Donkey Kong Country: Reviving An Icon for the '90s - Donkey Kong Dissection

It's the 40th anniversary of Donkey Kong! The arcade hit helped pioneer platformers as a video game genre. While that worked out fantastically for Mario, by the '90s, Donkey Kong was washed up. Thankfully, a British company named Rare came along and used their best computers to save DK and the Super NES. Was it all computer-generated razzle dazzle, or does Donkey Kong Country still hold up?
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[@alimowla3204]

this dbz great ape spin-off sure is bizarre.

[@robertwyatt3912]

Who would have thought that the common saiyan ancestor was DK?

[@spartanq7781]

@@robertwyatt3912 No wonder Freeza calls them monkeys.

[@alimowla3204]

@@spartanq7781 i mean with diddy being donkey's nephew, at this point i don't blame him for not being able to tell the difference.

[@spartanq7781]

@@alimowla3204 That has nothing to do with what I said.

[@alimowla3204]

@@spartanq7781 well robert wyatt joked about dk being the ancestor of the saiyans, you joked that's the reason freeza calls the saiyans monkeys, and diddy is a monkey and not an ape. guess the joke worked better in my head than it did in text, oh well, sorry i guess.

[@ScherrHrenner]

I remember discovering the infamous bonus room in Oil Drum Alley by accident, because I accidentally hit the small banana in the first barrel and went along with it. Since it was the GBC version where the problem with getting to the second bonus room got fixed, I could walk into the room right away after throwing the barrel. However, when I tried to do the same years later in the GBA port, I was very confused, since there it worked exactly the same way as in the original SNES version I hadn't played back then. So at one point Rare actually fixed the barrel problem, but decided to un-fix it in a later port.

[@Mike14264]

Oh. That's some ass-backwards crap right there.

[@Jotari]

Wow, that's kind of hilarious. Because the original looks so clearly like it's a glitch and not the intended way to get to that room. How the hell they managed to actually over look that is a bit on the baffling side, but I have a harder time believing they expected people to jump throw into the wall to get into the clearly marker room before the segment auto ends.

[@NGScoob]

Anyone know if it’s fixed in the Switch online version?

[@Mike14264]

@@NGScoob good question. I already know it ain't fixed in the GBA one, which sucks.

[@ScherrHrenner]

@@NGScoob Probably not, since it's a faithful adaption of the original SNES version.

[@SumTr011]

Hmm, will this be a one-off or beginning of a series? Would love to see more of this.

[@imperators_8700]

He said in a discussion post he would cover the others at some point

[@robertwyatt3912]

Look at the end of the video

[@bearmanscave3289]

These kind of videos could very well be your next big thing after DBD has ended! Brilliant video. I only ever played Donkey Kong 2 (and sadly never completed it), but this was still fun to watch

[@didgeridude8430]

The DKC series especially DKC2 are some of the best SNES games.

[@MikeRitiques]

*best games

[@rug052]

DKC 3 is great also tbh

[@RaptureMusicOfficial]

DKC2 is kinda boring imho, DKC and DKC3 are my favorites.

[@charizard7666]

@@RaptureMusicOfficial Boring how? i'm a big dkc2 fan and i'm curious to see how you think its worse than the other two.

[@rdowg]

Thats why it always amazes me just how good the Retro DKC games are. Tropical feeeze finally managed to knock DKC2 off the top of my "GOAT list"

[@ThelronFjord]

11:00 >Naming chapters with rhymes or alliteration like in DKC I love you, Mistare.

[@MistareFusion]

Yay! Glad you appreciated it.

[@mikehikes3902]

Donkey Kong Country is one of the most perfect games of all time...the crisp but fluid controls, beautiful graphics/aesthetics, replay value, and the timeless iconic soundtrack are a great amalgamation.

[@glimmerkepu]

I still can't get over the fact that Donkey Kong has a Battletoads face and I never questioned it until this year.

[@austriafortheworld]

You have a gift of making intelligent and insightful analyses of modern pop culture, without dwelling in nostalgia. Brilliant as always, looking forward to this new dissection. Best wishes!

[@Irkaylub]

You definitely knocked this one out of the park. This was really thoroughly enjoyable and informative. Would love to see a continuation or just more like it for other games you have this sort of attachment to.

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

As a priest in the Church of the Algorithm, I bless this video with a comment.

[@pubcle]

BY THE WILL OF THE OMNISSIAH!

[@theSato]

Okay but.. odds are that Donkey Kong Country IS the viewer's "father's Donkey Kong".. feel old yet?

[@Renson103]

As someone primarily in the business of video game retrospectives (albeit written), I am SUPER excited to see you take a crack at Donkey Kong Country!

[@fabledredeyes]

One of the best videogame reviews I've seen. I'd love to see you tackle old/historic games in this style more often, it really makes one appreciate the artistry involved.

[@HybridAngelZero]

This was wonderful. The DKC series, in particular Rare's original trilogy, I feel doesn't get quite enough appreciation as of late, and you really broke down not only what makes it great, but the room it has to improve, in a really enjoyable way

[@OnlyGoken]

Absolutely continue this series! DKC is a series I adore and I'd love to see you branch off into different video games as well. It was informative and brought a new perspective on DKC I didnt think of with the bonus room issues

[@TMOSP1]

I follow a ton of video game retrospective channels, and I did about a triple take when I realized who actually uploaded this video after I clicked on it.

[@Metalwario64]

Glad to see you shout out TGC, because I've always been a huge fan of his retrospectives, and after this, now I hope you do more video game dissections in the future.

[@Clean.Eastwood]

31:42 ohh so THAT'S where Naughty Dog got their idea for Crash's full completion percentage being 105%!

[@devilcraft4281]

I'm so glad you mentioned The Geek Critique's retrospective of the DKC series. I absolutely loved that series, so it's awesome to see that you watched it as well and most likely took a bit of inspiration from it when making this video.

[@MistareFusion]

Thanks. He and I have been fans of each other for many years.

[@therealhardrock]

28:03 On the file select screen, highlight "erase game" and push B A R R A L to get 50 lives.

[@Athesies]

Video game analysis and your reviews. Im so hype for this crossover! Loving the video so far, i love hearing stories about someone's early gaming days

[@RaptureMusicOfficial]

I played DKC when it came out in 1994, first time in Belgium at the beach (during summer vacation)... fantastic nostalgic memories!

[@shupasopni]

I loved this! Hope to see more in the future.

[@calhounnick15]

I haven't finished the video yet but I gotta say you've already made interesting points that I've never heard from any other KZbin video, excellent job as always.

[@MangaDungeon]

I love it, cant wait to see DK 2 or.... whatever elce you had in store, im sure these longer game videos are more of a treat and happy the dissection family is growing

[@analog_ape]

When I was 9, me and my family enjoyed looking for the last few remaining bonus levels, and we were so proud when we had them all. Have a victory photo 🤣

[@KremBotop]

A huge childhood favorite surprisingly getting an stellar dissection treatment. Well done

[@Henrique.Souza0601]

Just amazing how you spent 45min talking about a SNES game about two monkeys fighting alligators to retrieve a banana hoard and it feels like I started watching 5min ago. Amazing! Thanks for this content.

[@Mewzard]

Solid video man! Glad to see you cover such a fantastic video game in your in-depth style.

[@cocojumbo8240]

the formatting and pacing of this is good enough to say you've got a knack for game review

[@jamesbounds]

My favorite Donkey Kong is the second. I love the Pirate and Monster themes in it.

[@brendiesel386]

i would love a series like this!!!! just a fun little thing to do whenever time allows it this was such a thorough breakdown of donkey kong country, from the story, to its roots, to being an actual review of the game and its content its kinda funny, because i'm a huge mario fan and i was planning on one day (just an idea) to make a "mario dissection" of sorts (i wouldn't call it that obviously, just getting the idea across) its fun to see you've already done some of the work, not only in terms of introducing me to the concept of exploring media from a different angle, looking at it critically, looking at what inspired it or what came before, but also in terms of diving into the mario series

[@BlueLightning09]

It makes sense that the modern DK is DK Jr. all grown up. There are canon contradicting arguments in favor and against this theory. But this is the way it truly makes sense. DK gained his hero status by saving his papa in the original arcade Donkey Kong Jr. game.

[@Pinkfloyd0729]

Ooh, I wasn’t expecting this to be the new thing you were hyping. Colour me intrigued.

[@MistareFusion]

Hope you like it!

[@Pinkfloyd0729]

@@MistareFusion It was great, I’ve never been a big DK fan but I love hearing your style of analysis as well as little obscure video game things like the bonus room inside a bonus room. Keep them coming!

[@banjo9158]

One of my favorite gaming franchises for sure, it deserves all the praise it gets, and even though it isn't my favorite in the franchise, it was the one who started it, honestly, i wish you could have talked more about king k rool, and how great of a villain he is, but other than that, this video is great. i can't wait to see the dissection of the 3rd installment.

[@Favk21]

Our family had the Super Nintendo with DKC and I played the sh!t out of it. Ah, them blessed saturday mornings... This video is spot on and even gives answers to questions long since forgotten about the 101% completion. Thank you, I'm looking forward to DKC2 video.

[@iamLI3]

beautiful description of the game at the end , exactly spot on and that's even how i felt about it as a kid without fully being self aware of it at the time....

[@Weebusaurus]

This video seems ripe to become an algorithm-friendly suggestion box denizen for half of youtube. I'm praying it does and you get the recognition you deserve!

[@seanfroelich4528]

Old Man MistareFusion: Get of MY Donkey Kong! Great review, you found plenty of angles that aren't discussed in other DKC retrospectives

[@brandnamepending4817]

Im so excited to watch one of my favorite channels branch out into something so interesting, looking forward towatching this with my partner after work today. Keep up the good work!

[@WFQuill]

the doge shits at the 8:30 mark caught me off guard lmao. didn't expect that from you

[@captain_dsz6049]

this was such an emotional review for me thank you for this

[@thewal1ofsleep]

I think I first became aware of Donkey Kong Country when I received the VHS tape advertisement from Nintendo Power at age 11. I was instantly hyped. I loved the characters, the design of the world, the animation and graphics, the music, everything. The wait until Christmas (when I knew I would get the game) felt like an eternity, despite being only a couple months. I must have watched that tape dozens of times while waiting for the chance to play the game. What a brilliant marketing move. When I finally got my hands on the game it did not disappoint. I sunk so many hours into DKC, beating it numerous times in pursuit of that 101% completion. It still holds up to this day.

[@esosa7725]

You're probably the most consistently good channel on youtube. Keep chuggin!

[@JohnDRuddyMannyMan]

This was fun

[@PizzaDoesThings]

As a longtime DK fan, I’m very excited to see where this series goes. I hope you’ll cover more DK games in the series other than the SNES trilogy. I’d love to know your thoughts on 64, Jungle Beat, and the 2 games by retro. Very much looking forward to this new dissection series.

[@spyroG3]

Excellent video! DK(C) is probably my favorite Nintendo franchise and it's great to see a detailed retrospective on the first game. Hopefully you can do the next part, in due course, there is no rush. Oh and I didn't mention it before but thanks for the subtitles.

[@incrediblecaptain]

Honestly, as long as you’re passionate about it, I could listen to you talk about anything. Dragon, power rangers, donkey kong, batman, whatever! Keep it coming man!

[@endless_oblivion1451]

This was pretty awesome! I’m sure me and many others would be happy to tune into any of your videos on other video games after your dragon ball dissections are finished! Well made and thought out video. I look forward to seeing DKC 2 and more!

[@aarongreenfield9038]

Cranky kong is the original Donkey Kong, The Kong in Donkey Kong country is the Son.

[@bloodydoll5897]

love the visuals and how they match up with the voice over and captions!

[@oldschoolben1471]

Awesome videos. I love watching retrospectives on classic games. I would love to see your take on DKC2.. Keep up the good work.

[@chumpchangedrawscomics5907]

This has the potential to be your best series to date. Please keep making content like this and I will be there for all of it!

[@mariothewizard3710]

Yo Fusion, this video is great, Fun editing and great points all around. Having played all three games during the 40th anniversary seeing this is a nice treat. Even though you are more used to story critique, your gameplay critiques are as strong. I look forward to more of this series!

[@gtdfg4594]

I didn't know that I'd like your dissection style this much applied to a game; fantastic work, I've just watched the first 11 minutes and I have to commend the script, editing and voice quality!

[@devilcraft4281]

Please continue these game reviews! As a guy whos watched way more video game reviews than he probably should, I can safely say that you have a knack for this sort of thing. Keep doing these, and I swear they'll just start getting better and better.

[@MistareFusion]

Thanks. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I definitely intend to continue this as a series. I have the DKC2 footage captured and timecoded. Hopefully sometime within the next few months I'll be able to make more progress on it, but it is difficult to find time in between my other regular releases, like Dragon Ball Dissection and Mighty Morphin Zyurangers. But reception to this has been very positive, and its follow-up will definitely be coming, I promise.

[@devilcraft4281]

@@MistareFusion Glad to hear that this will continue to be a thing! One thing though, and I think you're already aware of this but: please don't push yourself to absolute extremes to get this DKC2 video out while you're doing your other videos. A lot of us will be looking forward to it, but that doesn't mean you should overwork yourself to get it done. Hope you're doing well this holiday season, and have a good day!

[@mrm64]

This is AMAZING work. Legit was confused and wondered if I was watching a Geek Critique video lol (ironically you mentioned him too, ha!)

[@Dante...]

This video was a surprise to be sure. But a welcome one.

[@drewboden6981]

This is really well done. Hope to see more of this kind of thing in the future. Good job!

[@Max_Rex]

I always loved the paintings on the box cover and instruction booklets. It always sparked my imagination in a HUGE way and inspired/helped propel and perpetuate/amplify my love of and respect for art. I used to stare at the instruction booklet art for long periods of time.

[@OccuredJakub12]

Honestly, I streamed DKC1 just last year without any prior experience with the series and I was charmed instantly. The prerendered backgrounds, the amazing music, even the platforming wasn't just bog-standard, but very unique and even innovative! DKC's charm is something I don't think will ever age. There's lots of frustrating parts too, but even that I see as appealing in its own way.

[@ThatguycalledJoe]

"KONG letters don't count toward your completion" I'm just reminded of that bizarre level toward the end of Donkey Kong Land where you have to collect the KONG letters repeatedly because you use them as platforms.

[@TurquoiseStar17]

I remember that. Forgot what the level was called, though.

[@ThatguycalledJoe]

@@TurquoiseStar17 Donkey Kong Land doesn't state its level names within the game, but internet says it's called Kong Krazy.

[@TurquoiseStar17]

@@ThatguycalledJoe Thanks! It's in the City world.

[@asherzerbib3461]

OKAY! This was definitely a new experience from your usual repertoire, though the seeds were their from your Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans review. Looking forward to DKC2 and your review of its mechanics and scoring.

[@mbpritch22]

I love this video! DKC was my favorite game growing up (tied with Capcom's "Aladdin"), and I learned SO MUCH from watching this video!! It was engaging, entertaining, AND fun. I can't wait for more of these. You're the best, @MistareFusion!

[@MistareFusion]

And that's why you're the Mary Bestest!

[@111matt]

check out Aero the Acro-Bat for snes if you haven't

[@dellanpickle]

I cannot stress this enough, you branching out from dragon ball is a great decision and at least I would watch every single video. Please do it more often, it's amazing!!

[@generfeld]

fantastic review. you put so much work into this, great job

[@sledgethomas9499]

Your tha man Lance!! Amazing Video I know u out a lot of work into it it always shows in the amazing quality! One Love

[@strawhatmonty22897]

This was great. Surprising that it was your first time doing a video like this. I'm not really into dragonball or sentai but this at least was pretty rad lol

[@Cazz8203]

This video was hilarious. I never heard anyone go into such detail and complain sooo much about all the same crap I went through as a kid. I eventually mastered the game. Played it over and over just because I loved it. But there's no way in hell I would have ever gotten 101% until I was an adult and KZbin videos showed me how to find all the secret rooms. I knew there wasn't any bonus stuff to play by getting 101% but since I've been a completionest ever since I was a kid playing super Mario world, I had to do it. I think the other term for it is obsessive compulsive disorder lol. Awesome video man. This was a lot of fun.

[@aquanaridllcl970]

I was quickly searching a video while I was about to make a cake, and didn't realize who was the KZbinr. This is a nice little surprise ^^

[@nouvellevague29]

I hate hyperboles but I think this might the best video you have made yet! Truly nothing to envy about how other creators made their videos. I really liked your section analyzing the manual. I always heard that Cranky made snide comments all over the manual, but never saw them until now. I honestly hope you made videos about DKC2 and 3, no matter how they take, they will absolutely be worth the wait. I have seen many DKC videos over the years, with each creator having their own style, so I was looking forward with excitement what you were going to bring to the table, and I really liked your personal memories about the game and how gaming was back then, is a refreshing approach.

[@CortezaDeAbedul]

Really awesome video! I hope you get to the future installements, specially the Retro Studios games.

[@shman5000o]

Loved the vid. Though I've seen dozens of reviews/dissections on this game already, yours was still so dope that I watched from beginning to end glued to the screen. So I def would love to see a follow up with a DKC2 dissection. And hopefully, a whole series on DK(from SNES to Switch)

[@superjetze]

Who here thinks he's going to talk about the stickerbush/stickerbrush symphony situation?

[@tiffanysmith2805]

I think you did an amazing job. 👏

[@themrdoggo]

Been playing this for the first time in over a decade with a friend recently. Absolutely incredible game and series, and one of my first alongside Pokémon Snap. Excited to watch the video lol

[@sahilhossain8204]

Lore of Donkey Kong Country: Reviving An Icon for the '90s - Donkey Kong Dissection Momentum 100

[@trufreedom]

Great video, as always! Thanks for the great content!

[@murph_archer1129]

This was amazing! One of my favourite games of all time. Cannot wait for part 2!

[@bilbo671]

Great video! While I usually come for the Dragonball content, this was a great change of pace and your style translated well into a video game retrospective. Keep up the great work!

[@mikecvanarts]

This was very well done. Looking forward to future content. I would be interested to hear your thoughts and analysis on the rest of the DK series and other game series a well. Lots of potential--keep it up bud.

[@chaosfreak8269]

christ on a bike Lance, this dissection sure came out of left field. Definitly a welcome surprise to be sure! The DKC trilogy might be the games I have played the most in my youth. This series was so mindblowingly next level and creative in all categories. Graphics, character designs, level designs. David Wise's music ranges from frivolent evironmental ambience to absolute Wagnerian darkness and melancholy and is one of the most varied and capable scores to ever grace the Snes' library (maybe only rivaled by Kenji Yamamoto's Super Metroid OST). King K Rool has recently been added to the Super Smash roster of playable characters as the most requested fighter by fans and I think this speaks volumes as to how much impact Rare has made on the Donkey Kong franchise. The snarky self deprecating humor the british are known for surely helped giving this series alot of charm. Looking forward to the Donkey Kong Country 2 video in the future, I feel this is Rare's DKC masterpiece of the trilogy.

[@StarkMark2]

Now as a fine connoisseur of all things MistareFusion....yeah idk where I was going with that. But I loved the video, my legit ONLY DKC exposure was the cartoon. And Smash Bros. So, I'm hoping you continue this series with the other installments!

[@FantasyOmega]

Awesome video! Definitely want to see more content like this

[@Malinator94]

I’m so glad you made this video, when you teased it I was so confused. I love your analysis on this. This was a top game of my childhood for sure but DKC2 is where it’s at! Can’t wait for that video from you

[@fwdt1827]

This was very well done, bravo mistare

[@willcapewell5700]

Verry good video dude Hit every note. Would love to see a HD fan version of this game one day like you mentioned

[@mariobermudez1228]

Loved it. I wouldn't mind you reviewing the rest of the Donkey Kong Country games or talking about supplementary materials such as the cartoon, the manga, and the western novels/chapter books.

[@StarsAndSticks]

First time I've seen your content. Subbed. Great work here, more of this video game content please.

[@cosmojerk6191]

For your first time doing a game review, I say you did a fantastic job! A great review for a great game. I’d love to see your takes on DKC2, since that’s one of my favorite games ever. Hopefully you can continue this series in the future.

[@alvarostockle]

This video was great. Well done!

[@devynpena6549]

It's so easy to see how much hard work went into this project and I hope the video gets the love from everyone that it deserves!

[@AphidKirby]

This was! a delight to watch! Really high effort dissection! loved it!

[@pavement3931]

donkey kong country 3 is going to be an interesting one

[@DonWeaselYeehawEdition]

Fantastic video 👍 I just started playing this game for the first time, it’s cool to see such an in-depth look at it! Also never knew that Cranky Kong was the OG Arcade DK. What a fun fact!

[@Morgil27]

Your story of upgrading consoles sounds similar to my own. I was born in 84, got an NES when I was 5, and begged for an SNES only a couple of years later.

[@Cinderkin]

I loved this. What a fun video. I would love to see the sequel, hopefully doesn't take too long :)

[@MagillanicaLouM]

The generational shift of DK is still probably the coolest narrative move of an existing franchise nintendo has ever allowed someone else to make for them lol

[@jiggpuff]

Great video! Looking forward to part 2 when Diddy takes center stage and young Dixie's debut!