If you've been on this Nintendo Switch Online adventure with me, then you'll know that there were long stretches where Nintendo didn't release anything. Now, with only a few weeks left in the year, suddenly we can't go a day without Nintendo announcing something new. Just one day after revealing the release date for Tetris, they give us Donkey Kong Land III on the Game Boy. And that's not all, because Japanese subscribers (or those who can cleverly switch regions) were treated to the Game Boy Color remake from 2000. That's cool news, but is this game actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Nintendo Power, Gamers Republic and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when this game first came out. I sure hope you're ready to complete the trilogy, because we're going bananas in this episode of Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew!


Released in late 1997, it's easy to view Donkey Kong Land III as the last gasp for the original Game Boy. The trilogy helped to keep the aging portable alive and thriving as the competition dropped out one after another, but the days of monochromatic graphics were clearly coming to an end. Just one year later, Nintendo would once again revise the handheld with the Game Boy Color, which allowed them to shift the focus back to franchises like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. On the bright side, this third and final Donkey Kong Land game is the most daring and ambitious one yet. It deviates from the home games and actually adds some new ideas to the mix. Let's see what the magazines were saying about the game 27 years ago.

Once again, we don't see a lot of critics racing to review this third Game Boy game. Electronic Gaming Monthly, for example, skipped the entire Donkey Kong Land trilogy, and reviews for Nintendo's aging handheld were thinning out across the board. Thankfully, we can rely on Nintendo Power to review the game, though they couldn't muster up a score higher than a 7.1 out of 10. They argued that “this is the best of the Game Boy Donkey Kong games to date. The main characters stand out clearly from the backgrounds and the animation is smooth throughout.” They also liked “the excellent game control,” saying that “it captures the feeling of the Super NES Donkey Kongs.”

Over in Australia, Hyper liked this sequel a lot more than Nintendo Power. They gave it an 82%, raving about the levels, but complaining that the lack of challenge means it won't have much of a shelf life. “Donkey Kong Land III is fun, looks great, and plays much like the Super NES version. The only problem is that there's nothing really new or worth salivating over. Too familiar, and too easy. Bring on project Atlantis.” In case you don't remember, that was the Game Boy follow-up Nintendo was working on that was supposed to come out in the mid-1990s.

Speaking of which, it's worth mentioning that Nintendo released a version of this game for the Game Boy Color in 2000. Sadly, that version never came to America or Europe, but Gamers Republic did review it and gave it a B+. That said, they were a little disappointed that it wasn't more colorful: “Graphically, although the animation is impressive all around, I did find the colors somewhat lacking, which is my only grievance with Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong. Each character is relegated to one hue and some of the backgrounds are very washed out. I'm sure the Game Boy Color's pony power is going instead to the sprites and animation, however, so this is to be expected. DK & DK is a must-have import Game Boy Color release.”

Now let's return back to the original 1997 version that we got here in the West. If you're looking for the highest score, then let's pull out the January 1998 issue of the Official UK Nintendo Magazine. Giving it a 92%, they were one of the few to notice how overshadowed the Game Boy was: “After what has been a deluge of Nintendo 64 games over the past few months, here's something that will please all you Game Boy fanatics out there. Donkey Kong Land III is just what you game-starved players have been waiting for and Rare has done wonders with the Game Boy's limited memory size. There's enough platform action here to keep you glued to the small screen for ages and you'll be tearing your hair out in frustration as you try and find all the hidden bonuses and coins. All the elements of Donkey Kong Land are here, which just goes to show that you shouldn't mess with a good thing. The Game Boy title is just what we've been waiting for. You'll be hard pushed to find anything better this year.”

This is a good example of going out on the right foot. With an average score of 82%, this third installment is just slightly behind the 86% we saw from the original and ahead of the 75% the critics gave the divisive middle chapter. If you've gone through the other two games over the last few days and still want more, then Donkey Kong Land III is definitely worth checking out. Just don't expect much new or different.