How to Play

Use the Directional Pad to move Junior in the corresponding direction. Press the A Button to jump. Press the Start Button to pause and resume the action during gameplay. Press the Start Button to pause and resume the action during gameplay. On the Main menu, press Select to cycle through available game modes, and press Start to begin the game.

Game Modes

Donkey Kong Jr. offers four different game types:

Game A represents the beginner difficulty. Game B represents expert difficulty: enemies appear at a faster rate and are more difficult to avoid. Both difficulty settings are available in 1-Player and 2-Player game modes.

A 2-Player game requires the use of a second controller. Players take turns controlling Donkey Kong Jr. A turn ends whenever a player completes a round or loses a Junior.

Game Screen

1.Your current score.

2. The highest score earned during the current session.

3. A key.

4. The number of Juniors left in your reserves. When you lose all your Juniors, the game ends.

5. The number of bonus points remaining. Bonuses decrease in value as time passes. If the bonus reaches zero before you complete the round, you lose a Junior.

6. Your current loop. Conquer all four rounds to complete a loop. The higher the loop, the greater the challenge!

Progressing through the Game

Rounds and Loops

To free Donkey Kong, you must conquer four challenging rounds. In each of the first three rounds, your goal is to reach the key near the top of the screen. If you succeed, the round ends and the next round begins.

In the fourth round, you must push six separate keys into the locks near the top of the screen. When all six keys are in place, Donkey Kong is set free, and you’re transported back to Round 1 to begin the process again. At this point, you’ve not only conquered all four rounds, you’ve also completed your first loop of the game.

All loops feature the same four rounds in the same order, but each new loop contains more challenging scenarios than the loops that preceded it—most notably, enemies move faster and appear more frequently. The more loops you complete, the more difficult the game becomes. Of course, as the challenge increases, so do the potential points you earn in each round!

Basic Gameplay

Walking

While Junior is on a floor or platform, press Left or Right on the Directional Pad to move him the corresponding direction.

Jumping

Perform jumps to move between platforms, leap over enemies, and grab on to vines or chains. Junior can jump only when he’s on a floor or platform.

Climbing

While Junior is on a vine or chain, press Up on the Directional Pad to climb toward the top of the screen, and press Down to descend. Press Left or Right to move horizontally.

Shifting, Reaching, and Releasing

Depending on Junior’s position, pressing Left or Right on the Directional Pad can have slightly different effects. He can shift to the opposite side of his current vine, reach away from his current vine, or release his grip on a vine.

For example, when Junior is clinging to a vine’s left side, pressing Right on the Directional Pad simply causes Junior to shift his body to the vine’s right side. However, pressing Left would cause Junior to reach out to the left.

When you make Junior reach toward a vine, he automatically grabs it, gripping both vines at once. From this position, pressing Left or Right on the Directional Pad causes Junior to release one of the vines he’s latched on to.

Junior can reach out and/or release his grip whether or not there’s a vine within range. You can use this to move Junior from vines to platforms, but a poorly timed release can result in a costly fall.