Underrated and forgotten title
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is a game that many people forget about because it's the only action 2D platformer by Nintendo that uses attachable plastic Bongos for it's main controller.
In terms of gameplay, the connectivity of the bongos to the system is God like. There's this very satisfying feeling that comes with the punching of a wall, jumping, and just general movement. I believe this is due to the combination of the realistic vibrations coming from the Bongos in addition to the gratifying choice of sound effects. But in the same light, the devs did a fantastic job on how DK moves in relation to the bongos themselves. Along with this is the superb level design, where you find DK in every biome with many creative obstacles. There are jungle, snow, desert, and underground levels in addition to levels that combine all three and more.
Another great aspect of this game is that it can actually be challenging. For instance, in order to take out the bosses towards the later levels, you need to have collected enough Bananas for a "life force" to survive the fight. If you fail to collect enough and keep dying on a fight, you must try the level over. The difficulty arises due to certain Bananas being in hard to reach locations or the potential for them to be missed in action, as DK's movements might be influenced by a moving Kart for instance. However, even after you've collected enough Bananas, there is still a skill component to these boss battles. They are rhythm and timing based, so one has to study each boss intently and make a punch or block within the particular frame. So despite the seemingly guided and directional path DK goes on for the entirety of the game, with the use of basically two movements on the bongos, right, left and jump, completing the game isn't the breeze one might think it is - and that is what makes it great.
However, the strength of the game is easily the game's weakness, Even though the game presents a gratifyingly challenging aspect initially, I found it becoming easily redundant after a certain amount of playthroughs. Basically, if you play a level over for the 12th time, there is no world where you won't get bored. I found myself needing a lot of cooldown time before wanting to jump in again. Most likely due to the linear and 2D nature of this game and the lack of additional collectables or seperate paths one can take. Additionally, once you master a level after x number of attempts, the challenge is gone and it becomes super predictable too, and somewhat boring to play again.
Overall though, the game is pretty great for what it is. Even if you'll sometimes need extended periods of cooldown time, the gameplay alone will occupy you for a while. However, too many playthroughs and your cool down period might be a little over a year or more.
