Donkey Kong 3 is a strange single-screen shooter that I’ve written about a few times, but never reviewed. I’m a little surprised by this because I really like the game. It is a unique shooter that has some platforming mechanics to it.
Like many of these early NES games, this was based on the arcade game of the same name. It was sold as a conversion kit and didn’t do as well as the previous games in the series. At the time it was released, Nintendo was shifting its focus to the home console as the cost of arcade games was starting to rise.
I never played the arcade version of the game, and I don’t remember playing the NES game when I was a kid. My only experience would’ve been with the NES version, as I didn’t grow up near an arcade. The NES is the way I played many ports of arcade games, such as BurgerTime and Rampage. Let’s get into Donkey Kong 3 and see what it has to offer.
TLDR: A strange and unique shoot’em up.
Narrative
Mario isn’t in this game. Nintendo’s little plumber had a change of heart and gave up his villainous ways of kidnapping apes. So, Stanley the Bugman steps into the role of the hero, and Donkey Kong returns to be the villain. For some reason, he has an army of bugs with him.
Like many arcade games from the 1980s, Donkey Kong 3 has a bare-bones story. Stanely is minding his own business when Donkey Kong smashes into his greenhouse. For some reason, the necktie-wearing ape hates Stanley and his thriving cannabis business (I know he isn’t growing cannabis). Donkey Kong sends an army of bugs after Stanley, who has to fight them off with his bug spray, which works on Donkey Kong for some reason.
The story is fine. It isn’t any stranger than any other arcade game. Granted, I do think it is very strange that Donkey Kong hates this poor gardener for no reason. Unless this is where Mario gets all his herbs for whatever Italian food he’s planning to make. I guess we’ll never know, because this is the last time Stanley would appear as a playable character.
Gameplay
The gameplay is very simple. Donkey Kong 3 has solid controls and a fun gameplay loop. You have two goals and a few ways to lose.
To get to the next level, you have to force Donkey Kong to the top of the screen. Each stage is a little different, but that is the ultimate goal. You can lose a life by getting hit by one of the enemies, losing all your plants, or letting Donkey Kong reach the bottom of the ropes. At times, he’ll throw a coconut at you because he’s a jerk.
Your spray gun has a short range, so you’ll have to jump to the upper platforms to reach Donkey Kong. Sometimes, there will be a spray can on one of the ropes. If you get Donkey Kong up high enough, he’ll knock it down for you. This is the only power-up in the game, and it lets you shoot to the top of the screen.
You get three lives, and there are no continues. This isn’t that big of a problem and is similar to other arcade shoot’em ups from this era. You’re just playing for a high score in this game.
The levels repeat, like other arcade games. They get more complex as the platform layout changes, vines will appear on the screen for the worms to crawl across, and the enemies will get faster. This all makes things more fun as you can’t use the same strategy over and over.
I like the gameplay in Donkey Kong 3 quite a bit. It is a weird shoot’em up, and I’m a fan of weird games. This is one of the games that I really enjoy going back to as a change of pace from the normal games I play.
Visuals
The graphics are pretty good for an early NES game. The enemies are easy to see, I like the facial expressions on some of them, and the level design is good. It is also easy to see how well you’re doing.
Enemies act a little like those in Galaga. They appear from random parts of the screen and have different patterns to their movement. Donkey Kong only moves up and down, but that isn’t a big deal, and it goes along with the gameplay.
It is easy to tell when one of your five plants is being stolen, and which enemy has it. You can also tell when the Super Spray power-up is available. Donkey Kong moves up and down on two vines, or ropes, and you can tell how far away from the top of the screen he is.
The worms and Donkey Kong have facial expressions, which look pretty good. Stanley’s animations are also quite good. I like his little victory and death animations. I’m not sure if he’s getting killed or knocked out, to be honest.
The graphics and level design make the game much more fun for me. It isn’t the same layout each time, which adds some variety to the standard formula. The enemies are varied enough to keep things fun.
8/10. For a single-screen arcade game, this is quite fun. It is a fun and challenging experience. While not as good as Galaga, it is quite a bit better than some of the other NES launch titles.
Pros
- Good Controls
- Challenging Gameplay
- Goofy Animations
Cons
- Not a lot to it
- Can get repetitive
- No Continues
Conclusion
Donkey Kong 3 is an odd game because of how different it is from the other two games in the original trilogy. I get the same vibes from this game that I do from Halloween 3. The main character from the other two is gone, and that is where most criticisms begin and end.
This is a quality shoot ’em up with some unique gameplay for its time. I like the platforming elements and how weird this game is. Some of the gameplay is like Galaga, which is one of my favorite shoot’em ups of all time. I do wish I had the chance to play this game in the arcades.
While this game isn’t going to be very high on a list of the best NES games, it is a very fun arcade game. The NES port is very good, and I like how there isn’t really anything else like it on the console. Every time I come back to it, I have a good time, which isn’t something I can say about every NES game.
If you liked this post, please check out my other reviews of NES games, such as Stinger and Air Fortress.