For the past few years, Nintendo has been taking many risks when it comes to its most beloved franchises. Whether it’s incorporating cel-shaded graphics in Zelda, strapping a water cannon to Mario’s back, or controlling Donkey Kong with a pair of bongos, Nintendo has gotten into the habit of changing up their first-party menu. Their latest Donkey Kong title for the GBA keeps with this theme and presents gamers with a completely new gameplay formula and a unique experience. However, whether the innovation is enough to hold players’ attention for a long amount of time is another question on its own.

DK: King of Swing plays more like a puzzle game that an all-out action platformer like its brethren. You control Donkey Kong almost completely with the L and R shoulder buttons, using them to grab onto pegs and swing around, shooting Donkey Kong into the air to other pegs or into enemies.

As the game continues, the challenge grows, and the stages grow more and more complex. There’s a boss at the end of each area, and defeating them involves a mastery of the games controls and great reflexes.

Aside from the main quest, you can play a bunch of fun mini games in the Jungle Jam mode. You can link up with a friend in this mode or simply play against the computer. In this mode you can race four other characters up a course, fight through obstacles, or play attack battles where you have to take on your opponents and score more hits. As you play through this mode and the main game, you can unlock extra features, including new Jungle Jam courses and so on.

Unfortunately, despite the increasing challenge level and cool boss fights, DK King of Swing feels old after just a few plays. The overall feel of the gameplay doesn’t feature a whole lot of variety, and gets quite redundant.

Graphically, King of Swing has a lot going for it, with bright and vibrant graphics that add to the atmosphere of the game. The characters sport an all-new cartoony look, foregoing the “computer-rendered” look of the Donkey Kong Country series, and the results are great.

The sound effects are also pretty good, and most of the music comes from the Donkey Kong Country games, which had some of the best soundtracks from the 16-bit era.

All things considered, DK King of Swing is a solid effort by the Big N to try something new. The game takes an innovative concept and control scheme and puts them in a familiar universe. While the gameplay gets very repetitive, the game still offers a refreshingly original take on the platforming genre.

Gameplay: 7.0
Using the L and R buttons to swing Donkey Kong around takes some getting used to, but it can be quite fun and challenging as the game goes. Unfortunately, the game does grow very redundant, and many players will wish for more diversity.

Graphics: 8.5
DK King of Swing’s graphics are very bright and colorful, perfect for the franchise and the Game Boy Advance. The character models don’t have the pronounced CGI look of the Donkey Kong Country games, and instead have a very cartoony feel to them, which gives the game a unique look that separates it from the rest.

Sound: 8.0
The sound effects are pretty good, and most of the music is taken directly from the DKC games and is appropriately pleasant and happy.

Difficulty:  Medium

Concept: 8.5 
DK King of Swing is an interesting action-puzzler with a great concept behind it and some great challenging elements, even if it does get repetitive.

Overall: 7.5
King of Swing is an interesting experience, and continues with Nintendo’s legacy of innovation in its established catalog of popular franchises. Even though the action does get a little repetitive, DK King of Swing is a worthy play if you’re looking for something a little different.