New Play Control! Donkey Kong - Jungle Beat

Synopsis

One of the GameCube’s forgotten platformers is given another lease on life in this Wii edition of the Donkey Kong adventure title.

Originally released on Nintendo’s GameCube in 2005, Donkey Kong - Jungle Beat gave players a set of DK Bongos to hit and bash in order to move Donkey Kong through each jungle-based platforming level. Now given a second release on Wii under Nintendo’s New Play Control! label, Jungle Beat has been made far more accessible by dropping the DK Bongos and allowing players to control Donkey Kong using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment.

Although played as a platformer, Donkey Kong - Jungle Beat asks players to make their way through each level as creatively as possible, putting together swings, rolls and jumps to avoid touching the ground. Rather than simply porting the original title to Wii, a number of choice improvements have been made to the jungle-based levels, with new challenges created to take advantage of the Wii’s unique control scheme.

Donkey Kong - Jungle Beat is a Nintendo gem that deserves revisiting, and with its New Play Control! series Nintendo has brought the title to a whole new audience.