Joining the likes of Metroid 2, Kirby’s Dream Land, Link’s Awakening, and tons of other amazing Game Boy games, Nintendo Switch Online’s retro catalogue now includes another classic: Donkey Kong Land. It’s nominally a Game Boy adaptation of Donkey Kong Country for the SNES, but the game actually has a slightly different story, changes to enemies, and some entire levels that aren’t in Country.
The main reason why I love Donkey Kong Land — and, while we’re here, Donkey Kong Land 2 and 3, which will probably be on Nintendo Switch Online soon at the rate these retro games are getting added — is the way that the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack got adapted for the Game Boy’s sound chip. The rearrangements of these classic catchy songs are very impressive; you can get a taste of the sound in the trailer that’s in Nintendo’s post on X announcing the game’s addition to Switch Online. No shade to the SNES but I simply prefer the Game Boy’s sound. I used to pause this game just to listen to specific tracks.
The original Donkey Kong Country trilogy is also already on Nintendo Switch Online, by the way, so you can really dive deep into the DK catalogue if that’s your thing. These games hold up quite well considering they’re from the ’90s.
