Donkey Kong Country

‘Donkey Kong Country’ Has Been Swinging Through Our Lives For 25 Years Now (And We Want to Talk About It)

Originally a villain in the classic 1981 arcade game of the same name, Donkey Kong has had a wild ride throughout gaming history. The roles were reversed in Donkey Kong Jr. as it had his son trying to save his father, who had been successfully captured by Mario. His current incarnation is a tie-wearing primate that loves bananas. This redesign came from British developer Rare, whose Donkey Kong Country series saw the character see a resurgence in popularity during the 90s.

It’s now been 25 years since the original Donkey Kong Country released in 1994. The game forever changed Mario canon as it showed that the original villainous Donkey Kong was an old man named Cranky Kong, while his son was the banana-loving ape that fans have come to know and love. It also introduced a whole cast of Kong characters that have made plenty of appearances in other Nintendo titles since then. The original series ended in 1999 with Donkey Kong 64, but it made a triumphant return on the Wii. We’ve now been treated to two great DKC games this decade (in addition to rereleases of the original titles), and it’s unlikely there will be another 11-year wait between games. As the series turns 25 years old, let’s take a look at its fantastic history and why it is so important to gaming.

Cover Photo: Nintendo

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