Looking for a party game that can double as an addictive puzzler? Donkey Konga is for you!
Loosen up those hand muscles, because this game will have you using every bit of them. Join Diddy and Donkey Kong on their journey through musical mastery. With over 30 songs to choose from, there will be something here for everyone to jam to.
Can we say color-overload? Donkey Konga is a bright and colorful experience to say the least. Playing one round in the morning would surely wake anyone up. Either that or the fast paced movement might make them go blind, but either way… Being that most of the objects in question are simply moving colored circles, there really isn’t any sort of a way in which Nintendo could have screwed up their appearance. Really, the only sort of existence of anything primal is the little picture of Donkey Kong himself sitting in the top left hand corner of the screen who acts out your every move.
The controls to this game are just as simplistic. If you play with the DK Bongos, which is an experience I truly recommend (even though you can play with the regular Gamecube controller), then you have basically five actions that you have to keep track of. You can hit the left drum, the right drum, both together, clap, or hit the start button to regain your composure in the later levels. That’s it… no really. There’s no 30 button combos that you have to keep track of, nor are there any sort of drumsticks to have to worry about. It’s just quick and simple enjoyment.
Being that the entire point of the game is to match notes along with songs playing in the background, the sounds are REALLY good. Songs range from the Pokémon Theme, all the way to songs from people like Blink-182. This fact alone gives the game tremendous replay value, if only to sing along with the various tracks. The fact that the songs are actually titles that we know is all well and good, but what makes Donkey Konga even better in the sound department is that there are various musical themes that you can assign to your bongos. For instance, if you want to sound like a rocker, you can save up enough coins, which you earn by playing through songs, and go to DK Town and buy yourself a rock and roll sound set, among others.
Donkey Konga is a truly enjoyable game. However, I can understand why a lot of people tend to get bored with it or even hate it, especially if they have only played the “Monkey” level of difficulty. You can easily play through the songs in one try and then you are left thinking “What now?” In that moment of thinking, one can either give up on the game completely, or move on to the next difficulty level and start experiencing the aspects that makes Donkey Konga shine.
What the title lacks in complexity it makes up for in its varying levels of difficulty. Sure, playing the “Monkey” levels is a snap being that there are very few notes to match, but when you get up to “Chimp” and “Gorilla” modes, you will be pulling your hair out because you didn’t get enough points to pass the round.
Even if all of the bright colors and funky tunes aren’t enough to convince you, the mini games probably will. They are the classics; games like “whack-a-mole.” Even by just playing the mini-games, you are unconsciously training your hands and eyes to become more talented when it comes to hand-eye coordination, so that the next time you want to play through a song, you will be surprised at how well you will do.
If by some fluke of nature, all of the above does not get you excited, well…did I mention that this game is for up to four players? No? Well, you heard me right folks…join three of your friends in making beautiful harmony, or line ‘em up to knock ‘em down in fierce competition. Even if you’re just a spectator, what could be better than watching some of your closest pals make idiots out of themselves as they first try to play the game?
Donkey Konga is a simplistic title that makes no excuses for how easy it really is. This game is great for anyone, whether you are 3 or 30. My three-year-old nephew even gets a kick out of beating the life out of the drums. There is absolutely no element of strategy whatsoever in this title, which makes it the perfect choice for video game virgins. The only thing you need to play is hand-eye coordination, which everyone has, from one level of greatness to another. Even if you have no musical ability whatsoever, which is ok, the bright colors and memorable songs you have at your disposal will draw you in. Donkey Konga truly is a revolutionary title. Think about it, apart from the Donkey Konga franchise, where else can you beat the crap out of an inanimate object and be rewarded for it? That alone makes it worth its weight in gold.