It really is amazing just how much can change in 13 years. In 1981, Nintendo came on the scene with relatively little video game experience and a pocketful of dreams. But when they released the original "Donkey Kong" arcade game in 1981, it not only changed their fortunes; it practically changed the entire video game industry! Even though the plot of the "Donkey Kong" arcade game is relatively short by today's standards, it was actually one of the FIRST video games to actually HAVE a plot! And as time passed, Nintendo (and many other video game companies) only got better at coming up with better (and often, by extension) longer video game plots. So by the time Nintendo was ready to port this game to the Game Boy in 1994 (to show off the capabilities of the Super Game Boy), it was clear that an endless loop of the original four Arcade stages just wasn't going to cut it anymore! So, they not only started with the original four Arcade stages, they added so much more! Including the original four Arcade stages, there are a total of 100 (technically 101 counting the FINAL boss stage), spread out over 9 levels! While the stages themselves aren't overly long, and the premise of each stage is in theory; relatively simple, accomplishing the goals can be much more difficult than just getting from point A to point B. After the first four Arcade stages, the goal of three consecutive stages is usually to get the key and carry it to the locked door in order to open it. Just don't think you can pick it up and throw it somewhere, and expect it to just stay there; the key will disappear and return back to its original starting point if it's NOT picked up again in too long! A secondary goal of every three consecutive stages, is to try to collect Pauline's lost items, which are a hat, a purse, and an umbrella. If you successfully collect all three of them, you can play a mini-game to try to earn more lives; either a slot machine that can earn Zero-5 lives depending on the combination, or a simple roulette that can earn 1-3 lives depending on where it stops. Every fourth stage, you have to contend with Donkey Kong himself. You either have to try to just get to Pauline, or throw stuff at Donkey Kong in order to beat him. Eventually, Donkey Kong Jr. gets in on the act, and he will periodically appear in stages and randomly affect the puzzles; forcing you to pay attention to what he is doing. While some of the puzzles are difficult to solve, they are never impossible. The graphics, music, sound, and controls are all absolutely perfect for this Game Boy game. Arguably, the only thing keeping this game from being perfect, is the fact that the game might be a little too hard for inexperienced game-players. Thankfully, with this game now being available on the Nintendo Switch Virtual Console Game Boy service; it's now finally more reasonable than ever to beat this amazing game! Put yourself to the test, and see if you have what it takes to challenge Donkey Kong! Enough said, true believers!
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