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Congo Bongo

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Congo Bongo (コンゴボンゴ), originally known as Tip Top (ティップタップ), is a 1983 arcade platformer game developed by Sega. It is often considered an isometric equivalent to Nintendo's Donkey Kong, as it stars a protagonist chasing after a large ape (in this game, called "Bongo"). However, unlike Donkey Kon...

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Developer
Sega Enterprises

Released on
1983

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Platform

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Congo Bongo (コンゴボンゴ), originally known as Tip Top (ティップタップ), is a 1983 arcade platformer game developed by Sega. It is often considered an isometric equivalent to Nintendo’s Donkey Kong, as it stars a protagonist chasing after a large ape (in this game, called “Bongo”). However, unlike Donkey Kong, the game is set in a jungle, the graphics are more detailed and there are more enemies and traps. Congo Bongo runs on similar hardware to Zaxxon, known as the Sega Zaxxon hardware.

The game has come to be seen as Sega’s answer to the highly successful Donkey Kong game that was released two years prior. The player takes the role of a red-nosed safari hunter who tries to catch an ape named “Bongo”. The hunter seeks Bongo to exact revenge for an apparent practical joke in which Bongo set fire to the hunter’s tent, giving him a literal “hotfoot”. The game was named by Peter W. Gorrie who was the CFO of Sega at that time.

Congo Bongo

Overview & History

Released by Sega in 1983, Congo Bongo (also known as Tip Top) is a pioneering isometric platform-arcade game developed during the golden age of coin-op gaming. Operating on Sega's advanced SG-1000 and custom hardware, the game stands out for its pioneering use of simulated 3D perspectives, predating *Zaxxon*'s oblique projection style in the platforming genre. Players take on the role of Bongo, a determined safari explorer (often depicted as a red-capped hunter or scout depending on the regional cabinet art), who is in relentless pursuit of a mischievous gorilla named Bonga. The gorilla has stolen the explorer's tent, set his clothes on fire as a taunt, and fled up a treacherous, multi-tiered jungle mountain. This charming narrative unfolds across four distinct screens filled with hostile wildlife, sliding coconuts, and treacherous ravines, capturing the whimsical tone of classic slapstick cartoons while delivering punishing, precision-based arcade difficulty.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The game is rendered in a distinct isometric projection, requiring players to judge diagonal distances and vertical elevations with exact precision. Bongo's primary offensive and defensive maneuver is a short-range spear thrust, which he uses to poke and pacify enemies such as charging rhinoceroses, spitting snakes, and aggressive monkeys. The journey begins on the base mountain level, where Bongo must dodge giant coconuts hurled by the gorilla perched above while navigating narrow ledges and leaping over gaps. Subsequent stages require crossing a rushing river filled with hippos and lily pads, scaling a cliffside swarming with bees, and finally confronting the boss gorilla on a platform-dotted peak. To clear each screen before the countdown timer expires, players must master momentum, timing, and diagonal movement, as misjudging a single isometric jump results in an instant lost life and a tumble back down the jungle terrain.