The Donkey Kong series has usually been quite lucky when it comes to having it’s games released internationally, but unfortunately there are still some games which have only been released in Japan. One of these, is the Game Boy Color version of Donkey Kong Land III. It may just be an enhanced version of a game which did see a release in the west, but as an obsessive fan of the series, I still felt I was missing out. Thankfully, I was recently able to get hold of a copy and add it to my collection.
To be perfectly honest, the experience isn’t too different from the original, so you should probably read my review of that first. The biggest change is that now everything is in colour. In some ways, this is amazing. The boardwalk levels now look so much better, so do the waterfall levels. But then, on the other hand, the mill levels (for example) don’t really look much better as the colours used are all pretty full. Nothing looks worse, but some parts just look different and not improved. So it’s a mixed bag – some characters also lack any kind of nuance in their colour schemes and look a bit off. I suppose it’s just a system limitation and I shouldn’t judge it too harshly, but when I compare it against the colouring of the Donkey Kong Country GBC remake, I feel like a much better job was done there (though only in terms of colour, in every other way this is a better game).
It’s nice that this game exists. It gave a slight twist on a classic game which I’d always enjoyed. It’s another game for Dixie and Kiddy to hold proudly under their belt, which is good as they both deserve more appearances. I’ve also read that the game runs more smoothly, which I’m sure some people will appreciate, but this isn’t something that I usually notice. While I would say this is the definitive version of the game, since it’s so much harder to get hold of, I wouldn’t say you’re missing out on much by going for the original (unless you’re a diehard fan like me).
Rating: 9.3/10
