Donkey Kong Jr.

1982 · Platform · Arcade

Overview

Donkey Kong Jr. (1982) is Nintendo's sequel with the roles reversed: play as Donkey Kong's son, climbing vines to free his father from Mario.

Deep Dive

Donkey Kong Jr. flips the original's story — Donkey Kong is caged, and Mario is the captor. The son climbs vines and chains, moving faster with a hand on each, while dodging Snapjaws and birds and dropping fruit on enemies below. Designed under Shigeru Miyamoto, it is the only game in which Mario appears as the villain.

Developer Story

Donkey Kong Jr. was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and released by Nintendo in 1982. For the first time in arcade history, the villain of the previous game — Donkey Kong — became the character to be rescued, while the hero of the original (Mario) became the antagonist. Miyamoto reversed the roles as a creative experiment. The game was also notable for requiring players to climb vines using both hands, a more nuanced control mechanic than the original's joystick.

Did You Know?

Donkey Kong Jr. is one of the only games where Mario is the villain — he has imprisoned Donkey Kong and must be defeated.
The vine-climbing mechanic required holding two vine controls to move faster — a genuinely innovative control design.
Like the original Donkey Kong, it has four distinct stages, each with its own layout and hazards.
Nintendo designed the game to counter the perception that Donkey Kong was a one-trick arcade hit.

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