Synopsis[]
Can you save Mario's girl from the clutches of Donkey Kong? Donkey Kong has kidnapped Mario's girlfriend Pauline and taken her to the top of a construction site! It's up to you to help Mario save Pauline before time runs out. But it won't be easy. Donkey Kong will do everything in his power to stop you. He'll throw barrel bombs, flaming fireballs and anything else he can get his hands on. So if you're looking for action, don't monkey around. Get the original Donkey Kong from the Nintendo Arcade Classics Series.
In Other Languages[]
Language | Title |
---|---|
Japanese | ドンキーコング |
Release timeline[]
Console | Release date | Country of origin |
---|---|---|
Second-generation arcade | July 9, 1981 | Japan |
July 31, 1981 | USA | |
July 15, 1983 | Japan | |
June 1986 | USA | |
October 15, 1986 | UK | |
September 1988 (re-release) | USA | |
August 10, 1989 (re-release) | UK | |
Famicom Disk System | April 8, 1988 | Japan |
e-Reader | November 11, 2002[1] | USA |
February 14, 2004 | Japan | |
June 7, 2004[2] | USA | |
July 10, 2004 | UK | |
November 19, 2006 | Japan | |
December 2, 2006 | USA | |
December 8, 2006 | UK | |
April 26, 2008 | South Korea | |
October 17, 2012 | Japan | |
August 15, 2013 | USA |
Reception[]
In 1982, one year after the game was released, 60,000 units of it were sold by Nintendo worldwide, earning the company $180 million ($3,000 per unit).
Combination cartridges[]
In 1988, this game was re-released with Donkey Kong Jr. in a 2-in-1 video game cartridge titled "Donkey Kong Classics". The music originally from the first Donkey Kong game will play upon turning the NES on.
Music[]
Sequence Title | Original MIDI Release Date | |
---|---|---|
1 | Title Screen | 1997 or earlier |
2 | Game Start | 1997 or earlier |
3 | Stage Start | 1997 or earlier |
4 | Level 1 | 1997 or earlier |
5 | Hammer Theme | 1997 or earlier |
6 | Mario Dies | 1997 or earlier |
Comparison: Arcade vs. NES[]
50m, the pie factory level, was removed from the NES version due to the cartridge's memory size limit.
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
Original arcade version[]
The title screen was uploaded to The Video Game Museum in February 2001, and two of these screenshots (Levels 2 and 3) were uploaded in late 2001.
NES version[]
Most of these screenshots were uploaded to TMK on September 13, 1999.