Donkey Konga

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This article is about the video game. For the series, see Donkey Konga (series). For the microsite, see Donkey Konga (Flash game).
Donkey Konga
Dkk.jpg
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer Namco
Publisher Nintendo
Platform(s) Nintendo GameCube
Release date Japan December 12, 2003[?]
USA September 27, 2004[?]
Europe October 15, 2004[?]
Australia October 28, 2004[1]
Language(s) English (United States)
French (Canada)
Spanish (Latin America)
Japanese
Genre Rhythm
Rating(s)
ESRB:E - Everyone
PEGI:3 - Three years and older
CERO:A - All ages
ACB:G - General
USK:0 - All ages
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Format
Nintendo GameCube:
Optical disc
Input
Nintendo GameCube:
Serial code(s) Japan DOL-GKGJ-JPN

Donkey Konga is a Donkey Kong video game for the Nintendo GameCube. It was developed by Namco and published by Nintendo in 2003 in Japan and 2004 overseas. It is the first installment of the Donkey Konga series, and it is notable for being the first game to be compatible with the DK Bongos. A year later, a sequel to the game was released, Donkey Konga 2, followed by Donkey Konga 3 JP, the latter of which never received an international release.

Story[edit]

Photo of the story mode of Donkey Konga
The opening sequence
Donkey Kong recognizes the potential to become famous by publicly performing on the Bongos. Opening sequence of Donkey Konga
Donkey Kong realizes the potential to become famous from playing bongos.

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are strolling across a beach and suddenly find a mysterious pair of barrels. DK attempts to open it but is stopped by Diddy, who believes it is a trap from King K. Rool.

Following Diddy's advice, the duo take the barrels to Cranky Kong. Cranky chuckles and explains that they are bongos. DK decides to call them the "DK Bongos", and he plays on them. Diddy comments that DK is bad at the bongos, and he tries the bongos. DK, in turn, laughs and claims that Diddy plays the bongos poorly. He claps, which cause the bongos to glow. Cranky explains that the instrument glows and makes noises from detecting clapping.

In response, Donkey Kong and Diddy perform and clap with the bongos more. After they make a lot of loud noise, DK becomes discouraged and admits that he and Diddy are not good at playing the bongos. Cranky explains that nobody starts out as a professional, and their performance gradually improves from practicing. DK initially mentions his dislike of practicing, but suddenly realizes that he might achieve fame if he becomes good at the bongos, which Cranky believes to be a possibility. DK and Diddy then daydream about becoming rich and owning lots of bananas, causing Cranky to sigh and remind them to practice; the pair head out to get some training in as the scene ends.

Gameplay[edit]

The main menu of Donkey Konga
The main menu.

The main gameplay is largely identical to the Taiko no Tatsujin games, which were also designed by the same developers. The player has the option to utilize the DK Bongos or a standard GameCube controller. During gameplay, the player controls Donkey Kong, whose goal is to hit scrolling notes, known as beats. They must hit it with accurate timing when it moves under a cursor on the far left. There are four types of beats (red, light blue, yellow, and purple), and are each associated with a different button. A word appears on screen for every passing note, and the displayed word is based on the accuracy of the player hitting the beat. A combo is displayed if the player hits two or more consecutive beats, but it vanishes if the player misses a beat.

Variant Button
Yellow
Left drum beat
Bongos: Left pad
Controller: Control Stick or +Control Pad
Red
Right drum beat
Bongos: Right pad
Controller: A Button, B Button, X Button, Y Button, C Stick
Light blue
Clap
Bongos: Clap
Controller: L Button, R Button, Z Button
Purple
Both drum beats
Bongos: Both pads
Controller: Simultaneously hitting a button representing each a yellow and red note

Modes[edit]

All four gameplay modes (except Challenge) have three levels of difficulty modes, from lowest to highest: Monkey, Chimp, and Gorilla. The second player plays as Diddy Kong in multiplayer modes. Every song has a varying number of beats, which is indicated from the number of barrels next to their titles on the selection menu.


Image Name Description

Gameplay of Street Performance mode of Donkey Konga, with a beach background. Street Performance
1 player
Based on the concept of street performance, Donkey Kong can perform songs and earn Coins, which he can use to purchase unlockables at DK Town. During gameplay, Donkey Kong earns two coins for every beat that he hits with perfect timing, or one coin for regularly-timed beats. A coin counter appears next to Ellie at the bottom-left with a self-explanatory purpose of keeping count of the number of collected coins. A bar at the top-right corner tracks how many notes the player hit. A "CLEAR" label appears in the center, and it divides the bar into two color-coded segments, red and yellow, which respectively represent poor and good performance. The bar gradually fills up for every note hit by the player, but it contrarily decreases for every missed note. The results are calculated after the song ends; Donkey Kong wins if the bar fills past the Clear label and keeps the Coins that he obtained on the way. If Donkey Kong loses at a challenge, he does not keep the coins.
Gameplay in Donkey Konga, with a ruins background theme. Rambi stands next to the counter, along with Cranky Kong. Numerous Banana Birds hop around the bottom of the screen.
1-2 players
Challenge A mode where the player performs an endless number of songs to see how many they can clear. The song number is displayed on a counter in front of two Steel Kegs.
The multiplayer "Battle" mode of Donkey Konga
2 players
Battle A multiplayer mode where Donkey Kong and Diddy competitively perform a song with a goal for the highest score.
The "Jam Session" mode of Donkey Konga
1-4 players
Jam Session In this mode, DK and Diddy can practice their performance on songs. A displayed scoreboard counts by accuracy (Great, OK, and Bad) along with the number of missed beats.
The Ape Arcade menu of Donkey Konga
1-2 players
Ape Arcade DK and Diddy can play the mini-games here if they purchased them from DK Town.
The DK Town mode of Donkey Konga
1 player
DK Town DK Town is the only mode to solely take place on the main menu. Here, the player has the ability to purchase unlockables, including songs with on Gorilla difficulty level, mini-games, and sound sets. They can also view Street Performance, Challenge, and mini-game high scores in the Hall of Records. The former two options have individual charts per difficulty level. Lastly, the player can access the Electric Hut to change a few settings: Stereo/Mono, Volume Balance, and DK Bongo and Controller. The second option, Default, resets each setting to their default value.

DK Town unlockables[edit]

Jungle Jams[edit]

The player can purchase individual songs to perform on Gorilla (expert) difficulty.

Bongo Sets[edit]

The player can purchase alternate sounds for the bongos to make during gameplay. They cost the following amount of coins:

  • Electric Drum Set: 25,000 coins
  • Konga Crew Set: 64 coins
  • Toy Set: 14,900 coins
  • Quiz Set: 912 coins
  • Mario Set: 4,599 coins
  • Dogs Set: 11 coins
  • Kirby Set: 2,599 coins
  • Latin Percussion Set: 1,900 coins
  • Zelda Set: 4,599 coins
  • Big Band Set: 88 coins
  • Laser Space Set: 77 coins
  • Car Set: 66 coins
  • Country Set: 49 coins
  • Barnyard Set: 1,050 coins
  • Classical Orchestra Set: 2,220 coins
  • Cold Set: 460 coins
  • Whip It Set: 707 coins
  • Jungle Set: 333 coins

Monkey Shines[edit]

The player can purchase three mini-games to play in the ape arcade, two of which have a 2-player competitive (Vs.) mode.


Image Name Description

Gameplay of Donkey Kong in the 100M Vine Climb mini-game of Donkey Konga 100M Vine Climb
Cost: 4,800 coins
Single player: "Climb vines and collect fruit to set records!"
Multiplayer (Vs.): "Climb vines and collect fruit to be the king of the Jungle!
The Banana Juggle mini-game of Donkey Konga Banana Juggle
Cost: 5,800 coins
Single player: "Juggle bananas and set records!"
Multiplayer (Vs.): "Compete at juggling! Only one ape can win!"
Gameplay of the Bash K.Rool mini-game of Donkey Konga. Bash K.Rool
Cost: 5,800 coins
"Slam King K.Rool back into the ground. Go for high scores!"

List of songs[edit]

Donkey Konga features around thirty songs, most of which differ between regional release. Every region has songs that originate from other Nintendo titles along with traditional music, including kids' medleys, pop and classical. Almost every traditional song was made into a shortened cover for the North American release.

Song Difficulty Jungle
Jams Cost
Ordering
Artist Song Name Monkey Chimp Gorilla NA EU JP
Diddy's Ditties[note 1] ★★ ★★ ★★★★ 365 1
Bingo ★★★★★ ★★ ★★ 25 2
Campfire Medley[note 2] ★★★ ★★★ 580 3
Pokémon Theme ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★ 250 4
Kirby: Right Back at Ya! ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ 848 5
Queen We Will Rock You ★★★★ 69 6
Leslie Carter Like Wow ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★★ 1898 7
The Troggs Wild Thing ★★ ★★★ ★★★★★★ 580 8 20
The Partridge Family I Think I Love You ★★★★★★★ ★★★ ★★★ 99 9
Richard Berry Louie Louie ★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★★ 1990 10 12
Little Eva The Loco-Motion ★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★ 2060 11 4
Earth, Wind, & Fire Shining Star ★★ ★★★ ★★★★ 1005 12
Blink-182 All the Small Things ★★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★ 1313 13 10
Stray Cats Rock This Town ★★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★ 644 14
The Supremes You Can't Hurry Love ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ 3399 15 9
Jesus Jones Right Here, Right Now ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ 1200 16
Martha and the Vandellas Dancing in the Street ★★★★★ ★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★ 1745 17 5
The B-52's Rock Lobster ★★★★★ ★★★ 980 18
Neil Sedaka Stupid Cupid ★★★★★ ★★★ ★★ 1599 19
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Impression That I Get ★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★ 1399 20 14
The Romantics What I Like About You ★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★ 590 21
Devo Whip It ★★★★ ★★★★★ 707 22
The Crystal Method Busy Child ★★★ ★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★ 800 23 15
Tito Puente Para Los Rumberos ★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★ 380 24 6
Louis Prima Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) ★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★★★★ 12 25 7
Tito Puente Oye Cómo Va ★★★ ★★★ ★★★★★★★★ 2250 26 11
Willie Nelson On the Road Again ★★ ★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★ 1600 27
Johannes Brahms Hungarian Dance No.5 in G Minor ★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★ 1848 28 23 29
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Turkish March ★★ ★★★★ ★★ 331 29 24 28
DK Rap ★★★ ★★ 6800 30 31 31
The Legend of Zelda Theme ★★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4900 31 27
Super Mario Bros. Theme ★★★★ ★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4900 32 25 30
Donkey Konga Theme ★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 100 33 30 32
Supergrass Alright ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★★★ 250 1
Jamiroquai Canned Heat ★★★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★ 25 2
Queen Don't Stop Me Now ★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★★★ 1777 3
Chumbawumba Tubthumping ★★★ ★★★★★ 69 8
Nena 99 Red Balloons ★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★ ★★★ 99 13
The Jackson 5 I Want You Back ★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★ 1898 16
Jamiroquai Cosmic Girl ★★★ ★★★ ★★ 980 17
Supergrass Richard III ★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★★★ 111 18
Labelle Lady Marmalade ★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★★★ 365 19
Earth, Wind & Fire September ★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★ 930 21
Take That Back for Good ★★ ★★★ ★★ 707 22
Donkey Kong Country Theme ★★★ ★★★ 1600 26
Rainbow Cruise ★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★★★★ 1200 28
Super Smash Bros. Melee Opening ★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★ 644 29
Mori no Kumasan ★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★ 903 1
Clarinet o Kowashichatta ★★★ ★★★ ★★★★ 1001 2
Haydn Quartet Okina Furudokei ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★ 969 3
Hyokkori Hyoutanjima[note 3] 8 4
Akira Kushida We are the One (Bokura wa Hitotsu)[note 4] ★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★ 1200 5
Hamtaro Tottoko Uta[note 5] ★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★★ 868 6
GARDEN Advance Adventure[note 6] ★★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★★ 1300 7
Hiroko Asakawa Kirby![note 7] ★★ ★★ ★★★★ 1260 8
Densetsu no Starfy[note 8] ★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★ 1000 9
Strawberry Flower Ai no Uta[note 9] ★★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★ 1000 10
Yuzu Mata Aeru Hi Made[note 10] ★★ ★★★ ★★★★ 1293 11
Mai Kuraki Kaze no La La La[note 11] ★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★ 1000 12
Aya Matsuura Momoiro Kataomoi ★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★ 1020 13
Mini-Moni Mini-Moni Jankenpyon! ★★★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★★★★ 1020 14
Re:Japan[note 12] Ashita ga Arusa ★★ ★★★★ ★★★ 23 15
Morning Musume Koi no Dance Site ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★ 1020 16
Ayumi Hanasaki Fly High ★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★ 1365 17
SMAP Shake ★★ ★★★★ ★★★ 971 18
Akina Nakamori Desire (Jōnetsu) ★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★★ 1986 19
Hikaru Utada Colors ★★★ ★★★ ★★★★★ 1100 20
I Wish Asu e no Tobira[note 13] ★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★ 1223 21
Maxi Priest and Yūji Oda Love Somebody[note 14] ★★★★ ★★★ ★★ 110 22
Godiego The Galaxy Express 999[note 15] ★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★ 999 23
Jorge Ben Mas que Nada ★★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★★ 777 24
Ritchie Valens La Bamba ★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★ 666 25
Pérez Prado Mambo No. 5 ★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★ 555 26
Oklahoma Mixer ★★ ★★★ ★★ 4900 27
  1. ^ A medley of Happy Birthday to You; Itsy Bitsy Spider; and Row, Row, Row Your Boat.
  2. ^ A medley of I've Been Working on the Railroad, She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain, Yankee Doodle.
  3. ^ The theme song for the animated film of the same name.
  4. ^ The ending theme for Bakuryū Sentai Abaranger.
  5. ^ The opening theme for Hamtaro.
  6. ^ The first Japanese opening theme for Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire.
  7. ^ The second Japanese opening theme for Kirby: Right Back at Ya!.
  8. ^ The theme from a Japanese commercial for the game.
  9. ^ A song created for Japanese commercials for Pikmin.
  10. ^ The eighth ending theme for the second incarnation of the Doraemon anime.
  11. ^ The twelfth opening theme for Case Closed, better known as Detective Conan.
  12. ^ Originally performed by Kyu Sakamoto.
  13. ^ Opening theme of Ainori.
  14. ^ Opening theme of Bayside Shakedown.
  15. ^ Opening theme of the 1979 film adaptation of Galaxy Express 999.

Regional differences[edit]

Aside from a different set of songs, Donkey Konga's North American logo is different from the European and Japanese logo. This change is reflected both in-game and on each region's box cover. The Japanese logo has a subtitle, which western versions do not have.

Title screen for Donkey Konga
North America
European title screen for Donkey Konga
Europe
Japanese title screen for Donkey Konga
Japan

Every title screen depicts a scene of the beach, but the North American one displays a different scene from the European and Japanese versions. The latter two depict a straight view of the beach, which is partially obscured by the game's logo. The North American title screen shows Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong partying at the shore, complete with a pair of bongos and a boombox in the scene.

The GameCube menu banner for Donkey Konga in North America.
North America
The European and Japanese GameCube menu banner for Donkey Konga.
Europe/Japan

The logo on the GameCube menu banner is also different between regions.

A start up warning that only appears in the Japanese release of Donkey Konga. It reminds players to be mindful of play time, sounds, and vibrations.

There is a start-up warning advising players to be wary of vibrations, the sound, and the time of day they play, though this message does not appear in international releases. A health and safety warning is featured in every regional release of Donkey Konga 2, but this exact warning was also featured in the Japanese version of the sequel.

Reception[edit]

“As an executive, I hated Donkey Konga[...] The first game actually sold reasonably well, but boy was I not a fan.”
Reggie Fils-Aimé
Reviews
Release Reviewer, Publication Score Comment
Nintendo GameCube Tom Bramwell, Eurogamer 6/10 In the end, Donkey Konga is just too short-lived, even in multiplayer, to be worth the sort of outlay it represents. Nintendo has been surprisingly generous in its pricing here - most people will sell you the game and a set of bongos for £30 as far as we can see, and extra sets run to just £20 - but with the songs already shortened (and covered by a fairly decent bunch of impersonators, rather than licensed, curiously) Donkey Konga just doesn't have the legs. We appreciate the simplicity of the idea, but in the absence of the hidden depths we normally expect from this sort of game - or the ritual humiliation we now demand - it ultimately wears thin far too quickly. And for that reason we can't see it becoming the eBay legend that Samba was, although we've little doubt that you'll be able to find it on there all too quickly.
Nintendo GameCube Juan Castro, IGN 8.5/10 Donkey Konga packs hours of fun. It's a good single-player experience and a great multiplayer one. If you can round up four buddies and four bongo controllers, you're set for the evening. All that's missing in a room with this game (and four bongos) is booze and a bowl of Tostitos. A somewhat limited song selection is the only thing keeping the multiplayer aspect from being the greatest thing EVAR, so to speak. The graphics, while bland and lacking several layers of polish, get the job done without causing too much of an eye-sore. The mini-games offer a little fun, but your best still sits in Kongo's primary game modes.
Aggregators
Compiler Platform / Score
Metacritic 76
GameRankings 77.67%

In a 2022 interview, Nintendo of America executive Reggie Fils-Aimé confessed to hating Donkey Konga, stating he had "pushed back" against the Japanese office regarding the game, finding it unfun to play and that it might hurt the Donkey Kong brand.[2]

Staff[edit]

Main article: List of Donkey Konga staff

Hiroyuki Onoda was the director of this game and would later reprise his role for its sequels. Koji Kondo and Toru Minegishi are credited as sound support. Along with Masanori Sato, prominent Super Mario franchise illustrator Yoichi Kotabe served as graphic support.

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Donkey Konga.

Media[edit]

Help:MediaHaving trouble playing?

References to other media[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ドンキーコンガ[?]
Donkī Konga
Donkey Konga

References[edit]

  1. ^ Updated Australian Release List – 24/10/04. PALGN Video Game Feature (Australian English). Archived March 7, 2012, 08:47:11 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ Xplay (May 3, 2022). Reggie Fils-Aimé Interview + Star Wars Games! | Xplay Live (1:07:24). YouTube (English). Retrieved May 3, 2022.

External links[edit]