Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū (translates to Donkey Kong 3: The Great Counterattack or Donkey Kong 3: Great Counterstrike) is a sequel to Donkey Kong 3 that was developed by Hudson Soft (the creators of Super Mario Bros. Special). It was released on various different computers in 1984 at the same time as Super Mario Bros Special, only in Japan. The gameplay is much more simplistic than its predecessor, as you can no longer jump, and instead the stages revolve around you shooting enemies that appear from the top of the screen, similar to classic shooters such as Galaga. Donkey Kong also appears, with a similar role as in Donkey Kong 3, in that he's located at the top of the screen and moves slightly up when you shoot him, though unlike Donkey Kong 3, he isn't climbing on poles, but rather holding onto two parachutes. You win the level if you shoot Donkey Kong offscreen. If you kill all the enemies, you will be awarded with a flag that when shot, gives you 1000 points. There are 21 stages, each with different themes. The game loops back to stage 1 upon beating stage 21.
This game contains examples of:
- "Blind Idiot" Translation: For the most part, the game has perfectly fine English in the level titles... Except for "In the Astron Belt", which misspells "Asteroid" as "Astron", as well as the "Around the Saturn" and "On the Desert" levels.
- Crop Circles: One of the levels, "On the Ground Picture", features one of these in the shape of a bird.
- Digitized Sprites: According to the game's programmer, Fumihiko Itagaki, the game's backgrounds are digitized photos for aesthetic reasons.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The level names all accurately describe exactly what's going on in said levels.
- Flying Saucer: There is one in the background of some of the earlier levels. And you even enter it in the "In the U.F.O." level
- Gratuitous English: The game was only released in Japan, but all the level titles are in English.
- Lethal Lava Land: Two levels, "At the Active Volcano" and "Inside the Active Crater", are set nearby a volcano and inside said volcano’s crater respectively.
- Little Green Men: The aliens in the background of the aptly named "The Aliens" level are depicted as stubby green things with either a visor or a single eye.
- Metropolis Level: The final level, "In the City", is a giant alien city with lightning striking in the background.
- New Game Plus: After beating the final level, you're launched back to the start, except that most levels now have more enemy types.
- No Ending: The game lacks an ending, instead looping back to the beginning upon beating the final level.
- No Plot? No Problem!: The game doesn't have a story at all, though the backgrounds seems to tell one.
- Shifting Sand Land: One of the game's levels, "On the Desert", is set in an alien desert at night.
- Stuff Blowing Up: There's an entire level, aptly named "A Mushroom Cloud", that features a giant mushroom cloud explosion in the background.
