There’s a schism in the ideology behind the GameCube’s Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. It was either a brilliant, innovative experiment on how to control a platformer, or it was a desperate attempt to cash in on the gimmicky bongo controllers for fans that had already eagerly devoured Donkey Konga and its sequel, and were looking for their next rhythmically-inclined meal. Either way, I think we can all agree that the game didn’t do well anywhere—the stateside release was a complete flop, and I saw new copies (bundled with bongos) selling for around 1000 yen in a lot of the major game shops last summer in Tokyo.
As the third entry in the big N’s "New Play Control!" series, Jungle Beat feels probably like the best choice thus far for a re-release (and not just because of the somewhat inhibiting bongo controls). This is Nintendo in tip-top, old-school form, albeit with a few modernish tricks. A throwback even when it was first released, Jungle Beat’s side-scrolling design is arguably even more important now, since Wii-era politics have catalyzed the courtship of the casual gamer and arguably fostered an environment of widespread fan alienation.
So, don’t expect to be able to dust off your old bongos this time around. They’ve been ditched entirely for wiimote/nunchuck controls. Not that that’s a bad thing—repeatedly pounding left or right on the original controller just to make DK move left or right was a tough sell for a lot of people. Though I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the initial decision to make Jungle Beat 2D was a conscious design choice influenced by the control limitations of said bongos, the Wii version really opens the game up, allows you to enjoy and make the most of the playground environments Nintendo’s Tokyo studio cooked up. The “New Play Control” label is particularly fitting; this Jungle Beat almost feels like an entirely new game.
Also, let’s make this clear: Jungle Beat is not a prettied-up Donkey Kong Country. In fact, the grabbing mechanic actually makes me think of Klonoa more than anything, though the two games have little else in common. Instead, the game revels in its theatrics: Donkey Kong sits atop a rock or tree stump at the start of each level, a spotlight shining down from above. After taking center stage, action is contained within a relatively small space per level, with quick-zooms on DK beating the hell out of furry or feathery critters, and set changes between levels maintained with alacrity. The episodic setting lends itself well to the game’s carnival feel, which has less to do with traditional platforming than overblown obstacle course banana-grabbing in a cheery, Rare-esque world.
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