Donkey Kong - Arcade
| Also on: Atari 5200, Atari 2600, Coleco Vision, Mattel Intellivision, Atari 7800, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore VIC-20, Texas Instruments TI 99/4A, Microsoft DOS, Nintendo Famicom Disk System, Nintendo NES, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Game Boy, Tandy TRS-80 CoCo, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, MSX, Commodore Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Nintendo Super Gameboy |
TV commercial from another systemDonkey Kong - Coleco Vision version shown because a Arcade commercial is unavailable. |
Donkey Kong is a legendary arcade platform game in which the player takes on the role of Jumpman, who would later be renamed Mario and would go on to become Nintendo's mascot and a gaming legend. In this game, he must battle his way to the top of each level to rescue his beloved Pauline; who has been kidnapped by the giant ape, Donkey Kong.
For additional points, players can collect umbrellas, hats, purses and other bonus items that Pauline has dropped on her way to the top of the building. Jumpman can also grab a hammer to smash Barrels, Beams, Fireballs, Cement Pies, and Firefoxes to earn additional bonus points. The hammer can only be used for a limited time, however, and Jumpman cannot jump or climb ladders while in possession of the hammer.
On the Ramp, Elevator and Conveyor Belt stages, whenever Jumpman reaches Pauline, Donkey Kong will grab her and carry her off to the next level. (Exception: On the Conveyor Belt stage, Jumpman only needs to reach Donkey Kong's platform to clear the stage.)
On the Rivet stage, Jumpman must remove eight rivets by running or jumping over them. After all eight rivets are removed, Donkey Kong will fall head first onto a stack of girders, knocking him out, and Jumpman and Pauline will finally be reunited.
The game then starts over again with an increased level of difficulty.
- CAST OF CHARACTERS -
Jumpman:
This is the one and only Mario who will go on to become one of the biggest video game stars of all time. This is the game that started it all for him. His given profession in Donkey Kong is that of a carpenter, instead of a plumber.
Pauline:
Jumpman's girlfriend and damsel in distress. She is stuck at the top of each screen awaiting rescue from the clutches of Donkey Kong. (When the arcade version of the game was first released, she did not have an official name and was just referred to as "Lady"; she was renamed "Pauline" about the same time Jumpman was renamed "Mario".)
Donkey Kong:
The most well-known video game ape and only character to retain his original name in future games. Donkey Kong has kidnapped Pauline and carried her up to the top of the construction site that Jumpman is working at.
Hammer:
Except for the Elevator stage, two hammers can be found on each stage. Jump to grab the hammer and use it to smash nearby dangers for points. It only lasts for a short time and Mario cannot climb ladders while he is holding the hammer.
Barrel:
Donkey Kong throws these at Jumpman on the Ramp stage. Many of them roll down the ramps and randomly drop down ladders that they pass. Sometimes Kong throws them directly down the building.
Beam:
These are the blue Barrels that Kong throws. The only difference between them and the Barrels is that Beams will turn into Fireballs when they reach the burning can of oil at the bottom.
Fireball:
These appear on every stage except the Rivet stage. They move about randomly and can be jumped, but it's dangerous to try because they change directions frequently.
Cement Pie:
These appear on the Conveyor Belt stage only. They passively travel along the conveyor belt and are harmful to touch. The only danger they pose is when the conveyor belt suddenly changes directions.
Spring:
These bounce along the roof of the Elevator stage before falling down to the bottom of the screen creating a dangerous but predictable obstacle to avoid.
Firefox:
The fire enemies that roam around the Rivet stage. They are even harder to jump over and they seem to track Mario a little more closely.
Prizes:
Except on the Ramp stage, some of Pauline's dropped items (namely her purse, hat and umbrella) litter the construction site and can be retrieved by Jumpman for bonus points.
Game description from www.arcade-history.com
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