Donkey Kong Jr. is a 1982 platform arcade game by Nintendo, the direct sequel to Donkey Kong.
Quick Facts
| Title | Donkey Kong Jr. |
| Year | 1982 |
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| Designer(s) | Shigeru Miyamoto, Gunpei Yokoi, Yoshio Sakamoto, Yukio Kaneoka |
| Genre | Platform |
| Hardware | Arcade hardware; Nintendo R&D1 development |
| Ports | 8 ports, including NES, ColecoVision, and Atari 2600 — see Ports section |
History
Donkey Kong Jr. arrived in arcades in 1982 as Nintendo’s follow-up to the previous year’s Donkey Kong. Rather than write the sequel from scratch, Nintendo brought in outside firm Iwasaki Engineering to disassemble and reverse-engineer the original game’s code, since that code had been authored by contractor Ikegami Tsushinki and Nintendo lacked its own source. With a working copy of the logic in hand, Shigeru Miyamoto’s team layered in new graphics, stages, and mechanics, swapping barrels for hazards called Snapjaws and Nitpickers and trading ladders for climbable vines and chains. Miyamoto also flipped the series’ roles: the player now controls Donkey Kong’s son, freeing his imprisoned father from a caged Mario, Mario’s only turn as a video game antagonist.
That reverse-engineered code carried real legal risk: because the disassembly drew on material already disputed from the original Donkey Kong, Ikegami Tsushinki filed a roughly ¥580 million infringement suit against Nintendo in 1983 covering both games. Despite the litigation, Donkey Kong Jr. thrived competitively, becoming one of five games chosen for the first officially sanctioned video game world championship, staged at Twin Galaxies in Ottumwa, Iowa, and broadcast by ABC-TV’s That’s Incredible! over the weekend of January 8–9, 1983. Like its predecessor, the arcade original hides a kill screen at level 22, caused by an internal integer overflow rather than deliberate design. Nintendo later adapted the game into three separate Game & Watch handhelds.
Gameplay
Donkey Kong Jr. reverses the roles of the original game: instead of Mario storming a construction site, the player steers Donkey Kong Jr. through four themed stages to free his father, Donkey Kong, from a cage that Mario now guards at the top of the screen. Junior climbs vines, chains, and ropes rather than ladders, timing jumps and grabs to avoid hazards including Snapjaws (snapping alligator-like creatures perched on vines), Nitpickers (birds that dive at the player), and Sparks (electrical hazards that patrol chains). Along the way, collecting fruit lets Junior pelt and destroy nearby enemies, clearing a path upward, while keys scattered through each stage must be gathered and carried to a lock to complete it and advance. A single joystick and jump button handle all of Junior’s movement and climbing.
- Climbing-based movement across vines, chains, and ropes instead of ladder climbing
- Fruit collection used as a projectile to destroy enemies
- Key-gathering objective required to clear each of the four stages
- Distinct enemy types (Snapjaws, Nitpickers, Sparks) with different movement patterns
Cabinet & Hardware
Donkey Kong Jr. runs on Nintendo’s original arcade hardware developed in-house by Nintendo R&D1, the same internal team responsible for the first Donkey Kong.
Ports & Re-releases
| Platform | Year |
|---|---|
| NES | 1982 |
| ColecoVision | — |
| Atari 2600 | — |
| Atari 7800 | — |
| Atari 8-bit | — |
| Intellivision | — |
| Coleco Adam | — |
| Famicom Disk System | — |
Donkey Kong Jr. has resurfaced on modern platforms through Nintendo’s Arcade Archives series, bringing the original arcade version to current-generation hardware. Check the NES, ColecoVision, and Atari 2600 platform pages for details on those specific ports.
Where to Play Legally Today
- Nintendo’s official Arcade Archives release of Donkey Kong Jr. on current-generation consoles and PC
- MAME, run only with legally owned ROM dumps from a cabinet or licensed source you own
- Arcade museums and retro arcade venues that keep a working Donkey Kong Jr. cabinet on their floor
Collector Value
Original Donkey Kong Jr. upright cabinets remain a recognizable fixture of golden-age arcade collecting, prized alongside the original Donkey Kong as a matched pair by collectors who chase complete-set Nintendo arcade lineups; well-preserved cabinets with intact marquees and side art fetch a premium over units that have been re-themed or heavily repaired. Standalone PCBs circulate for collectors who already own a compatible cabinet shell. Home ports on cartridge-based systems such as the NES, Atari 2600, and Intellivision are widely available and inexpensive, making them an accessible entry point for collectors not ready to take on a full-size cabinet.
FAQs
Who made Donkey Kong Jr.?
Donkey Kong Jr. was made by Nintendo, with Shigeru Miyamoto, Gunpei Yokoi, Yoshio Sakamoto, and Yukio Kaneoka credited as designers.
What year did Donkey Kong Jr. come out?
Donkey Kong Jr. came out in 1982.
What genre is Donkey Kong Jr.?
Donkey Kong Jr. is a platform arcade game, in which the player climbs vines, chains, and ropes while collecting fruit and keys.
Did Donkey Kong Jr. compete in a video game championship?
Yes, Donkey Kong Jr. was one of five arcade games selected for the first official video game world championship in January 1983, which was filmed for ABC-TV’s That’s Incredible!
Has Donkey Kong Jr. been ported to home consoles?
Yes, Donkey Kong Jr. has been ported to at least eight platforms, including the NES, ColecoVision, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit computers, Intellivision, Coleco Adam, and Famicom Disk System.
See also the related Donkey Kong arcade page, and browse the Golden Age of Arcade Games hub for more classic platform titles.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Jr.
- https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-secret-history-of-i-donkey-kong-i-
Facts on this page last verified 2026-07-15.