Donkey Konga (Includes Bongos) (GameCube)

Product Information

Before the second installment was released in North America, Nintendo and Namco had already started plans for the third game in the series, which, unlike the first two Donkey Konga games, was eventually released only in Japan on March 17, 2005. The DK Bongos feature three primary buttons: the two drums and a start button on the middle section. Mahito Yokota composed the soundtrack, his first project as a composer after joining Nintendo in 2003.

No sooner did you think that the Onimusha sword controller was the weirdest gameplay add-on, Namco busts onto the scene with the GameCube bongos.

This game is unique from the other DK games because it has a bigger focus on rhythm rather than previous platforming adventures. As the player starts the game, they select a kingdom to explore; there are 16 kingdoms in total, which become available as the campaign progresses. A combo is displayed if the player hits two or more consecutive beats, but it vanishes if the player misses a beat. At first they are against this, but then they realize if they can become successful in playing the bongos, they could afford as many bananas as they wish, so they start practicing.

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are sitting on a beach one day when they come across some mysterious objects that resemble barrels. While it is compatible with a traditional GameCube controller, Jungle Beat is designed for use with the DK Bongos, a controller that resembles a pair of bongo drums and was previously used for the Donkey Konga (2003) music game. DK initially mentions his dislike of practicing, but suddenly realizes that he might achieve fame if he becomes good at the bongos, which Cranky believes to be a possibility. Division heads Yoshiaki Koizumi and Takao Shimizu—who had previously led development on Nintendo's Super Mario Sunshine (2002)—respectively served as director and producer.

It follows the gorilla Donkey Kong as he sets out to defeat a series of evil kings to conquer the jungle. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are hanging out at the beach, when they come across some mysterious objects that resemble barrels. The player earns a crest for completing a kingdom, with additional crests earned by obtaining more beats.