King Kong has long loomed large in pop culture, but not every game adaptation does the giant justice. Skull Island: Rise of Kong was panned for its rushed, broken design, yet other recent Kong titles show real promise. So why did Rise of Kong fall flat while others climbed higher?
Rise of Kong promised the thrill of becoming the mighty King Kong, an iconic giant ape known for his sheer scale and cinematic legacy. Developed by IguanaBee and published by GameMill Entertainment, the game set out to explore Kong’s origin story through a revenge-fuelled action adventure on the prehistoric Skull Island. But rather than capturing the awe-inspiring power and spectacle of its central character, Rise of Kong delivered a bland, repetitive, and frequently broken experience that left players and critics alike baffled by its poor execution.
From lifeless combat and uninspired level design to buggy gameplay and dated visuals, Rise of Kong quickly gained a reputation for being one of the worst games of 2023. Despite its towering protagonist, the game felt frustratingly small in scope and ambition. With shallow mechanics, pointless filler content, and a presentation that looked and felt unfinished, it’s a game that not only fails to live up to King Kong’s legacy, it feels like it barely even tries.
Gargantuan Footprints to Fill
Rise of Kong’s failure came as a surprise given the pedigree of King Kong adaptations over the years. Memorable titles date back to Konami’s 1986 release, King Kong 2: Revived Legend for MSX2, as well as a few notable games inspired by Hollywood’s 2005 reboot of the classic 1933 movie.
Rise of Kong’s failure came as a surprise given the pedigree of King Kong adaptations over the years. Memorable titles date back to Konami’s 1986 release, King Kong 2: Revived Legend for MSX2, as well as a few notable games inspired by Hollywood’s 2005 reboot of the classic 1933 movie.
Even 2024’s Kong: Survivor Instinct fares far better, offering a surprisingly engaging experience filled with chaotic encounters and dynamic environmental destruction. While players don’t control Kong, the story of David - a man searching for his daughter amid the devastation - adds emotional depth and varied perspectives. The game’s 2.5D platforming is solid, with clever item-based progression and thrilling set pieces involving massive Titans. The scale and spectacle of these moments, especially when using the ORCA device, keep the experience exciting. It’s a short but satisfying adventure for fans of the Monsterverse.
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There’s Lots of Potential in the Mythical Creature
The developers of Skull Island: Rise of Kong blamed its disastrous launch on an impossibly short development cycle. Apparently, GameMill gave the team at IguanaBee just one year to create the game from scratch, often with as few as two people working on it at a time.
Underfunding, and a lack of clarity on the overarching goals of the project were also blamed, with one IguanaBee employee saying they were “on autopilot” by the end as “all hope was lost.”
But what all of the other games discussed above prove is that there’s real potential for King Kong, especially when properly depicted as an awe-inspiring force of nature, rather than a playable character. Kong: Survivor Instinct’s premise, in which players navigate chaos while kaiju creatures clash in the background, for example, shows how strong atmosphere and scale can enhance gameplay. Going forward, developers should learn that a great Kong game needs more than spectacle, it demands creativity, dynamic interaction, and genuine player agency amid the destruction.
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