Donkey Kong (Game & Watch)

Donkey Kong is a dual-screen Game & Watch version of the classic arcade game of the same name. It was released as part of the Multi Screen series on June 3, 1982, and has the model number DK-52. This Game & Watch was the very first piece of video game hardware to use the now-iconic cross-shaped directional pad. Its gameplay is similar to that of the arcade version: Donkey Kong has captured Pauline, and Mario must rescue her. The game was later ported to Game & Watch Gallery 2 and Game & Watch Gallery 4, both of which include an updated "Modern" version of the game. A port of Donkey Kong was released in Game & Watch Collection for the dual-screened Nintendo DS, allowing for an exact replication of the original gameplay. There is also a Mini Classics release of the game.

Story
"Donkey Kong captured a beautiful girl and carries her into a building under construction. The brave carpenter, Mario comes to rescue her following them over the girders. Donkey Kong throws barrels at Mario to stop him. Knock the girder out from under Donkey Kong to save the girl."

Classic version
The game takes place over two screens. Mario starts at the bottom left of the bottom screen. The player must move right and dodge Donkey Kong's barrels by pressing the jump button. Mario can jump over barrels only if no girder is above his head. Mario receives a point for jumping over a barrel on the first girder. The barrels become faster the more of them Mario jumps over in a single run. If Mario does not reach Donkey Kong quickly, then the barrels move too fast for Mario to jump over. When Mario reaches the ladder, the player must press Up to climb to the second girder and move back to the left. When Mario climbs the next ladder, he appears on the top screen. Once there, the player can press Left to activate the crane, then the player can move to the right, dodging more barrels, receiving two points for doing so on the second girder. After Mario activates the crane, its hook swings left and right twice and then stops. If Mario does not reach the hook in time, he needs to reactivate the crane for another chance. When the crane hook swings all the way to the left, Mario can jump to grab it and cut one of the wires holding Donkey Kong's girder, earning from 5 to 20 points depending on how fast he does the job. Mario then returns to the beginning of the level. When he cuts all four wires, he defeats Donkey Kong, awarding Mario 20 points. If a barrel hits Mario, if he jumps and hits a moving iron girder, or if he jumps and misses the crane hook, he gets a miss and returns to the starting point. If Mario gains 300 points without any misses, all points are worth double until he does get a miss. If he has any misses at said score, he earns an extra life instead. Mario can have up to three extra lives. The game ends when he loses all his lives.

The Classic version in the Game & Watch Gallery series maintains the presence of two screens, but since the Game Boy systems have only one screen, the player has to press to toggle which screen is minimized off to the side and which is the "main" screen.

Modern version
The Modern version of the game has Peach substituting for Pauline, and Koopa Troopas and Para Troopas also make appearances. In this version, Mario needs to flip a switch that makes a platform appear and opens a door above it. He then needs to jump onto the platform and make his way to the door before it closes. Mario earns the same number of points for dodging Koopa Troopas as he does for dodging barrels depending on the floor he is on. Mario can stomp Koopas to defeat them, earning bonus points in the process. In this version, Mario earns 15 points for defeating Donkey Kong. The setting also changes after every time Mario defeats Donkey Kong: The first level takes place in a factory, the second level takes place in a jungle, and the final level takes place on a glacier at nighttime (an airship in the daytime in Game & Watch Gallery 4). Mario can avoid barrels and Koopa Troopas temporarily by holding on to a chain or pipe on the first level, a vine or Donut Block on the second level, or a rope (an anchor in Game & Watch Gallery 4) or Cloud Block on the third level. Every time Mario jumps down from a chain, pipe, vine, Donut Block, rope, anchor, or Cloud Block right after a barrel or Koopa Troopa passes, he receives the corresponding number of points on that floor. At 200, 500, and 700 points, a heart appears for Mario to remove a miss. Music is also featured in this version, with the tempo changing depending on the speed of the game.

In Game & Watch Gallery 4, selecting the game and waiting results in a humorous sequence being played. In it, Peach is admiring Mario trying to balance on a barrel. Unfortunately, this fails when Mario ends up having trouble balancing and causing it to roll, forcing Peach to flee until Donkey Kong gets in the way of the barrel, causing it to smash and send Mario flying, with Peach admiring Donkey Kong instead.

Classic version

 * Move
 * Jump
 * Switch "main" screen

Modern version

 * Move
 * and : Jump

Classic version

 * Move
 * Jump
 * Switch "main" screen

Modern version

 * Move
 * and : Jump

Trivia

 * On page 7 in the Japanese instructions, the protagonist is referred to as Kyūjo Man (救助マン, lit. "rescue man"), as the name Mario was not yet officially established for the character. In the English manual for Game & Watch Collection, he is called the "rescuer."
 * Similarly, the captive girl is unnamed in the English instructions and referred to as Lady in the Japanese instructions. However, print ads by British distributor CGL refer to her as Louise, as the name Pauline was not yet officially established in the UK.
 * Donkey Kong was one of the most popular Game & Watch titles, selling over 1,000,000 copies worldwide.