Gameplay and design
The core gameplay of Donkey Kong 64 revolves around five playable characters, each with unique abilities and weapons. Donkey Kong is strong and uses a Coconut Gun; Diddy Kong is agile and uses a Peanut Gun; Tiny Kong can climb high and uses a Grape Gun; Chunky can swim and uses a Pineapple Gun; and Lanky can turn invisible and uses a Feather Gun. Players must constantly switch characters to solve puzzles and open paths, making exploration varied and dynamic.
Collecting items is the absolute focus of the game. The island is filled with a huge number of collectibles, such as colored bananas, golden bananas, and banana coins, each serving different purposes; for example, golden bananas are key to unlocking new areas. Additionally, the game hides many mini-games, such as throwing, shooting, and racing, which offer extra rewards when completed. This design keeps players busy beyond the main quest, but it also makes the game's pacing quite dense.
The multiplayer mode is a major highlight, supporting up to four players in competitive play. Modes include Deathmatch, Last Man Standing, and King of the Hill, among six mini-games. Players can choose different characters and battle in specially designed arenas. These modes are simple and straightforward, but they are a lot of fun with friends and add significant replay value.
The game also includes hidden, fully playable versions of the original Donkey Kong and Jetpac, which players must find arcade machines in the game world to play. Interestingly, to complete the entire story of Donkey Kong 64, players must finish both of these classic games, a bold design choice at the time that reflects Rare's homage to retro gaming.
The game's open-world design is also noteworthy. DK Island is divided into several areas, each with unique themes and puzzles. Players can explore freely but need to collect enough golden bananas to unlock new areas. This structure encourages repeated exploration, but it has also drawn criticism for requiring frequent backtracking.
Background and release
Donkey Kong 64 was first released in North America on November 22, 1999, and in other regions in December, making it a significant title for the late Nintendo 64 era. At the time, the N64 already had 3D masterpieces like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, while the Donkey Kong series had been primarily 2D platformers. Thus, this release marked the classic series' official transition into the 3D era.
The game became Nintendo's best-selling title during the 1999 holiday season, with impressive sales. According to statistics, as of 2021, the game had sold 5.27 million copies worldwide, a respectable figure for the N64 platform. Nintendo also invested $22 million in a marketing campaign, including TV commercials, sweepstakes, and a national tour, showing high expectations.
The game garnered attention before release and won the Game Critics Award for Best Platform Game at E3 1999. However, after its official release, critical reception was divided. Some praised the graphics, scale, and content volume, while others criticized the camera control and excessive collection elements, a controversy that has accompanied the game ever since.
In terms of series development, Donkey Kong 64 is the first 3D game in the Donkey Kong series, but it is not the first 3D platformer in the industry. It borrowed the open-world design from Banjo-Kazooie but placed a stronger emphasis on collecting, a style later dubbed "collect-a-thon." The game's success also prompted Nintendo to continue some of its design ideas in later titles.
Notably, the game was the last Donkey Kong game developed by Rare before its acquisition by Microsoft in 2002. After that, the Donkey Kong series remained dormant for many years until the 2025 release of Donkey Kong Bananza, a new 3D platformer, making Donkey Kong 64 particularly special within the series.
Development
Development of Donkey Kong 64 began in 1997, with a 16-person team at Rare, and took three years to complete. Many team members came from the Banjo-Kazooie project, so the game inherited many of its engine and gameplay features. Initially, the game was conceived as a 2.5D platformer similar to Donkey Kong Country, but it was later decided to use the Banjo-Kazooie engine to create a true 3D open world.
The emphasis on collection was not accidental but was a requirement from Rare co-founder Tim Stamper. He wanted Donkey Kong 64 to be distinct from Banjo-Kazooie, so he made collecting the core gameplay. This decision directly influenced the game's design direction and made "collect-a-thon" its most distinctive label, although this design later drew considerable criticism.
The game was one of the first to require the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak, which was bundled with the game. The Expansion Pak increased memory, improving resolution and detail, but it also meant that players without it could not play the game. This approach sparked some discussion at the time, but it also helped popularize the Expansion Pak.
The character models were designed from scratch using polygons rather than pre-rendered models, and a new tool called Gamegen was used. Game director George Andreas recalled that Shigeru Miyamoto was shocked when he saw Donkey Kong using a shotgun, and he drew a sketch of a coconut gun, which was later incorporated into the game and became Donkey Kong's signature weapon.
The game also included a "Stop 'n' Swop" feature, but Nintendo requested its removal due to concerns about damaging the console. This feature would have allowed players to unlock content by swapping cartridges, but it was ultimately canceled. Additionally, the game was not released on the Wii Virtual Console for unknown reasons, possibly due to copyright issues, until it was re-released on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2015.
Reception and legacy
Donkey Kong 64 was commercially successful after release, but critical reception was polarized. Critics generally praised the graphics, scale, and content volume, considering it a showcase of the N64's hardware potential. However, camera control and excessive collecting and backtracking were major points of criticism, with some players finding the game too tedious, and this controversy also influenced the design direction of later 3D platformers.
The game is considered a representative of the "collect-a-thon" genre, which emphasizes large amounts of collectibles and exploration, but it was later blamed for the decline in popularity of 3D platformers. Many reviewers felt that the collection elements in Donkey Kong 64 were too extreme, causing player fatigue, and this trend was gradually corrected in subsequent titles, shifting toward a greater focus on level design.
The "DK Rap" is one of the most controversial elements of the game. This comedic hip-hop song in the opening cutscene, composed by Grant Kirkhope, has been rated by many media outlets as one of the worst game songs, but over time it has become an internet meme, widely shared and joked about by players. The song also appeared in Super Smash Bros. Melee, becoming part of gaming culture.
The game is Rare's final Donkey Kong work, and after Rare was acquired by Microsoft, the Donkey Kong series stalled. It wasn't until the 2025 release of Donkey Kong Bananza that a new 3D platformer appeared, giving Donkey Kong 64 a bridging role in the series. The game was re-released on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2015 and joined the Nintendo Classics service in 2026, allowing new players to experience it.
Overall, Donkey Kong 64 is a product of its time. It boldly attempted a 3D open world and extensive collection elements, and despite its flaws, it provided lessons for future platformers. Its influence extends beyond game design to cultural phenomena like the "DK Rap," making it an unmissable part of the N64 era.
