Kongo Falls

Stage Design

This Kongo Jungle is one of three Donkey Kong levels in Super Smash Bros. Melee. The main fighting area of the stage is a raft that is stuck on the edge of a waterfall. The raft's bottom is a fairly flat but has gentle curves that change as you run and jump on it. On either side of the raft is a vertical post with two platforms attached to the middle and top of each one. The posts themselves are always perpendicular to the raft, so when the raft moves a little, the post can change its position and thus change the angles of the platforms on the posts. There is also a rock on which a character can stand that protrudes from the waterfall's edge on the right side of the stage. It is fairly low on the level and small, so landing on it can be difficult.

The barrel on the bottom of the level magically floats back and forth while spinning. If landed in, one can push a button to get out, which launches the character in the direction the arrow is facing. The arrow will sometimes stop while pointing to the bottom. This is dangerous because the barrel will auto-eject characters which have been in it for too long. There are also Klap Traps (a staple Donkey Kong foe) in this stage. Touching one of them will result in the character being sent to his or her death. The Klap Traps occasionally get caught in the barrel cannon. These stuck monsters will still KO you if you touch them. Finally, there are logs that occasionally roll down the waterfall and stop for a moment just before they fall. These allow characters a narrow place to which they can escape for a few seconds before they plummet to the bottom of the waterfall.

Artistic Design

This stage is one of the nicest stages to look at. The waterfall, in contrast to the one in Princess Peach's Castle, is extremely close, and is raging. Sure, the waterfall may look fake, but at least you can tell it's water. In the background, you can see where the waterfall comes from; right out of the jungle. To the left and right of the waterfall's canals are beautiful jungles. You can see the large leaves, tropical tress, jungle vines, and even a protruding log. On the left of the canal there is a tree-house. As to who lives there, that's always been a mystery except to the level designers. You can't do anything with it, being it in the background, but it definitely gives it a Kongo Jungle feel.

Image by Nintendorks. [1]

Other appearances

A similar stage, Congo Jungle, was available in SSB. It was released in SSBM as Kongo Jungle N64.