Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū
The title of this article is official, but it comes from a Japanese source.
If an acceptable English name is found, then the article should be moved to the new title.
| Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū | |
|---|---|
 The box art of the PC-8801 version of Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū. For alternate box art, see the game's gallery. | |
| Developer | Hudson Soft |
| Publisher | Hudson Soft |
| Platform(s) | PC-6001mkII/PC-6601, PC-8801, X1, IBM JX |
| Release date |  August 1984[?] |
| Genre | Fixed shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Format | 3, 3.5, 5.25-inch floppy |
Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū is a game developed and published by Hudson Soft in 1984. The game had versions for the PC-6001mkII/PC-6601, PC-8801, X1, and IBM JX,[1] all of which had differences between each other (palette and flow of gameplay, respectively). Hudson released it at the same time as Mario Bros. Special.[2]
Unlike Punch Ball Mario Bros. and Mario Bros. Special, the game was not released on the FM-7; a version was planned and possibly even completely programmed, but was canceled.[3]
Story[edit]
Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū gives no official explanation for the game's story, in the manual or in-game. Every new stage in the game has a unique background that seemingly moves the game's setting into the countryside, through space, and eventually into a city on an alien planet, before repeating after the twentieth background. According to programmer Fumihiko Itagaki, these backgrounds are photos converted to images simply for aesthetic reasons.[4] The manual encourages the player to imagine and send their own story to Hudson.[5]
Gameplay[edit]
Like Mario Bros. Special and Punch Ball Mario Bros., the game is not a port, but more of a semi-sequel to Donkey Kong 3. Stanley's ability to jump is removed, along with the need to protect plants, making it much closer to a traditional shooter, similar to Galaxian or Galaga. Much like Galaxian, Stanley can only fire one spray at a time.
The level starts with Donkey Kong in mid-air, holding onto Parachutes, with Stanley below him. Donkey Kong will slowly lower from the top of the screen, and shooting him will knock him back upwards. If Donkey Kong reaches the bottom of the screen, Stanley will immediately die. Conversely, if he is knocked up to the top of the screen, the stage is cleared. Enemies come down from the top and sides of the screen in various formations and patterns, usually swooping to the bottom and trying to target Stanley or otherwise block his spray. After swooping around for some time, the enemies will exit the screen (usually from the bottom, though sometimes from the sides) and loop back around to the top. In addition to knocking Donkey Kong to the top of the screen, if Stanley defeats enough bugs, Donkey Kong will automatically escape to the top of the screen, automatically clearing the level regardless of where Donkey Kong was positioned.
Enemies and objects[edit]
| Image | Name | Points | Debut | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Donkey Kong | N/A | 1 | The main antagonist. Slowly descends from the top of the screen via parachutes, and occasionally throws Coconuts starting on stage 11. Stanley must knock Donkey Kong back off the screen, either by spraying him directly or by clearing all the bugs, to clear the stage. |
|
Buzzbee | 10 | 1 | The main enemy seen in every stage, flying in formations of five and fire darts at Stanley and occasionally swooping at him. When sprayed, they become Super Bees. They also appear in the Bonus Stage, where they do not swoop at Stanley or fire darts, but must be defeated before a timer. Only one formation of Buzzbees and their resulting Super Bees may exist at a time. |
|
Super Bee | 30 | 1 | Appears after a Buzzbee is sprayed. They fire darts like Buzzbees, and fly faster than Buzzbees do, but move along the same paths and count as part of the same formation. Spraying a Super Bee will defeat it. |
|
Creepy | 20 | 3 | Flies in from the sides of the screen on a jetpack, and flies back and forth. When a Creepy is sprayed, it is stunned in place and gives 20 points; however, a stunned Creepy will continue to block sprays, and yield no points for being sprayed. Up to five Creepies can appear at a time, depending on the stage. |
|
Beespy | 10 | 6 | Fly in formations of five, similarly to Buzzbees. Unlike Buzzbees, however, Beespies do not fire darts, and only occasionally swooping at Stanley. When sprayed, they turn into an Attacker. Only one formation of Beespies and their resulting Attackers may exist at a time. |
|
Attacker | 100 | 6 | Appears after a Beespy is sprayed. They move in the same formations as Beespies, count as part of the same formation, and fly faster than Beespies, though they fly slower than Super Bees. Spraying an Attacker will defeat it. |
|
Coconut | N/A | 11 | Occasionally thrown by Donkey Kong, either directly downwards or to the sides of the screen, blocking sprays and can potentially damage Stanley. Unlike other enemies, Coconuts will appear after in looped stages, even stages before their proper debut. |
|
Kabutomushi | 30 | 11 | Fly in formations of five, similarly to Buzzbees. Unlike Buzzbees, Kabutomushi do not fire darts, only occasionally swoop at Stanley, and move very slowly. When sprayed, they are defeated. Only one formation of Kabutomushi may exist at a time. |
|
Butterfly | 30 | 16 | Fly in formations of five, similarly to Buzzbees. Unlike Buzzbees, Butterflies do not fire darts, only occasionally swoop at Stanley, and move very quickly; even faster than Super Bees. When sprayed, they are defeated. Only one formation of Butterflies may exist at a time. |
|
Flag | 1000 | 1 | Spawns in a random spot on the top half of the screen when a full formation of Buzzbees and Super Bees is sprayed before they can escape off-screen. Is completely stationary, and can be sprayed for bonus points. |
Stages[edit]
There are twenty new stages, looping back at Stage 21. Every five stages, a Bonus Stage comes up, where Stanley must spray all the bugs before the time runs out in order to obtain bonus points.
| # | Stage | Enemies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  On the Highway |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, Coconut (after first loop) |
| 2 |  On the Strange Bridge |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, Coconut (after first loop) |
| 3 |  On the Country Road |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 1 Creepy, Coconut (after first loop) |
| 4 |  The Aliens |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 2 Creepies, Coconut (after first loop) |
| 5 |  In the U.F.O. |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 3 Creepies, Coconut (after first loop) |
| 6 |  Leaving the Earth |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 1 Creepy, Beespy / Attacker, Coconut (after first loop) |
| 7 |  In the Astron Belt |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 1 Creepy, Beespy / Attacker, Coconut (after first loop) |
| 8 |  Around the Saturn |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 1 Creepy, Beespy / Attacker, Coconut (after first loop) |
| 9 |  A Mysterious Planet |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 2 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Coconut (after first loop) |
| 10 |  On the Desert |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 3 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Coconut (after first loop) |
| 11 |  By the Pyramid |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 2 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Kabutomushi, Coconut |
| 12 |  In the Cave |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 2 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Kabutomushi, Coconut |
| 13 |  At the Active Volcano |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 3 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Kabutomushi, Coconut |
| 14 |  In the Active Crater |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 4 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Kabutomushi, Coconut |
| 15 |  At the Dome |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 5 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Kabutomushi, Coconut |
| 16 |  On the Ground Picture |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 3 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Kabutomushi, Butterfly, Coconut |
| 17 |  At the Runway |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 3 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Kabutomushi, Butterfly, Coconut |
| 18 |  A Mushroom Cloud |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 3 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Kabutomushi, Butterfly, Coconut |
| 19 |  At the Sunset |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 4 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Kabutomushi, Butterfly, Coconut |
| 20 |  In the City |
Donkey Kong, Buzzbee / Super Bee, 5 Creepies, Beespy / Attacker, Kabutomushi, Butterfly, Coconut |
Staff[edit]
- Main programmer
- Fumihiko Itagaki (Ita)
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū.
The title screen of the Sharp X1 version.
Gameplay of the Sharp X1 version.
Gameplay of a Bonus Stage in the NEC PC-8801 series version.
Gameplay of the NEC PC-6601 series version.
Media[edit]
 Title theme | File info 0:13 |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ドンキーコング3 大逆襲 (box) Donkey Kong 3 大逆襲 (title screen)[?] Donkī Kongu Surī Dai Gyakushū |
Donkey Kong 3: Great Counterstrike |
References[edit]
- ^ IBM-JX Personal Computer October 1986
- ^ September 1984 issue of Oh! MZ
- ^ Oh!FM-7
- ^ Press Start To Continue (December 28, 2021). Donkey Kong’s Most Creepy Mystery. YouTube. Retrieved January 2, 2022. (Screenshot.)
- ^ Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū manual.
| Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Donkey Kong • Stanley |
| Enemies | Buzzbee • Super Bee • Creepy • Beespy • Attacker • Coconut • Kabutomushi • Butterfly |
| Stages | On the Highway • On the Strange Bridge • On the Country Road • The Aliens • In the U.F.O. • Leaving the Earth • In the Astron Belt • Around the Saturn • A Mysterious Planet • On the Desert • By the Pyramid • In the Cave • At the Active Volcano • In the Active Crater • At the Dome • On the Ground Picture • At the Runway • A Mushroom Cloud • At the Sunset • In the City |
| Other | Bonus Stage • Flag • Gallery |
