Donkey Konga

Nintendo exclusivePort

The European port of Donkey Konga, which has a track listing different from the Japanese and North American versions.

Released: 15 October 2004
Platforms: GameCube
Genres: Rhythm
Developers: Namco
Publishers: Nintendo
Modes: Local multiplayer Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Auditory
Themes: Party
Age ratings: PEGI 3 ACB G USK 0
Languages: English, English (UK), French, German, Italian, Spanish (Spain)

About

Donkey Konga is a series of rhythm video games developed by Namco and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. A spin-off of the Donkey Kong series, they are played with a special controller called the DK Bongos that resemble two small bongo drums, but can optionally be played with the standard GameCube controllers.

Donkey Konga was developed by the team that were responsible for developing the Taiko no Tatsujin series. The tracks include songs such as "Louie Louie", "We Will Rock You", "Shining Star", "Rock Lobster", "Losing My Religion", and Hungarian Dance#5 in G Minor. There are tracks from the Mario series, The Legend of Zelda series, and other Nintendo related music. The Japanese, North American, and PAL region versions have different track lists, and in the North American version of the first two games, almost all of the licensed non-Nintendo/traditional songs are shortened covers. The first two games have around 30 tracks each, depending on the region, while Donkey Konga 3 has 58.

Keywords

retroachievements
regional port

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Story

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are sitting on a beach one day when they come across some mysterious objects that resemble barrels. Fearing they had something to do with King K. Rool, they take them to Cranky Kong. Cranky explains that they are bongos, so Donkey tries playing them, as does Diddy.

Then, when Donkey claps, the bongos start glowing. Cranky explains that the bongos have some kind of power inside them. Donkey and Diddy continue to play the bongos, but they both play terribly. Cranky advises them to practice.

Reception

Donkey Konga received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.

Maxim gave the game a score of eight out of ten and said that four bongos should be added "to create a frenzied, unholy din suitable for ritual virgin sacrifice". The Sydney Morning Herald gave it four stars out of five and wrote: "The beginner's level is a breeze, but Konga later becomes deliciously challenging, with hilarity-inducing flustered panic as you start to fall behind and surprising levels of concentration required to clap instead of drum. Hysteria soon prevails". The New York Times, however, gave it a mixed review and said: "Before you buy Konga, try clapping along with every song on the radio for half an hour and see how you feel at the end".