Change who you're playing as, and the villain becomes the hero.
In the first Donkey Kong, the ape was the enemy — he kidnapped Pauline and Mario had to climb to save her. One year later, Shigeru Miyamoto flipped the camera. Now Mario was the one holding someone captive, and you played as Junior, climbing to free his father. Nothing about the ape changed. The story changed because the perspective changed. Miyamoto said he wanted to show that Donkey Kong was more than just a villain — but what the game really showed was simpler: who you play as decides who you care about. It's a lesson that works in games, and it works outside them too. The person you've written off as wrong might just be the hero of a story you haven't tried to see.
— inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto
About this game
Released in 1982 in arcades and ported to the Famicom in 1983 as a launch title, Donkey Kong Jr. reverses the roles of its predecessor: Mario becomes the villain who has captured Donkey Kong, and Junior climbs vines, chains, and platforms to rescue his father. Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto under Gunpei Yokoi's supervision, the game proved that perspective alone could transform a story — the same ape who kidnapped Pauline becomes a sympathetic prisoner, and the hero becomes the captor. It was one of Nintendo's earliest experiments in narrative perspective, showing that who you play as determines who you root for.
Key Features
Junior climbs vines and chains using both hands (pressing left and right together makes him climb faster), jumps across gaps, and drops fruit on enemies below. The game includes four distinct stages that loop with increasing difficulty: Vines, Springboard, Jumpboard, and Hideout. Unlike the original Donkey Kong, this sequel introduced the climbing mechanic that would become central to many later platformers.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Donkey Kong Jr. was released to arcades in 1982, one year after the original Donkey Kong's success. For the Famicom port in 1983, it became one of three launch titles alongside Donkey Kong and Popeye, helping establish the console in Japan. The game marked the first time Nintendo developed a game without outside help after reverse-engineering code from Ikegami Tsushinki, though this led to a legal dispute that was settled in 1990. The perspective reversal — making Mario the villain — would remain unique in Nintendo's history; Mario never returned to an antagonist role in a major release.
Tricks & Tales
Donkey Kong Jr. is notable for being the only official Nintendo game where Mario appears as the antagonist. Shigeru Miyamoto stated he wanted to show that Donkey Kong was more than just a villain, so he told the story from the ape's perspective. The game was developed under Gunpei Yokoi's supervision, who mentored Miyamoto through his early career at Nintendo. The climbing mechanic — using two vines or chains simultaneously to climb faster — became a model for environmental interaction in future platformers.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The Famicom version (NTSC-J) was released in Japan on July 15, 1983, as one of the three launch titles for the console. The NES version followed in 1986 for North America. The game itself is identical across regions; only the cartridge shape and packaging differ due to regional console design. Famicom cartridges require either a Famicom console or a region adapter to play on an NES.
Maintenance Tips
Donkey Kong Jr. stores no save data, so there are no batteries to maintain or replace. If the cartridge fails to boot, clean the edge connector pins with isopropyl alcohol (90% or higher) and a cotton swab — wipe lengthwise along the contacts and let them dry completely before inserting. Never blow into the cartridge; moisture from your breath corrodes the pins over time. Store the cartridge in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to prevent label fading and plastic discoloration.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Donkey Kong Jr. copies regularly.
Does Donkey Kong Jr. for Famicom have a save battery?
No. Donkey Kong Jr. is an arcade port with no save feature — it tracks your high score during the session, but that score is lost when you power off. There is no battery inside the cartridge, which also means there's no battery to replace or worry about years later. It's a straightforward single-session game, the way arcade games were meant to be played.
Will a Japanese Famicom copy of Donkey Kong Jr. work on my NES?
The Famicom and NES are region-locked by cartridge shape, not by the game itself. A Japanese Famicom cartridge will not physically fit into a standard NES without an adapter. However, if you have a Famicom console or a region adapter, the game will run without any issues — the game code is compatible. The only differences are the cartridge shell and the language on the label.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Donkey Kong Jr.
A short checklist for buying a used Famicom cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese Famicom cartridge with a 60-pin connector; a North American NES uses a 72-pin slot, so it will not fit directly.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Confirm it is genuine, not a reproduction
Sought-after titles are targets for reproduction boards with replacement labels.
Ask for a photo of the circuit board and look for factory markings. Favour a shop with a licensed second-hand dealer permit (古物商) — by law its stock has a traceable origin, your simplest guard against fakes.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Donkey Kong Jr. sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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