DK: King of Swing
Genre: Platform Climber
Developer: Paon
Release Date: 09/19/05 (US), 02/04/05(EU), 05/19/05(JPN)
Genre: Platform Climber
Developer: Paon
Release Date: 09/19/05 (US), 02/04/05(EU), 05/19/05(JPN)
With the selling of Rare Ltd. to Microsoft early on in the decade, many fans of Donkey Kong, including myself, seemed to wonder what would be next. After the release of Donkey Konga and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the Game Boy Advance finally got a new Donkey Kong game in the form of DK King of Swing. However, this game was soon discovered to be different from previous entries in the series, with gameplay based on the NES game Clu Clu Land. The premise of the game is simple enough, King K. Rool has stolen prize medals for an upcoming competition on DK Isle, and Donkey Kong has to retrieve these medals and eventually face off with King K. Rool to stop his plan.
However, the gameplay is very different compared to previous games, as instead of simple platforming, you climb and swing off of "peg boards" to get through levels. There are different peg boards Donkey Kong can climb on, and he must safely get through levels including the usual jungles, caves, oceans, and ruins. The gameplay is very different compared to previous games, as you don't even have a partner character with you. You mainly control Donkey Kong with the L and R buttons on the system, with L being the Left Hand and R being the Right Hand. Holding down both shoulder buttons will then give you a charge attack for DK that can take out enemies. Throughout the levels you can find crystal coconuts and bananas, explore to find Bonus Barrels, and more. Collect enough bananas and you can become invicible ala the Star from the Super Mario Bros. series. The various levels can be fun and have some good puzzles to them, though the game can be short you can get replay value from collecting items to attempting to unlock the different characters, players will find themselves playing for a while.
The gameplay can be very fun at times and is a nice change of pace compared to past Donkey Kong games, and really makes for an interesting experience. The bright graphics, now 2D instead of the standard 3D of the series, actually works for this game and looks nice on the GBA screen. The story is simplistic, but the fun factor of the game easily makes up for it. Overall this game has brought a different experience to Donkey Kong fans, and King of Swing delivers creating a fun and unique game that has become my number three GBA game of all time. Go out and find it if you haven't played it yet, Paon created a wonderful game for not only fans of Donkey Kong but fans of video games as well.
However, the gameplay is very different compared to previous games, as instead of simple platforming, you climb and swing off of "peg boards" to get through levels. There are different peg boards Donkey Kong can climb on, and he must safely get through levels including the usual jungles, caves, oceans, and ruins. The gameplay is very different compared to previous games, as you don't even have a partner character with you. You mainly control Donkey Kong with the L and R buttons on the system, with L being the Left Hand and R being the Right Hand. Holding down both shoulder buttons will then give you a charge attack for DK that can take out enemies. Throughout the levels you can find crystal coconuts and bananas, explore to find Bonus Barrels, and more. Collect enough bananas and you can become invicible ala the Star from the Super Mario Bros. series. The various levels can be fun and have some good puzzles to them, though the game can be short you can get replay value from collecting items to attempting to unlock the different characters, players will find themselves playing for a while.
The gameplay can be very fun at times and is a nice change of pace compared to past Donkey Kong games, and really makes for an interesting experience. The bright graphics, now 2D instead of the standard 3D of the series, actually works for this game and looks nice on the GBA screen. The story is simplistic, but the fun factor of the game easily makes up for it. Overall this game has brought a different experience to Donkey Kong fans, and King of Swing delivers creating a fun and unique game that has become my number three GBA game of all time. Go out and find it if you haven't played it yet, Paon created a wonderful game for not only fans of Donkey Kong but fans of video games as well.
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