Donkey Kong NES Classic Edition Cheats and Tips

Originally released for the NES in 1986, Donkey Kong gained much of its popularity in arcades around the world. Staring Donkey Kong as the villain, players took on the role of Mario and had to attempt to save the Princess from the evil clutches of the ape king. The original game spawned dozens of clones and knock offs, and even evolved into the Donkey Kong Country series in later years. Due to the first games massive success and popularity, it’s no wonder it made it into the 30 games packed in with Nintendo’s NES Classic Edition. In this guide we’ll offer several hints and tips to help you save the Princess and stop the evil Donkey Kong from hurting anyone else.

How to Get Extra Points

Several times throughout the game Donkey Kong will toss two barrels down the level. While it may be tempting to climb up a ladder, thus avoiding both barrels, you can actually earn some easy extra points by sticking to the ground and timing your jumps just right. This will force you to jump over both barrels back to back, but the extra points can go a long way towards helping you achieve higher scores.

Use The Environment

Ladders can be extremely useful for avoiding barrels and enemies, but if you notice a ladder with any missing rungs or broken pieces, steer clear of it. You can’t climb these ladders, and barrels and enemies can fall down them, causing damage on you. Steer clear of them, and you won’t have to worry about any stray barrels coming down on your head.

You’ll also want to watch out for hammers, as you can pick them up and use them to bash enemies out of your way. This is a great way to get some additional bonus points, as bashing enemies rewards you quite nicely.

How to Skip Some of Stage Two

While in Stage Two, you can actually skip a large portion of the level. Once you reach the elevator stage, stick to the high ground and climb to the top set of platforms supported by the two tall ladders. From here you can jump onto the elevator platforms that are going down, then jump over to the platforms supported by the lone ladder. Grab Pauline’s purse for extra points, and then head out of the level to skip past a good bit of it.

How to Easily Beat Stage Three

When playing Stage Three of Donkey Kong, you can easily beat the level by disassembling it. To do this, run over all of the yellow blocks. This will unscrew the girders and platforms, causing DK to fall to his deal. There is also a hammer here that you can use to clear out any fireballs in your path.

While there aren’t any cheats for Donkey Kong on the NES, the tips we have provided should help you stay alive longer and save the Princess. Remember to use hammers, and jump over double barrels for extra points. You should also use the hints we gave you to help you clear out stages two and three much quicker, allowing you to get even further in the game. Return to our NES Classic Edition guide for more tips and help.