Donkey Kong 3 (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
178A playthrough of Nintendo's 1986 shoot 'em up arcade port for the NES, Donkey Kong 3.
Played to Round 31 before getting a Game Over. The game has no ending, and after introducing the last enemy type on Rd. 15, the game merely continues to loop at progressively higher difficulty levels.
After my video of Donkey Kong 3's Japanese PC-only semi-sequel, it only made sense for me to follow it up with the original Donkey Kong 3. You can see my video of it running on the Sharp X1 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwCjPplYQzo
I've always loved Donkey Kong 3. It's nothing like Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr.: there isn't a single construction area or Mario in sight this time around. For some odd reason you play as Stanley, who isn't Mario even if he looks him. Stanley is an exterminator, and his garden and greenhouse seem to be under attack by both Donkey Kong and a horde of some huge mutated bugs. In a chance opportunity for would-be hero Stanley, it turns out that Donkey Kong's butt is vulnerable to bug spray attacks, so go, Stanley! Destroy the ozone layer as you blast toxic chemicals in a vain attempt to repel these agricultural horrors! (And buy some war bonds while you're at it!)
It's a fantastic example of Nintendo's (read: Miyamoto's) ability to take a simple idea (in this case, the Galaga-style gameplay of Space Firebird, an older Miyamoto game), sharpen the simple mechanics to a razor sharp edge, and dress it up with an appealing personality. DK3 is extraordinarily simple, but the gentle difficulty curve has it introduce enemies, and with them the need for revised strategies, at just the right pace to keep things interesting... well, until you hit Rd 30 or so. Then it just gets insane.
I'm not sure I get the introduction of Stanley, nor why we have a dude scrambling to save his garden, but it doesn't really matter. Donkey Kong 3 is a great game, and would be no matter what nonsense theme it got dressed up in.
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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