DS Critic Reviews

This is a pick-up-and-play game in its purest form, albeit with a uniquely tropical control set-up that hasn’t been utilised anywhere else before, sans its neglected prequel.

If I was wearing a hat, I'd doff it to the DS development team at Nintendo, who for me can do no wrong... or rather I would, except that I need both hands to control DK, so maybe it's best that I'm not wearing one. This is though, another definite winner from the big N.

One of the year’s best.

Gameplay that's as pure and refreshing as a glass of cold banana juice on a summer's day. [JPN Import; Nov 2007, p.60]

A fun little game that will keep you busy for a while. Just don't expect it to throw you any wild surprises, other than the main control system itself. [Christmas 2007, p.85]

The development team stuck to its guns with the original concept and fleshed it out with new levels, new elements, and more stuff to beef up the variety and to toughen things up.

The unique control scheme makes for an interesting change and a lot of fun, while the extra challenge modes provide incentive for much replay.

DK: Jungle Climber is arguably more of what we saw in King of Swing, but with updated graphics. For those who felt that game was already a one-trick pony, it may be an undesirable sequel, but tons of hard-to-reach collectibles, unlockable mini-games, and four-player downloadable battles will keep the rest of us honing our skills for hours.

The lackluster multiplayer mode and lame character designs don't take anything away from the main game, though. The swinging play mechanic helps keep things fresh and allows for a lot of technique that you don't normally see in a platformer.

Even with DK: Jungle Climber's faults, the game still delivers.