Video Game Board Games [part 5]: DONKEY KONG (Tomy, 1984)

 Let's return to this series I started last year:

In my opinion, the next-biggest vintage arcade game that changed the world, after Pac-Man, was Donkey Kong.  It also launched a franchise that you could argue became even bigger, via the character of Mario (originally, Jumpman), who is here described as "a carpenter."

Pauline, strangely, is only referred to as "Fair Maiden," capitalized.  Mario is referred to by name in the actual instructions.  Here is what the board looks like, all set up:

And now, the playing pieces:

Two things quickly become apparent--first, these old stickers always have to be re-glued (use acid free PVA glue, folks), and second, Donkey Kong looks a little obscene.

Above are Mario and his clones--the green one instantly makes us think of Luigi, of course.  This game had the cool gimmick of using Donkey Kong as a barrel dispenser, powered by a rubber band.  I loved it when board games did something like that, back in the day.

Here is the uncluttered game board:

Basically, the game play involves getting to the top of the girders--just like the video game.  You roll two dice each turn, and one of them (the red one) moves the barrels and fireballs.  The barrels move from the top to bottom, and the fireballs (which barrels turn into once they arrive at the oil can) move in the opposite direction.  Your only hope of dealing with them are through cards that are drawn:

You get three cards at the beginning, but after that, you can only draw them when you land on spaces with a red dot.  These allow you to jump over or--in the case of the hammer--destroy both the barrel and fireball! Strangely, when you are on a ladder and between floors, you are actually protected from barrels (but not fireballs)...unlike the game. Also, fireballs destroy barrels they run into.  

Played cards are set aside for points.  If you encounter an obstacle on your own turn, and have no cards to play, you forfeit an already-played card, and lose the points. If you encounter an obstacle on you opponent's turn, they get to steal a card from you, which is added to their own points!

Here is where it gets weird:  if it's your turn, and you get hit, AND you have no cards to play OR cards set aside for points...it's okay.  Nothing happens.  However, if it happens on your opponent's turn, they still get to steal cards from you!

So now, the burning, eternal question with these types of board games:  is it successful in replicating the experience of playing the actual video game, or is it just a board game about this video game?

Actually, I have to say that they obviously put some effort into this one, and it does feel like brining Donkey Kong home with you.  Remember, the only other way we had, back then, to recreate the feel of being in the arcade....was this:

A brown blob rolling chocolate chip cookies downhill at you!

However, that doesn't mean it's not without some negatives, too.  First, all the mechanics involved with the barrels and fireballs can be a little overly-complicated, which leads to lots of having to stop and reference the instructions.  I could see this bogging down when trying to play with small kids, and it makes the game run a little long.  Heck, my average 25 cents' worth of Donkey Kong was much shorter...but that's probably not a good comparison.

One thing that would've improved the game play was allowing the opposing player to control the obstacles, instead of having the current player roll two dice and do everything.  It might have sped things up, too.

And here is the rather involved instruction manual: