DK: King of Swing (Game Boy Advance) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

If you own a GameCube in addition to your GBA you'll be well aware that Donkey Kong is having his fifteen minutes of fame at the moment. Not that he's by any means a Nintendo character who shuns the limelight but with two Gamecube outings (both with bongs) and as many GBA titles in the past few months alone it's difficult to escape the hairy one. Unlike the others though King of Swing slipped out onto the European market only weeks ago no doubt overshadowed by the recent DS anouncements.What's also strange is it's one of the few Nintendo handheld titles that I haven't played already at one of their many press events so it's fair to say I have no idea what to expect which is a little unusual these days. What I do know is that it would be highly unlikely for a company like Nintendo to place one of their most beloved creations in a less than entertaining game. So have they slipped up here?

Gameplay

It's a little puzzling as to why anyone would want to actually live in Nintendo Land. Yes there's nice weather and everyone appears to be happy but the crime appears to be out of control. The latest wrong doing concerns itself with the Jungle Jam Festival which can now no longer go ahead thanks to King K. Rool stealing all the winners medals and it's naturally up to Donkey Kong to save the day. Just to make things a little more difficult for our hero they've been scattered across the land in everything from a Disused Mine to a Deep Canyon. These all have their own particular problems and the first thing you'll encounter is all manor of creepy crawlies some of which can be ignored but others will actually pursue you. It's up to you to decide what's the best course of action here but remember that this is not only about getting to the exit but also collecting medals, gems and, not forgetting, bananas which not only heal you but also proved extra lives.

As you progress though the main game you'll unlock extras in both the single and multiplayer options. These mini-games can either be played against AI characters or with a friend and this is the second title I've reviewed is as many weeks which allows multiplayer from a single cart which is always a selling point as far as I'm concerned. The games themselves are race based or simply racking up as many points as possible in a given amount of time and while enjoyable are no where near as well concieved as the main game.

As usual with Nintendo everything is saved to a handy battery back-up so no need for a pen and paper when you're gaming on the go.

Controls

Although the games main theme of collecting is something we've all seen before the controls system is a slightly different story. This is because the majority of it (ie: jumping and swinging) is activated and controlled entirely by the shoulder buttons. the levels themselves are populated with boards filled with pegs and it's these pegs which allow you to travel around the imediate area using either 'L' or 'R' to swing clockwise on anti-clockwise. Pressing both shoulder buttons allows you to jump higher and also knock away and destroy other objects. I have to say this does cause a little discomfort initially but it actually works quite well. This is all explained thanks to a front end tutorial with a 'ghost' showing you exactly what to do so as with all great handheld games, there's little use for the printed manual.

Graphics

Visually the game is nowhere near as impressive as Rare's rendered Donkey Kong Country but that's not to say that the whole thing is not pleasing in it's own way. Instead developers PAON have gone for a more simplistic comic book style with the characters well animated against less detailed backgrounds. The same can be said of the overall presentation but there are some highlights and the 'tornado' level really has to be seen in action to be appreciated especially as it grabs hold of your main character spinning in him around an mixing the whole screen up with all types of debris.

Sound

As with the visuals the audio is certainly not going to win any awards but it does fit the style of the game. Best described as a 1970's Saturday Morning Kids Show the various themes push the levels along nicely. Sound effect are almost none exsistant and there are many occasions where the on screen action really should be punctuated by by a least a moan or scream of some description and even Donkey Kong only appears to speak up when he actually hits the ground.

Final comments

I have to say when this was first sent to me with a 'platformer' Press Release I was expecting something of a 'ho humm' experience but I pleased to say that the reality was something quite different. Instead usual Mario fare King of Swing is an engaging, not to mention original, title with more than it's fair share of puzzle elements to tax the old grey matter. In addition to this the game also demonstrates Nintendo's understanding in both the gamer and their need for a gradual learning curve and value for money with the main game alone taking some considerable time to complete. Overall this latest outing for Donkey Kong achieves in both frustating and entertaining in equal measures and, as a result, really does belong in every serious GBA collection.

Pro: Nyammm, Bananas!
Con: Can Cause Serious Finger Strain.
Final score: 7.8

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