Donkey Kong

This 1988 Famicom Disk System release of Donkey Kong is a Nintendo-developed and Nintendo-published action game distributed in Japan on 8 April 1988. It was a Disk Writer rewrite title rather than a new retail cartridge release, letting owners have the game written to a Disk Card for 500 yen. The release reissued the 1983 Famicom version of Donkey Kong and retains that version’s game content.

Mario enters an unfinished building to rescue Lady after Donkey Kong carries her away. Each screen is a single fixed playfield of girders and ladders. Mario walks, climbs, and jumps to make his way upward while Donkey Kong’s attacks and the building’s hazards block the route.

The opening stage asks Mario to climb past barrels that Donkey Kong sends down the sloping girders. Mario can clear obstacles with a jump or pick up a hammer to destroy barrels and enemies for points. Umbrellas and handbags left by Lady also increase the score, and reaching her adds a stage-completion bonus.

The next stage uses elevators and fireballs as its main hazards. The final stage changes the objective: Mario must walk the framework and remove every bolt. Once the last bolt is pulled, the supporting structure collapses and Donkey Kong falls, completing the confrontation.

This Disk System reissue preserves the three-stage Famicom structure: the barrel stage, the elevator stage, and the bolt-removal stage. The original 1981 arcade game has four stages, including a 50 m conveyor-belt cement-factory screen; that screen is absent from the Famicom version on which this release is based. The Disk System release therefore does not restore the arcade game’s full four-stage sequence.

The controls allow Mario to jump left, up, or right when the corresponding direction is pressed with the jump button. He cannot jump while on a ladder or jump onto one. Successful jumps over barrels, hammer defeats, collectible items, and completion bonuses all contribute to the score as the stages repeat at greater difficulty.