and the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series by Nintendo Software Technology. Various studios have developed spin-offs in genres such as edutainment, puzzle, racing, and rhythm. The franchise also incorporates animation, printed media, theme parks, and merchandise.

<i>Mario Super Sluggers</i> 2008 video game

Mario Super Sluggers is a baseball adventure video game for the Wii developed by Namco Bandai Games and published by Nintendo. It is part of the Mario Sports series, and the sequel to Mario Superstar Baseball for the GameCube. Mario Super Sluggers was released in Japan on June 19, 2008 and in North America on August 25, 2008. It was not released in Europe and Australia.

<i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i> 2010 platform video game

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a 2010 platform game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the Wii console. The game was released first in North America in November 2010, and in PAL regions and Japan the following month. The game's story focuses on an evil group of Tiki-like creatures known as the Tiki Tak Tribe that are unleashed on Donkey Kong Island and hypnotize the island's animals to stealing Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's banana hoard, prompting the two to traverse the island to reclaim it.

<i>Banjo-Pilot</i> 2005 kart racing video game for the Game Boy Advance

Banjo-Pilot is a 2005 kart racing video game for the Game Boy Advance (GBA) and the fourth instalment in Rare's Banjo-Kazooie series. It plays similarly to the Mario Kart series by Nintendo: the player races one of nine playable characters around tracks, attacking other racers with bullets and collecting power-ups. The game features a number of single-player and multiplayer modes, such as time attack and item hunts. Unlike other kart racing games, characters control airplanes instead of go-karts.

<i>Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge</i> 2016 video game

Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge is a 2016 puzzle-platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. The seventh entry in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, the game was free to download on the Nintendo eShop, but requires Nintendo's Amiibo lineup in order to play. It was released in Japan in January 2016 and worldwide in April.

References

  1. 1 2 Parish, Jeremy (2005-09-13). "DK: King of Swing (GBA) review". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2005-09-13.
  2. ↑ Fletcher, JC (August 22, 2008). "Virtually Overlooked: Clu Clu Land". Engadget. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "DK: King of Swing for Game Boy Advance". GameRankings. 2005-09-19. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  4. ↑ "DK: King of Swing for Game Boy Advance Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. 2005-09-19. Archived from the original on 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  5. ↑ Helgeson, Matt (November 2005). "Handheld Quickies - DK: King of Swing". Game Informer . No. 151. p. 182.
  6. ↑ Provo, Frank (2005-09-16). "DK: King of Swing review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  7. 1 2 Craig, Harris (2005-09-16). "DK: King of Swing". IGN . Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  8. ↑ Grimm, Steven (November 2005). "Reviews - DK: King of Swing". Nintendo Power . No. 197. p. 118.
  9. ↑ Kosmina, Ben (2005-04-16). "DK: King of Swing Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  10. ↑ "DK Jungle Climber reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2010-05-03. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.