Donkey Kong Country TV Commercial 1 for Game Boy Color - GBC - 1999

Release Date: November 22, 1999 (North America), January 21, 2000 (Europe), November 22, 2000 (Japan) Developer: Rare Publisher: Nintendo Genre: Platformer Platform: Game Boy Color Story: Port of the 1994 SNES classic. King K. Rool and his Kremlings steal Donkey Kong’s banana hoard. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong traverse six worlds on Donkey Kong Island to recover the bananas, defeat K. Rool, and reclaim their stash. Gameplay: 2D side-scrolling platformer. Players control Donkey or Diddy (swappable via tag barrels), navigating 38 levels with platforming, vine-swinging, mine cart rides, and animal buddies (e.g., Rambi, Enguarde). Collect bananas, KONG letters, and tokens for bonus rooms. Features checkpoint barrels, save points, and boss fights. GBC version retains SNES mechanics but adds exclusive content: Two new minigames: Funky’s Fishing and Candy’s Dance Studio. Time Trial mode with leaderboards. Sticker printing via Game Boy Printer. Worlds: Six worlds, each with 6-7 levels and a boss: Kongo Jungle, Monkey Mines, Vine Valley, Gorilla Glacier, Kremkroc Industries, Chimp Caverns. Final boss: King K. Rool on Gang-Plank Galleon. Controls: D-Pad (move), A (jump/roll/cartwheel), B (attack/pick up barrels), Select (swap characters). Responsive but less fluid than SNES due to GBC hardware. Graphics: Downgraded from SNES’s pre-rendered 3D visuals but vibrant for GBC. Uses GBC’s color palette (56 colors vs. SNES’s 256). Smaller sprites and simplified backgrounds; scrolling adjusted for smaller screen. Compatible with Super Game Boy for enhanced colors on SNES. Sound: Music by David Wise, Eveline Fischer, and Robin Beanland, remixed for GBC’s 8-bit chip. Iconic tracks (e.g., “DK Island Swing”) retain charm but sound tinny. Sound effects simplified but effective. Differences from SNES: 38 levels (3 fewer than SNES’s 41; e.g., “Platform Perils” cut). Adjusted level layouts for GBC’s screen (e.g., tighter camera, fewer enemies on-screen). Added minigames: Funky’s Fishing (catch fish for points) and Candy’s Dance Studio (rhythm-based dance). Time Trial mode tracks best completion times per level. Game Boy Printer support for printing level stickers. No multiplayer; SNES’s 2-player mode removed. Difficulty: Moderate; retains SNES challenge with precise platforming and hidden bonuses. GBC’s smaller screen can obscure hazards, increasing difficulty. Bosses (e.g., Gnawty) are simpler but require pattern recognition. Reception: Metacritic unavailable; IGN scored 9/10, praising faithful port and new features despite graphical downgrade. Criticized for missing levels and no multiplayer. Total! (UK) gave 90%, noting “excellent conversion.” Sold ~2.19 million globally. Sales: Available used on eBay: $10 (cartridge-only) to $50 (CIB). Sealed copies ~$200+. PriceCharting: loose ~$15 (2025). Legacy: First handheld port of Donkey Kong Country trilogy. Followed by GBA ports (2003-2005). Re-released on 3DS Virtual Console (2014, Japan; 2015, North America/Europe). Nostalgic for GBC players; fans on X praise minigames but lament cut content. Speedrunning community active (world record: ~41 minutes). Funky's Fishing details Game Boy Color classics