__ _ / o\ | | | _\ | | __\ \____|_| | |_ | | | | | |_| | |_____ | ____ / / / / / / / |__\ | \ \ \ \_| Atari 2600 Donkey Kong Junior FAQ © 2004 by Jason Owens (AKA Retro) E-mail: StormyWeather980@aol.com AIM: StormyWeather980 ======== |CONTENTS| ======== 1. FAQ/Update History 2. Story 3. Characters 4. Scoring 5. Controls 6. Variations 7. Walkthrough 8. Credits 9. Legal Stuff 1. FAQ/UPDATE HISTORY ===================== Sunday, May 09, 2004 @ 11:52 p.m.: Submitted my Donkey Kong Junior FAQ. 2. STORY ======== Mario apparently wasn't very pleased at how Donkey Kong stole his girlfriend awhile back, so now Mario has returned the favor! He somehow managed to capture Donkey Kong himself! So now it's up to Donkey Kong Jr., as unlikely as it may seem, to play the role of the hero and rescue his father. Hmmmm, I know when it's a woman who is held captive, she's called the "damsel in distress," but what the heck is a male in distress called? 3. CHARACTERS ============= Donkey Kong – He looks like a bear, but he's the humongous ape that is being held hostage at the top of every screen. Not quite strong enough to tear open the bars in the cage that he's being held in, he just moves around in an enthusiastically excited fashion when he sees Donkey Kong Jr. getting closer to rescuing him. Donkey Kong Jr. – This is you! Young and only about the size of Mario, he misses his dad and won't stop at anything until his parent is free once again. Mario – He was named Jumpman in the original Donkey Kong. The whole world over knows this guy after all these years, so he doesn't really need any introducing. But when this, Donkey Kong Junior, came out (1983), he wasn't quite as well known. Now he is the Michael Jordan of video games. In Donkey Kong Junior, he simply stands in place while staring straight ahead like a statue. But he does manage to let Snapjaws loose via some kind of telepathic way. At least you can't run into him and lose a life! Snapjaws – These fellows are supposed to be short, stumpy critters with sharp teeth, but whoever designed them for the Atari 2600 made them look like staples that move their mouth (the open end) up and down as if to make them appear that they're biting at thin air. They won't hesitate to bite Donkey Kong Jr. too! Just one touch from any of these mysterious beasts will make you lose a life faster than you can flinch. Nitpicker – This is the ugly as crap bird that sticks its beak into Donkey Kong Jr.'s business in stage 2. It simply flies across the screen at a constant rate all its life. It's hungry and it has a special craving for monkey butt, so steer clear of this strange bird. 4. SCORING ========== Reaching the hanging vine/key in the first stage: 100 points Completing a stage: Remaining bonus points. For instance, if you complete a stage when 3600 bonus points are left, you'll get 3600 points. Even though it's just 'bonus points', they count down like a clock (it takes about 3-4 minutes for a timer of 6000 points to run out), and if these bonus points get down to zero, you'll lose a life! Here is the number of bonus points that are on the clock (if you wanna call it that) at the start of each of the eight difficulties: Level 1: Bonus points start at 6000 Level 2: 6000 Level 3: 7000 Level 4: 7000 Level 5: 8000 Level 6: 8000 Level 7: 9000 Level 8: 9000 Extra Lives: The game begins with three lives in the tank. For every 8000 points you earn, you'll get an extra life. Unfortunately, you can only have up to three lives in storage at a time. If you have three in the tank and even if you rack up 50,000 points without losing a single life, no more than three will be given to you. You can always see your game status at the top of the screen. Your current level and bonus points are presented like this: 5: 2300. That would mean you're currently on Level 5, or difficulty 5, and that your bonus points are down to 2300. Just to the right of the level number and bonus points are your number of lives; they look like chalky Roman numerals. If you have two lives left, it looks like: II. 5. CONTROLS =========== Left & Right: In a standing position, moves Donkey Kong Jr. left or right. While on a vine or bar, pushing left or right moves him left and right, or makes him let go. Pushing left or right and the firing button at the same time will make him jump in that direction. You can also move Donkey Kong Jr. left and right AFTER you hit the firing button (while he's in midair). Up: Pushing forward on the joystick makes Donkey Kong Jr. climb up vines and bars. It's also used for pushing up the keys in stage 2. Down: Pulling back on the joystick makes Donkey Kong Jr. slide down vines and bars. Firing Button: Pressing the button makes Donkey Kong Jr. jump. Holding down the button will make him jump continuously. NEVER FORGET: If using an Atari 2600 joystick isn't your cup of tea, try using a Sega Genesis controller—it works. With a Sega Genesis controller, move Donkey Kong Jr. around with the directional pad and make him jump with the B button. 6. VARIATIONS ============= You can play Donkey Kong Junior by yourself or turn-taking style with a friend. Press the Select button on your Atari 2600 VCS to choose how many players (the first number) and which difficulty setting you want to play the game on (the second number). 1 is the easiest difficulty setting and 8 is the hardest. Good luck on any setting 5 or above! The difficulty switch has no effect in Donkey Kong Junior. 7. WALKTHROUGH ============== ______________ | | DK = Donkey Kong | LEGEND | M = Mario |______________| F = Finishing point (hanging key) S = Starting point B = Bird K = Key | = Vines/Bars _ = Platform 1st Stage --------- DK __________M____F___________________ | | | | | | | | | | | __ | | | __ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ______ | | | | | | ______ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ____ ____ _S___ __ _______ __ _____ In the first stage, your goal is to make it from your starting platform up to the top of the screen where Mario and Donkey Kong are standing. To begin a game of Donkey Kong Junior, press Reset and then the firing button. At the start, there are two things you could do. As soon as you jump to begin the game, you'll be holding on to the bottom of the first vine. You COULD drop down and leap over to the second platform, which is shaped like a short mushroom. Then you could start your climbing on that second vine, but I don't recommend going this route, especially in the latter Levels, or difficulties. What you should do is climb on up the first vine and then hop off onto the platform that's sitting in the middle of the screen between the first two vines. The Snapjaws that Mario is releasing are pretty random. Sometimes when you start a game, one will come straight for you on the first vine, but other times it will go to the right, away from you. You can never tell. Make sure a Snapjaw doesn't go down the second vine and when the path seems clear for awhile, jump from the seemingly floating platform onto the second vine. Quickly climb up the short distance and step off onto the small platform that's waaaaaaay up in the sky. If a Snapjaw decides to go to the second or third vine while you're on this platform that's barely big enough for your junior size, make sure Donkey Kong Jr.'s butt and mouth aren't quite within reach of these staple- looking Snapjaws. We know they want to pinch Donkey Kong Jr.'s butt or kiss him, but you don't want them to, cause it'll spell death! To the immediate right of the aforementioned small platform is a set of two vines that are right next to one another. When these two twin vines are void of Snapjaws, step off the platform and go down the vine on the right. Now, this is the hardest part of this first stage. You're at the bottom-center of the screen on a long platform. You have to climb up a long way to reach the other slender platform that's hanging high in the air. Wait there at the bottom until you see a Snapjaw begin its journey at the top of the screen moving to the left or right, past this next vine before you start ascending it. There will be times when you're climbing up it and a Snapjaw will come on down while you're on it. Simply slide back down the vine to the bottom and move a bit to the left to avoid its jaws once it reaches the bottom. That's all Snapjaws do in this stage; they choose a vine to go down, and when they reach the bottom of the vine, they keep going down and through the platforms at the bottom of the screen, disappearing into the water. Just have patience and make it to the second small platform near the top of the screen. Once you do, make sure the path is clear of Snapjaws like you did earlier and get off this anorexic platform and onto the next to the last set of vines, which happen to be twins. Go down the one on the right until you're just above the large platform in the middle-right of the screen. No matter which difficulty you're playing Donkey Kong Junior on, you can bet your life that most of the Snapjaws will come your way now and slip down one of the two twin vines in front of you. That's because they know you're near the end. When one passes you or (if you're lucky) goes down a vine that's not one of the two in front of you, jump or walk into this last set of vines and position yourself between the two and climb up. If you scale them while holding on to just one, you won't climb up as fast. When you're at the very top, push left twice to get off the vines. Run to the left, jump over the small step and jump over any oncoming Snapjaws. Either run and touch the hanging vine in front of Mario or jump into it; I recommend doing the latter just in case a Snapjaw is released right before you reach it. Upon completing this stage, enjoy the short but classic music that you'll hear at the end of each stage! HINT: The Snapjaws are your biggest worry, but there are two other dangers to avoid. Donkey Kong Jr. can't fall more than about a quarter of an inch or he will fall into the ground and die. This can be quite a sight to see. Most of the time only his tiptoes will fall into the ground, but sometimes half or more of Donkey Kong Jr.'s body will fall through. Finally, the moving blue lines at the bottom of the screen symbolize a body of water. Donkey Kong Jr. doesn't know how to swim. 2nd Stage --------- ____M________DK____________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |K| |K| |K| B__S________________________ The second stage is the easiest in this short game and it's pretty straightforward. There are three keys and you simply must position yourself right under them (you have to be between the two bars) and push them up. Whereas Donkey Kong Jr. climbed down fast when he was just holding on to one bar (or vine in the first stage) and up when he was between two of them in the first stage, he climbs up and down at a pretty constant (average speed) rate no matter how you climb in this stage. It would be quite humorous if you could push keys back down, but if you try, you'll just go right through them (ouch!). There are basically four hazards that you must keep an eye out for. On your way up, watch out for Snapjaws that will descend down the sides. Let's say you're pushing up a key and you see a Snapjaw sliding down the right-side bar. Simply push left on the joystick in order to make Donkey Kong Jr. switch over to the left-hand bar. Then when the Snapjaw is outta the way, swing back to where you're under the key and continue pushing it up. Your second major hazard comes in the form of the Snapjaws once again. Once a Snapjaw reaches the bottom of a bar, it'll keep going down until it hits the ground. Then, wherever you're currently at, it will slide across the floor until it's right under you. Some of the Snapjaws disappear once they're right under the bar on which you're hanging, but others will sit there for a few seconds before they disappear. If you're running on the ground and one of them is approaching, just jump over it and it will be out of your way for good. To sum it up, just watch your step! Third, Donkey Kong Jr. doesn't particularly enjoy heights. Just like in stage 1, if you fall more than about a quarter of an inch, you'll fall to your death. Donkey Kong Jr. wasn't born to be a flying ape and he refuses to become one! When switching positions on the bars, it's easy to accidentally push left or right too many times in your haste and fall down feet first into the ground for an unforgiving death. All I can say is to be careful. Push left and right on your joystick slowly until you get the hang of it. Finally, an ugly ass bird begins at the bottom left corner of the screen and flies in a straight line all the way across until it reaches the right side. Then it will reappear on the left and keep on its rightward trek the entire time. At the start of this level, always jump up and to the right to grab a hold of the bars. If you jump straight up to begin this stage, the bird will peck you in the butt every single time and kill you. Just get the hang of moving left and right on the bars, watch out for the birds and Snapjaws on the ground, and avoid the Snapjaws on your way up and down the bars and this stage will never be a problem. You can push the keys up to the top in any order you like, but it's always easier and faster to just start on the first one and do them in order. 3rd Stage --------- __DK___M______ _______________ | | | | |_|___________F___________| | |_| | | | | | | | |_______________________|_| | | |_| | | | | |_|_______________________| | |_| | | | | | | | |_______________________| | _S______ This is easily the most difficult level in the game to me. Jump up and to the right to grab the metal bars. Climb up them (you can only climb up and down while you're in the middle of them in this stage; Donkey Kong Jr. always climbs FAST too) and push right to get off of them as quickly as possible. Without hesitating, walk across the first platform and jump into the metal bars (since Donkey Kong Jr. is a monkey, I guess you could call them monkey bars as well). Climb up to the top and get off to your left. If you got to this point without stopping like you should've, the Snapjaws should be nearing the end of their journey on the platform above you. Donkey Kong Jr. jumps pretty slowly so here's what I usually do. Run and stand right in the middle of this second platform and wait for the Snapjaws. It doesn't take long to notice and memorize the Snapjaws' patterns in this third and final stage of the game. They start out at the top of the screen and run, or slide, across the platform and then drop down the metal bars to the next platform. Then they slide across that next platform, and so on until they reach the bottom. But here's the catch: Two Snapjaws make this downward expedition at the same time, together. Once they reach the end of a platform, one slides down the left-side set of metal bars while the other claws its way down the right set. So you do NOT want to be climbing up the bars or monkeying around. It will appear that you could climb all the way up part of the metal bars and that the Snapjaws would go under you, but they won't. Back to the walkthrough we go. As mentioned before, stand in the middle of the second platform. As Snapjaws go across the platforms, they come from both sides and meet in the middle. Jump straight up at the right time to allow both of them to pass under you. Then continue to the left. On your way up the next set of metal bars, stop about halfway. Allow the descending Snapjaw to clear the bars above your head and quickly climb to the top and step off onto the third platform. Jump over the oncoming Snapjaws and run across the platform until you get nearly to the end. Stop a step or two away from the metal bar set on your right and wait for the next Snapjaw. Jump over it and make your way up the final set of bars. Step off of them and either run or jump into that hanging rope that's supposed to be a key. NOTE: This walkthrough is just a rough sketch of how I usually make it through the three stages. It's likely that you'll find different climbing, jumping, timing, etc. techniques that you're more comfortable with than the ones I provided, but I hope my effort helped. IS THERE AN ENDING? ------------------- To cut to the chase, no. Once you beat the third stage, Donkey Kong Jr. won't go hug his daddy, Mario won't run away, or ANYthing. The game will simply begin the cycle over at the first stage, only this time you'll be a level ahead of where you were (for instance, if you just made it through all three stages on Level 1, you'll start at the first stage on Level 2). The Snapjaws get more intelligent when it comes to which vine they choose to go down, and a good bit faster. Just wait until you reach Level 5 and see how fast those suckers are and how difficult it is to make it past some of the vines without dying. So what happens once you beat the last (Level 8) difficulty? That I can't answer yet because I haven't ever been able to pass Level 7. And I've never been able to pull it off when I begin on Level 8 either. If you know, feel free to tell me the answer! 8. CREDITS ========== God, for everything and more. My parents, for getting me this game nearly two decades ago. All my online and real life friends who happen to stumble upon and fall into this FAQ. You know who you are. Atari/Coleco, for making Donkey Kong Junior so I could play and eventually FAQ it! My two older brothers, Scott and Greg, for putting up with my video game-playing addictions when I was a kid and for giving me timeless memories of playing them with me that I can forever look back on in good spirits. CJAYC, for making the best gaming site on the Web for finding and submitting FAQs, codes, and reviews. 9. LEGAL STUFF ============== You know how it goes. I, Retro, or Jason Owens, am the author of this FAQ and I have copyright over it. Do not copy & paste this over to your site unless you have my permission first. If I give you permission to do so, don't change it in any way, shape, or form. I hope I've answered some of the questions you may have had about Donkey Kong Junior. If you have any questions or just want to drop a line, feel free to e-mail or IM me anytime, anywhere. Thanks for visiting and have a good one!