Nintendo’s New Play Control! range for the Wii has served two purposes; fill the substantial gaps in their release calendar, and give additional exposure to some GameCube classics which, let’s face it, not nearly enough people played. Each game in the line up is given an all-new control scheme which takes advantage of the Wii’s substantially different control combination, along with a small visual clean up and additional support for widescreen and enhanced definition display modes. The fourth game in the line, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat has had a much more substantial reworking than any other title in the line, yet manages to do an effective job of capturing the essence of the original game while providing some new content to entice existing fans to take a trip down memory lane.

What separates Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat from the rest of the New Play Control! range is the fact that it was not originally designed with a standard controller in mind. Rather, players used the Bongo Drums which were created for the Donkey Konga series. It sounds crazy, but the greater physical effort demanded from players resulted in a more engrossing experience – and it was just a whole lot of fun. Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat puts everybody’s favourite gorilla into more simple surroundings. There is no legion of other playable Kongs, ridiculous amount of collectibles or evil mini-games to speak of; it is just Donkey Kong fighting a couple of other evil gorillas that had the audacity to raid his banana supply. Run through a bunch of levels, beat the snot out of the Boss Kongs, and become king of the jungle once again.

At first glance, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat seems like your basic 2D platformer; collect bananas, run to the exit and beat up anything that gets in your way. There’s a bit more to it than that thanks to the game’s combo system, which rewards players with an increased multiplier for keeping up their momentum by collecting bananas and defeating enemies without touching the ground. The bigger your multiplier is, the better your score at the end of the level will be. At the end of every series of levels, your total bananas are tallied up and a medal is awarded based on the total. Medals are used to unlock new levels to continue the adventure.

Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat’s level design is second to none. Seldom do levels ever seem boring or repetitive; the game has a variety, pace and energy level well above most other platformers past and present. The formula is often mixed up – one minute you will be climbing up a dark cave, then the next you will be on the back of a rhino charging down a hill. Levels are not particularly long or challenging, with most of the replayability coming from players looking to improve their combos and medal scores. Players almost need to choreograph their way through a level to get the best possible score. The final segment of each set of levels is a boss fight, and Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat has some great end of level encounters. Fights against the Boss Kongs are not unlike Nintendo’s classic boxing franchise Punch Out!! Players need to learn patterns and dodge until there is an opening, then pump the remote and nun-chuck like crazy. Other boss encounters require a little more thought, but are still enjoyable.


Since Nintendo decided to abandon the original control options for all of their New Play Control! games, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat required some extensive renovations. The control scheme has become slightly more traditional, at least as far as gaming on the Wii is concerned. Players now control DK with the analogue stick, and jumping and clapping are handled with a button and a shake of the Wii Remote respectively. DK’s slap attack is now angled at 90 degrees rather than covering a full 360 degrees, and players control the direction of the attack. The structure of each level has been changed to better accommodate the control changes, a life bar has been introduced (as opposed to banana penalties) and a couple of new levels have been thrown in for good measure. For veteran players, the New Play Control! version has just enough new or different content to make it seem fresh, not unlike the Master Quest version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

New players do have the advantage of not knowing what Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat was like with the bongos, so the control changes aren’t going to bother them. However, if you played the game the first time around, playing with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck makes it feel like it has lost some of its unique flavour. The game does not seem as involved or engrossing, and segments like the fight against the Boss Kongs just are not as well executed. On the other hand, you get more levels, and more Jungle Beat can only be a good thing.


In its GameCube incarnation, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat featured luscious graphics which put the vast majority of Wii games to shame. Five years on, it still looks fantastic, with amazing character models, gorgeous environments and a rock solid frame rate. The Wii version has been cleaned up a little, and benefits from added widescreen and progressive scan display support. The soundtrack is still one of the more underappreciated Nintendo efforts with its interesting mix of bumping jungle themes and jazzy riffs.

If you have played Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat in its original incarnation, this new version is a tough sell. On one hand, the new control system is not quite as good as the original – some of the game’s energy is lost, and it is not quite as engaging. However, the vast majority of the game’s stages have been re-designed, and there are a few new ones, so it almost seems like a new game. For players that missed Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat the first time around, the New Play Control! version is an excellent product, one of Nintendo’s finest platformers to date, and a must-have for any Wii owner.