[Playing…] Donkey Kong (Game Boy)

MAryan vs Donkey Kong It has become a classic sub-saga within Nintendo laptops. Curiously, the game that started this successful and entertaining franchise did not carry that title, but rather received it directly from the arcade on which it was based: donkey kong, which usually has the console for which it was released in parentheses (game boy) or the year (1994) to distinguish it from that.

The argument is well known. Mario must rescue the beautiful Pauline (who seems to have been Mario's first girlfriend before Peach) from the claws of Donkey Kong, which he repeats as the antagonist about ten years later. To achieve this objective, we must climb stairs, dodge the objects that Donkey Kong throws at him and avoid enemies.

Up to this point, it almost seems more like a remastering than a remake, but we will soon see that it deserves to carry this nickname so prostituted by many others who do not deserve to be called such. When we manage to reach the end of the fourth level (represented by an altitude of 100 meters), Donkey Kong will fall to the ground, suffering a spectacular blow to the head. But far from being definitively defeated, The evil ape comes to his senses and manages to take Pauline away.. In this way, a frantic chase begins in which the pursuer and the pursued will travel until nine worlds (Big City, Forest, Boat, Jungle, Desert, Plane, Iceberg, Rocky Valley and Tower, composites between eight to sixteen phases).

In fact, if something stands out about this title, it is the large number of items that the scenarios house. Some are taken directly from the original game, such as the hammers, while others are directly inspired by Super Mario games, such as the mushrooms, which instead of enlarging, shrink; or the hearts that grant a life, like those seen in the saga Super Mario Land. There are also three objects that, if collected, will allow us to play a bonus minigame, which can be a slot machine or a roulette wheel. Depending on our luck, they will give us one to three lives. In addition, there are many other elements that will facilitate or hinder the course of the phase, such as stairs, platforms, springs, trapdoors, ropes, vines, etc. Some will only appear for a few seconds, while others are permanent. As said, levers will be a fundamental element to block or unlock new paths, so they must be used wisely. In some cases, its use will not depend on us, but on Donkey Kong Junior, the son of the gorilla, perhaps one of the most annoying enemies we face. In any case, the key is the most important object, and we have to transport it to the exit, although sometimes we will be forced to throw it to continue advancing, since, due to its size, the movements we can make are considerably reduced. Of course, it is essential to recover it before it returns to its original place, since takes a few seconds to disappear If we don't catch it again.

The playable experience is very different from what we are used to in Mario games of this era. At first glance, it would seem that in this game the plumber is less agile (he doesn't run as much and if he falls from too high, he dies), but he only appears so. Actually, is capable of performing a wide range of capers nothing usual in his previous titles: corkscrew jumps (crouching and jumping while holding down a direction, in which we will gain height with each new attempt, up to a maximum of three, and can also walk upside down if only one is made), braking jumps (pressing the opposite direction to which we are walking and do the same with A) and the high altitude launch after gaining momentum by spinning around a rope or wire. Such a range of movements could almost rival that of Super Mario 64 (in fact, some of them are reminiscent of this game, like the braking jump). Also striking is the fact that here the enemies do not get knocked out by jumping on them. Well, actually you have to do it, but to grab them (B button) and throw yourself at others. Otherwise, they will carry us along their route while we remain above their heads (which can be useful in certain phases, especially when some are so heavy that they are impossible to grab), which is reminiscent of Super Mario Bros. 2 USA. Cabe destacar que son muy variados y bastante distintos de los habituales en los juegos de Mario.

Pese a la marcada personalidad de donkey kong, sí que se observan ciertas líneas de continuidad con respecto a otros títulos del fontanero. Como ocurre con Super Mario Bros.. y otros que siguen su estela, cada cuatro niveles tendremos que vernos las caras con el jefe, en este caso el ahora malvado gorila con corbata, volviendo a la mecánica del principio (esquivar y ascender por unas escaleras o plataformas). En el último enfrentamiento de cada mundo habrá que enfrentarse directamente contra él, lanzándole tres veces los barriles que te arroja para dejarle fuera de combate. Cada vez que le venzamos aparecerá una secuencia animada de su huida y la consiguiente persecución por parte de Mario, que ilustra su periplo por cada uno de los mundos.

In short, donkey kong es un juego tan entretenido como desafiante que otorga cierto nivel de variedad al tiempo que mantiene cierto regusto nostálgico gracias a sus guiños a su primigenia versión arcade (algo considerablemente reforzado si jugamos en Super Game Boy, pues contaba con un marco personalizado y una paleta de colores propia en título y escenarios, por no hablar del “help, help” de Pauline). No sólo dio inicio a la exitosa saga Mario vs. Donkey Kong, sino que lo considero uno de los dos precursores de Super Mario 64 (el otro es Super Mario Land 2). Quizás eso explique lo magníficamente bien que ha envejecido su sistema de juego, perfectamente accesible incluso a día de hoy. Por ello, pese a sus más de veinte años de existencia, sigue siendo un juego intemporal al que recomiendo encarecidamente jugar al menos una vez en la vida.