Castle Kong (2020)

As an homage to Donkey Kong, Castle Kong does a solid job with its core gameplay yet it eventually becomes quite a repetitive game.

Overall, Castle Kong tries to recapture the original Donkey Kong’s original feel and succeed in doing that but maybe slightly too well, leaving the game to feel very slow. Castle Kong is also frustratingly difficult, and the long respawn times make the temptation of switching over to something out very appealing.

Castle Kong is a decent arcade game for those looking to scratch that nostalgic itch. It unapologetically mimics the arcade design, warts an all, which will appeal to purists but possibly put off gamers looking for some modern improvements to the formula. But by being so similar to the game it takes inspiration from, Castle Kong doesn’t feel like it has its own identity. This makes me wonder if those looking for a nostalgia kick will just end up playing Donkey Kong instead (also available on eShop). What I would like to see is the developers take this concept and produce their own original arcade-style game. Until that happens though we have Castle Kong to enjoy, and it’s pretty good.

Castle Kong gives Donkey Kong a colorful visual refresh and an extreme challenge bump, but otherwise sticks closely to the formula that made it a legend. Fans of classic arcade games will enjoy it, and will be thankful they don't have to drop another quarter with each frustrated restart.

Fans of a certain mustachioed carpenter (at the time) taking on a large and equally-famous gorilla will, no doubt, quickly notice some similarities here...