Mario's Hideout

Mario's Hideout, also called the Hideout Scene, the hideout, or Round 3, is the third level of the game Donkey Kong Jr. It is the first level to take place in a manmade setting, unlike previous levels where Mario was in the jungle.

Gameplay
Mario has finally pushed Donkey Kong to the city and now, instead of vines and chains as seen in previous levels, there are poles which Donkey Kong Jr. has to climb. The enemies in this round are Sparks instead of the other enemies in other rounds. Sparks attempt to destroy Donkey Kong Jr. Donkey Kong Jr. has to make his way up the platforms in a "Z" shape to get the key and then push the key to the cage, forcing Mario to push Donkey Kong's cage (and Donkey Kong) even further, to the very final round of the game.

The layout of this level is very different in the port. In this version, Junior has to contend with dangerous green water drops.

In the arcade release, before this level starts, the player is treated to a cinematic where a helicopter airlifting Donkey Kong's cage is flying across the screen, Donkey Kong Jr. is in pursuit via a parasol, and the message tells the player to "Keep Going to Mario's Hideout" and to "Be Careful !" While this scene was cut from most home conversions due to space limitations at the time, including the NES version, a variation of it does appear in the version, where Donkey Kong Jr. is hanging from a Nitpicker and chasing Mario and Donkey Kong in the other direction.