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IGN Review of Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
What a waste of a game Donkey Kong Barrel Blast has become. Originally designed for the Nintendo GameCube DK bongo drum accessory, DK Barrel Blast moved over to Wii about the same time as Super Paper Mario, thus closing the book on Cube, and showing Nintendo's full support of the Wii. Over the years we've seen name changes, control changes, interface and design changes, and a seemingly never-ending delay for this Mario Kart bongo mash-up, and now that the game has finally arrived we come to the conclusion that sometimes you just need to let a game go, as DK Barrel Blast is an uninspired shell of its original design, and in no way worth your cash years later.
Since DK Barrel Blast was set to be another Cube bongo game - along the lines of Donkey Konga and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - there are specific design elements that you expect. The game is going to be shallow, it's going to have just a simplistic, somewhat charming appeal due to the innovative controller, and it was going to be not much more than a multiplayer arcade experience that otherwise exists only as a one-trick pony. Given the progression of GameCube, we could have understood that one. Now that the game has made its way onto Wii, however, we expect more, and it just doesn't deliver. DK Barrel Blast takes the same general gameplay of its previous GameCube design and instead sheds the bongo peripheral altogether, having players grab Wii-mote and nunchuk in hand as their virtual bongos - air drums, if you will - for the game's simplistic controls.
Originally the controls were simple, but at least they worked without fail. Drumming on the left bongo would move the jet-riding apes to the left, while drumming right moved them right. Smash down on both at once and you'd launch yourself into the air, with the only other controls being a quick drumming to gain speed with alternating pounds on the jet drums. That's a lot of drumming. With the Wii, however, Nintendo has removed the ability to use the drums altogether, so even if you've got a few at home (we have two sets alone sitting just feet from us as we write the review) you still can't use them. Instead the remote combo acts to simulate the drums, though it isn't exactly an intuitive experience. Drum too fast and the remotes sense a dual drum, launching your racer into the air at random times. In addition, a vertical swipe - be it down-to-up or up-to-down - is taken as a drum, so you can't even be able to raise a hand while pounding another down without the game misinterpreting it as a dual slam. Case in point; random jumping isn't fun.
It goes beyond that though, as DK Barrel Blast just isn't that strong of a racer regardless of control method. Racers move incredibly slow, and even follow the specific point on the track regardless of player input, so once you drum up to full speed you could literally put the controllers down and watch the rider race around the track, if not for a slight bit of drifting within their lanes and the occasional hazard on the road. And if you're wondering how entertaining a game can be after you remove the speed and take away the majority of turning needed to finish a race, this review should give you at least an idea.
It isn't all bad with DK Barrel Blast, but unfortunately the weaker elements far outweigh the game's higher points. Level design is inspired by worlds from the DK franchise, as are the racers, so fans of the Donkey Kong series (what's become of it, at least) should find familiar company in DK Barrel Blast. You'll have blast barrels for shortcuts, mine carts for even bigger level-cutting routes, and characters like Enguarde (the quick-swimming swordfish from DK Country) to jump onto and ride. Overall the design works, but the gameplay execution is incredibly poor.
Even the blast system, which is based on collecting bananas to fill up your boost gauge and then unleash it with a flaming nitro boost is still too simplistic, allowing you to keep a boot gong as long as you're running into barrels, but no longer. Even for an experience racer it can take all race to fuel up a full set of blast power-ups, and even then cashing them all in won't necessary do a ton, as it's all based on the level design's placement of barrels (which isn't always top-notch). It's as if the game compiles all the necessary elements to make a solid racer, but drops the ball when it comes to control, speed, precision, and pure entertainment.
When looking at the presentation elements DK Barrel Blast again shows at least a bit of merit. The models and animation are decent, the levels have some solid architecture, and there's enough of an animation effects budget to keep it from looking too archaic. The game even runs in 16:9 and 480p, and goes as far as to include Mii support for profiles, IR menus, and a motion-based trick system in-game, but it just doesn't matter when you realize DK Barrel Blast looks the part, but doesn't act it. On the audio side it's entirely apparent that Donkey Kong needs a facelift, as the moronic wailing and cheesy audio never ceases to amaze us. Oh Donkey Kong, what have they done to you?
©2007-10-15, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Since DK Barrel Blast was set to be another Cube bongo game - along the lines of Donkey Konga and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - there are specific design elements that you expect. The game is going to be shallow, it's going to have just a simplistic, somewhat charming appeal due to the innovative controller, and it was going to be not much more than a multiplayer arcade experience that otherwise exists only as a one-trick pony. Given the progression of GameCube, we could have understood that one. Now that the game has made its way onto Wii, however, we expect more, and it just doesn't deliver. DK Barrel Blast takes the same general gameplay of its previous GameCube design and instead sheds the bongo peripheral altogether, having players grab Wii-mote and nunchuk in hand as their virtual bongos - air drums, if you will - for the game's simplistic controls.
Originally the controls were simple, but at least they worked without fail. Drumming on the left bongo would move the jet-riding apes to the left, while drumming right moved them right. Smash down on both at once and you'd launch yourself into the air, with the only other controls being a quick drumming to gain speed with alternating pounds on the jet drums. That's a lot of drumming. With the Wii, however, Nintendo has removed the ability to use the drums altogether, so even if you've got a few at home (we have two sets alone sitting just feet from us as we write the review) you still can't use them. Instead the remote combo acts to simulate the drums, though it isn't exactly an intuitive experience. Drum too fast and the remotes sense a dual drum, launching your racer into the air at random times. In addition, a vertical swipe - be it down-to-up or up-to-down - is taken as a drum, so you can't even be able to raise a hand while pounding another down without the game misinterpreting it as a dual slam. Case in point; random jumping isn't fun.
It goes beyond that though, as DK Barrel Blast just isn't that strong of a racer regardless of control method. Racers move incredibly slow, and even follow the specific point on the track regardless of player input, so once you drum up to full speed you could literally put the controllers down and watch the rider race around the track, if not for a slight bit of drifting within their lanes and the occasional hazard on the road. And if you're wondering how entertaining a game can be after you remove the speed and take away the majority of turning needed to finish a race, this review should give you at least an idea.
It isn't all bad with DK Barrel Blast, but unfortunately the weaker elements far outweigh the game's higher points. Level design is inspired by worlds from the DK franchise, as are the racers, so fans of the Donkey Kong series (what's become of it, at least) should find familiar company in DK Barrel Blast. You'll have blast barrels for shortcuts, mine carts for even bigger level-cutting routes, and characters like Enguarde (the quick-swimming swordfish from DK Country) to jump onto and ride. Overall the design works, but the gameplay execution is incredibly poor.
Even the blast system, which is based on collecting bananas to fill up your boost gauge and then unleash it with a flaming nitro boost is still too simplistic, allowing you to keep a boot gong as long as you're running into barrels, but no longer. Even for an experience racer it can take all race to fuel up a full set of blast power-ups, and even then cashing them all in won't necessary do a ton, as it's all based on the level design's placement of barrels (which isn't always top-notch). It's as if the game compiles all the necessary elements to make a solid racer, but drops the ball when it comes to control, speed, precision, and pure entertainment.
When looking at the presentation elements DK Barrel Blast again shows at least a bit of merit. The models and animation are decent, the levels have some solid architecture, and there's enough of an animation effects budget to keep it from looking too archaic. The game even runs in 16:9 and 480p, and goes as far as to include Mii support for profiles, IR menus, and a motion-based trick system in-game, but it just doesn't matter when you realize DK Barrel Blast looks the part, but doesn't act it. On the audio side it's entirely apparent that Donkey Kong needs a facelift, as the moronic wailing and cheesy audio never ceases to amaze us. Oh Donkey Kong, what have they done to you?
©2007-10-15, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved