Bryan McAllister’s personal reference notebook
July 30, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
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How It Works • Games & Tech

Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong Country is a 1994 side-scrolling platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).

Updated July 30, 20261 min readCited sources

Donkey Kong Country is a 1994 side-scrolling platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the SNES. It stars Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong as they recover their stolen banana hoard from King K. Rool and the Kremlings.

What it is

Donkey Kong Country is a side-scrolling platform game in which players guide Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong across levels on Donkey Kong Island. The gameplay focuses on jumping, climbing, swinging, and avoiding enemies and obstacles. The original game contains 40 levels.

Key details

The game was developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the SNES, with an original release on 18 November 1994. It was known in Japan as Super Donkey Kong. Later handheld versions for Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance are sometimes described as remakes.

Why it matters

Donkey Kong Country is the first entry in the Donkey Kong Country series and is widely treated as a reboot of the broader Donkey Kong franchise. It became one of the SNES’s best-known titles among Canadian players through Nintendo’s North American market presence.

In short

  • First game in the Donkey Kong Country series
  • Developed by Rare and published by Nintendo
  • Released in November 1994 for the SNES
  • Contains 40 levels
Canadian angle

Rare was a British studio that developed the game for Nintendo, and Donkey Kong Country became one of the SNES’s best-known titles among Canadian players through Nintendo’s North American market presence.

Quick questions

What is Donkey Kong Country?
Donkey Kong Country is a side-scrolling platform video game and the first entry in the Donkey Kong Country series.
When was Donkey Kong Country released?
It was first released on 18 November 1994 for the SNES.
Who developed Donkey Kong Country?
Rare developed Donkey Kong Country, and Nintendo published it.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Country
    Supports: Original release date, developer, publisher, platform, genre, reboot description, and Japanese title.
  2. Kiddle — https://kids.kiddle.co/Donkey_Kong_Country
    Supports: SNES release, developer, publisher, and remake description for later version.
  3. Simple English Wikipedia — https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Country
    Supports: Series position, release year, developer, publisher, and later remakes.
  4. MarioWiki — https://www.mariowiki.com/Donkey_Kong_Country
    Supports: SNES release, developer, publisher, and series position.
  5. Giant Bomb — https://www.giantbomb.com/donkey-kong-country/3030-15738/
    Supports: 40 levels and later port information.
  6. Wikipedia (French) — https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Country
    Supports: 40 levels and reboot characterization.
  7. Wikipedia (Portuguese) — https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Country
    Supports: 40 levels, reboot characterization, and SNES release.