King Kong | DJcube

Play as man. Plan as Kong.

EU release: 17th November 2005
NA release: 22nd November 2005
JP release: N/A
Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Publisher: Ubisoft
NGC Magazine Score: 79%
Mods Used: Widescreen Code

Based on Peter Jackson’s 3 hour and 20 minute epic, this King Kong game tells the story of a desperate filmmaker (played by Jack Black) heading to a mysterious island to get footage for a film featuring things never seen before such as ginormous bugs, dinosaurs and a big gorilla. While the main story beats of the game are the same, it does so in its own way, creating its own set prices instead of trying to adapt the film scene for scene. And it still has all the cast of the film recording new dialogue.

The developers also really cared about the look of the game, not just in the luscious environment, but also from the lack of a HUD. It creates a really cinematic feeling. The gameplay has also been made to suit this, as you have recharging health (generally, two bites from a dangerous creature will kill you) and there’s a button where your character (you play as Jack, the writer) will say how much ammo you have left.

Ammo is quite scarce but there are always spears, bones or sticks for you to use to take care of the many large creatures you’ll encounter. You’ll have to make use of the environment to hide from creatures and work your way around them, waiting for the right moment to strike. When you do find guns, you can only have one at a time so you’ll have to account for what kind of creatures you’ll likely encounter in the current section. It all ends up feeling surprisingly strategic.

For some sections, you’ll also play as Kong himself, pulling off some impressive parkour and lots of wall running. As Kong, you’ll also be smashing though lots of dinosaurs and other large creatures, with some fun moves and finishers. It’s quite a nice change of pace between the shooting sections.

King Kong shows what happens when a developer is given freedom and the time they need over a video game adaptation of the film, resulting in a thrilling experience that keeps you glued to the screen the whole way through.

Great

We wouldn’t swear to it in court or anything, but at times It actually feels like the game makes itself easier – after three attempts at a tricky batbeast section, we were getting ready for the second wave when Jack Black shouted ‘come on!# and the game ploughed ahead. It feels like the game’s been designed to get casual Kong-fans through with minimal fuss.
Joel Snape, NGC Magazine #114

Remake or remaster?

A remaster would be lovely to see.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to get King Kong.