Donkey Kong Land

A series of Game Boy platforming video games developed by Rare as portable companions to the Donkey Kong Country franchise.

Action

8

Games

1995–2000

Years

4

Platforms

$66.63

Ø CIB

+0.5%

24M change

About

The Donkey Kong Land series consists of handheld platformers developed by Rare and published by Nintendo, beginning with the original Donkey Kong Land in 1995 and continuing with Donkey Kong Land 2 in 1996. These games adapted the pre-rendered 3D visual style and gameplay of the SNES Donkey Kong Country series to the Game Boy hardware. While sharing thematic elements with their home console counterparts, they featured unique level designs, worlds, and companion storylines.

The debut title, Donkey Kong Land (1995), was packaged in an eye-catching, banana-yellow cartridge, a marketing choice that became a signature for the physical releases. This initial game was distributed in several editions, including the standard retail version, Donkey Kong Land [Player's Choice] (1995), the promotional Donkey Kong Land [Not for Resale] (1995), and a later budget reissue under the Donkey Kong Land [Classic Series] (1995) label. The narrative centered on a wager between Cranky Kong and the heroes, leading to an original adventure across locations like Big Ape City.

The sequel, Donkey Kong Land 2 (1996), shifted focus to Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong on a quest to rescue Donkey Kong from Kaptain K. Rool. This title also saw multiple physical variations, including Donkey Kong Land 2 [Player's Choice] (1996) and the rare demo cartridge Donkey Kong Land 2 [Not for Resale] (1996). While the sequel aligned more closely with the pirate-themed environments of its SNES counterpart, it maintained distinct stage layouts optimized for the portable screen. Both games later reached new audiences through digital re-releases on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.