The original instigator of monkey mayhem is here in DONKEY KONG LAND for the Game Boy. Once again, those nasty reptile Kremlings are wreaking havoc in Donkey Kong Land, and it's up to Donkey Kong and his little buddy Diddy to stop them. DONKEY KONG LAND spans 30 original levels that cover snowy mountains, deep jungles, forgotten temples, underwater passages, and musty old pirate ships. The game is also big on secrets, with 40 hidden areas to uncover. To get through the levels, you'll want to enlist the help of some animal friends Rambi the rhino and Espresso the ostrich return from the DONKEY KONG COUNTRY series of games, and they're joined by a flying pig, a mole, a ram, and even a tornado! The graphics utilize the highly advanced ACM technique for maximum detail and animation, resulting in some excellent visuals. Battery backup saves your progress in your banana-collecting quest so you can continue another time.

User Reviews about Donkey Kong Land

I have to say this game is pretty underrated. Yes, it's hard to see on a old gameboy screen but that's why it has the "Super Gameboy logo" on it. The video game itself had good gameplay and decent controls. There are a few things about this game that make it stand out though.

1. It's not a clone to DKC : Unlike the sequels, this game takes place in entirely new areas than it's snes counterpart. Dk and Diddy go into the clouds, a city, coco island (Mario Kart 64 looking lever) and an underwater temple. A few of the bosses are the same but others have been added it.

2. Dk/Diddy Coins: There are these weird coins to collect that have our hero's faces on them. I'm not sure what there for, but I think it has something to due if you beat the game 101%. \

3. "KONG" now save your game and no outside help: Cranky, Funky and Candy are not in the game. I believe this was to make the game a challenge. Also, to save your game, you must collect all for Kong letters.

Overall, this was not what i expected. i thought it would just be a somewhat clone of DKC. But what i got, was one of the most unique games ever. -- Underrated classic

I like it but I have to get use to it because I'm terrible at this game. Must buy a guide. -- It's so-so

I purchased this game for my son's birthday. I got the game right away and it works and the box was in good condition, just as it said. Thank You! -- Donkey Kong Land Game

Ya like the game is the best It can get just like Sonic. Donkey Kong Land is so awesome it is definetly on my top 5 list in my book. DK Land 2 is not as good the characters stink I wish every game could have DK. DK Land 2 has Diddy & Dixie Kong. 3 has Dixie & Dinky Kong. so this is the best DK Land game and makes most sense. But DK DK DK DK 4 DK's thats why I call it DK Land. If you like games or easy stuff buy this it works in any Game Boy System accept Micro and Nintendo DS And Lite. I rate it 10,000 out of 10,000. I would always recommend this game to any one who needs games 6+ K-A can play K-A means Kids-Adults. 6+ will have a great time playing it. If you want to watch it being played go to google.com and goto Video. -- Donkey Kong Land

I give Donkey Kong Land a rating of 4 out of 5.

I've decided to update my review (four years later) because my original review was not only extremely negative, and not only wrong, but also a bit disrespectful as well. I apologize for that.

Yes, I was hating on Donkey Kong Land pretty hard and heavy during my original review, and I even reached a boiling point where I said I'd never touch the game again.

My reason for that immature episode of anger was simply because I preferred the Donkey Kong Country series, and Donkey Kong Land felt like a cheap imitation in comparison. However, playing through DKL again, I realize the error of my ways. I was completely wrong to dismiss this game originally.

First of all, the levels in Donkey Kong Land are NOT a direct ripoff of the ones in DKC.

Sure, the temple, water and factory themes make an appearance, but it's not fair for me to say they are direct ripoffs of the levels in Donkey Kong Country when the levels were actually designed *completely differently*.

By "different" I mean, the levels are not trying to be like the ones in the DKC series at all- instead the game makers took advantage of the popular themes in Donkey Kong Country, and used those same themes to create something else entirely with completely different objectives and whatnot.

In other words, the gameplay involving collecting bananas, stomping on enemies heads, and everything else is exactly the same as in the Donkey Kong Country series- the levels themselves are NOT the same as the ones in the DKC series.

I'm actually really surprised that the water stages, for example, are significantly more fun here than they are in the DKC series. They're also much *harder* too. Actually the water stages feel twice as long in comparison to the ones in DKC, which is rather odd considering the DKC series appeared on the Super NES (the console where ideas were normally utilized to their full potential). It seems like the water stages were more thought out in this game.

The stage where a squid is chasing you through a deep underwater maze is definitely really creepy (because he never STOPS chasing you) but more importantly these water stages are really exciting (and challenging). I'm really surprised how significantly more fun and challenging the water and temple stages are in comparison to the ones in the DKC series.

On the flipside however, the jungle stages are definitely worse than the ones in DKC. This is because they're usually quite short, and not much attention to stage design was given compared to other stages in the game.

The boss fights are really simple because the strategy required to defeat them is usually something extremely basic and easy to figure out, but that's a minor flaw. That doesn't mean the final boss fight is a cakewalk though- he really tests your ability to move quickly during his final phase.

Many of the enemies from the DKC series return, in addition to plenty of new ones. Bees, rats, snakes and crocodiles are back. Other types of enemies such as floating crabs, spiky fish, flying pigs, tornadoes (hey, they mine as well be enemies) and snakes on ropes (yes, that's right!) are new and exciting additions. Rambi and Expresso are back, but Winky and Enguarde are not. Perhaps that explains why the water stages are longer.

One big flaw however, is probably due to a Game Boy limitation. Remember in Donkey Kong Country whenever you run and jump you actually go pretty far?

Well in Donkey Kong Land, whenever you run and jump, for some reason Donkey Kong and Diddy's animation slows down drastically so you almost hang in mid air, which means you never actually leap in the air very far... which means, you basically have to stand right next to the edge of a cliff in order to make it across to the next platform. It seems while you're holding a barrel you jump a bit further though. Weird. Either way, after a while you'll learn to adjust to it just fine so it won't present much of a problem.

Oh, and Donkey Kong doesn't slap the ground anymore. That's slightly disappointing because I used to like slapping bananas out of the dirt.

The reason the game is challenging is because enemies are placed in spots that sneak up on you pretty quickly. In other words, enemies will probably be walking where you least expect. Also, the game is stingy with 1-up balloons for some reason. There's a distinct lack of bananas compared to DKC, which means getting 100 of them for extra lives definitely doesn't happen as frequently compared to DKC.

Some of the levels are really strange. The mine cart levels are gone, and in their place are levels involving these platforms that you ride. These are quite possibly the hardest stages in the game, especially this one you will encounter later on where you have to jump in the air in order to make the platforms move in the direction you desire. You'll see what I mean here when you play the game.

The graphics are REALLY good. Seriously. Considering this is a Game Boy game, the only flaw is actually one that makes me feel like I'm nagging when I mention it- the graphics are in black and white. That's basically the only difference compared to the Donkey Kong Country version. Oh, and the music is actually a lot more melodic and creative too. I love just about every single theme song. Most Game Boy games have boring music- not this one.

In the end, the number one reason this game is so good is because each and every level is positively *loaded* with fun things to do. One moment you're collecting bananas and coins- the next you're either jumping through barrels, riding up and down ropes, swinging around, jumping up and down on tires, riding platforms to faraway places, tossing barrels, or defeating all kinds of beautifully animated enemies. The fun seriously never ends. This game rules.

Overall, a pretty solid game that I definitely didn't appreciate when it was first released. Nowadays I can play Donkey Kong Land and say it's just really fun and NOT a ripoff of Donkey Kong Country. -- I was wrong