Playing A Game Donkey Kong Jungle Beat NGC

I've had a (financially limited) desire for Jungle Beat since its release, so imagine my delight on seeing a barely-used box - bongos included - for a measely $12! My delight was substantial. Perhaps surprisingly, the game itself is also more substantial so far than I had pictured it being.

You can play Jungle Beat with a normal Gamecube controller (if you're a loser), but the bongos make the game's unique experience even more refreshing, and are super-easy to use. Hit the left drum to go left, the right drum to go right; both at once to jump; and clap, or make some noise equivalent to clapping, e.g. hit the side of the drum, to activate Donkey Kong's heretofore underused Super Clap Attack. It is a relatively simple set of controls, which is the perfect formula for designing levels that challenge the player to pull them off in rapid sequence. DKJB is only as much of a rhythm game as Mario might be considered one, since if you miss a jump et al there is usually a way to climb your way back up, or find an alternate route.

Your score (and DK's health, though this is trivial) is measured in "beats," which are a rough reflection of your performance. In simplest terms, beats translate to the bananas you pick up in a level, but you can add multipliers to your Raw Banana Income by collecting several simultaneously and/or pulling off aerial moves, for instance jumping over a bunch of them and clapping instead of walking right through them.

Each kingdom (level) consists of two stages and a boss encounter, and the beats you collect in the stages will become DK's health in the coming boss battle. The beats you have left after the battle are used to earn crests (more beats = more crests), which are in turn used to unlock more kingdoms.

I've beaten the first four kingdoms (each one took about two to five minutes, though I did replay some for more crests), and so far haven't had any problem with the game's level of difficulty. The fourth kingdom boss, a ... mechanical elephant, was kind of a pain, but otherwise it has been great fun. I look forward to the rest of the game with drumming anticipation.

Progress: 9 crests

Rating: Good