Black Label Games: Donkey Kong Jr.

What is a Black Label Game, you ask? Well, they're the first several games released by Nintendo for the NES. They're described as the Black Label Games because the label's are black, and the pictures are pixelated images of the game. Here is what Donkey Kong Jr. looks like:

Donkey Kong Jr. is a great game. It was released in 06/1986. It's not too complicated, but it gets pretty hard. At the beginning it's pretty easy to dodge enemies, but as the levels progress they get much harder. I used to think I was pretty good at this game, but I've been shown that I can't last nearly as some as others. That's okay though, with practice I could get that good! Just you watch! Each level has different enemies and progressively get crazier. You'll have to excuse the pictures. When you pause the game all the people disappear. Guess that prevents you from cheating!

Stage one is pretty easy. There's some Snapjaw's that Mario releases from the top of the screen to crawl down the vines to get you. Those Snapjaw's always make me think of aligators or crocodiles. You can make the fruit fall down to get points and get even more points if they fall on a bad guy. All you have to do it get to the platform above Mario and you continue to the next stage.

Stage two, to me, is the worst stage. If you time it just right, you can hit that spring on that bottom left platform to land on a platorm that is floating in the air. If you don't, you have to get over to the bottom right platform, climb up the chain, and attempt to jump on the floating platform. There are chains that move back and forth as well as up and down going across that line that you have to take to get to the left again. Mario is releasing birds at the same time that fly around and drop eggs on you. Again, all you have to do is get to the platform above Mario to pass the stage.

I like the third stage. Watch out for the Sparks all around the stage. There is one going around each platform, but Mario also releases one that travels all around that you have to dodge as well. This stage is easy to point scab on by just hanging out on the top platform and jumping over the Sparks without dying. 

This stage is also great. In Stage Four, Mario is releaing birds again but these ones don't drop eggs on you. They just go back and forth across the stage and you have to watch out. At the same time, Slapjaw's are coming down the chains to get you. While you're dodging all that, you got to get all the keys up to the top to rescue Donkey Kong.

Now you can play this game on the NES. Either you can play it on the original Donkey Kong Jr. cart or you can play it on the Donkey Kong Classics cart. I always wondered why it was called Donkey Kong Classics when you only play Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. It didn't come out before Donkey Kong 3, so did they think it wasn't worth it to put it on there? Who knows. Either way, play it. It's awesome.