Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is a
2.5D platformer in the
Donkey Kong franchise for the
Nintendo GameCube. The game's main gimmick stems from the use of the
DK Bongos Controller, previously affiliated with
Donkey Konga, as the recommended controller, though a standard
Nintendo GameCube Controller may still be used.
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is the first console
Donkey Kong platformer since the release of
Donkey Kong Country to not be developed by
Rare, since the company, which lost the rights to the
Donkey Kong series due to the fact that it was trademarked by
Nintendo, was bought out by
Microsoft. Due to the change in developers,
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat was very different than the
Donkey Kong Country games in gameplay, characters, and, perhaps most notably, the personality of
Donkey Kong, who is shown to be more aggressive than in past titles. This was also the first game to be given the "E10+" rating by the
ESRB.