I struggled on a few levels, but no more than ten to fifteen tries and I would get the level scheme down and fly through the level with my eyes closed. The real challenge was the last boss, K. Rool. (Yeah, I know it's a ridiculously bad pun.)
I spent six hours trying to beat this last boss. Let me repeat, SIX HOURS trying to destroy this crocodile pirate. The first time I attempted it I only played for an hour until I got so frustrated that I rage quit. A few days later I decided to spend my Friday night playing holding my sleeping daughter in my arms and playing Donkey Kong.
I started playing at around nine and kept on playing until after midnight... all with hardly any progress. I had made it past the first phase of the battle but I would ALWAYS screw up the second phase.
After four hours of work I had finally seen the third and last phase of the battle. It was glorious, I was within reach! I could finally tell my eight year old self that we had completed the game! Well, as I was basking in awe of my achievement I sat there blankly as the cannon ball flew right into my monkey's face.
It was now after midnight, but I was determined to beat this damn boss once and for all! I started it up again and blew past the first two phases without a hiccup. Hah! They were nothing! I was now at the dreaded third phase. I just had to get three more hits in and this bastard was mine.
Well, another hour passed and all I had to show for it was failure. Given, I had learned memorized everything that could possibly happen in the third stage, but the final completion eluded me.
I decided to try it one more time before bed, as it was now after one am. I loaded it up and breezed past the first two phases. I was now at the final phase and I could feel my heart pounding harder. (Seriously, my heart was pounding!) I got the first hit in, than the second, and than the third! It was over, I had won!!
WAIT, what's this? The freaking gator launches one last cannon ball before he dies? and I didn't jump?!!?! The last ditch cannonball hit my poor monkey and knocked her to the ground only to see the alligator fall to the ground as well. Words cannot describe how angry I was. I had done it, the gator was dead... but so was I. I decided that enough was enough and headed up to bed. I figured that if I slept on it and tried it again in the morning I could do it.
Lo and behold, I started it up Saturday morning the FIRST time and I kicked that gator's ass. He didn't know what hit him!! I would like to say that it was a perfect battle and that everything was timed just right, but it wasn't. Not at all, I feel like it was dumb luck that I actually won. But, who cares... I did it, and that is all that matters. I felt accomplished. I wasn't able to get past the second boss as a kid and now fifteen years later I beat the game!
So, as you watch this video on my dual with the K. Rool keep in mind that this took six hours of work to produce this video.
Thanks for reading
-AJ
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