Unlike in prior Donkey Kong games, the objectives can be completed in any order. The worlds' themes include underwater, forest, jungle, and industry. There are five such golden banana-rewarding objectives for each of five playable characters across seven themed worlds-200 goals in total, in addition to a connecting overworld. Minigames include races, minecart rides, and barrels that shoot the characters as projectiles. Most of the puzzles are simple and involve rearranging items, manipulating switches and tiles, or matching items as in the game Concentration.

Of 3,821 total collectible items, 281 are required to complete the game. While exploring the in-game world and completing puzzle minigames, the player collects two types of bananas: normal bananas, which are colored differently for each Kong character, award the player with banana medals and can be traded for access to each world's boss fight and golden bananas, a certain number of which are required to unlock each new in-game world. After a tutorial, the player embarks as Donkey Kong to rescue the others from their kidnappers and stop K. Rool and his reptilian Kremlings invade the idyllic DK Isle and kidnap Donkey Kong's friends, planning to power up their Blast-O-Matic weapon and destroy the island. The game follows a traditional storyline for the series: King K. Donkey Kong 64 was rereleased on Nintendo's Wii U Virtual Console in 2015.ĭonkey Kong, the player-controlled character, runs toward an enemy in a jungle-themed worldĭonkey Kong 64 is a 3D platforming adventure game in which the player, as Donkey Kong and his friends, explores an island and collects items to progress through minigames and puzzles. The introductory ' DK Rap' is often cited as among the worst video game songs but made a comeback decades later. Retrospective reviews of Donkey Kong 64 were mixed critics considered it emblematic of the tedium in Rare's 'collect-a-thon' adventure platformers. Critics said it did not match the revolutionary impact of Donkey Kong Country, but was still among the Nintendo 64's best 3D platform games.ĭonkey Kong 64 was Rare's final Donkey Kong game prior to its acquisition by Microsoft in 2002.

Some cited its similarity in gameplay and visuals to Rare's 1998 predecessor, Banjo-Kazooie (1998). Reviewers praised the exceptional size and length, but criticized its camera controls and emphasis on item collection and backtracking. It won the 1999 E3 Game Critics award for Best Platform Game, and multiple awards and nominations from magazines. The US$22 million marketing campaign included advertisements, sweepstakes, and a national tour.ĭonkey Kong 64 received universal acclaim and was Nintendo's top seller during the 1999 holiday season, with 2.3 million units sold by 2004. It was the first game to require the Nintendo 64 console's Expansion Pak, an accessory that added memory resources. A 16-person team, with many recruits from Rare's Banjo group, finished the game in 1999, when it was published by Nintendo in North America in November and worldwide in December. In a separate multiplayer mode, up to four players can compete in deathmatch and last man standing games.Īfter developing the Donkey Kong Country trilogy (1994–1996), Rare began working on Donkey Kong 64 in 1997, although production restarted halfway through the three-year development cycle. The player completes minigames and puzzles as five playable Kong characters-each with their own special abilities-to receive bananas and other collectibles. As the gorilla Donkey Kong, the player explores themed levels to collect items and rescue his kidnapped friends from King K. It is the first 3D game in the Donkey Kong series. Donkey Kong 64 is a 1999 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64.

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