Introduction
Basic information
Developer Name: Rare
Full Name: Donkey Kong 64
Release Date: November 24, 1999
Released on: Nintendo 64
Cross Play: No
Initial thoughts
I was in the mood for some Donkey Kong action, and honestly, that new Donkey Kong Bonanza game just looked… wrong. It didn’t have the soul, the energy, the chaos. So I decided to go back, all the way back, to the N64 era. I made a promise to myself (a terrible, foolish promise): I would 100% complete Donkey Kong 64.
I should have known better. Memories from my childhood started haunting me the second I pressed Start. I could almost hear the mocking laughter of Beaver Bother, that cursed minigame that broke me as a kid. And yet, here I was, ready to face it again.
Within minutes, nostalgia hit hard, the DK Rap, the familiar jungle beats, the joy of switching between Kongs. Then came the frustration. The game is a labyrinth of secrets and collectibles, each character locked behind switches, barrels, and color-coded bananas. But when it clicks? Oh boy, when it all clicks, it’s glorious. The amount of love and detail Rare put into this world is staggering.
Every once in a while, there comes a game that defines a generation, not because it’s easy, not because it’s short, but because it absolutely breaks your mind, your patience, and your thumbs, and you love it all the same. Donkey Kong 64 is that game.
Developed by Rare during their golden era, this monumental 3D platformer took everything players thought they knew about collectibles, adventure, and chaos, and cranked it past eleven. It’s not just a platformer, it’s a full-blown odyssey of insanity, with five playable Kongs, hundreds of hidden secrets, thousands of collectibles, and challenges that feel designed by someone who wanted to watch players sweat.
Revisiting it today, I realized something profound: this game is harder than Dark Souls, but somehow more satisfying. When you finally nail a challenge or collect that last banana, it’s pure gaming euphoria.
Story and setting
Plot overview
The entire Kong family is back for one of the most over-the-top adventures ever. Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong, and the mighty Chunky Kong must team up to stop King K. Rool, who’s returning with a doomsday weapon powerful enough to destroy DK Island.
Every Kong has their own personality, their own missions, and their own unique abilities. From Diddy’s jetpack madness to Chunky’s raw power and Lanky’s freakish flexibility, the variety keeps every level fresh and unpredictable.
World building and immersion
Each Kong feels like their own little world of mechanics. You don’t just play as one hero, you learn to master five. It gives the story a sense of teamwork that few games capture.
Character development
Despite being a wacky 3D platformer, Donkey Kong 64 delivers real emotional highs. There’s something genuinely thrilling about freeing your fellow Kongs from cages and reuniting the family. The final boss fight, with its insane difficulty and cinematic flair, feels like an earned victory after dozens of hours of sweat and tears.
Emotional impact
The world of DK64 is massive. Jungle Japes, Angry Aztec, Frantic Factory, Crystal Caves, Gloomy Galleon, every location bursts with personality. The level design encourages exploration, rewarding players who pay attention to every platform, tunnel, and switch. The atmosphere perfectly blends humor, challenge, and discovery.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story, and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with an 10
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
For an N64 game, Donkey Kong 64 feels unbelievably advanced. It’s an enormous 3D platformer packed with puzzles, minigames, hidden collectibles, and five playable characters, each with their own movesets, weapons, and instrument powers. Every Kong has exclusive bananas and coins, meaning you’ll constantly swap characters to fully explore each world.
It’s part platformer, part puzzle, and part endurance test. The amount of content is absurd: over 200 golden bananas, hundreds of regular bananas, blueprints, fairies, coins, crowns, and keys. It’s a mountain of objectives, but somehow, every one of them feels satisfying when you finally get it.
Difficulty and balance
Brutal. Some sections feel almost cruel, especially the timed challenges and minigames. Beaver Bother is legendary for a reason, a test of patience and sanity. But when you conquer these moments, you feel like a god among gamers.
Pacing of the game
The pacing is perfectly chaotic. Each level unfolds with layers of discovery, you think you’re done, then realize there’s another secret tunnel, another mini-boss, or another Kong-specific switch you missed. It’s dense, but it never feels empty.
Innovation and uniqueness
For its time, Donkey Kong 64 was a marvel. It took the groundwork laid by Banjo-Kazooie and expanded it beyond reason. Multiple playable characters, massive interconnected worlds, and complex puzzles made it one of the most ambitious games on the N64.
Controls and user interface
For a 1999 3D platformer, the controls hold up remarkably well. Yes, the camera can be stubborn, and movement can feel slippery at times, but the depth of control variety is incredible. Once you get used to it, it feels natural.
Microtransactions
None. Just your sanity.
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing, and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with a 10.
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
Considering it’s on the Nintendo 64, Donkey Kong 64 looks stunning. The environments are richly detailed, the textures are colorful, and the lighting effects were impressive for their time. The visual identity is unmistakably Rare, whimsical, exaggerated, and full of personality.
Technical performances
For a game pushing the N64 to its absolute limit, performance is impressive. Sure, it needed the expansion pak to run, but that was a small price for the scale of adventure you got in return.
Environment and design uniqueness
Each level feels handcrafted, with distinct themes, mechanics, and aesthetics. The game constantly surprises you, one minute you’re exploring an ancient temple, the next you’re in a mechanical factory or a haunting cavern.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 10.
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The soundtrack is pure gold. Grant Kirkhope, the mastermind behind Banjo-Kazooie’s music, delivers another masterpiece here. Every world has a distinct, catchy tune, from the laid-back jungle beats to the ominous echo of Creepy Castle.
Sound effects quality
Spot on. Every jump, banana grab, and slap attack is satisfying. The sound design perfectly complements the cartoonish style.
Voice Acting
Minimal but memorable. The exaggerated grunts, laughs, and quips give the characters life. And of course, the DK Rap, possibly the most iconic opening theme in Nintendo history. He’s the leader of the bunch, you know him well… It never gets old.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with a 10
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
Massive. Completing the main story takes dozens of hours, but 100% completion? That’s a commitment. Finding every banana, medal, blueprint, and fairy will test your endurance to the limit.
Extra Content
Tons. Between bonus levels, multiplayer modes, and all the collectibles, it’s the kind of game you can sink endless time into.
Replay value
Through the roof. Even when you think you’ve seen it all, you’ll find yourself returning for that one missing coin or secret area you somehow missed.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Donkey Kong 64 with a 10.
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
Re-release this masterpiece with smoother camera controls and modern save options.
Add an optional relaxed mode for players who want the adventure without losing their minds over beaver bother.
A remaster with quality-of-life improvements would easily make it one of the best-selling platformers again.
Comparisons
Donkey Kong 64 stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. While those games refined the genre, DK64 exploded it, a chaotic masterpiece of exploration, humor, and challenge. It’s bigger, harder, and far more demanding, but also more rewarding than almost anything else from its era.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
I liked all the Kongs. They each bring something unique, from Donkey Kong’s raw power to Diddy’s jetpack agility, Lanky’s absurd arm stretches, Tiny’s shrinking abilities, and Chunky’s strength. Every Kong felt like a new way to play.
And yes, there’s a secret: banana number 201. The ultimate symbol of victory. Getting there meant conquering everything, including my old nemesis, beaver bother. I spent over an hour and a half on that single minigame, losing my mind, until finally, somehow, the stars aligned, and victory was mine. I yelled. I laughed. I may have scared the neighbors.
Then the next challenge appeared. Beaver bother. Again. Rare knew what they were doing, they wanted to break me. But I didn’t quit. Not this time. And when I finally defeated King K. Rool in one of the hardest, most cinematic final boss battles of its generation, it felt like a triumph decades in the making.
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Donkey Kong 64, I give it a personal rating of 10.
Last words
Pros
- Massive, ambitious adventure
- Five playable characters with unique abilities
- Incredible soundtrack
- Legendary DK Rap
- Hundreds of collectibles
- Distinct, creative worlds
- Tight platforming for its era
- Satisfying puzzles
- Beautiful art style for the N64
- Memorable boss battles.
- Challenging minigames (even if they destroy your sanity)
- Deep replay value
- Hilarious character personalities
- Perfect balance of humor and difficulty
- The definition of a complete game.
Cons
- beaver bother. (That’s it.)
Donkey Kong 64 is absolute madness, a sprawling, chaotic, brilliantly designed masterpiece that demands everything from the player and gives everything in return. It’s harder than Dark Souls, longer than most modern RPGs, and more satisfying than almost any game on the Nintendo 64.
This isn’t just nostalgia, it’s a reminder of when games dared to be huge, absurd, and relentlessly fun. Every frustrating minigame, every missing banana, every last-second victory makes it unforgettable. It’s the kind of challenge that makes you want to throw your controller, then pick it back up and keep going.
FINAL RATING
10
Please let me know what you think of Donky Kong 64 in the comments!
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In my head all I can hear is ♫ DK! Donky Kong! DK! Donkey Kong! ♫
Overall pretty nice game.
Wow I never thought DK64 would get a 10, I thought maybe an 8-9 range, I heard the number collectibles is insane and seems a little forced at times, it might have been better if they added more collectibles but less types, there are like 6 different collectibles, and some dont fit in the style of the game.
Damnnn this is a retro game! It got released before i was born XD never heard of it… maybe its time to try it once.
That sounds like a massive game! I’m kinda interested in trying it, but at the same time, I’m intimidated by the amount of content that awaits me… 😅
I admire you patience sticking with painful minigames and all, but I am the exact opposite, I even skipped the platforming minigames in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
What a nostalgic game!
It was fun as a kid, but way too hard to beat.
lul, nice con XD Yeah, I have a feel that this minigame got the perfect name, it really is a bother.
hm… is there a cheat for the water temple… i mean beaver bother? (name’s program obviously)
definitely one of the games of all time, made me want to play it again.
to me the only con is being too hard and hidden to collect 100%. but well i dont remember well enough to say about that.
still a masterpiece
Such a great, nostalgic trip down memory lane. And the gameplay still holds up today!
I have nothing but fond memories of the Donkey Kong games. Thank you for the review.
This review really brought back the wild, chaotic energy of trying to 100% DK64
i totally agree to 10/10