Cast & Items

Main Characters

Junior

This determined little ape is on a quest to free Donkey Kong from his cage. Junior is the game’s only playable character—in a 2-Player game, players take turns controlling Junior.

Donkey Kong

He’s obviously more comfortable leading the charge, but this time around, Donkey Kong is forced to watch the action from behind bars. Can Junior free this iconic ape before it’s too late?

Mario

Mario may be the hero of countless adventures, but he’s also Junior’s greatest antagonist. Now that he’s captured Donkey Kong, Mario is determined to keep the troublesome gorilla imprisoned by any means necessary.

Enemies

Snapjaws

These small, lizard-like creatures can be found patrolling the platforms and vines of most stages. Blue Snapjaws can only descend vines—once a blue Snapjaw reaches the bottom of a vine, it falls off the screen. A red Snapjaw can move freely between vines and platforms. The only way to rid yourself of a red Snapjaw is to strike it with a piece of fruit.

Nitpickers

You encounter two different types of Nitpickers during your quest to free Donkey Kong. The white-bodied Nitpickers found in Round 2 drop eggs as they fly through the area. The larger, blue-bodied Nitpickers found in Round 4 don’t drop eggs, but they do zigzag back and forth across the stage as they make their way toward the bottom of the screen.

Sparks

These enemies are found only in Round 3. While a red Spark always circles a single platform, blue Sparks use marked paths to drop down onto lower platforms.

Items

Fruit

Each round contains at least two pieces of valuable hanging fruit. When Junior touches fruit, it breaks free and drops straight down. A piece of falling fruit instantly defeats any enemies it touches, making it Junior’s only weapon against Mario’s minions.

Keys

Every round contains at least one key. In the first three rounds, keys represent Junior’s immediate goal—when he reaches the vine next to a key, he climbs onto the nearby platform and the round ends.

In Round 4, you find six keys hanging on chains. Push all six of the keys into their locks to free Donkey Kong and complete your current loop.