Donkey Kong (Game Boy) Playthrough

A playthrough of Nintendo's 1994 Game Boy puzzle-platformer, Donkey Kong.
In this video, I play through every stage (all items collected) on the Super Game Boy. I also compiled a montage of Mario's death animations - you can see that following the ending at 2:04:57.
Donkey Kong, often referred to as Donkey Kong '94 to differentiate it from the arcade game, was released alongside the Super Game Boy. The Super Game Boy was a peripheral that allowed Game Boy cartridges to play on the Super Nintendo "in color." To get the most from the it, a game had to be designed to explicitly support the SGB's new features, and Donkey Kong's custom screen border, sprite and background layer-specific color palettes, and enhanced audio made for an excellent demonstration of the add-ons capabilities.
The game starts out with the same four stages that were featured in the original arcade game, but this time, Mario doesn't save Pauline at the construction site. Instead, Donkey Kong grabs Pauline and flees with Mario in hot pursuit, kicking off a brand new adventure that spans a mammoth one hundred stages.
Donkey Kong is a top-notch effort with exceptional production values, especially for an 8-bit handheld game. It looks great on the monochrome GB screen, but the SGB enhancements add a ton to the experience. Pauline's screams of "Help!" and the ending's credit roll music are particularly cool. Mario's parkour master moveset does an excellent job fleshing out the arcade game's mechanics, and the game deserves special credit for the seamless way it introduces new techniques to the player. The fun little cutscenes that play every four stages teach you everything you need to know without pulling you out of the game for an instant.
And some fun trivia: this was the first time that Donkey Kong wore his iconic red tie, and it is still the only game that poses Donkey Kong Junior as Mario's enemy.
This was one of my favorite games when it was released. My parents thought that the Super Game Boy looked like a great idea since we already had a good twenty or so Game Boy games, and since we were in the process of moving, they grabbed a SGB, Tiny Toons 2, and Donkey Kong for my sister and I at Toys 'R Us. We had such a blast going through them, and it was REALLY cool that we could just yank the cart out of the SNES and put it in the Game Boy and continue on - they didn't have to try to convince me to turn off my game if we were going out because I could just switch systems and keep playing in the car.
Donkey Kong was one of the best games ever made for the original Game Boy, and between it and Donkey Kong Country, I think it is safe to say that Nintendo's original mascot served the company extremely well in 1994.
It's also wild to think that DK94 remains a Game Boy exclusive to this very day. I can't imagine why Nintendo chose to skip over it when they decided to remake its GBA sequel, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, for the Switch. In my opinion, this one still holds up as the better game.
If you'd like to see the sequel, you can find my video of it here: • Mario vs. Donkey Kong ...
_____________
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!

[@NintendoComplete]

This "remake" of the original Donkey Kong is one of the best games Nintendo ever made for the OG Game Boy. What a classic!

[@reubenguttenberg7405]

I don't blame you

[@biggsweaty]

One hundred percent. This is a game that is on a level that, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have grown up with, played and beaten. Theres games that I liked growing up, and then theres games like this where again, I use the word fortunate to have had the experience with. Its excellent.

[@LITTLE1994]

Indeed

[@HrvojeGrahovac]

You're right. This should've been remade

[@darobster5520]

Are you going to do Mario vs. Donkey Kong (and it's remake) as well?

[@dillonkinder9296]

I love how starts off old school then turns into a big fantastic adventure

[@G-Self]

This game doesn't need to be remade. It's perfect as is.

[@user-in8qh3zf9d]

Nintendo would ruin like they did with the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong Remake.

[@scrowfunk8109]

@@user-in8qh3zf9d I don't think they ruined it, but it definitely feels more "sanitized". Like, the original game had its own charm with al the cartoony noises, sound effects, Mario calling Donkey Kong a "big monkey". The remake stripped a lot of that away and made Mario feel a lot more like modern Mario, understandably of course

[@britneyspearsvillarosa]

This was my first Donkey Kong game when I was 9 years old back in 1994.

[@Hqoukatokii]

For some reason, i find this game super lively to watch and play :D

[@Dorian_Scott]

I remember spending ungodly amounts of time on this game on my 2DS. Love the cleverly tutorialized enemies and stage gimmicks, it's fun to try out Mario's new parkour moveset, and the cutscenes in between each world are quite charming. It is without a doubt one of the best Game Boy games I've ever played.

[@darkrena]

Holy moley a fellow 2ds user

[@Dorian_Scott]

@@darkrena Yeah, my father was too cheap to get me a 3DS, so I got a 2DS instead lol.

[@hardyjoe4278]

My dad grew up on the arcade version, and prefers that. Very ironic considering he had this, and it expanded from what was in the arcade. The final boss was terrifying as a kid. Also, the sudden backflip we see in modern mario games seems to have originated from this game, you know when mario was a acrobat, lol.

[@NintendoComplete]

Lol yeah, it seems like a lot of the Mario 64 controls were inspired by this. The triple jump started here, too.

[@hardyjoe4278]

​@@NintendoCompleteI need to send this to my old man to shock him. This really was s great game. Thanks for the memory hype train.

[@dillonkinder9296]

I love how every Game Boy game has their own screen borders when you play them the Super Game Boy

[@JakeMelvin]

Iirc, this game was released at the same time and was optimized for the super game boy to promote its sales

[@nicolasdominguez1632]

This game looks very fun, I'm happy that there's more dk than just arcade ports

[@Dorian_Scott]

It's a fantastic game. It took everything that made the original arcade Donkey Kong fun and *_greatly_* expanded upon it. You should play it when you get the chance.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

One of the finest first part games on the OG Game Boy.

[@WispyBlueBricksGPX]

Watched your original playthrough and i wishbthe NSO service added this underrated gem

[@thecunninlynguist]

Absolutely a classic. Wish this was on NSO...or unlocked in the new mario v dk remake. Maybe they should remake this too

[@joshuaizzo8893]

When I saw the Mario vs Donkey Kong trailer that is exactly what I thought

[@Austinator0630]

The original Mario vs Donkey was supposed to an enhanced port of this game.

[@destroyermcw626]

It’s playable on 3DS and Wii U ha!

[@milhousevanhouten3796]

Its criminal this isnt on NSO

[@rickymartinez7065]

Lol, i loved the way you uploaded this video just before days until the mario vs. Donkey Kong switch

[@LITTLE1994]

DK's villain days at his finest.

[@joshuaizzo8893]

I hope one day DK is the final boss in one of the mainstream games

[@fsolisiii]

Cranky Kong was the OG DK Villain

[@joshuaizzo8893]

I had this on my see-through Gameboy that my uncle bought me. Definitely a go-to back in the day. Good times

[@metalcoola]

Probably unpopular opinion, but I prefer this to Mario vs Donkey Kong series :)

[@josephbraus4836]

You’re not wrong.

[@Nightowl1981]

Me too! I'm going through the Jungle Stage now!

[@NintendoComplete]

I'm with you 100%

[@brotherhumble]

Well this brings back nostalgia, saving Pauline back in the day. None of my friends played this game and I don't think it gets the recognition it deserves, especially for a gameboy game.

[@DanBottiglieri]

Donkey Kong got ass for dayz. I like how Mario's sprite is basically his Super Mario Land 2 map sprite.

[@3y3v4n]

2024 and I still playing!! Timeless Evergreen unique ❤❤❤

[@Nightowl1981]

Me too!!!

[@angelrivera4526]

Also not used to seeing this game in color, or hearing her actually say “help” 🤣. She says “mmmeeeehhh! mmmeeeehhh!” In the original lol

[@robinfox4440]

Hot damn this brings back memories. I still remember feeling like it was just a cheap stupid copy of an arcade game, like Pac Man. But then you beat those first 4 or so stages and wtf? World select?? New levels??? What is this!! And it was so hard too! I had no idea you could flip around like that too! No wonder 8 year old me had such a tough time with this title lol.

[@brownrobinbird6091]

I could have sworn you did a playthrough of this already If not, then thanks for bringing back my childhood.

[@megadriver23]

This game is good and a classic from my childhood and the ending music is one of the best

[@angelrivera4526]

Jeeeeeesus I remember playing this game over and over on my gameboy when I was a kid 😩. Was hands down my favorite gameboy game

[@Mister_Oddity]

I just love how this game expands on what little content the original Donkey Kong had. No, I'm not trying to trash the original game, I'm just saying, this is a good expansion of the original.

[@bassbeat12]

Much Better Than Skull Island: Rise of Kong on a Switch tbh

[@randy7894]

The creme de la creme de la crop of the GB lineup.

[@Trevthehedgehog7]

Really wish they added this to the NSO service, especially with the remake of Mario vs Donkey Kong having come out last week, at the time I'm writing this!

[@milhousevanhouten3796]

Its criminal its not on it

[@magoid]

I did had a Game Boy at the time. Now I regret that this game came under my radar, since Donkey Kong Country on the SNES was all the rage in 1994. I even played the GB version, but I cannot remember seeing this one.

[@jamesborlan2850]

One of my favorite gaameboy games This remake went above and beyond on what made the original so beloved It also paved the way for mario vs donkey kong series so high respect A big highlight for the gameboy and the super gameboy

[@dugthefreshest]

9-6 music is so good. so is the music from the first phase of the final dk fight.

[@Tonio0412]

They honestly need to bring this game back to the NSO

[@spoonshiro]

A fine platform-puzzler!

[@thepumpchumppp]

I absolutely loved this game.

[@SirExal]

Why doesn't Mario handstand anymore? Or wiggle his little limbs as he prepares to jump off a rope?

[@hardyjoe4278]

They kept the sudden reverse backflip though. I think they could have kept the others as well.

[@MorganNye]

I am of course familiar with this game! Classic Game Room aka Mark brought me to this game in his Gameboy Advance SP review in 2011.

[@ShinjiIkari1]

I don’t think i ever managed to get past the pyramid levels when I first played the game 😂

[@zarpassuciasxd]

My favorite version of Donkey kong

[@David-yk9fy]

I wish this was in for the Gameboy Online thing for Switch. Or a game of its own. Mario Vs Donkey Kong is nice, but this is the GOAT

[@jlev1028]

Putting this comment here in honor of the game's 30th anniversary: I admit, it's somewhat dated and repetitive and the Mario vs Donkey Kong games are more engaging successors, but Dinkey King '94 manages to hold up well with its scope. It starts up as a simple clone of its arcade progenitor but then expands into a puzzle based adventure with 2 hours of content. It's longer than freakin' Mario Land 2.

[@morgandavies5489]

This needed a remake instead of Mario vs Donkey Kong

[@Austinator0630]

Mario vs Donkey Kong started as an enhanced port of this game.

[@anthonystrangio]

SO TRUE

[@NintendoComplete]

I'd be cool with Nintendo focusing on new things instead of constantly reheating games from decades ago

[@wogardrodriguez2671]

I mean, if Nintendo wants to continue/revive the MvDK franchise, then it made more sense to remake the first game on the GBA (the most beloved of the MvDK franchise) than the OG GB game, if they do a remake of DK'94, They'll probably leave it for another time.

[@Austinator0630]

@@wogardrodriguez2671 Unfortunately, Mario vs Donkey Kong completely overshadows this game, especially now that we have the remake of the GBA original. Also, Nintendo Software Technology has been demoted to mostly software development after Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge in 2016. The only exception is F-Zero 99 & the previously mentioned remake.

[@hypersqurl4329]

This is an awesome game. Lots of great gameplay packed in a tiny cartridge. And since this is the game’s 30th anniversary, maybe Nintendo will bring it to NSO this year? That’d be nice. =)

[@KhalidAbdullahjr]

Help! Pauline needs Help!

[@MrNateiyf]

Fuck! Nintendo needs to release this for the gameboy emulator

[@jasonminote7499]

This was the orinallythe first Mario VS Donkey Kong a remake of this should of been made for the switch

[@dashiedash2789]

I had this game as a kid this was my first time discovering donkey Kong’s first game before his own series

[@user-sb1yb6xs7o]

An upgrade to the first Game on the Mario series

[@fahriakalin5936]

king of kong

[@NintendoComplete]

And without Billy Mitchell, thankfully. Mario wouldn't look good with a mullet.

[@r-rod8116]

Hopefully, Nintendo would put this game on NSO GameBoy/GameBoy Color someday.

[@thechuckjosechannel.2702]

The Homie DK!

[@Nightowl1981]

I'm on 5-3 now and the difficulty is ramping up!

[@reubenguttenberg7405]

Mario's not a big fan of mushrooms 🍄

[@NintendoComplete]

He and Dr. Robotnik have that in common.

[@JohnFleming-sw7hn]

Just now reminds me of the Mario Bros 2023 movie when he didn't want no mushrooms!

[@perualonso]

This is great. Will you be doing both the Donkey Kong Country trilogy and the Donkey Kong Land trilogy in Super Game Boy mode?

[@langbo9999]

Last Boss Mega Kong

[@hatsunemikuchannel2023]

1989: Donkey Kong 2004: Mario vs Donkey Kong 2024: Mario vs Donkey Kong (Wonderful Remake Version) I didn't knew that Mario didn't rescue minimarios yet. But, it picked up keys, to rescue Pauline instead 🤔🤔😯😯😅😅

[@PaloJaurez]

Okay they did Mario vs Donkey Kong remake in the switch. Now let’s get a Donkey Kong 94 remake on the upcoming successor console.

[@gregoryhall8034]

There's a lot more Donkey Kong ass in this game than usual

[@pasha21363]

reuploaded for higher quality including 4K

[@NintendoComplete]

Yup, and in this one, I collected all the items, and there aren't any emulation glitches like there were in the old video.

[@JacobSamm-ns3fu]

7:15 I like this boss fight

[@josephbraus4836]

Wish you had the option to add color to this on the 3ds when downloaded.

[@king-of-a-thing]

The trees in the forest stage are the same as the ones in Kirby's Dream Land.

[@NintendoComplete]

Huh, yeah, they look really similar.

[@knuclear200x]

This only reminds me of a time when Nintendo had a lot more to offer back then. What looked like another port of the arcade game turned out to be WAY much more: A new game with new mechanics and exponentially more levels. But all they care to release these days are effortless remakes and bad ports, and are all the more successful for it.

[@Dorian_Scott]

A prime example of that (at least in *_MY_* opinion) Super Mario All-Stars on SNES vs. 3D All-Stars for the Switch. While the latter is essentially straight ports with virtually no alterations whatsoever, the former truly felt like a Super Nintendo version of SMB 1, 2, 3 & LL.

[@knuclear200x]

@@Dorian_Scott Let's not forget that despite being an All-Star game, the Switch version is missing an entire game: Galaxy 2. In this day and age, it wouldve just been better to remaster each one separately. But they decide to take the lowest road further by making it a limited time release with limited copies

[@Me46435]

Me And Julio All Bosses Boss 1 Villains Boss 2 Helen Boss 3 Wolves Boss 4 Megan Boss 5 Black Cat Boss 6 Wolves Boss 7 Elmo Final Boss - Sergei + Ending & Credits

[@drewchaboo719]

Where the times

[@thesniffler5]

What the fuck.

[@drewchaboo719]

@@thesniffler5 yea

[@jach2811]

Imagine Peach's reaction when she realizes her boyfriend's past with his ex.

[@crystalnguyen5123]

Mario vs Donkey Kong

[@camilomadrid3495]

Una pregunta de que consola es esta version a color?

[@Sr.Tweeter]

SNES, específicamente con la ayuda de un periférico llamado Super Game Boy, que permitía jugar los juegos de Game Boy en la consola antes mencionada.

[@JacobMorales-jo4gk]

Before Mario vs Donkey Kong there was Donkey Kong 94

[@JohnnyOTGS]

This video is in response to the Mario VS DK remake coming friday.

[@KokiDreamProduction]

Pauline Voice From SNES.

[@PhilipQuafi200]

❤❤❤❤

[@Alexs23743]

Seems like a great game. Too bad it was released the same year as Donkey Kong Country 1, which ultimately proved to be the better game in most people's eyes. The joys of being overshadowed. D:

[@GamerGee]

2:09 game boy audio

[@destroyermcw626]

Playable on 3DS and Wii U

[@user-yx5sg2jf2e]

Existen diferentes versiones supondré, porque yo recuerdo que el mío gritaba diferente (la mujer secuestrada) y no recuerdo que tenga color 🤔 Ademas de haber jugado en emulador y no grita help, solo aparece el texto. 🤔

[@hunnybunny3716]

Why is this Super Game Boy?

[@destroyermcw626]

Pretty ehh but god atleast there’s an end and it doesn’t take a decade.

[@ThatNoizyChild]

Do you need to get all 3 items if you have 99 lives?

[@Gothaman1]

No loot left behind

[@vinaraoarao3808]

3:35

[@LuigiMario79]

I think there’s something wrong with the sound…

[@tyrone162]

3:33

[@parody2923]

17:30

[@paulonatanaeldossantossana3909]

2:02:35

[@romeu970]

virei zerei é um jogo muito tiltado e impossivel de passar algumas fazes. sao 100 fazes pra xegar no finall

[@daehanraney2520]

1:20:18

[@preston5586]

Promo'SM ☝️

[@polanco5489]

Alright, can anyone explain what the absolute fuck is a Promo'SM?

[@s.henrlllpoklookout5069]

Fake video. No way this game could be beaten in just over 2 hours

[@steev.homohumanism]

I’m chasing that feeling