NEW PLAY CONTROL! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

Controls

Donkey Kong might be one of the oldest swingers in town, but he still has more than enough moves in his locker to claim back his jungle territory and collect every last banana that’s up for grabs. The secret of success in NEW PLAY CONTROL! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat lies in stringing together combinations of moves that see the great ape jumping from wall to wall, performing back flips, swinging from the scenery and generally keeping his feet off the ground whilst collecting his favourite fruit. More style equals more satisfaction – not to mention a much higher banana haul!

While the GameCube original saw Donkey Kong’s every move governed by beats on the DK Bongos (a special peripheral controller shaped like a set of drums), the Wii version introduces a straightforward and intuitive control scheme that uses the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to give you complete control over the acrobatic ape’s platforming exploits.

Basic Beats

Donkey Kong’s basic walking movements are now controlled with the Nunchuk Control Stick, while pressing the A Button will make him jump. A quick shake of the Wii Remote will trigger DK’s Clap Attack – unleashing a sound wave strong enough to unearth bananas, stun enemies and more. The direction the Clap Attack sound wave travels is set with the Nunchuk Control Stick prior to cutting it loose.

Shaking the Wii Remote or Nunchuk once will also make DK perform a bunch of actions dependent on his surroundings. He might punch enemies, throw items, grab helpful allies or interact with parts of the scenery. Other actions that were previously governed by a rapid drumming motion in the original game (like attack combos in boss battles), are now controlled by shaking the Wii Remote and Nunchuk alternately.

Ultimately, all DK’s moves are in aid of one thing: Collecting bananas. The more acrobatic your moves, the more you can bag – with the total number you collect having a bearing on your progress to new kingdoms and your strength when you face the game’s many bosses.

So now you know the basic laws of the jungle, but if you want to see just how extreme Donkey Kong’s acrobatic abilities are, take a look at our Expert Exploits section.

Expert Exploits

NEW PLAY CONTROL! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is no average side-scrolling platform game. The world around DK is ripe with possibilities for anyone looking to get creative in the quest for bananas. DK has the skill to perform back flips, wall jumps and ground pounds – not to mention the reflexes necessary to grab hold of, or bounce off, anything and everything that might get him closer to his favoured foodstuff.

Donkey Kong

DK is determined to restore order to every corner of his world after a hostile takeover leaves him and his friends deprived of that most precious of creature comforts - bananas. Thankfully, this isn’t a one-monkey mission, and Donkey Kong has some friends to help him along on his quest. Which is a good thing, because it’s a jungle out there. For every good guy willing to give DK some assistance, there are plenty more unfriendly types out to make sure he fails.

Meet some of the colourful creatures that will aid Donkey Kong on his travels, as well as some of the burly bosses that will be barring his way.

Amicable Animals

Hoofer

Donkey Kong is strong, but Hoofer gives new meaning to the term “brute strength”. This bullish beast can be ridden at speed through certain stages – shattering obstacles (and enemies) that might be blocking the path. Hoofer is also known to love a bit of ski jumping, ensuring there’s a high-flying end to any level where he appears.

Flurl

Is it a cat, is it a squirrel? It doesn’t really matter, Flurl offers Donkey Kong a safe landing by assuming the shape of a parachute and letting him glide easily over otherwise impassable dangers below.

Orco

Not all monkeys like going for a swim, but then again, they don’t all have a friend like Orco. This helpful killer whale enables Donkey Kong to glide underwater with ease by smashing barriers that bar the way, and can even jump out of the sea and over obstacles that can’t be passed by other means.

Helibird

While Flurl lets Donkey Kong down gently, Helibird helps him go up in the world. Grabbing Helibird will give DK the power to travel skyward for as long as he can avoid being hit by an enemy or crashing into the scenery – literally taking him to new heights.

Helper Monkeys

With his primary mission revolving around the salvage of missing bananas, it’s no surprise there are plenty of monkeys keen to help Donkey Kong along. Helper Monkeys are scattered throughout all of the kingdoms DK visits, and assist by throwing him into the air to help him reach new areas.

The Evil Kings

Ruling over the hordes that have invaded Donkey Kong’s turf are four furry kings that give the Kong name a bad reputation. Dread Kong, Karate Kong, Ninja Kong and Sumo Kong are some of the meanest monkeys around, and each one is intent on ensuring their heroic namesake slips up. Defeating them is a case of dodging their powerful attacks and hitting back with some well-timed blows of your own – a process that demands no small measure of simian skill!

The Rocs

These unwelcoming bird bosses have no intention of being grounded by a mere monkey. Scruff Roc, Fleet Roc, Hard Roc and Thunder Roc will fire razor-sharp feathers at their foe and use their giant wings to generate winds designed to blow DK away. Each Roc carries an egg, which could hold the key to cracking these tough bosses…

The Hogs

Rogue-Hog, Mo-Hog, Bloat-Hog and Gloat-Hog are not the kind of pigs you want to be trapped in a pen with. Sporting Mohawk hairstyles and the ability to shock DK with balls of electricity, the only good news about having to fight the Hogs is that Helper Monkeys are on hand to offer assistance by lining Donkey Kong up for attacks.

The Tusks

You have to give Turret Tusk, Grave Tusk and Torch Tusk credit for being creative. After all, it’s not every day you see enormous mammoths firing fruit, fire and lasers from their trunks! Just looking at one of these monsters would be enough to make an average ape abandon their quest, but Donkey Kong is pretty creative when it comes to beating his enemies too.