Donkey Kong (game)

Donkey Kong is a game featured on Top 5 Friday.

Information
Donkey Kong is a 1981 arcade game developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo. An early example of the platform game genre, the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Mario must rescue a damsel in distress named Pauline from a giant ape named Donkey Kong. The hero and ape later became two of Nintendo's most popular and recognizable characters.

The game was the latest in a series of efforts by Nintendo to break into the North American market. The developers broke new ground by using graphics as a means of characterization, including cutscenes to advance the game's plot, and integrating multiple stages into the gameplay. Although Nintendo's American staff was initially apprehensive, Donkey Kong succeeded commercially and critically in North America and Japan.