Donkey Kong 64

Overview

Donkey Kong 64 is a 1999 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the first Donkey Kong game to feature 3D gameplay. As the gorilla Donkey Kong, the player explores themed levels to collect items and rescue his family members from the crocodile King K. Rool. The player completes minigames and puzzles as five playable Kong characters, each with their own special abilities, to receive bananas and other collectibles. In multiplayer modes, up to four players can compete in deathmatch and last man standing games.

Rare began working on Donkey Kong 64 in 1997, following the completion of Donkey Kong Country 3 (1996). A 16-member team, with many staff from Rare's Banjo-Kazooie (1998) team, developed it over three years. It was conceived as a 2.5D platformer similar to Country before it was reworked into a more open-ended game using the Banjo engine. Rare sought to differentiate Donkey Kong 64 from Banjo with more collectibles and player characters, cinematic sequences, and bombastic bosses. It was the first of two games to require the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak, an accessory that added memory resources. Grant Kirkhope composed the soundtrack, which includes a comedy hip-hop song, the "DK Rap", that plays in the introduction.

Donkey Kong 64 was released in North America in November 1999 and worldwide in December. Nintendo backed the release with a US$22 million marketing campaign that included advertisements, sweepstakes, and a national tour. Donkey Kong 64 received acclaim and was Nintendo's bestseller during the 1999 holiday season, selling 5.27 million copies worldwide by 2021. It won the 1999 E3 Game Critics award for Best Platform Game and multiple awards and nominations from magazines. Reviewers praised its visuals, size, and length, but criticized its camera and emphasis on item collection and backtracking. Some cited its gameplay and visual similarities to Banjo-Kazooie as a detriment.

Official trailer

Trailer. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

Donkey Kong 64 (N64) Gameplay, teh2Dgamer. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Platform, Adventure

Developer

Rare

Publisher

Nintendo

Series

Donkey Kong Country

Platforms

Nintendo 64, Wii U

Age rating

ESRB E

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

Yes

Online multiplayer

No

Co op

No

Age ratings

ESRB

E

PEGI

7

CERO

A

Release dates

Editions

Check out the store

Space and patches

Update patchNo patch

DLC

No DLC. Nintendo 64 games had no downloadable content.

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

No online features; every mode works today. The cartridge needs the Expansion Pak on a Nintendo 64, and the game is on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale
Metacritic	Nintendo 64	90	100

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
GameSpot	9	10
IGN	9	10
Nintendo Power	8.6	10
Edge	8	10
Famitsu	33	40
N64 Magazine	93	100
GamePro	5	5
AllGame	4.5	5
Next Generation	4	5

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Developer	Rare
Publisher	Nintendo
Director	George Andreas
Producer	Shigeru Miyamoto
Programmer	Chris Sutherland
Artist	Mark Stevenson
Composer	Grant Kirkhope

Notes for collectors

• The first game to need the Expansion Pak, which came in the box. Majora's Mask was the only other.
• Came on a yellow cartridge, billed on the box as a collector's edition game pak.
• Five playable Kongs, each with their own moves, and the DK Rap in the opening.
• Nintendo's best seller of the 1999 holidays, with 5.27 million copies sold by 2021.
• Won Best Platform Game at the E3 1999 Game Critics Awards.

Credits

Publisher

Nintendo

Developer

Rare

Director

George Andreas

Released

1999-11-22

Age rating

ESRB E

Region

US

Time to beat

about 26.1 hours