DK: King of Swing E3 2005 Preshow Hands-On

After the release of Donkey Konga, Nintendo had to do something with that crazy bongo-controller peripheral besides let it collect dust. To that end it delivered the fairly innovative Jungle Beat, which was essentially a platformer controlled entirely with two drums. Now Nintendo is bringing a similar experience to the Game Boy Advance in DK: King of Swing, an amusing 2D platformer that will cast you as everyone's favorite big ape as he fights against the transgressions of longtime series baddy King K. Rool.

But how could you play a bongo-controlled game on a handheld system? Would you believe us if we said the cartridge will have full-sized bongos attached? Didn't think so. In that case, you'll control King of Swing with the GBA's left and right shoulder buttons, tapping them as if you were banging on the drums. You can make Donkey Kong run to the left or right by hitting the corresponding shoulder button, and tapping them both at the same time will make him jump.

The best part of the limited King of Swing demo came into play after we got off the ground. The levels we were playing had numerous pegs suspended in the air, and we could make Donkey Kong grab a peg by hitting the button corresponding to the appropriate hand. If you have him grab only one peg, he'll swing around in a circle, so by alternating with each hand you can swing upward from peg to peg, which is actually pretty satisfying once you get the required rhythm down pat. Once we reached the top of a particular set of pegs, holding both shoulder buttons would let us charge up and then jump up to a higher set.

There wasn't a whole lot else going on in the King of Swing demo we got to try out. There are bananas spread around the levels that you can pick up, and when you've gathered enough of them, you can do a special dashing attack move of sorts. There were also a few enemies to avoid as we climbed upward, but nothing particularly menacing. King of Swing isn't pushing the GBA's graphical prowess very hard, but the game does have an appealing 2D art style to it. The concept and controls here are appealingly novel; we'll be interested to see how Nintendo fleshes them out with the full game. Stay tuned for more.