Donkey Kong Junior
Nintendo
1982
1–2 Players
Arcade
Arcade
Platform
Not Rated
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Description
The player controls a small monkey who must leap from platforms, climb vines, and avoid enemies to rescue Donkey Kong from Mario. The game has several distinct levels with similar goals. Fruit can be dropped on enemies leg traps and birds to kill them.
The game’s basic concept is the same as Donkey Kong except the good guys and bad guys have changed places. The player controls Donkey Kong Junior, a small ape who must rescue his father, Donkey Kong, from his nemesis Mario.
The games has four different levels: The Vines, The Chains, The Jumpboard and The Hideout.
On the Vine level, Junior must climb up vines and walk across platforms to get to the key at the top of the screen while avoiding or jumping over red and blue Snapjaws. The red Snapjaws move back and forth but the blue Snapjaws only move in a straight line and in random directions. Junior can also destroy these pursuers by dropping fruit onto them. Junior can also jump over them while he moves across a platform. When Junior reaches the key at the top of the screen, Mario pushes the cage with Donkey Kong in it away and then you proceed to the next level. The same thing happens on the Jumpboard level and Hideout level.
On the Jumpbaord level, Junior can jump onto jumpboards to make himself jump high, he also must jump onto moving platforms and grab onto and climb moving cables followed by chains while avoiding deadly purple birds.
On the Hideout level, Junior must avoid or drop fruit onto deadly electrodes that move across the platforms and on the cables that are climbed on.
On the Chain level, Junior must climb up and down chains and place keys into the keyholes to help Donkey Kong break free while avoiding or dropping fruit onto red Snapjaws and blue birds. After Junior has freed Donkey Kong from the cage when the last key is placed in it’s keyhole, the screen freezes, all the game elements disappear, and Mario and Donkey Kong both fall down. Junior catches his father safely and then they punch Mario a good one to teach him a lesson. Afterwards, the game starts over again with increased difficulty.
Donkey Kong Junior
Overview & History
Released by Nintendo in 1982 as the direct arcade sequel to the massive cultural phenomenon Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior flips the narrative script by casting players as the titular young gorilla on a mission to rescue his caged father from the vindictive Mario. Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, this title introduced a clever thematic inversion where the original hero became the villain. Running on Nintendo's classic hardware, it stands out in arcade history as a pioneering platformer that introduced vertical traversal mechanics far more complex than its predecessor, cementing Nintendo's golden age of arcade dominance.
Gameplay Features & Mechanics
Unlike Mario's rigid jumping physics, Junior's movement is defined by agility and verticality. Players navigate four distinct, hazardous stages—the Vine Stage, Spring Stage, Chain Stage, and Mario's Hideout—utilizing single and double vines to climb, slide, and drop across the screen. Junior can move faster by grabbing two vines simultaneously or slow his descent by sliding down one. Hazards include snapping Snapjaws, electric sparks, and Nitpicker birds dropping eggs. The ultimate objective in each stage is to reach the key and drop a vine to lower caged Donkey Kong, culminating in a final confrontation where Junior must drop Mario onto a spring to achieve victory and trigger the iconic conclusion where Junior drops Mario into the mud.
Keyboard Controls
- Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move
- Action Keys: Attack / Jump
- Enter: Start / Pause
Video
What's new
★ 4.1 / 5 · 216 votes
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