Donkey Kong Junior "Storyline"

paulliadis

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Ever since I got my Donkey Kong Junior, I've had a few questions about the storyline in the game. Most of this stems from conversations I've had with my 4 year old daughter, who is a huge Mario fan, having sat shotgun while I beat Super Mario Galaxy 2. It took a bit for her to come to terms with Mario as a villian.

Anybody have any insight on the "storyline" in Donkey Kong Junior?

First of all, why are there two "Marios" at the beginning of the game, raising DK in the cage? There's most likely no real explanation for this. My explanation is that one is Mario and the other is Luigi dressed in identical clothes to Mario.

Second, and more seriously is the board sequence. From what I have read, the board sequence in the USA is different than Japan. Here we have the vine board, then the key board, then the animation sequence where DK and Junior run off the screen then punch mario away. Then it's back to board 1 where DK is captive again. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. In Japan they have vine then springboard then sparks and then keys.

Does anybody know the reason for the board sequence difference? Did they think the game was too hard for American gamers and therefore gave us the DK escape after the second board?

Thoughts?
 
Dk Storyline

The storyline is that DK was finally captured by Mario at the end of the original Donkey Kong game. The second Mario is the player two, but I've always wondered if there was an official explanation to that. They do say Luigi didn't debut unit Mario Bros. as a pallet swap of Mario. As for the board sequence, it's anyone's guess but you are probably right on the money, it's seems to be a trend (ie Mario 2, doki doki panic) where the Japanese think Americans won't buy a game if it's too hard. Ha.
 
Figured as much. I'm not sure I can tell my daughter that the second Mario is P2, though, because she'll remind me that my 2-player button doesn't work. Which reminds me of something I need to fix...
 
Yes, I too have grave concerns about the the DK Jr. storyline. I share your concern with the two Marios. But I too assumed that the second Mario was Luigi, or prehaps another one of the Mario brothers. I'm fairly certain its not Wario, since Wario would be just as likely to assault Mario as help him do heavy lifiting.

Here is what I think happens in the story. Donkey Kong is captured by Mario who is intending to torture Donkey Kong at lenth. DK Jr. needs to save his "Pa", but every time he gets close Mario runs away like a little bitch. I'm uncertain why this is because in our last game Mario was actually running TOWARDS Donkey Kong, balls to the wall style. At first, Mario is such a bitch that he retreats all the way to his final lair, which looks like a scene out of Hellraiser. But that obviously fails and Donkey Kong puts a foot in his ass so the next time Mario is able to capture Donkey Kong, he chooses an intermediate vantage point conveniently located between the initial jungle area and the Hellraiser board. It's also convenienly nearby an nest of killer birds who lay eggs while flying. Well, as we know this fails too so next time around Mario decides to go ones step further take Donkey Kong to his hideout via hellicopter. So DK Jr. beats the snot out of Mary Poppins and steals her umbrella so that he can follow (this scene was cut from the original game due to lack of memory space). We end up back at the Hellraiser board after that although it is unclear whether the Hellraiser board is in close proximity to Mario's Hidout or whether Mario has another helicopter ride or perhaps he takes a Vespa or something.

It is also possible, and perhaps even plausable, that the springboard and hideout scenes were removed in the first level because Mario didn't bother to stop there and defend himself. He just ran strait to the Hellraiser board and since it would be boring to have DK Jr. navigate such boards with no obsticles they were left out. Kind like if you were to watch the extended version of Star Wars and they just showed you three hours of footage where Chewbaca and C3PO play chess and Han Solo taking a dump. The springboard and hideout levels are added into subsequent levels as they become relevant to the plot due to the action that takes place thereupon.

There IS one thing, however, which I can not for the life of me figure out. Every time DK Jr. falls in the water or gets bitten or pecked or electrified, he somehow gets back to the start of the board. How is that? Does Mario have some sort of teleport device that we don't know about? And wouldn't DK Jr. be moving a little slower, and bleeding, after getting bit by a snapjaw? I would think he'd have some wounds.

Honestly, I have very similar problems with the Donkey Kong story line.
 
You sir, Mr. JamBurglar, win the day. I don't know you, but would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

I haven't yet experienced all of that yet, as I have yet in my brief time owning this game been able to get past the springboard level. This call for more "research" tonight.
 
Any game where Mario gets punched in the face is a good game.

Sorry, but I dislike that mascot with a passion.
 
Second, and more seriously is the board sequence. From what I have read, the board sequence in the USA is different than Japan. Here we have the vine board, then the key board, then the animation sequence where DK and Junior run off the screen then punch mario away. Then it's back to board 1 where DK is captive again. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. In Japan they have vine then springboard then sparks and then keys.

It's probably that way because DK is that way too...you rescue the girl, and cause DK to fall to the bottom, but then he's got the girl again on the next level. And also the Japanese boards have a different level order too...barrel, conveyor, elevator, rivets. At least on DK Jr, they didn't make you do the first board 3 times per level like they did with the barrel level on DK :D
 
Here is my variation. :)

Mario a was a carpenter and he had a girlfriend Pauline. Mario would mistreat his pet ape named Donkey kong. Eventually DK escaped and kidnaped Pauline out of jealousy and fled to a construction site in the city. Mario bravely went after DK to rescue Pauline. In the end he captures DK and rescues Pauline. (DK)

His son Donkey kong junior try's saving his dad from Mario and his brother. DK jr eventually saves DK. (DKJR)

After that Mario looses his girlfriend, quits or looses his job and He and his brother Luigi go get hired for another job, as plumers... (Mario Bros)

Else where DK finds himself in a large Green house that Stanley (the owner/employee/grounds keeper) works at. DK is causing havoc and Stanley must get him out using his trusty bug sprayer. (DK3)
 
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Could the double have been Mario's doppleganger?

doppelganger06.jpg
 
\DK Jr. needs to save his "Pa", but every time he gets close Mario runs away like a little bitch. I'm uncertain why this is because in our last game Mario was actually running TOWARDS Donkey Kong, balls to the wall style. At first, Mario is such a bitch that he retreats all the way to his final lair, which looks like a scene out of Hellraiser. But that obviously fails and Donkey Kong puts a foot in his ass so the next time Mario is able to capture Donkey Kong, he chooses an intermediate vantage point conveniently located between the initial jungle area and the Hellraiser board. .

*note to self...
do NOT drink soda while reading JamBurglar's explanation of DK*
 
Nintendo has been in contact with me regarding the storyline of Donkey Kong IV, where Luigi gets his law license and has to defend Mario in the complex litigation which arises out of Mario's participation in the destruction of the construction site.

Seriously, my theory on the reason they did the boards/levels the way they did in the US (for DK anyway) was because they wanted more money, faster. If you play the Japanese version, the early elevator and cement levels are pretty easy. On the U.S. version the difficulty ramps up a lot faster because a lot of easy levels are skipped. That sort of falls apart for DK Jr. because while the hideout board in the first level of DK Jr. is a little easier that's about it.
 
Just a follow up, I read this interview with Shigeru Miyamoto today and he mentioned that DK Jr was probably going to be the main character of followup games because DK Sr was just too darn big to fit on screens/graphics properly.
http://techland.com/2010/11/08/shig...eaks-on-the-mythology-of-mario/#ixzz14usTvbAR

"Well, the first reason is that Donkey Kong is just too darn big. And because he's so big, we actually created Donkey Kong Junior to try to come up with the same sort of character, but in a smaller, more manageable size. And as we were looking at an 8-bit size, Mario became a much easier character to use"

On another point regarding the DK Jr story line, the early November podcast over at IGN for Nintendo Voice Chat has the guys discussing DK Jr. One of them mentioned that it is rumored canon that the Donkey Kong we see in more recent Nintendo games, the one wearing the red tie, he is actually supposed to be DK Jr all grown up and Cranky Kong, the grizzled old fart you sometimes see in games, is the original arcade Donkey Kong as a senior citizen.
The guys claim it makes sense because Cranky Kong is forever complaining about Mario in the games, kind of like an old nemesis.
But if that's the case, Mario must have some kind of access to the Fountain of Youth!

Anyway, thought I'd mention it.
 
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