Super Nintendo was among the most beloved consoles that gifted us many unforgettable games, even by the end of its lifetime and with the focus on other consoles, it showed us that it still had a lot to offer, thanks to one of the most emblematic studios that ever existed, I am talking about Rare.
By the mid 90s, Nintendo had completely abandoned Donkey Kong, it was only remembered when the character appeared in Mario Kart, but the franchise had not had a game in a very long time since the NES, and it needed to take a leap to be considered among the greatest in the company.
It was then that Rare, the small team responsible for Battletoads, took the lead to be the one to bring life back into the franchise. The members of the team had no idea that they were about to write in gold their names in the history of videogames, but more importantly, they were going to win the hearts of many players.
They decided to take the character into the most popular genre of the time; I’m talking about 2D platforms. Seeing the success of games like Super Mario World or Yoshi’s Island, it was difficult to think they could manage something similar, but they made it. Seeing the beautiful 3D graphics on the screen of the game they created, you could only think about how the future was already here.
The computers used by Rare to achieve the 3D Graphics with pre-render were Silicon Graphics; these were the most powerful of that time, and the result had not been seeing until this, even in the consoles that were more powerful than the popular Super Nintendo. But that wasn’t all; the project also studied Gorillas to make the movements more realistic on the screen.
Since we are talking about the characters, in this regard, Rare was revolutionary to this franchise. Besides giving the ape a personality, they created new heroes, among which is Diddy Kong, who accompanies Donkey. We also have to remember Candy Kong, Funky Kong and Cranky Kong. All of them help you in different ways throughout the game, with Candy being the one you visited the most since you had to save the game with her. But all these were only a taste of everything amazing about this game, its beautiful designs and gameplay.
The best part of this is that not only was it a game that looked excellent, it also was challenging for its time. The goal was to stop the plans of King. K. Rool of steeling your bananas, but also, you had to show that you were a true gamer and find the bonus level hidden in every scene. If you manage to do it, an exclamation sign appeared at the of the level’s name, this is how you knew you obtained everything.
The structural part of the levels was very well made thanks to a balanced difficulty curve, it reached its maximum point in the scenarios with mines and during the fights against the bosses, but it was never the type of challenge that resulted frustrating.
Another aspect worth mentioning is the music, not because the melodies fit the setting, but because these melodies were more than just background soundtracks. These melodies accompany your mind during the entire level, you could put the controller aside and simply listen to the beautiful themes, and also, these themes could put you in a reflexive mood.
Truth be told, it doesn’t matter that almost 30 years have passed since its release, this is still one of the most magical games that allow you to get lost in its marvelous levels, filled with secrets that make you play again and again. It’s pure fun, it makes you smile and yell, and sometimes, it surprises you whenever you encounter one of its enigmas. In a few words, it’s a masterpiece.
If you ever have the chance to play this game, don’t hesitate, this title will offer you one of the best experiences you could have as a gamer.
Wow, brings back memories. 🥰 I played the pixeled version of this haha
Wow! Older than me.
!PIZZA
Yeah, this game is really old but still really fun. The graphics looks more polished in my screenshots because I used an emulator to play it.
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