Play Donkey Kong Online

Summary

Donkey Kong ’94 (often just called Donkey Kong on Game Boy) feels like a love letter to the original arcade title while slipping in a fresh puzzle‑platform twist. Mario still chases Pauline, but each of the 97 new stages forces you to hunt for a disappearing key, juggle hammers, and use a surprisingly deep move set – backflips, hand‑stands for triple jumps, wire spins and even throwing enemies to create stepping stones.

The game’s world map lets you pick a level, then race against the clock to carry the key to a locked door, all while hunting three hidden items – a hat, a parasol and a purse – that unlock a bonus minigame for extra lives. Every fourth stage throws a boss at you, and you can store up to three save files on the cartridge, a rare convenience for a handheld of its era.

Developed under Shigeru Miyamoto’s watchful eye, the team leaned into the Game Boy’s tiny screen by emphasizing puzzle design and even drafted a level editor that never saw retail. The Super Game Boy version adds a 13‑color border and richer sound, thanks to Taisuke Araki’s 40‑track score and SNES‑level samples that give Pauline a distinct cry.

Selling over three million copies and later resurfacing on the 3DS Virtual Console and Switch Online, Donkey Kong ’94 remains a standout example of how classic arcade charm can be reinvented for a portable audience.

Storyline

Donkey Kong on the Game Boy drops you back into the classic arcade clash: the Italian plumber Mario must rescue his girlfriend Pauline after the infamous ape kidnaps her and climbs a perilous skyscraper. The game opens with the original four Donkey Kong levels, showing Mario scaling a construction site while dodging barrels and other hazards. After the initial showdown, the ending sequence has Donkey Kong snatch Pauline again, prompting Mario to chase the gorilla through a series of 97 extra stages spread across nine worlds, for a total of 101 levels.
Every fourth stage is a boss encounter that mirrors the arcade formula – Mario must navigate obstacles to reach Pauline or hurl barrels at Donkey Kong. The developers deliberately kept the core theme of Mario outwitting the trickster ape, a concept Shigeru Miyamoto said they replayed repeatedly: Donkey Kong runs, Mario chases, and the chase continues.
Set before Super Mario Bros. (1985), the story concludes in Donkey Kong’s homeland, with the Mushroom Kingdom visible in the background, tying the handheld adventure to the larger Mario universe.