In the arcade game Donkey Kong Jr., he was given a son, also named Donkey Kong Jr., who had to save his father from Mario in that character's only appearance as a villain. In the later generations of the franchise, he became the main protagonist, and the defender of his carefree jungle home and his various primate friends. The main character Donkey Kong, a muscular and somewhat dim-witted ape, first appeared in the eponymous arcade game in 1981 as the antagonist. The main character Donkey Kong and his friend Diddy in promotional artwork for Donkey Kong Country Returns. The Donkey Kong character is highly recognizable and popular, and the games have sold over 65 million units worldwide as of March 2021. A hallmark of this franchise is the barrels used by the Kongs as weapons, vehicles, furniture, and lodging. They are most frequently antagonized by the Kremlings, a race of crocodiles, and their leader King K. That game and its follow-ups focus on the adventures of Donkey Kong and the various members of his clan as they work to defend their native jungle setting from a variety of other anthropomorphic-animal characters who serve as villains. revived the property with its side-scrolling platform game Donkey Kong Country. Donkey Kong was put on hiatus until 1994, when Rare Ltd.
After four years of success on arcades and in the " Game & Watch" handheld line, the franchise was brought to an end as Mario went on to star in Super Mario Bros., for which he is much better known, and take his place as Nintendo's flagship character. The first game in the franchise, the 1981 arcade machine Donkey Kong, not only introduced the title character but also his rival Mario. The games of the first generation are single-screen platform/action-puzzle games, where Donkey Kong features as the opponent in an industrial construction setting. Created in 1981 by famed Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, it mainly consists of platform games and action puzzle games, but has branched out into other genres, including rhythm games, racing games, and edutainment. Donkey Kongĭonkey Kong (ドンキーコング Donkī Kongu) is a video game franchise that follows the adventures of an anthropomorphic gorilla named Donkey Kong and his various friends. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ( Nintendo Switch) ( 2018)ĭonkey Kong, Donkey Kong Country Donkey Kong Land Diddy Kong Racing Donkey Konga DK Mario vs.