DK Jungle Climber - updated impressions

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Out of the pixels and onto the table

Sept 5, 2007

It's largely up/down/side-scrolling in nature just like its older bro - but now we've seen a brand new Jungle Climber level that forces DK to leap over rock and branch after rock and branch, heading smack into the heart of the DS rather than somewhere off in a 2D direction. Both screens are used for this, as the seemingly endless path stretches out ahead of him, and the onslaught of obstacles threatens to knock the poor simian right out of the touch screen and straight onto the table. Bless him.

This is not quite the same series you remember from the GBA - if anything it's taken on more of a Donkey Kong Country style. Everything's looking sleeker and better - well, apart from DK himself, as his waistline will always prevent that - but the dual screens are both used to show the in-game action at all times, meaning that as the player can see more of what's coming and all around, the stakes can be upped as to what trials are being faced. You can grab onto flowers and pull them back to be flung across the level, get shot out of the usual array of monkey-firing barrel cannons, and play four-player flying-monkeys-in-barrels multiplayer. All in all, this is shaping up to be more than your average DS monkey outing. We'll have a full review in the coming weeks.