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I know that it's absurd to compare two games that were released over a decade apart, but what the hell, but I'm going to do it anyway. I've recently become a bit of a pariah among my fellow 1UP editors due to my opinions on Donkey Kong Country, Rare's 1994 foray into the world of the SNES. While few would dispute the game's technological merits, not many around these parts agree with me that DKC is a far better and much more playable platformer than the original Super Mario Bros.
Please set down your pitchforks and extinguish those torches.
Donkey Kong Country was the game that began Rare's ascent to creative bliss. Anyone who owned a Super Nintendo or a Nintendo 64 has undoubtedly fond memories of playing any number of the British developer's classic titles, whether it was slapping down Jago in Killer Instinct or planting the perfect proximity mine in GoldenEye, and this hot streak all began with the reinvention of Mario's original nemesis. A few years after the plumber journeyed around the world, Donkey Kong was tasked with exploring his island in search of his stolen banana hoard. The game was a dense, cutting-edge package that showcased the power of the SNES and provided what I feel to be a perfect platforming experience. As you can probably tell by the video below, my fellow editors do not share in these views.
I was shocked to discover that DKC's visuals have grown to become divisive, with one of the main complaints being that the entire world has a plastic sheen to it. As one of the pioneers of pre-rendered 3D graphics in games, DKC didn't resemble a cartoon so much as an extremely detailed toy box. I fell in love with the character models because they reminded me so much of the action figures I grew up smashing against each other on the carpeted floor of my bedroom. The fact that Rare was able to create an entire world that out of the performances that I imagined with my toys evoked a feeling in me that has yet to be matched to this day. Super Mario Bros. asked you to imagine the expanse of the world you were running through. Donkey Kong Country didn't need to ask this of the player.
As much as the game's visuals resonated with me, it was the soundtrack that managed to burrow deep into my mind. SMB may have a handful of the most memorable music in video game history, but it's DKC's amazing suite of jungle tunes that I still find myself listening to 20 years later. Each track manages to utilize elements of the environment, from wind to animals to the morphing of sounds underwater, and incorporate them with truly unforgettable melodies. Each track feels like an extension of the visuals that represent the varying locales of the island. As you dive to the bottom of a lagoon, the distant ambiance of the music highlights the untapped majesty of the space you're exploring. Likewise, when you travel to the peak of a snowy mountain, the tracks become as ominous and foreboding as the endless crevasse that dangerously pepper the landscape. The music pulls more than its weight in creating a succinct and memorable world that unravels in varying amounts depending on how much you put into the game.
SMB may have perfected the concepts of timing and inertia in platformers, but DKC built upon these pillars by adding a wealth of optional moves and techniques for players to learn throughout the course of the game. One could make it through to the end by using a rudimentary moveset, but by experimenting with both characters, you quickly realize just how deep your control over the pair of primates really is. Combat, exploration, and jumping all change based on which chimp you control, giving the game unseen depth for those willing to dive in. Super Mario Bros. demanded perfection from the player; Donkey Kong Country encouraged experimentation. I'll take the latter over the former.
The scope of each game's control mechanics also go hand-in-hand with their respective level designs. Despite having a majority of the game take place outside, Super Mario Bros. consistently feels like you're controlling the plumber as he barrels down the length of an impossibly narrow hallway. The extent of your exploration rarely exceeds the dimensions of the frame that is presented before you. Part of this is obviously a limitation of the 2D perspective, but Donkey Kong Country managed to use a combination of level design and sleight of hand to convince players that the world they were exploring went on far beyond the boundaries of your television. Walls to destroy, secret cannons to destroy, and areas only accessible with the help of your fellow members of the animal kingdom all combined to give the island a sense of scope and wonder that made it feel like these locations actually existed long before your character entered the frame.
Despite all of this, the most important reason that I choose DKC over SMB is simple: Donkey Kong is possibly the most dapper character in video game history. Just take a look at DK as he rocks that red tie without even the slightest hint of pants. Seriously, he's as close to a Kennedy as we're going to ever get in video games. Wardrobe aside, I am in no way discounting the monumental impact that Super Mario Bros. had on our medium. Without it, not only would there be no Donkey Kong Country, but our industry would be an unimaginably different beast. But in 2012, when I sit down and want to experience platforming perfection, I'll choose Rare's masterpiece every single time.
Please set down your pitchforks and extinguish those torches.
Donkey Kong Country was the game that began Rare's ascent to creative bliss. Anyone who owned a Super Nintendo or a Nintendo 64 has undoubtedly fond memories of playing any number of the British developer's classic titles, whether it was slapping down Jago in Killer Instinct or planting the perfect proximity mine in GoldenEye, and this hot streak all began with the reinvention of Mario's original nemesis. A few years after the plumber journeyed around the world, Donkey Kong was tasked with exploring his island in search of his stolen banana hoard. The game was a dense, cutting-edge package that showcased the power of the SNES and provided what I feel to be a perfect platforming experience. As you can probably tell by the video below, my fellow editors do not share in these views.
I was shocked to discover that DKC's visuals have grown to become divisive, with one of the main complaints being that the entire world has a plastic sheen to it. As one of the pioneers of pre-rendered 3D graphics in games, DKC didn't resemble a cartoon so much as an extremely detailed toy box. I fell in love with the character models because they reminded me so much of the action figures I grew up smashing against each other on the carpeted floor of my bedroom. The fact that Rare was able to create an entire world that out of the performances that I imagined with my toys evoked a feeling in me that has yet to be matched to this day. Super Mario Bros. asked you to imagine the expanse of the world you were running through. Donkey Kong Country didn't need to ask this of the player.
As much as the game's visuals resonated with me, it was the soundtrack that managed to burrow deep into my mind. SMB may have a handful of the most memorable music in video game history, but it's DKC's amazing suite of jungle tunes that I still find myself listening to 20 years later. Each track manages to utilize elements of the environment, from wind to animals to the morphing of sounds underwater, and incorporate them with truly unforgettable melodies. Each track feels like an extension of the visuals that represent the varying locales of the island. As you dive to the bottom of a lagoon, the distant ambiance of the music highlights the untapped majesty of the space you're exploring. Likewise, when you travel to the peak of a snowy mountain, the tracks become as ominous and foreboding as the endless crevasse that dangerously pepper the landscape. The music pulls more than its weight in creating a succinct and memorable world that unravels in varying amounts depending on how much you put into the game.
SMB may have perfected the concepts of timing and inertia in platformers, but DKC built upon these pillars by adding a wealth of optional moves and techniques for players to learn throughout the course of the game. One could make it through to the end by using a rudimentary moveset, but by experimenting with both characters, you quickly realize just how deep your control over the pair of primates really is. Combat, exploration, and jumping all change based on which chimp you control, giving the game unseen depth for those willing to dive in. Super Mario Bros. demanded perfection from the player; Donkey Kong Country encouraged experimentation. I'll take the latter over the former.
The scope of each game's control mechanics also go hand-in-hand with their respective level designs. Despite having a majority of the game take place outside, Super Mario Bros. consistently feels like you're controlling the plumber as he barrels down the length of an impossibly narrow hallway. The extent of your exploration rarely exceeds the dimensions of the frame that is presented before you. Part of this is obviously a limitation of the 2D perspective, but Donkey Kong Country managed to use a combination of level design and sleight of hand to convince players that the world they were exploring went on far beyond the boundaries of your television. Walls to destroy, secret cannons to destroy, and areas only accessible with the help of your fellow members of the animal kingdom all combined to give the island a sense of scope and wonder that made it feel like these locations actually existed long before your character entered the frame.
Despite all of this, the most important reason that I choose DKC over SMB is simple: Donkey Kong is possibly the most dapper character in video game history. Just take a look at DK as he rocks that red tie without even the slightest hint of pants. Seriously, he's as close to a Kennedy as we're going to ever get in video games. Wardrobe aside, I am in no way discounting the monumental impact that Super Mario Bros. had on our medium. Without it, not only would there be no Donkey Kong Country, but our industry would be an unimaginably different beast. But in 2012, when I sit down and want to experience platforming perfection, I'll choose Rare's masterpiece every single time.