Donkey Kong Jr. (1982, Arcade) (Japanese version)

Format: Arcade
Developer: Nintendo Research & Development 1
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: August 1, 1982
Playtime: 21 minutes (easiest DIP switch settings; played through all four levels and then played until I ran out of lives)

After the success of the original Donkey Kong came its sequel: Donkey Kong Jr. which mixed it up quite a bit. In this one the roles are basically reversed. Mario has captured Donkey Kong (likely due to the events of the first game) so you play as Donkey Kong's son as you must rescue your father. This is a rare instance of Mario actually being an antagonist in a video game.

Donkey Kong Jr. controls very differently from Mario in the first game. A lot of what you end up doing is climbing vines. You can climb up a single vine which is slow, or grab onto two vines at once. This allows you to move up faster but also makes you vulnerable to any potentials threats from either vine. When climbing down you do so faster on a single vine. Also, there are fruits which often hang on these vines. Touching a fruit will grant you extra points and if it falls and hits an opponent then they are defeated.

The game is broken up into four levels. In the first you have to climb across a lot of vines and jump across some platforms while avoiding various enemies and water to get to the top. This level can be difficult because you never know when an enemy is going to climb down a vine straight for you. In level two there are birds which fly across the screen at varying heights which can also drop eggs down below onto you. In this you have to ride along different vines and dodge the birds. There is also a trampoline at the bottom which can be used as a shortcut.

The third level is an electric one. Two types of electricity move across the level in different directions. You have to go from left to right, then right to left as you work your way up while dodging the electricity. In the final level you have to get keys and push them up vines to the very top. If you push all of the keys to the top then you win (and the game loops). While doing this you have enemies climbing down the vines plus birds moving at different heights. I found it best to get the keys on the far left and right sides first as they are the most difficult.

When it comes to home ports there are many options. The Atari 2600 version features all but the springboard stage. Three separate screens for a 2600 game is impressive. The Colecovision version has all but Mario's hideout (the electric stage). This version is again the best from that generation with some impressive graphics. The Intellivision version is botched again with bad graphics and awkward controls. It features all but Mario's hideout stage.

The Atari 7800 version features all four stages and has some surprisingly decent graphics. A good port. Then there is the NES version which is the best console port. All four stages and arcade accurate graphics. It is also available in the Donkey Kong Classics combo cartridge along with the NES version of the first game. This version also had a straight port to the e-reader (an accessory for the Game Boy Advance).

There aren't many computer ports this time around. The Atari 8-bit version has all four stages and okay graphics for the time. About on par with the Atari 7800. There seem to also be ports for the BBC Micro but I can't find any information on it. It at least has the first two levels but I don't know about beyond that. Lastly is a port for the Coleco Adam computer which I don't have information about but I would guess is a straight port of the Colecovision version.

While Donkey Kong Jr. is a fun game it isn't as good as the original. The gameplay feels mildly more sluggish and your characters reaction speed isn't the best. Even so, it is a fun game. Just like the original arcade game there is no way to get the arcade version except an actual machine unfortunately. Plus the Japanese version is again better. The American version requires you to replay various levels before it gives you access to all four levels while the Japanese versions simply plays through all four straight from the start. If you want to see the whole game go with the Japanese version. So if you liked the original then try this one too. If you can't find a way to play the arcade version then I'd recommend the NES port.