Donkey Kong Land
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| Donkey Kong Land | |
| Missing image Dkl_box_art.jpg Donkey Kong Land game box. | |
| Developers: | Rareware |
| Publisher: | Nintendo |
| Release date: | 1995 |
| Genre: | Platformer |
| Game modes: | Single player |
| Platform: | Game Boy |
| Media: | 8-megabit cartridge |
Donkey Kong Land is a video game developed by Rareware for the Game Boy. It was released in 1995. In this portable follow-up to the Super Nintendo game Donkey Kong Country, a bitter Cranky Kong, jealous of all the success Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have had from DKC, states that the only reason their first adventure was such a big hit was because of all the fanciful graphics and sound. He challenges that they'd never cut it on an 8-bit system, and then proceeds to get King K. Rool to steal the banana hoard once again. The levels in this game were different and there were fewer of them in general, and there were several gameplay mechanics that were changed to better suit the Game Boy. For example, only one character was displayed at one time because of the smaller screen, while the second one would teleport in when players needed him.
There were four worlds in Donkey Kong Land, all brand new but including many of the same level archetypes as seen in Donkey Kong Country. They all took place on and off the coast of Donkey Kong Island. The new worlds included:
Gangplank Galleon Ahoy!: This area took place in the western areas of the Kongo Jungle from the first game, extending out to the pirate ship first seen at the end of DKC, the Gangplank Galleon. This is notable as the first world of Donkey Kong Country 2, to be released later that year, was also the Gangplank Galleon.
Kremlantis: The second world of the game was the sunken Kremlantis, an extension of the ancient Kremling ruins found in DKC, and an obvious riff on the mythical Atlantis.
Monkey Mountains and Chimpanzee Clouds: The third world was a mountain range that extended up into the clouds, providing some of the more original levels of the game.
Big Ape City: The fourth and final world was actually the location of the original Donkey Kong arcade game (presuming, of course, that it is Brooklyn). Construction sites, apartment buildings, and a hot-air blimp created the most urban backdrop of any Donkey Kong levels to date. It is here where players had their final showdown with K. Rool until Donkey Kong Country 2.
Returning characters, besides DK, Diddy, and K. Rool, included Rambi the Rhino and Experesso the Ostrich. DKC alumni Cranky Kong, Funky Kong, and Candy Kong did not make an appearance, although Cranky was mentioned in the off-screen storyline, and it is suspected Funky built the teleportation device the characters must have been using, while Candy possibly programmed the K-O-N-G letters that would save game progress.
This was also one of the few Game Boy games to feature a specially colored cartridge ("banana yellow"). The yellow cartridge was also used on the following two games in the series for the Game Boy, Donkey Kong Land 2 and Donkey Kong Land III. It was also one of the first to feature Super Game Boy special features, including a rendered jungle border across the television screen.