Editing DK Barrel

{{quote|A monkey and a barrel--it fits together like radical rays and supreme surf sprays!|Funky Kong|Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze}}

'''DK Barrels'''<ref>{{cite|date=1994|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' instruction booklet|page=17}}</ref><ref>{{cite|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' [[Nintendo Power|Player's Guide]]|language=en-us|date=1994|page={{file link|DKC Guide 20-21.jpg|21}}|publisher=Nintendo of America}}</ref> (alternatively spelled '''DK barrels'''),<ref>{{cite|title=''Nintendo Official Magazine'' (UK) issue 54|date=March 1997|page=46 and 52}}</ref> also named '''Buddy Barrels'''<ref>{{cite|language=en-us|date=1995|publisher=Nintendo of America|title=''Donkey Kong Land'' instruction booklet|page=10}}</ref><ref>{{cite|language=en-us|date=2000|publisher=Nintendo of America|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' Game Boy Color instruction booklet|page=11}}</ref> or '''Kong Barrels''',<ref>{{cite|language=en-gb|format=PDF|url=cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/media/downloads/games_8/emanuals/wii_u_6/donkey_kong_country__tropical_freeze/ElectronicManual_WiiU_DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze_EN.pdf|title=''Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze'' electronic manual. Tab 16: "Barrels".|publisher=nintendo-europe.com|accessdate=July 4, 2024|archive=web.archive.org/web/20250114013213/https://www.nintendo.com/eu/media/downloads/games_8/emanuals/wii_u_6/donkey_kong_country__tropical_freeze/ElectronicManual_WiiU_DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze_EN.pdf}}</ref> are a type of [[barrel]] appearing in nearly every [[level]] of the [[Donkey Kong Country (series)|''Donkey Kong Country'' series]] and [[Donkey Kong Land (series)|''Donkey Kong Land'' series]]. They are identifiable from the red-and-yellow "[[Donkey Kong|DK]]" letters on their sides. In these games, the playable [[Kong]]s additionally serve as the player's health. If the player only has one Kong in play, breaking open a DK Barrel reveals another Kong to join them. Most games have a restriction of two Kongs at once, so breaking more DK Barrels does not reveal more Kongs.

In Donkey Kong Country, if the leading member of the duo of [[Donkey Kong]] and [[Diddy Kong]] is hit by an enemy or an obstacle, they run away and the player is restricted to to using the other Kong. A DK Barrel can be picked up and thrown to bring the absent character back. By default, the Kong from the DK Barrel follows behind the Kong in front. If a DK Barrel is on the ground, it can be picked up and thrown like a normal Barrel, although like Vine Barrels, DK Barrels break upon impact with the ground. As such, most enemies can be defeated when a DK Barrel is thrown at them. If a Kong is without their partner and they touch a DK Barrel that is either in mid-air or underwater, the DK Barrel breaks open and releases the other Kong.

''[[Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest]]'' and ''[[Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!]]'' have different pairs of playable characters, Diddy Kong with [[Dixie Kong]] and Dixie Kong with [[Kiddy Kong]], respectively. The same mechanics apply to these character pairings.  Most DK Barrels these two games are in mid-air and cannot be picked up. If both Kongs are in play, they pass through both mid-air and underwater DK Barrels. In ''[[Donkey Kong Land 2]]'' and ''[[Donkey Kong Land III]]'', all DK Barrels are found in mid-air, though ''Donkey Kong Land 2'' has some [[treasure chest]]s with DK Barrels that can be picked up like normal Barrels.

====''Donkey Kong Country Returns'' (''3D'' / ''HD'')====

DK Barrels return in ''[[Donkey Kong Country Returns]]'', its [[Nintendo 3DS]] [[Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D|port]], and its [[Nintendo Switch]] [[Donkey Kong Country Returns HD|port]]. Their mechanics are slightly different in nature because these games have a different health system. In single player, Donkey Kong is the primary playable character, with Diddy Kong only riding on his back and providing additional support. If they take damage, Diddy Kong loses his [[Heart (item)|heart]]s before Donkey Kong does, and falls away from the screen when all of his hearts are lost. Therefore, a DK Barrel can only ever contain Diddy Kong, and he warps onto Donkey Kong's back as an orange arrow after being released. If Donkey Kong is defeated while Diddy Kong is warping, Diddy Kong appears in full and is defeated on the spot. Unlike prior games, DK Barrels are always found on the ground and normally must thrown or dropped to break them. If a DK Barrel is thrown or dropped into an edge of the screen, it breaks as well. If a DK Barrel is being carried, thrown, or dropped as the player enters a cutscene for a boss battle, the barrel breaks. [[Rambi]] breaks DK Barrels on contact, which may be because Donkey Kong cannot [[Grab]] while riding Rambi. When broken, DK Barrels additionally restore Donkey Kong's hearts to their maximum. The same happens for Diddy Kong's hearts if he is already present. In the game's silhouette levels, the "DK" of a DK Barrel is not rendered in silhouette. Boss levels always have a DK Barrel available in the area before the boss battle starts. Temple levels lack DK Barrels.

If Diddy Kong warps onto Donkey Kong's back right as he starts a [[Roll Attack|Barrel Roll]], such as if Donkey Kong drops the DK Barrel by performing a Barrel Roll, Diddy Kong's presence immediately upgrades it to a [[Kong Roll]].

 

In multiplayer mode, if a player has been defeated, they can use a [[Red Balloon]] to float back into the level inside a DK Barrel. This DK Barrel is broken on contact with the other player, reviving the defeated player. The player in the barrel can nudge themselves closer by shaking the controller. If the DK Barrel drops off the screen the Red Balloon is deducted from the the total number of Red Balloons. Alternatively, the remaining player can revive them by finding a barrel that is already in the level.<ref>{{cite|date=2013|title=''Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D'' digital instruction manual|publisher=Nintendo|language=en|page=13}}</ref> This further allows Donkey Kong to appear from DK Barrels, as in multiplayer Donkey Kong can be defeated while Diddy Kong is active.

 

In Mirror Mode, which does not support multiplayer, DK Barrels do not contain Diddy Kong and do not heal Donkey Kong. This is because Diddy Kong cannot be used in this mode and Donkey Kong has a maximum of one heart. The lack of healing remains in ''Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D'', even though if the player is in New Mode and Mirror Mode simultaneously Donkey Kong has a maximum of two hearts. DK Barrels can still be used as a projectile.

 

 

''Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D'' and ''Donkey Kong Country Returns HD'' allow the player to purchase a [[DK Barrel (portable)|DK Barrel]] from [[Cranky Kong's Shop]] in New Mode. When one of these barrels is equipped, and Diddy Kong is not present, it can be thrown (not carried) at most points in the game to the same listed effects. Mirror Mode does not allow Donkey Kong to equip items. In ''Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D'', equipped DK Barrels are thrown by tapping the Touch Screen.

DK Barrels return in ''[[Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze]]'' and its Nintendo Switch [[Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo Switch)|port]], functioning just like they did in ''Donkey Kong Country Returns''. With the addition of [[Dixie Kong]] and [[Cranky Kong]] as characters who stay on Donkey Kong's back, the barrels come in four new variations — a '''Diddy Kong Barrel''' marked with a blue "DD" instead of the usual red "DK", a '''Dixie Kong Barrel''' marked with a pink "DX", a '''Cranky Kong Barrel''' with a yellow "CK", and another one which contains all three spinning in a roulette-like manner. The former three rarely appear in levels, but can be purchased at [[Funky's Fly 'n' Buy]], while the latter barrel is far more common. With it, Donkey Kong is able to choose his partner, by picking it up at the moment the desired Kong's insignia appears (or by [[Corkscrew (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze)|corkscrewing]] into it, if it is underwater). Alternatively, he can ground pound in front of it in order to temporarily stop it in place.

Normal DK Barrels only appear during co-op and [[Hard Mode]], in the latter case since Donkey Kong only has one heart and is not assisted by the other Kongs. However, he can still use the DK Barrel as a weapon. In multiplayer mode, the second player can choose which of the partner Kongs to play as (Diddy, Dixie, or Cranky).

In the [[Nintendo Switch]] port, a fifth variety of a DK Barrel appears due to [[Funky Kong]]'s inclusion as a playable character, but only in the Funky Mode, as partners cannot be used in it. Funky Kong's barrel is marked with a purple "FK", and can only be used to restore health and defeat enemies.

In ''[[Mario Party 8]]'', when a character steps on a [[DK Space]] on [[DK's Treetop Temple]] or [[Goomba's Booty Boardwalk]] (or reaches a cannon on the former), Donkey Kong will appear before them by bursting out of a DK Barrel.

In ''[[Dr. Mario World]]'', Dr. Donkey Kong's skill in stage mode is to throw a DK Barrel at a 3x3 portion of the stage. This is done by tapping the screen when the automatically moving cursor is over the center of the area the player wants to hit. This eliminates [[Virus]]es and other objects in the area.