The control scheme from DK: King of Swing returns in the sequel, DK Jungle Climber for the Nintendo DS, along with a few new surprises. Besides the obviously new dual-screen action, there are challenge modes, multiplayer minigames, and the addition of Diddy Kong as a sidekick for the entire adventure. Cranky Kong is back to guide you on your journey, and you'll meet friends and enemies along the way. How well does the story hold up, and can the controls provide the precision necessary to make the game fun instead of frustrating? Click "read more" below to read the full review.

So, there's this giant talking banana from an advanced civilization. But you don't want to eat him, you want to use his spinning top that opens vortices on the various islands to further your pursuit of King K. Rool as he tries to take over the world. Luckily throughout all these worlds are floating pegs, and boards covered with pegs, so it's fairly easy to traverse the levels, at least at first.

The controls are definitely some of the most unique I've seen. You can traverse nearly every level using only the L and R buttons, which function as left and right directions when you're walking, and simulate grabbing onto the pegs when you're off the ground. Releasing both shoulder buttons at once functions as jump, but if you're swinging around a peg by one hand, you only need to release that one shoulder button. The A button functions as an attack spin, but also provides a larger jump than the usual one, so sometimes it is necessary to navigate a level.

The main challenge of the controls is getting the timing right. When holding onto something with one hand, you always spin, so you have to learn when to release, and whether to use your attack move or not. I found the controls interesting at first, becoming fun after a few levels, and then frustrating after a few more levels. The level designs become very challenging, and with Donkey Kong not being able to take a single hit before dying, sometimes your moves have to be extremely precise. The levels are broken up into several sections (4 or 5 on average), and dying in a later one only means you have to restart in that section.

Diddy Kong joins Donkey Kong on his adventure, and provides a couple benefits. He can be flung as an attack, or to reach bananas/coins/powerups that are far away, and he provides one more hit before death. This adds to the possibilities in the levels, but isn't extremely helpful. All the levels are designed to be possible without the aid of Diddy Kong, although sometimes it seems like it would be impossible to complete the section without getting hit by something.

A challenge mode provides a way to work on some of your shoulder button skills, with races, log jumping, banana catching, and several others. The racing challenges definitely helped me improve my abilities, but the others were of virtually no use in the main game. The multi-player aspects are similarly underwhelming, with only two types of races being possible, and both being so short as to not provide much entertainment. It was easy to win in a race, as most people you compete against will not be familiar with the climbing controls using the shoulder buttons.

Overall, it's a decent game, but if you don't love the control scheme, you will get very tired of it after a few hours. I don't recommend playing the game for extended periods, as your hands may cramp up from the constant shoulder button action. I think a game in the vein of Donkey Kong Country, where the level design varied throughout the course of the game, would be great if it included a few levels like the ones in DK Jungle Climber, but as the primary level-type, it gets repetitive and a little frustrating.

For the shoulder-button-swinging enthusiast, DK Jungle Climber is a great match, with large, uniquely-challenging levels. The control scheme can be a little frustrating at times, especially when pin-point accuracy is required. The various items you have to pick up in the level creates some amount of replay value, but there isn't going to be much to hold your interest beyond the single-player experience. Challenging and fun in the short term, DK Jungle Climber is a unique platformer that puts you in control of your favorite monkey duo.

7/10

View the DK Jungle Climber Image Gallery