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One of the symbols of Nintendo, Donkey Kong He is a monkey with a reputation for few friends. His story begins a long time ago, when he was still trying to disrupt the lives of a certain plumber and a certain princess.
After his brief appearance in arcades and other consoles, it was from the 1990s onwards that the character found his importance within the gaming universe and a successful trilogy transformed Donkey Kong and his gang into public favorites.
Origin of the monkey Donkey Kong
The story of the most famous monkey in the world of video games begins in 1981, when the character made his debut in the arcade, in the famous and nostalgic arcade machines. The designer's creation of Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, was a sales success and opened the door to reach greater heights in other world markets.
The initial idea of Nintendo was to create a game inspired by another character, a certain sailor known as Popeye, a comic book character born in the 1930s. As the project did not go ahead, Miyamoto developed a series of characters, one of them the gorilla who would soon appear in a video game.
First created as a villain, Donkey Kong he should seem neither that evil nor repulsive, like most villains. Furthermore, seeking a place in the American public, the Nintendo He chose to create the gorilla in a clumsy way, sounding silly at times, and a little ignorant.
Despite the goofy way, Donkey Kong has become a fun character, captivating a loyal audience of young players over all these decades. No wonder, Donkey Kong is considered one of the most important characters in Nintendo.
It is worth noting that shortly after its creation, Donkey Kong was the subject of controversy. In 1983, the Universal Studios processed the Nintendo due to the similarities between the gorilla in games and the one on screen; the feared King Kong. However, the process did not proceed, as King Kong it was not a brand for the exclusive use of the studio.
After the first appearances, the protective gorilla of Donkey Kong Island gained a new look — with lots of muscles and a naughty little tie — and starred in a successful sequence on Super Nintendo, in the 1990s.
The character has enormous charisma and is responsible for selling millions of copies around the world. The franchise is one of the most successful of the Japanese company and, why not, in the history of video games.
Characters
The family Kong has grown over the more than 40 years of existence. The first Donkey Kong, the one that appeared in arcade games, is actually Cranky Kong, later also known as grandfather of Donkey Kong presented to the public by Nintendo.
But it was really the sequence that transformed the gorilla into a celebrity, available to the Super Nintendo, that the public was introduced to important members of the family Kong.
Cranky Kong
The first gorilla in the series, introduced in 1981, is actually Cranky Kong. The first gorilla was created in 1981 as the real Donkey Kong, but as the years passed, the public learned that Cranky Kong He was the grandfather of the main character in the tapes. SNES.
donkey kong jr
Even at the beginning of the franchise, the games were based on a monkey who imprisoned the princess, while a certain previously unknown plumber tried to free her. In that regard, donkey kong jr appears at the beginning of the franchise as the protagonist of the arcade, trying to free his father from a cage.
What few know is that this monkey, in fact, was revealed, at the time, as being the father of the famous Donkey Kong that stars the games made for the Super Nintendo.
Donkey Kong
The most famous monkey in video games appears to the public in the sequel Donkey Kong Country (1, 2 and 3), created by Rare. In the game, he is presented in all his goofy and playful ways. His muscles, red tie and personality made him a huge gaming success. Therefore, the famous gorilla is the grandson of Cranky Kong and son of donkey kong jr, characters present in the first titles of the series.
Wrinkly Kong
Old man's wife Cranky Kong, Wrinkly Kong is grandmother of Donkey Kong. The wise gorilla is a teacher and director of Kong Kollege, and appears in games helping players save progress. However, when appearing in Donkey Kong 64, Wrinkly Kong is a ghost, which indicates that the grandmother of the most charming gorilla in games has passed away.
Diddy kong
Diddy kong is an agile monkey with a lot of charisma that appears in Donkey Kong Country. In the series, he appears to help his great friend and ends up becoming one of the protagonists soon after, in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
dixie kong
This little monkey is his girlfriend Diddy kong and also appears in Donkey Kong Country 2. Her strength comes from her hair, which even allows the character to fly. Her charisma ended up elevating her to the protagonist and, in the third game of the series, Donkey Kong Country 3, she is responsible for saving Diddy e Donkey Kong.
Candy Kong
girlfriend of Donkey Kong, Candy Kong first appeared in Donkey Kong Country. The gorilla with blonde hair and blue eyes appears helping to save games and also has his own store in another version of the game.
Funky kong
Funky is a great friend of Donkey Kong and appears in two games, of the three successful titles released by Nintendo. Versatile, the gorilla appears as an airplane pilot, when he transports the player around the map or as a mechanic, in Donkey Kong Country 3.
Kiddy Kong
Kiddy Kong is the younger brother of Chunky Kong and cousin of dixie kong. Despite being just a child, the little monkey is able to jump into the water like no one else and appears in the franchise DK Country.
Chunky Kong
This incredibly strong gorilla appears in Donkey Kong 64 for the first time. He is cousin of dixie kong and little brother's older brother Kiddy Kong. Despite all his strength, the monkey is very afraid of heights.
Swanky Kong
Swanky Kong appears in Donkey Kong Country 2 and in the game he has a television program, called Swanky's Bonanza Bonus. In it, players must answer questions about the game, in exchange for rewards.
Tiny Kong
Character from the youngest generation of the family Kong, Tiny Kong is a small monkey that has the ability to get into small places. She is present in Donkey Kong 64.
Games and special appearances
The most famous monkey in the world of video games has starred in a few titles during his brief existence. From the beginning, with his reputation as a villain, to the games made especially for him and other family members Kong.
The truth is that Donkey Kong became a phenomenon and very charismatic mascot in the world of the company that created the character, Nintendo.
See below some of the titles starring the most beloved gorilla in gaming!
The beginnings in the arcade
The first appearance of Donkey Kong takes place in the game that bears his name, released in 1981. The game, one of the first in the platform genre, has the gorilla appearing as the villain. DK kidnaps the beauty Pauline, carpenter's girlfriend jumpman.
The game's star runs away with Pauline by scenarios designed to hinder as much as possible the rescue by jumpman, an Italian carpenter who a few years later would become the friendly plumber we know as Mario.
The game is divided into 4 screens that represent the progression of Donkey Kong, which gets louder with each screen, making it difficult to work jumpman. This way, the game starts on the first level and increases in difficulty, including barrels that are thrown by Donkey Kong.
The first version, however, was a great success among arcade machines, a very common artifact at the time. Donkey Kong was a sales success, in addition to marking the entry of one of the most important characters in Big N.
In his second appearance on arcade, Donkey Kong now it was donkey kong jr and he would have to rescue his father from the clutches of jumpman, or Mario, as the reader prefers. The game had four different levels and, like the first, it was also developed in a platform style, with the possibility of donkey kong jr run sideways and jump across the stage.
Success in Japan, donkey kong jr reached the top 10 arcade games with the highest grossing in the country, occupying eighth position in 1982. The game was also released for other platforms, such as NES e Atari.
The third arcade game was Donkey Kong 3, on what jumpman leaves the scene, giving way to Stanley , owner of a greenhouse. The story consists of the invasion of the place by Donkey Kong, which causes the owner's anger, who chases him with a sprayer, while the monkey destroys the entire environment and plants.
The game is quite simple and there are different levels that the player needs to explore in order to pass. During the phases it is necessary to face some obstacles and when Donkey Kong He is finally pulverized, his head falls into a beehive.
Donkey Kong Country
The first successful title in the franchise Donkey Kong begins at the beginning of the 1990s. Therefore, the Rare, a company that always sought to be at the forefront of gaming technology began developing projects with graphics that were considered quite advanced for the time.
After an agreement with Nintendo and negotiations over which game to develop, the producers chose to explore the monkey Donkey Kong. Thus, in November 1994 the Nintendo launched Donkey Kong Country protocols for Super Nintendo.
The game is considered a milestone for the company and the world of video games, in addition to being a successful franchise, which managed to reach 9,3 million copies sold worldwide.
Donkey Kong Country begins with the theft of bananas, planned by King K Rool and his gang, the Kremling Krew. Thus, the player's mission was to walk all over Kong Island with his nephew Diddy kong in search of the lost bananas.
The game takes place in Donkey Kong Island, consisting of 8 worlds, distributed in 40 phases that present several different exits. Throughout the game, the objective is to recover the stolen bananas, facing the henchmen hired by the enemy, the Kremlings.
During progress in Donkey Kong Country, the characters meet other family members, such as Funky kong, which helps with moving maps and Cranky Kong, grandfather of the family who gives advice and tips to everyone.
The first game in the successful series released for the Super Nintendo surprised by the graphics. When it was released in the mid-1990s, the game impressed thanks to an advanced rendering technique, capable of transforming 2D models into 3D models.
The gameplay is also a point to be highlighted. Like most adventures DK were developed in a platform style, players go through different scenarios and face many enemies along the way until they reach the final battle against the big boss, King K Rool.
Another point to highlight is the fact that the game features other animals that help Donkey Kong e Diddy throughout the phases. Hidden in wooden boxes scattered around the scene, they have different abilities and serve as mounts, in case of Rambi (rhinoceros), Winky(frog), Enguarde (swordfish), Espresso (ostrich) and Squawks (parrot).
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
After the success of the first tape, the Rare and Nintendo decided to take into consideration a second part to the journey of DK and his family and in November 1995 it hit the shelves Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
In the second game, the main characters are Diddy kong and your girlfriend, dixie kong, who try to rescue Donkey Kong, kidnapped by the villain King K Rool. The game is set in Crocodile Island and has 8 different worlds and a total of 47 stages.
The game was initially released for the SNES and had the same graphic care as the first title. It is also possible to venture through the stages of Donkey Kong Country 2 on consoles like gameboy and the Wii.
The initial success of DK Country 2 was responsible for making the game become a sales success as well, being the best-selling game in 1995, and the second best-selling game that year for the Super Nintendo, reaching the mark of 5,15 million copies sold.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
The latest successful game in the franchise has arrived for the Super Nintendo in 1996. Initially, in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble, the characters Dixie e Kiddy Kong venture through Northern Kremisphere in search of the missing Donkey Kong e Diddy kong, kidnapped by the villain of the series.
After winning the previous game, Donkey Kong and Diddy go in search of bananas in other regions and never return. Worried, the Kongs end up discovering that the two were kidnapped by a villain known as Kaos (a robot controlled by K. Rool). From there, Dixie and Kiddy Kong go in search of the missing people.
The third title in the series brings improvements compared to the previous ones. A Rare continued to invest in the image pre-rendering system, which resulted in graphics of extreme quality for the time and brought new movements to the characters, which made it easier to move through the stages, for example.
The game features eight worlds to be explored by Dixie e Kiddy. Throughout the 48 stages, the heroes must face different enemies and defeat the bosses that always appear at the end of each world. The scenarios feature European references and even the presence of bears.
Although it sold just over 3 million copies, Donkey Kong Country 3 consolidated the legacy of the most famous monkey in video games and his entire family. No wonder the universe Donkey Kong is the second best-selling game in the world SNES, just behind Mario.
Other appearances
Donkey Kong was part of the imagination of a large generation of gamers, who were looking for fun, especially on their computer screens. Super Nintendo. In addition to occasional appearances in his own games, the monkey was also present on other occasions.
His physical and large size evolved over time and the character is present in all games in the series. Super Smash Bros, and competes on equal terms with other more prominent characters in the series, such as himself Mario.
But perhaps one of the monkey's most classic appearances is in Mario Kart. In the version of Super Nintendo, who appears is donkey kong jr. However, the presence of the monkey Donkey Kong happens from Mario barth 64, released for the Nintendo 64.
The monkey is a stamped figure in all subsequent versions and even gained a clue, the DK Jungle, inspired by the gorilla's natural habitat and present in Mario barth 7, launched in 2011.
Donkey Kong also appears in Mario vs. donkey kong. The game, initially released for gameboy Advance in 2004 he won a remake years later to Nintendo Switch and was highly praised.
Additionally, we bring DK made other occasional appearances in his friend's games Mario, as a character to be chosen in sports games (Mario Tennis e Mario Golf, for example), in addition to also appearing in Super Mario Party.
Donkey Kong has also ventured beyond video games and made appearances on television and movie screens. He had a cartoon series called “Donkey Kong Country”, which was shown by Record and made an appearance in the film Pixels (2015), in which he was used as a villain.
Recently, the gorilla was in the first feature film dedicated to another famous video game character. In Super Mario Bros. - The film, he appears exchanging sparks with the plumber, who continues his journey in search of freeing the princess from Bowser. He travels to the island of Donkey Kong to try to get your help.
Future
Since its launch in 1981, Donkey Kong He went through a lot to achieve stardom and maintain his charisma among the public. Over all these years, the franchise has established itself as one of the largest ever created by Nintendo, taking thousands of fans around the globe to several hours of fun.
The legacy left by the monkey cannot be ignored. Living your best days in the breathtaking sequence created by Rare to be sold by Nintendo, Donkey Kong it also left its mark and showed the size of its importance by appearing in so many other games that were not directly linked to its universe.
After more than 40 years of existence (the monkey is exactly 43 years old) and all his experience, Donkey Kong it is a mature animal. In addition to the games released for the Super Nintendo, he was also present on other platforms, reaching Nintendo 64On Donkey Kong 64, until the last title, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Recently, the Nintendo confirmed for this year 2024, the opening of the thematic area of Donkey Kong, inside Super Nintendo World, in Japan. For intrepid fans, the attraction of the place will be a huge roller coaster, with the participation of Donkey Kong e Diddy kong.
With all these aspects in its favor, fans are waiting for some news that could define the future of Donkey Kong. Recently, some rumors surfaced that a new monkey and gang game would be available soon, but nothing has been confirmed. Until then, the only thing left to do is turn on the video game and indulge in nostalgia.
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Sources: The Gamer, Super Mario Wiki
Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim
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