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GameCube | Puzzle | Donkey Konga

Boxart for Donkey Konga
Donkey Konga 18 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 3.0
  • SOUND: 3.0
  • CONTROL: 3.0
  • FUN FACTOR 3.0
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.8
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.8

Review: Donkey Konga

Review by Test Monkey | 09/29/2004 | 10:07:34 AM PST

Nintendo?s bongo-driven game has rhythm, but does it have sustainability?

Donkey Konga brings a whole different style of gameplay to the GameCube thanks to its bongo-drum peripheral. The suggested retail price for these drums is $34.99, which is rather steep for something as simple as two drums and a built-in microphone that detects claps and snaps. Donkey Konga is the first game to utilize the bongo drums, and it?s pretty much as simple as you?d expect.

Apes for Drums

As you?d probably guess, banging and clapping is really all there is to it. The goal is to rake in as many coins as possible by filling up a certain portion of the completion meter for each song. Unless you?re rhythmically challenged, it shouldn?t be a tough gig once you get the hang of it as there is usually a pattern to each song. The music selection is fair and diverse, and although cover bands and not the original artists perform a majority of the songs, they?re still quite good.

You can alter these songs with alternative drum sets, replacing the regular bongo thuds with 8-bit Nintendo bleeps and other sound effects. These, along with other features within the game, can be purchased in the shop with the coins accrued in every round. For extra fun, you can fill up the controller slots with more bongo drums so you and three other friends can jam just for kicks or go head to head in battle of the bongo.

Make ?Em Clap to This!

It?s certainly true that there are no official ?endings? to these types of games, but once you?ve mastered all the songs and unlocked all the hidden features, there isn?t much more to do. And as it requires purchasing more than one drum set to take full advantage of Donkey Konga, it just might be more of an expensive way than a pleasant way to spend your hard-earned cash.