Cliff (Donkey Kong Country Returns)

Cliff
Game	Donkey Kong Country Returns (3D) Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Level(s)	10
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“Some say it's fun to play in the tar pits, of course, those folks are all fossils now...”

—Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong Country Returns

The Cliff is the sixth world of Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. Located on Donkey Kong Island, it, as its name suggests, is full of rocky mountains. During the events of the game, it is infested by members of the Tiki Tak Tribe, who have stolen Donkey Kong's banana hoard. The boss of this world is Thugly. The Cliff shares similarities to Monkey Mountains & Chimpanzee Clouds from Donkey Kong Land. When asked if they were the same location, senior designer Kynan Pearson approved of the idea.

Cliff icon.

Cliff is a very barren and prehistoric-looking area that appears to have very dark and cloudy skies in the earlier levels and more calm weather in the later levels (in the opposite fashion of the Beach). It features many new elements not seen in the game's previous worlds such as animal fossils in the backgrounds and also has new cactus plants that can be opened to reveal hidden collectibles. Other mechanisms and items in this world include falling boulders, which roll down areas in the background and down slanted platforms. Another very common obstacle is a tar-like substance that the Kongs can easily get stuck in. Dinosaur skeletons that can be used as platforms are also in this substance, causing them to tilt when any weight is put on them. Additionally, the world features many platforms that fall moments after the Kongs' weight is put on them, as well as Blast Barrels that help the primates reach higher parts of the mountains. Ships appear in the Cliff world as well, and they have platforms that only appear when the ships' cannons stick out of them to shoot cannonballs.

The enemies in this world mainly consist of Skellirexes, but there are also Snippys and Squidlys enemies in the Tippy Shippy level.

Unlike the previous worlds, the World Map for the Cliff changes midway through: after Crumble Canyon is cleared, the path to the boss level collapses, forcing the Kongs to take an alternate route, which consists of two more levels.

The level Cliffside Slide from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze takes place at the Cliff during an avalanche.

Levels

Code	Name/Screenshot	No. of Puzzle Pieces	Description
6-1	Sticky Situation	9	A level taking place in a tar deposit. It introduces live skeletal creatures such as Skullyrexes and Bonehead Jeds.
6-2	Prehistoric Path	5	The fifth minecart stage of the game. It has the Kongs journeying on sinking railways and tilting platforms.
6-3	Weighty Way	5	A level where, in order to progress, the Kongs mostly rely on weighed platforms connected by ropes.
6-4	Boulder Roller	7	A level where the main hazards are big thorny boulders that threaten to crush the Kongs.
6-5	Precarious Plateau	5	The third level in the game to contain Rambi the Rhino. He can be used to scurry through spiky pendulums and other sturdy obstacles.
6-6	Crumble Canyon	9	A level taking place in a frail portion of the Cliff, where rocks and platforms can easily fall apart.
6-7	Tippy Shippy	5	A stage hosting the remains of a pirate fleet located high in the mountains.
6-8	Clifftop Climb	5	A level with a focus on using Blast Barrels, swinging platforms and crumbly trampolines to scale a high rocky wall.
6-K	Perilous Passage	5	The sixth Key Temple stage of the game. The Kongs must progress through an upward passage as rising lava pursues them and enormous stones totter and fall.
6-B	Thugly's Highrise	0	The sixth boss stage of the game. It pits the Kongs against Thugly.

Extras

The Cliff diorama, unlocked after collecting all Puzzle Pieces in Perilous Passage and defeating Thugly

The following is extra content that can be unlocked in the Cliff area. The unlockables can be seen in their respective galleries after selecting the "EXTRAS" option in a file's menu. For a full list of extras in the game, see here.

Images

Images are unlocked by collecting all Puzzle Pieces in certain levels. All images that can be unlocked in the Cliff area are listed below, along with their titles and the levels wherein they can be unlocked (mentioned in parentheses).

• 

  Mangoruby
  (Sticky Situation)

• 

  Tutorial Pig
  (Prehistoric Path)

• 

  Tiki Boing
  (Weighty Way)

• 

  Tiki Torch
  (Boulder Roller)

• 

  Home Sweet Home
  (Precarious Plateau)

• 

  Cliff Spires
  (Crumble Canyon)

• 

  Skellirex
  (Tippy Shippy)

• 

  Bonehead Jed
  (Clifftop Climb)

Music

A soundtrack selection for this world can be unlocked after beating Thugly.

• "Boulder Roller" – plays in Weighty Way and Precarious Plateau. Does not play in Boulder Roller, despite sharing its name with the level. An arrangement of the second half of "Northern Hemispheres" from the original Donkey Kong Country.
• "Prehistoric Path" – plays in Prehistoric Path. A rearrangement of "Mine Cart Cruise".
• "Clifftop Concert" – plays in Prehistoric Path, Boulder Roller, Crumble Canyon, and Tippy Shippy. An arrangement of the first half of "Northern Hemispheres" from the original Donkey Kong Country.
• "Sticky Situation" – plays in Sticky Situation and Clifftop Climb. It also plays in Tar Ball Fall, a level in the Cloud world. A rearrangement plays in Boulder Roller.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	クリフエリア[?] Kurifu Eria	Cliff Area

Trivia

• Because of the ships and the ammonite fossils, it is possible that Cliff was once underwater.
• Normally, the first level of a given world starts in the environment of the world preceding it, but the beginning of 6-1 simply has the forest seen in the backdrop view for the first third of the level.