1990 · Data East
King Kong
Known for Upper mini-playfield, Ape ramp, APE lanes and Scanner. Deep blue night sky with grey-blue cloud banks, city of steel-framed skyscrapers and scaffolding girders, green rooftop and yellow flying boat at lower right and small red biplane and grey aircraft in the sky.
- Year
- 1990
- Maker
- Data East
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- upper playfield
Upper mini-playfield
- Ramp
Ape ramp
- Lane
APE lanes
- saucer
Scanner
- Ramp
Metal ramp
- feature
Missiles
On the playfield
Extra level 1
- Upper mini-playfield upper playfield
Ramps 2
- Ape ramp
- Metal ramp
Hole 1
- Scanner saucer
Target 1
- Red-yellow-green bank
Lane 1
- APE lanes
Flipper 1
- Kong flipper extra flipper
Display 1
- Back panel
On the backglass
Who and what
- monster Giant gorilla, waist-up on the right, dark brown fur with lighter tan chest, mouth wide open roaring showing white teeth and red tongue, white eyes with heavy red-brown brow, right arm raised gripping a steel girder, left hand splayed with long black claws, an orange starburst flash at his chest
- monster Second smaller brown gorilla at lower left, crouched and roaring, arm raised, next to a spotted cat-like creature
- woman Blonde woman in a flowing red-orange dress at lower left, being carried or leaping across a girder, small scale against the giant ape
- animal Spotted yellow-and-black leopard-like creature below the woman at lower left
- vehicle Small red biplane banking in the upper right sky, plus a grey aircraft behind the ape raised arm
- vehicle Yellow flying boat or airship at lower right beside a green-topped rooftop
Setting
- Deep blue night sky with grey-blue cloud banks
- City of steel-framed skyscrapers and scaffolding girders
- Green rooftop and yellow flying boat at lower right
- Small red biplane and grey aircraft in the sky
Text on it
- DATA EAST
- KING
- KONG
- THE EIGHTH WONDER
- OF THE WORLD
- HIGHEST
How it plays
-
Goals 1
Other
- Missiles
-
Awards 1
- Sweep Bonus
-
Wizard modes 1
- Lite Everything mini-wizard mode
Made by
- Design
- Jerry Armstrong
- Art
- Kevin O'Connor
- Software
- Rehman Merchant
- Sound & Music
- Brian Schmidt
Reference
Linked terms
- Upper mini-playfield also called Upper playfield
- Ape ramp also called back right ramp
- APE lanes also called top lanes
- Missiles also called Missile launch
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- blue
- orange
- brown
- crimson
Fingerprint: Colossal brown gorilla roaring right side gripping steel-girders of skyscraper, white eyes and outstretched clawed hand, second smaller gorilla and blonde woman in red dress lower-left showing scale, "KING KONG" in massive bevelled cream-and-orange block letters tilted against deep blue night sky, red biplane circling behind ape, yellow starburst flash beside chest, 1980s airbrushed arcade illustration
A gigantic roaring brown gorilla with white eyes and an outstretched clawed hand dominates the right side, towering over and gripping the steel girders of a half-built skyscraper. A second, much smaller gorilla and a blonde woman in a flaring red dress appear at lower left, giving a dramatic sense of scale. The title KING KONG is rendered as massive beveled cream-and-orange block letters stacked on two lines against a deep blue night sky. A red biplane and a small aircraft circle behind the ape, and a yellow starburst flash bursts beside his chest. The backglass carries two glowing red alphanumeric score lines at the bottom centre.
Setting
- Deep blue night sky with grey-blue cloud banks
- City of steel-framed skyscrapers and scaffolding girders
- Green rooftop and yellow flying boat at lower right
- Small red biplane and grey aircraft in the sky
Symbols
- Starburst explosion flash
- Steel lattice girders with rivets
- Red biplane
- Clouds
- Yellow flying boat
Lettering
- Large stacked block capitals with heavy three-dimensional bevel, cream-to-orange gradient faces, crimson and purple outline, dark drop shadow; small yellow sans-serif caption below
Themes
- Giant ape
- City skyline
- Aircraft
- Explosion
- Night sky
Title on it
- King kong
Text on it
- DATA EAST
- KING
- KONG
- THE EIGHTH WONDER
- OF THE WORLD
- HIGHEST
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Monster | Giant gorilla, waist-up on the right, dark brown fur with lighter tan chest, mouth wide open roaring showing white teeth and red tongue, white eyes with heavy red-brown brow, right arm raised gripping a steel girder, left hand splayed with long black claws, an orange starburst flash at his chest |
| Monster | Second smaller brown gorilla at lower left, crouched and roaring, arm raised, next to a spotted cat-like creature |
| Woman | Blonde woman in a flowing red-orange dress at lower left, being carried or leaping across a girder, small scale against the giant ape |
| Animal | Spotted yellow-and-black leopard-like creature below the woman at lower left |
| Vehicle | Small red biplane banking in the upper right sky, plus a grey aircraft behind the ape raised arm |
| Vehicle | Yellow flying boat or airship at lower right beside a green-topped rooftop |
Illuminated backglass photographed in a dark arcade, framed by a black cabinet bezel with a speaker panel below. Left half: a huge two-line title logo, block capitals with a chunky three-dimensional bevel, warm cream-to-orange faces with a crimson-to-purple outline and a dark drop shadow, reading KING on the upper line and KONG beneath, tilted slightly and set against a deep blue night sky with grey-blue cloud banks. Above the logo, a small yellow wordmark with a stylised D emblem. Under the title, a two-line yellow-orange caption on black reading THE EIGHTH WONDER / OF THE WORLD. Right half: a colossal brown-furred gorilla, waist-up, roaring with mouth wide open showing white teeth and a red tongue, one arm raised overhead gripping the girders of a tall steel building under construction, the other hand splayed with long black claws. His eyes are white with red-rimmed brows. Around him: riveted steel scaffolding girders rising through the centre, tiny yellow construction lights, a small red biplane and a grey aircraft in the sky, an orange-yellow starburst explosion flash. Lower left: a smaller gorilla figure and a blonde woman in a flowing red-orange dress being carried or fleeing across a girder, with a spotted leopard-like creature below. Bottom right and centre: a green-topped city rooftop and a yellow flying boat. Two red alphanumeric LED score lines occupy the lower centre, glowing over a dark panel. Colours: blue, orange, brown, crimson. Style is 1980s airbrushed arcade illustration, with visible glass reflection and a bright specular glare on the top edge.