I loved Donkey Kong since I first played DKC way back in 1994. Since then, I loved the franchise. So, when I first played this back in the day, I wasn't disappointed in the least. I loved it as much as Banjo Kazooie.
King K. Rool returns once again in his mechanical Crocodile Isle, seeking to destroy DK Island with his new weapon, the Blast-o-Matic. To hinder Donkey Kong's progress, K. Rool's minions capture and imprison his four companions and steal his horde of golden bananas. Now, DK must set out to rescue and rally his friends to retrieve his banana horde and stop K. Rool once and for all.
Accompanying Donkey Kong are Diddy Kong, the small but spunky Tiny Kong, the clownish orangutan Lanky Kong, and the cowardly but superstrong Chunky Kong. Each Kong has their own unique attributes, weapons, moves, and musical instruments to wield against the Kremlings. Occasionally you'll be able to play as classic animal friends like Rambi the Rhino and Enguarde the Swordfish. Plus, Squawks the parrot frequently shows up to give you advice
Being a Rare game from the late 90s, DK64's gameplay borrows many elements from Banjo Kazooie. New moves can be learned by buying Cranky Kongs potions, while you'll need to collect Golden Bananas and ordinary bananas to respectively unlock new levels and access the games bosses, which progressively get tougher. Funky Kong sells you weapons and ammo upgrades, while Candy provides musical instruments and additional health.
The graphics and level designs are beautiful with a wide variety of colors and textures that bring the world of Donkey Kong to life like never before.
Rare legend Grant Kirkhope once again outdid himself as a composer. All of the game's music is excellent and matches each level's atmosphere, with DK Islands soft tranquil, Aztec Temple sounds mysterious and Egyptian, and Creepy Castles is dark and ominous. Even the DK Rap is so cheesy and jarring, it's hilarious to listen to.
There were downsides, though. The sheer number of collectibles is ridiculous and frustrating at times. You don't only collect bananas, but coins, blueprints, crowns, and even banana fairies you'll capture by taking photographs of them. Plus, the games eight levels were enormous and required a lot of exploration, backtracking, and swapping Kongs via the tag barrel to get everything. While it isn't necessary to beat the game, any completionist could spend days' worth of gameplay to fully complete this game.
Plus, there's an excessive number of bonus games, and 90% of the Kongs new moves and weapons felt more like methods to simply hit switches and open doors rather than real abilities.
Nevertheless, Donkey Kong 64 is as great as other Rare titles like Banjo Kazooie and it's still enjoyable today for true fans of the franchise. I'm hoping it's released on the Nintendo Switch.
