Check out one of the most enjoyable platformers ever to show up on the Gamecube.
Gameplay:
It takes about 10 minutes to really get the hang of using the bongos. After that, you'll be jumping and swinging with the best of 'em. Controlling DK is somewhat simplistic, with your clapping move doing just about anything and everything as you move through each level. This actually helps give the game its fast pace without ever getting boring, and it allows you to focus more on your timing.
That's not to say that DKJB is a pushover. Each set of levels has a score you build up by racking up combos and collecting bananas without getting hit, and at the end you are awarded crest useful for unlocking more levels. Getting the better crests can be very challenging and takes great timing and exploration to achieve.
Graphics:
The art style is very vibrant and colorful, keeping the look true to that of the DK Country series on the SNES. This time, though, we're dealing with fully 3D graphics brimming with animation and beautiful backdrops that bring each level to life in a unique way. If you look really carefully, you may find low polygon counts on some of the enemies or objects, but that is hardly a noticeable deficiency.
There are plenty of flashy special effects that add to the presentation, along with huge creatures and events that ramp up the excitement. The camera zooms in and out to show all the action in a large area or to see close up what DK is doing.
Sound:
The sounds that each creature and area create really help pull you into the fun world DK is romping through. DK himself sounds a little different than usual with his silly gibbering and grunting, but it still fits in well for the most part. The music is good, but not noticeably cool or catchy like in the DK Country games.
Value:
DKJB consists of 16 Kingdoms. Each Kingdom consists of 2 levels followed by a King (boss), and each Kingdom takes about 5-10 minutes to play through quickly. Then there are a couple of boss levels after those which don't take very long (about 2-5 minutes). The real replay value comes into play when you consider how much fun it is to play the levels again, finding hidden areas and trying to beat your high score to get extra crests. Even with the incentive of crests, you'll find yourself wanting to play again and again mostly because of the speedy pace and easy-going controls. The game just never gets old.
Tilt:
I give this game full points here for using the bongos so well, and for creating the classic style of platforming that was sorely needed on the Gamecube while still making it fast-paced and utterly enjoyable.