Unlocking The Secret Mechanics Of Donkey Kong

I had an amazing time learning more about Donkey Kong and the high score community it facilities. I will probably continue to play it here and there and maybe one day reach the coveted kill screen.

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[Kosmicd]

When I started learning about this game, I heard about barrel steering and that alone instantly painted a picture of how good and complex it can be

[Jrose]

I never thought I'd watch a 20 minute video on Donkey Kong strategy, let alone enjoy it, yet both just happened.

[TheOdMan]

What I find most impressive about your series of videos Karl, is actually the amount of courage it takes to step into a gaming community around a game that has been played for SO LONG, with minimal knowledge going in, and end up producing a really insightful, respectful and enjoyable video about it. It's a testament to your passion concerning competetive gaming I believe, that you manage to do this again and again. Great show as always.

[felimonerguiza]

"Donkey Kong: That Old Game That Weird Guy Cheated On"

Yep - the most quoted and most remembered part of the video. That "weird guy" has put so much effort trying to silence the issue that he cemented his name in with the game - but not in the way he wanted.

[thealarm]

Love this, like you say at the end, don't let a few bad apples ruin your image of this community. All you ever hear about Donkey Kong is "Billy Mitchell this, Billy Mitchell that.", so it's really nice to actually see a video about everything but Billy about this game.

[Gamechamp]

I find achievements help a lot with giving retro arcade games the kind of goal-oriented play modern games rely on, and especially make the player pay more attention to their mechanics. I recently played DK on Retro Achievements, and it's the first time I ever even played a full level set in the arcade game, let alone worked in barrel control.

[MrJibble]

"By the end, Donkey Kong won't just be that old game that weird guy cheated on" LOL

[MahDryBread]

This is a really cool one, it's always fun learning how a game's speedruns work!

[TwoGunToast]

"Donkey Kong: That old game that weird guy cheated on"

[TBaguette]

Imagine being that lady at the top waiting for you to save her and all she gets to see is you jumping relentlessly over barrels like she's no big deal.

[llSuperSnivyll]

This reminds me of the time I also decided to look deeper into Donkey Kong's mechanics. But it wasn't because I wanted to speedrun it or anything like it, but it was for a university project where we had to make a multiplayer Donkey Kong game (an elimination tournament where players competed to reach Pauline three times in 5 minutes; if the time was over and they rescued her the same amount of times, the player that died less times won), and I wanted to make it as close to the original as possible (although with some liberties - like the fireball enemies getting faster the more they lived, or Mario being able to throw the hammer in order to kill all enemies, and potentially the other player, in a straight line). It was a fun experience.

[jamesgaming]

"but this video would be hours long if i did", implying that i wouldn't be willing to watch karl explain donkey kong for hours

[thestabbybrit]

The fact that barrel steering exists is a revelation, and it really makes me admire the game all the more. I love hidden depth!

[concretespecial]

I've been playing this game since it hit the arcades all those years ago. It's still one of my favorites and I had to comment on the excellent job you did on this video. Especially your touching on the importance of controlling your barrels! This is what separates good players from great players. Well done! I hope this encourages a whole new group of gamers to give a go at this amazing game.

[blackmetalden]

Pretty amazing break down and video. Also very respectful that you took the time to understand and learn about something you thought you didn't like.

I was born in 1986 as well but something about DK I've always loved. At my peak of DK competing in April 2014 I hit 628, 100 points at 1 Up in Denver, CO. I really wish that I recorded that game because it would have broke top 25 at the time.
This video's timing is freaking perfect because I recently started talking to sellers to buy an original cabinet because I've wanted to get back into competing but due to COVID I obviously can't go to arcade/barcades.

Now I'm even more inspired to break more records, thanks you absolute legend!

[hagzomush]

Played this game for hours on the Donkey Kong 64 in-game arcade machine. A mate and I challenged ourselves to hit as many pies as possible; with the hammer on the conveyor belt level. We pulled an all nighter just to get the right RNG and ended up decending into madness. There was something really satisfying about smashing 6 pies in a row with that hammer, good times!

[Touchfuzzy_YT]

I really like the decision you made to talk about your hesitance with this game and the running of it, then play the game yourself, talking about the top players and the top strategies then trying them yourself and showing us. That's a really cool thing, man. Love this stuff, never stop!

[xtalviper]

"Donkey Kong won't just be that `Old game that weird guy cheated on`. "

_Cue Regular Show floating head explosion_

[RickardLejonhjarta]

i really have to commend you for putting in the work
it would be so easy to just make these videos based on available fact, but actually sitting down with the game for dozens of hours to understand it is next level

[Duskraven]

I love how well you explain all the mechanics. Detailed, yet never in such a way that a complete noob would get confused.