This is a platformer. And we've seen some good ones and we've seen some bad ones, right here on GBA. I like the fact that
Kong features a good backstory, taken from the show. Jason, a boy, and
Kong are joined by some DNA in an effort to recreate the original
Kong. That's right, the one from the movie! So, there's a cool pop culture link going on here, as well as the DNA link. At times during the game, Jason and
Kong will both be playable and even able to join into a being called Mega
Kong. It sounds a bit cheesy, but I like cheesy. What I don't like is the fact that playing through this thing is the gaming equivalent of slicing yourself repeatedly with the sharp edge of a piece of paper.
Starting the adventure, Jason and Kong are out to recover Primal Stones ripped off by a so-called friend and colleague, Ramone de la Porta. And, they travel from level to level looking for pieces of parchment needed to activate the stones and the stones themselves, dropped by Ramone or given to his lackeys who you'll have to defeat in combat. Hence, boss battles. And man oh man, you can guess that this formula looked great on paper, and the graphics sure do make this look like a joy of a game to play, but the simple fact is that you'll be bored stiff or confused stiff after about 4 minutes. The problem isn't that the objective isn't clear or that the level is confusing, but more that the level is like a long hallway with some window dressing and enemies to kill. You walk through with Jason or Kong, pick up a few items and trounce a few enemies, grab the stones or beat someone up to get them and you're off to the next level. How fun is that? Variety is nil, new ideas are nil, and so this one dies on the table. After the novelty of playing Kong, Jason and Mega Kong, there's nothing left to do except wish you'd spent the last 4 minutes doing something else.