Junior has kidnapped his Papa, and now it's up to Mario as Donkey Kong Jr. to rescue him. In this action-packed adventure game, players control Donkey Kong Junior as he navigates through four different levels - Vines, Springboard, Chains, and Mario's Hideout - in search of keys to free his father. Along the way, Mario will send out obstacles like Snapjaws, swooping purple birds, and electric sparks to stop Junior.
As Donkey Kong Junior, players can defend themselves by dropping fruit around them on the heads of their foes, scoring bonus points for each foe hit in a falling sequence. They can also avoid enemies by grabbing hold of chains or vines to climb away faster or jump over them. However, falling too far or getting wet on certain levels will result in losing a life. The game features a final cut scene where Junior frees Donkey Kong and both escape after giving Mario the boot. Once all four levels are cleared, the game levels will start over at a higher difficulty.