When we last saw Donkey Kong and Mario, the big ape had kidnapped Mario's girl and stashed her atop a towering unfinished skyscraper. It seems Mario won that encounter, and not only got his girl, but Donkey Kong as well! Now Mario keeps the hapless Kong locked away in a cage, daring anyone to try and break him free. Someone is taking that dare. His name is Donkey Kong Junior, he's ready to rescue his papa, and he hopes you can help!
Just like in Donkey Kong, each level in Donkey Kong Junior takes place across multiple screens. Different screens represent different places where Mario is keeping Donkey Kong locked up. Junior must make his way to the top of each screen without falling or getting hit, and before the bonus timer runs out. Each time Junior reaches the top, Mario moves Donkey Kong's cage somewhere else, but Junior also finds a key to the cage. The last screen is where Junior can use all those keys to unlock his papa's cage and turn the tables on Mario. Then it's on to the next level, with even more screens to conquer and more keys to find.
Four unique screens appear in all.
Screen 1 - Junior must dodge or jump living Snapjaws unleashed by Mario as he climbs his way to the top. Blue Snapjaws always go straight down once they take hold of a vine, but red Snapjaws can backtrack and even jump from vines to platforms and back again. Both red and blue snapjaws can be taken out by having Junior drop fruit on top of them. Remember to keep an eye on the timer!
Screen 2 - These birds ain't polite, and the eggs they lay don't taste so good either. Junior must carefully navigate the chains and make some well-timed jumps to conquer this screen. Fortunately the birds can be grounded with a good fruit to the head.
Screen 3 - Also known as Mario's hideout, this screen is quite electrifying. Sparks of electricity are jolted to life by Mario, and then zap across the metal framework. Junior can neutralize a Spark with fruit, but it's safer to jump over them, or better yet, avoid them completely when he can.
Screen 4 - Instead of climbing to the top, Junior instead must push every key up the chains and into the locks, all while avoiding the birdbrained Nitpickers and those ever-annoying red Snapjaws. When the last lock is opened, Junior gets his papa and Mario gets his just desserts!
The key to mastering every screen is figuring out how to navigate the vines and chains. Junior climbs faster when he can use two vines at a time, but he will drop faster if he sticks to one. Fruit can help score extra points, but the best way to beat enemies is to figure out their patterns and behavior, and then stay well out of the way!
The first and fourth screens appear in every level of every version of Donkey Kong Junior. After that, the number of screens depends on the level and the release. Even the Japanese and American arcade versions are different from each other!