History VideoGame / DonkeyKong

* DifficultyByRegion: A very unusual case. In the original Japanese version, the levels are played in their proper order (25m, 50m, 75m, 100m) on each run-through. The US version, for whatever reason, shuffles the level order around for each cycle, with the first cycle being 25m followed by 100m, then the second sticking 75m in the middle, the third being the "proper" order, and the fourth and fifth onward sticking 25m in a second and a third time, respectively. Due to this, 50m is ''significantly'' harder to reach too since you'll be on the third cycle when you do, which is where the difficulty really begins to ramp up.

1994's ''Donkey Kong'' (often referred to by the production title ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong94'') for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy expanded on the formula and inspired the later ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong'' series: You start the game by saving Pauline from a construction site as usual, but unlike in the original, Donkey Kong reawakens after falling from his perch and takes off with her again. What follows is an exhaustive chase through 101 levels in various locales, including the surrounding city, a jungle and [[LevelsTakeFlight an airplane in mid-flight]]. The majority of levels are [[PuzzleGame puzzle-focused]], with Mario having to navigate a single room filled with obstacles and [[LockedDoor carry a key to a door]], and occasionally being harried by Donkey Kong Jr. The final level in each 'world' is a standard duel vs. Donkey Kong, with Donkey Kong lobbing assorted crap at you, and it gets more complicated each time. It all culminates with Donkey Kong over-dosing on [[PowerUp Super Mushrooms]] and turning into a King Kong-sized menace, but Mario prevails and seemingly befriends the Kongs at the end.

The Donkey Kong character's resemblance to ''King Kong'' led to Creator/{{Universal}} Studios filing suit against Nintendo, claiming trademark infringement. In an ironic twist, Nintendo's counsel, John Kirby, countered that Universal had itself argued in a previous case that ''King Kong'''s scenario and characters were in the public domain and the court agreed. Nintendo thanked Kirby by purchasing him a big sailboat, named Donkey Kong, with exclusive worldwide rights to use the name for sailboats.[[note]]Incidentally, Nintendo later gave rise to another character bearing the name Franchise/{{Kirby}}; Creator/MasahiroSakurai, his creator, claimed it was a coincidence, but Miyamoto claims it was intentional.[[/note]]

* DiscOneNuke: The super spray in ''Donkey Kong 3'' can move Donkey Kong up the screen a lot faster if connected.

!!Tropes in this game include:

* PublicDomainSoundtrack: A variation of Johann Sebastian Bach's ''Toccata and Fugue in D Minor'' plays in the beginning of ''Donkey Kong Junior''.

The storyline involves the plumber (originally a carpenter) named Mario (originally Jumpman[[note]]which was first used in an arcade flyer by Nintendo of America; the character was previously nameless in Japanese materials, which is why the development name showed up in earlier references, but "Mario" had mostly overtaken "Jumpman" by the first home conversions[[/note]]) saving his girlfriend Pauline (Originally "[[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Lady]]"[[note]]The name Pauline was first used in the [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer MS-DOS]], [[UsefulNotes/AppleII Apple II]], [[UsefulNotes/ColecoVision Coleco Adam]], and western [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] conversions; also, due to initial confusion with the name, it was sometimes translated as the/a "lady" or thought to be nameless until later English references, and was even occasionally believed for a time in Japanese circles to be a DecompositeCharacter.[[/note]]) from Donkey Kong, in an obvious reference to ''Film/KingKong''. Donkey Kong's mode of attack is a seemingly-endless supply of barrels that Mario must either dodge, jump over or smash with a hammer.

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Or maybe everything's worse with an ape.[[note]]Monkeys have tails, while apes don't.[[/note]]

After these sequels, ''Donkey Kong'' faded into history. The same year as the Game Boy game, he would reappear as Cranky Kong: the ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' franchise by British game developer Creator/{{Rare}}, which was even more successful, reinvented the character as a [[LegacyCharacter new generation]] of Donkey Kong for modern audiences[[note]]the secondary protagonist, [[KidSidekick Diddy Kong]], was intended to be a grown-up Donkey Kong Jr., but this idea was [[ExecutiveMeddling nixed]] by Nintendo; as a result, there was some internal confusion over what became of Donkey Kong Jr., with it sometimes stated that he grew up to became the modern Donkey Kong we know today, but the official and current story is that he is the current Donkey Kong's [[AmbiguouslyAbsentParent MIA]] father[[/note]].

* EndlessGame: It's four different levels, done in various sequences, over and over. To most players, the goal was to beat your previous high score.

The storyline involves the plumber (originally a carpenter) named Mario (originally Jumpman[[note]]which was first used in an arcade flyer by Nintendo of America; the character was previously nameless in Japanese materials, which is why the development name showed up in earlier references, but "Mario" had mostly overtaken "Jumpman" by the first home conversions[[/note]]) saving his girlfriend Pauline (Originally "[[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Lady]] "[[note]]The name Pauline was first used in the [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer MS-DOS]], [[UsefulNotes/AppleII Apple II]], [[UsefulNotes/ColecoVision Coleco Adam]], and western [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] conversions; also, due to initial confusion with the name, it was sometimes translated as the/a "lady" or thought to be nameless until later English references, and was even occasionally believed for a time in Japanese circles to be a DecompositeCharacter.[[/note]]) from Donkey Kong, in an obvious reference to ''Film/KingKong''. Donkey Kong's mode of attack is a seemingly-endless supply of barrels that Mario must either dodge, jump over or smash with a hammer.

[[caption-width-right:224:The ape may get [[AntagonistTitle top billing]], [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros but we all know who the real star of this game is.]][[note]]The screenshot is from the arcade version.[[/note]]]]

->''HOW HIGH CAN YOU GET ?'' [[note]]''HOW HIGH CAN YOU TRY ?'' in initial revision.[[/note]]

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The damsel was Pauline instead of Peach, the antagonist was Donkey Kong instead of Bowser, and, in ''Donkey Kong Junior'', Mario was the BigBad. The third game doesn't even have Mario at all; the protagonist is Stanley.
* ExcusePlot: The ever popular "Guy chases after other guy who kidnapped his girl".

The storyline involves the Plumber(originally a carpenter) Mario (originally Jumpman[[note]]which was first used in an arcade flyer by Nintendo of America; the character was previously nameless in Japanese materials, which is why the development name showed up in earlier references, but "Mario" had mostly overtaken "Jumpman" by the first home conversions[[/note]]) saving his girlfriend Pauline (Originally "[[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Lady]] "[[note]]The name Pauline was first used in the [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer MS-DOS]], [[UsefulNotes/AppleII Apple II]], [[UsefulNotes/ColecoVision Coleco Adam]], and western [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] conversions; also, due to initial confusion with the name, it was sometimes translated as the/a "lady" or thought to be nameless until later English references, and was even occasionally believed for a time in Japanese circles to be a DecompositeCharacter.[[/note]]) from Donkey Kong, in an obvious reference to ''Film/KingKong''. Donkey Kong's mode of attack is a seemingly-endless supply of barrels that Mario must either dodge, jump over or smash with a hammer.

The storyline involved the carpenter (later plumber) [[ExactlywhatItSaysOnTheTin Jumpman]] (renamed Mario[[note]]which was first used in an arcade flyer by Nintendo of America; the character was previously nameless in Japanese materials, which is why the development name showed up in earlier references, but "Mario" had mostly overtaken "Jumpman" by the first home conversions[[/note]]) saving [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Lady]] (renamed Pauline[[note]]which in the games was first used in the [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer MS-DOS]], [[UsefulNotes/AppleII Apple II]], [[UsefulNotes/ColecoVision Coleco Adam]], and western [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] conversions; also, due to initial confusion with the name, it was sometimes translated as the/a "lady" or thought to be nameless until later English references, and was even occasionally believed for a time in Japanese circles to be a DecompositeCharacter.[[/note]]) from Donkey Kong, in an obvious reference to ''Film/KingKong''. Donkey Kong's mode of attack is a seemingly-endless supply of barrels that Mario must either dodge, jump over or smash with a hammer.

The name itself resulted from Miyamoto's minimal knowledge of English at the time. He wanted to call the game "Stubborn Gorilla" (another name given, according to the "Mario Mania" player's guide, was "Stupid Monkey") to convey that the villain was not acting out of malice or with premeditation. With a pocket-sized Japanese/English dictionary, he latched on to "donkey" (as in the phrase "stubborn as a donkey"), and assumed from ''King Kong'' that "kong" meant gorilla. The name did [[UrbanLegendOfZelda give rise to a number of theories]] which attempted to explain its origin. One, which appeared on some of the cabinet labels, stated that Mario was in fact the title's Donkey. Regarding the other two characters: the [=NoA=] team named the hero after their then-landlord, Mario Segale, and eventually named the heroine after an employee's wife, Polly James.

The storyline involved the carpenter (later plumber) [[ExactlywhatItSaysOnTheTin Jumpman]] (renamed Mario[[note]]which was first used in an arcade flyer by Nintendo of America; the character was previously nameless in Japanese materials, which is why the development name showed up in earlier references, but "Mario" had mostly overtaken "Jumpman" by the first home conversions[[/note]]) saving [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Lady]] (renamed Pauline[[note]]which in the games was first used in the [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer MS-DOS]], [[UsefulNotes/AppleII Apple II]], [[UsefulNotes/ColecoVision Coleco Adam]], and western [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] conversions; also, due to initial confusion with the name, it was sometimes translated as the/a "lady" or thought to be nameless until later English references, and was even occasionally interpreted for a time in Japanese circles as a DecompositeCharacter.[[/note]]) from Donkey Kong, in an obvious reference to ''Film/KingKong''. Donkey Kong's mode of attack is a seemingly-endless supply of barrels that Mario must either dodge, jump over or smash with a hammer.

* ArcadePerfectPort: Averted in most cases. Most of the ports are faithful to the arcade version, but leave out [=50m=] due to memory limitations. Some versions play it straight, such as ''Donkey Kong: Original Edition'' and the Game Boy ''VideoGame/{{Donkey Kong|94}}'', but even then there are graphical and audio differences. This is because Nintendo does not own the rights to ''Donkey Kong'''s source code, as explained above. For the longest time, the only truly arcade-perfect port was the one included in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64''.[[note]]Which is just an emulated version of the arcade original.[[/note]] The 2018 release of the original arcade versions of DK and DK Jr. on the Switch under the Arcade Archives series has their full version. Though they are technically not ports, as they are emulated versions of the original arcade games.

* DependingOnTheWriter: Most of the time it's official that the Donkey Kong of this game became Cranky Kong later, but rarely they "forget" this and act like the "present" DK was there all along. There's also the matter of whether Cranky is the current Kong's father or grandfather. The current line as of ''Videogame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' is he's his grandfather, which bears asking exactly where Junior went.

* InconvenientlyPlacedConveyorBelt: An early example exists in the 50m "Cement Factory" level (cut from most ports). The conveyor belts carry cement piles (which resemble pies, hence the level's long time nickname of the "Pie Factory") which Mario must avoid.

* InvincibleMinorMinion: The Springese, due to appearing solely in a NoGearLevel (see below).

* JustFriends: While some [[AllThereInTheManual home port manuals]] unofficially described them as romantically involved, Mario and Pauline are actually said to be this in arcade materials and all subsequent appearances, likely due to [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 Princess Peach]] taking her place as the primary love interest.

* {{Retcon}}: The manual for ''Donkey Kong Land'' suggested Big Ape City as the setting of these early games. ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'' instead posits New Donk City as the location of Mario and DK's feud.[[note]]If they're not different names for the same place, that is, considering the girders were present at Big Ape and New Donk is said to be "always under construction".[[/note]]

1994's ''Donkey Kong'' (often referred to by the production title ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong94'') for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy expanded on the formula and inspired the later ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong'' series: You start the game by saving Pauline from a construction site as usual, but unlike in the original, DK reawakens after falling from his perch and takes off with her again. What follows is an exhaustive chase through 101 levels in various locales, including the surrounding city, a jungle and [[LevelsTakeFlight an airplane in mid-flight]]. The majority of levels are [[PuzzleGame puzzle-focused]], with Mario having to navigate a single room filled with obstacles and [[LockedDoor carry a key to a door]], and occasionally being harried by Donkey Kong Jr. The final level in each 'world' is a standard duel vs. Donkey Kong, with DK lobbing assorted crap at you, and it gets more complicated each time. It all culminates with DK over-dosing on Super Mushrooms and turning into a King Kong-sized menace, but Mario prevails and seemingly befriends the Kongs at the end.

After these sequels, ''Donkey Kong'' faded into history. The same year as the Game Boy version, he would reappear as Cranky Kong, with Donkey Kong Jr. growing up to become ''the'' Donkey Kong we know today: The latter became the protagonist of the ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' franchise by British game developer Creator/{{Rare}}, which was even-more successful and reinvented the character for modern audiences.

* ArcadePerfectPort: Averted in most cases. Most of the ports are faithful to the arcade version, but leave out [=50m=] due to memory limitations. Some versions play it straight, such as ''Donkey Kong: Original Edition'' and the Game Boy ''VideoGame/{{Donkey Kong|94}}'', but even then there are graphical and audio differences. This is because Nintendo does not own the rights to ''Donkey Kong'''s source code, as explained above. For the longest time, the only truly arcade-perfect port was the one included in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64''.[[note]]Which is just an emulated version of the arcade original.[[/note]] The 2018 release of the original arcade versions of DK and DK Jr on the Switch under the Arcade Archives series has their full version. Though they are technically not ports, as they are emulated versions of the original arcade games.

The storyline involved a carpenter (later plumber) named Mario[[note]]name first used in an arcade flyer by Nintendo of America; the character was previously nameless in Japanese materials, which is why the development name "Jumpman" showed up in earlier references, but "Mario" had completely overtaken "Jumpman" by the first home conversions[[/note]] saving a lady (later named Pauline[[note]]which in the games was technically first used in the NES release, but not in the Japanese version; also, due to initial confusion with the name.[[/note]]) from Donkey Kong, in an obvious reference to ''Film/KingKong''. Donkey Kong's mode of attack is a seemingly-endless supply of barrels that Mario must either dodge, jump over or smash with a hammer.

The game's sequel, ''Donkey Kong Junior'' (shortened to ''Donkey Kong Jr.'' in revised arcade releases and certain home ports) inverted the villain/hero roles: Donkey Kong Junior has to free his father from the clutches of zookeeper Mario by climbing vines and grabbing keys. The lesser-known ''Donkey Kong 3'' has an exterminator named Stanley trying to chase Donkey Kong away from his greenhouse with insect repellent. The arcade games were ported to personal computers and Nintendo's own [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES/Famicom]].

The original more-or-less single-handedly rescued the fledgling Nintendo of America. After having numerous arcade games tank, the then-president of Nintendo of Japan sent over circuit boards containing ''Donkey Kong''. They installed the game in an old ''Radar Scope'' arcade cabinet and set it up at a nearby bar, the Spot Tavern. The first day in, it made $30. The next day, it broke down — too many quarters had caused a short circuit[[note]]Interestingly, the exact same thing happened when ''VideoGame/{{Pong}}'' was field tested.[[/note]]. Soon after that, Nintendo of America was assembling and shipping ''Donkey Kong'' machines all over the country, and the company was saved by this single game from Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto.

In another ironic twist, Nintendo itself was [[ScrewedByTheLawyers found guilty of violating the copyright]] for the arcade game, and therefore could not sell the original version of ''Donkey Kong'' for its consoles. To summarize, the original arcade game was written by a company named Ikegami Tsushinki[[note]]a maker of professional broadcasting equipment, including video cameras[[/note]] on assignment. Either that, or Nintendo made the game themselves using hardware made by Ikegami, [[OrSoIheard depending on who's telling the story]]. Either way, the contract did not include ownership rights to the code. When ''Donkey Kong'' became a hit, Nintendo either tried to make more boards themselves or simply used the code (illegally, according to Ikegami) to create ''Donkey Kong Junior'', ''Donkey Kong 3'', ''VideoGame/MarioBros'', ''VideoGame/{{Popeye}}'', and possibly other games. In any case, they got sued for copyright violation as a result, and for many years the only rerelease of the arcade version was as an EmbeddedPrecursor in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64''. A detailed report is [[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134790/the_secret_history_of_donkey_kong.php?print=1 available here.]]. However, this finally changed with the release of the arcade version on UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, as part of Hamster's ''Arcade Archives'' series.

* CoversAlwaysLie: As bizarre as the UsefulNotes/{{Intellivision}} boxart was, it was at least ''somewhat'' faithful to the game. The Atari 2600 covers are utterly shameful: the English version is a literal copy-paste of ''Film/KingKong'' artwork while the Spanish version [[http://platypuscomix.com/interactive/clownmario.jpg must be seen to be believed]].

In another ironic twist, Nintendo itself was [[ScrewedByTheLawyers found guilty of violating the copyright]] for the arcade game, and therefore could not sell the original version of ''Donkey Kong'' for its consoles. To summarize, the original arcade game was written by a company named Ikegami Tsushinki[[note]]a maker of professional broadcasting equipment, including video cameras[[/note]] on assignment. Either that, or Nintendo made the game themselves using hardware made by Ikegami, [[OrSoIheard depending on who's telling the story]]. Either way, the contract did not include ownership rights to the code. When ''Donkey Kong'' became a hit, Nintendo either tried to make more boards themselves or simply used the code (illegally, according to Ikegami) to create ''Donkey Kong Junior'', ''Donkey Kong 3'', ''VideoGame/MarioBros'', ''VideoGame/{{Popeye}}'', and possibly other games. In any case, they got sued for copyright violation as a result. A detailed report is [[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134790/the_secret_history_of_donkey_kong.php?print=1 available here.]]. However, this finally changed with the release of the arcade version on UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, as part of Hamster's ''Arcade Archives'' series.

The Donkey Kong character's resemblance to ''King Kong'' led to Creator/{{Universal}} Studios filing suit against Nintendo, claiming trademark infringement. In an ironic twist, Nintendo's counsel, John Kirby, countered that Universal had itself argued in a previous case that ''King Kong'''s scenario and characters were in the public domain and the court agreed. Nintendo thanked Kirby by purchasing him a big sailboat, named Donkey Kong, with exclusive worldwide rights to use the name for sailboats.[[note]]Incidentally, Nintendo later gave rise to another character bearing the name Franchise/{{Kirby}}; Creator/MasahiroSakurai, his creator, claimed it was a coincidence.[[/note]]