Kong games
Donkey Kong came to the arcades in the summer of 1981, almost 40 years old, which I will talk about later. A success for Nintendo which, in the absence of preventive measures, leads to the proliferation of clones and other more or less successful copies.
The original above.
Let’s start with Crazy Kong, an arcade game developed by Falcon and published in 1981. It’s similar to Nintendo’s Donkey Kong, but it’s perfectly legal as Falcon bought the rights.
Now that we have decided to proceed in alphabetical order, let’s proceed in a completely subjective manner.
So here is CannonBall Blitz, released by Sierra On-Line in 1982. The game is the same, but bullets and cannons replace barrels, a soldier replaces the monkey, and the player character reaches for a flag instead of saving a girl.
Then here is Castle Kong (2020) where we have to get the best score and save PrincessGirl from the evil BaronMan.
Classic Kong in 2012 is a DK clone for the SNES released on the internet and then in cassette form by Piko Interactive.
Sega’s Congo Bongo has similar DK objectives and gameplay and hit arcades in 1983.
The Congo on MSX in 1983 proposes replacing Donkey Kong with a bear, and the hero becomes something of a tamer.
Congorilla, produced by Orca in 1981, asks to rescue your friend who was kidnapped by a monkey.
Donkey King is released by Microdeal for the (little-known) Dragon 32 home computer.
Almost Eddie on Commodore 64 in 1982 takes us to the beach, but always with the scales forever.
Hard Hat Mack, still on Commodore 64 (and others), was released in 1983 by Electronic Arts, another Donkey Kong clone.
Jumpman (hey, a household name) was released by Epyx in 1983 on 8-bit Atari, Commodore 64, and Colecovision computers and is heavily inspired by Donkey Kong
Killer Gorilla, published by Micro Power for BBC Micro in 1983 and ported to Acorn Electron and Amstrad CPC computers in 1984, is one of the best DK clones for PC.
Killer Kong on ZX Spectrum, released in 1983, features this gorilla with a mocking grin and a monocle.
King Cuthbert on Tandy TRS-80 in 1984 is the same game as Donkey King. King Kong is a platform game programmed by for the Atari 2600 and published by Tigervision in 1982. Based on the licensed character of King Kong, the game is a (somewhat successful) clone of Donkey Kong.
Tigervision also produced this “portable version”.
Below Kong on ZX Spectrum.
Also on ZX Spectrum we have Kong’s Revenge 1991 and Kong Strikes Back. On Commodore 64, Kong and Anirog Kong argue about who has the “nicer” backgammon.
Kongo Kong receives the title of the scariest gorilla.
Krazy Kong 1982 Suite on Spectrum.
With Logger in 1982, Century Electronics replaced Donkey Kong with a large bird that rolls spades instead of barrels.
With Monkey Kong on TRS-80, this Kong looks more like an orangutan than a gorilla.
Monster Mansion is the eighth game released for Epoch Cassette Vision in 1982, a Donkey Kong clone featuring a monster.
Panic Kong, 1986, on MSX increased the number of clones.
Super Thor Quest for the SNES is a Donkey Kong clone on the theme of Norse mythology. The protagonists are an ice monster and Thor. It was developed by BubbleZap and published by Piko Interactive in 2015.
Wally Kong, released for the ZX Spectrum in 1984, offers the same four levels as Donkey Kong with an added bonus of 200 levels of difficulty.
That’s all for this review of Donkey Kong Clones that is not exhaustive. There is certainly still “matter” left.
Video bonus: