Old School Sunday: Congo Bongo Commercial

If you were around in 1983 like I was, I’m sure you remember Congo Bongo, Sega’s arcade answer to Donkey Kong. Although the game developed by Ikegami Tshuskinki was a commercial failure in the United States, it was still a great game. In many ways, I feel that it was superior to Donkey Kong. Perhaps the real problem was that we didn’t need another Donkey Kong style game at the time.

Regardless of the arcade failure, the title was ported to nearly every system of the early 1980s and eventually revamped for the PS2 years later. In the game you take the role of an odd red-nosed safari hunter who is trying to catch an elusive ape named Bongo. Bongo was a fairly violent ape for 1983 considering he would set fire to your tent while you sleep and watch you burn. At this point, I doubt Congo Bongo is well-remembered, but it was a really challenging game that just somehow never fully caught on with the public. If you think Donkey Kong is hard, this game offered more of a challenge.

Enjoy the above commercial, even though it’s not the greatest I’ve seen.