Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

This article is about the original SNES game. For the Game Boy Advance remake, see Donkey Kong Country 2 (Game Boy Advance).

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Rareware
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Console (Wii, Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS), Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online
Release date	SNES: November 21, 1995 December 4, 1995 December 14, 1995 1995 Virtual Console (Wii): May 16, 2007 May 16, 2007 May 21, 2007 October 23, 2007 November 25, 2008 Virtual Console (Wii U): October 23, 2014 October 24, 2014 November 26, 2014 February 26, 2015 Virtual Console (New 3DS): March 24, 2016 March 25, 2016 April 6, 2016 April 14, 2016 Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online: September 23, 2020 September 23, 2020 September 23, 2020 September 23, 2020 September 23, 2020 September 23, 2020
Language(s)	English (United States) French (France) German Japanese
Genre	Platformer, adventure
Rating(s)	Original release: ESRB: - Kids to Adults ACB: - General Virtual Console: ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Format	Super NES: Game Pak Wii: Digital download Wii U: Digital download Nintendo Switch: Digital download Nintendo 3DS: Digital download
Input	Super NES: Super NES Controller Wii: Classic Controller Nintendo GameCube Controller Wii U: Wii U GamePad Classic Controller Wii U Pro Controller Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Joy-Con (horizontal) Nintendo Switch Pro Controller NES Controller Super NES Controller Nintendo 3DS: Gamepad
Serial code(s)	SHVC-ADNJ-JPN

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (also shortened to Donkey Kong Country 2, and Diddy's Kong Quest on the title screen) is a 1995 platform game that was developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second installment in the Donkey Kong Country series. It is a sequel and direct follow-up to Donkey Kong Country. The last two words in the subtitle is a portmanteau of "Kong" and "conquest." The game stars Diddy Kong, as he and his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, make their way through Crocodile Isle to save Donkey Kong from the clutches of the Kremling Krew. A sequel and direct follow-up to Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, was released in 1996.

In 2004, a remake of the game was made for the Game Boy Advance. It omits the Diddy's Kong Quest subtitle, making it simply known as Donkey Kong Country 2, and has more minigames, some photographs, among other differences.

In 2007, the original version was rereleased on the Wii's Virtual Console. On November 25, 2012, for unknown reasons, Donkey Kong Country 2 and the other two original Donkey Kong Country games were delisted from the Wii Virtual Console, but on October 30, 2014, the games were relisted in Europe and Australia. Around the same time, the games were released for the Wii U's Virtual Console in Europe and Australia; in Japan on November 26, 2014; and in the United States and Canada on February 26, 2015. For handhelds, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest was ported exclusively to the New Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console in March/April 2016. It was made available on Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online for the Nintendo Switch on September 23, 2020.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is the sixth-best-selling Super Nintendo Entertainment System game, with its predecessor being the third. A similar Game Boy title was released a year later, in 1996, Donkey Kong Land 2.

This game's soundtrack was released on Nintendo Music on November 4, 2024.

Story

“Arrrrgh! This story's even worse than DKC! They're really scraping the bottom of the barrel this time!”

—Cranky Kong

Some time after the events of Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong is relaxing at a beach, sitting on a chair while drinking a banana milkshake. Funky Kong is busy surfing waves among the seagulls. Cranky Kong walks up to Donkey Kong and hits him on the head with his cane. He asks Donkey Kong why he is sitting around if he is a "big star". Donkey Kong replies that even stars need time off. Cranky says that he never took breaks, "whisking off maidens and throwing barrels seven days a week". Donkey Kong tells him to leave him alone and stop pestering him, so Cranky leaves. Donkey Kong then goes to sleep in his chair.

At night, Diddy Kong and his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, are worried because Donkey Kong has not returned. They go to the beach to investigate, and the Kongs find many footprints surrounding Donkey Kong's broken chair. They find a note in the chair which reads:

Hah-arrrrh! We have got the big monkey! If you want him back, you scurvy dogs, you'll have to hand over the banana hoard! Kaptain K. Rool

Cranky suggests handing over the banana hoard to K. Rool. Diddy refuses because of how much effort he and Donkey Kong went through to retrieve the bananas, and that he would be very upset if his bananas were stolen again. Cranky asks if they have any better suggestions, and Diddy and Dixie both say that they want to rescue Donkey Kong themselves. The two get in a brief argument with Cranky, who does not believe Diddy qualifies as a video game hero. After Dixie insist that she will accompany Diddy, the two begin their journey.

The two Kongs go to Crocodile Isle and explore it while defeating various Kremlings and other enemies along the way. The pair eventually board The Flying Krock, where Donkey Kong is held, and battle Kaptain K. Rool, the leader of the Kremlings. K. Rool is defeated and Donkey Kong manages to free himself, and then punches Kaptain K. Rool through the roof of the Flying Krock. K. Rool falls from Crocodile Isle and lands in the water surrounding it, where he is seemingly eaten by sharks. Diddy and Dixie are then congratulated by Cranky Kong for their success and are integrated in the Video Game Heroes Hall of Fame.

During their adventures, the pair can also reach Crocodile Isle's Lost World by paying its guard, Klubba, with Kremkoins scattered all over the island. After giving Klubba all of the Kremkoins and exploring the Lost World, the Kongs finds Crocodile Isle's power source, Krocodile Kore, and Kaptain K. Rool, who is hiding there. A battle ensues and the pair eventually defeats K. Rool again, causing his blunderbuss to explode. This propels the crocodile into the energy geyser powering Crocodile Isle, blocking it until it explodes. The game then cuts to Donkey, Dixie and Diddy watching Crocodile Isle from a cliff, as it explodes and sinks into the ocean.

Gameplay

Abilities

The team up move, a move that had not originally appeared in Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is a 2D platformer like its predecessor, Donkey Kong Country. The playable characters are Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong. order to travel through each level of the game and complete each of the game's many Bonus Levels, the Kongs have to use their basic and special abilities. Both Kongs have different abilities. The basic abilities include jumping, climbing, and swimming. Jumping is often used in the game to cross gaps and grab things in the air. A super-jump can also be performed if Diddy cartwheels or Dixie spins off of a ledge and jump while in mid-air. Diddy's cartwheel move and Dixie's Helicopter Spin can defeat several enemies, but not all. Dixie can use her Helicopter Spin ability in mid-air as well, allowing her to float for a short amount of time to avoid falling into gaps. Both characters can climb up ropes quickly to access high areas, with Diddy having the ability to climb slightly faster than Dixie, let alone on land and underwater in general. The swimming mechanic is similar to earlier platforming games of the Super Mario series: The player must hit , the jump button, to advance upwards into the water, as not pressing the button causes the Kongs slowly sink to the bottom. Pressing enables them to swim quicker, and and controls their ascent and descent.

Though Diddy does not have as many abilities as Dixie, he is able to defend himself while holding a barrel. While Diddy holds an object in front of his body to block himself, Dixie holds objects over her head, allowing enemies to easily attack her. When both Kongs are in play, and none are stuck in a DK Barrel, the two Kongs are able to use the new Team-up move, in which one Kong holds the other one on their shoulders and can throw them upward. The Kong riding the other one's shoulders can be thrown at enemies to defeat them or upward to reach items and access certain areas.

Modes

The mode selection and its two hidden modes: "Sound Test" and "Cheats"

Icon	Title	Information
	One Player	The self-explanatory single player mode where both Diddy and Dixie are controlled.
	TWO Player Team	Two players cooperatively take turns playing through the levels. The first player controls Diddy while the second player does Dixie. Players can change turns by switching the Kongs or by losing their Kong.
	TWO Player Contest	Two players compete to finish the most levels. Like "TWO Player Team", the first player controls Diddy while the second player is Dixie.
	Music Test	A hidden mode where the player can listen to the game's background themes. The player can reveal and access the mode by pressing Down five times from "TWO Player Contest."
	Cheat Mode	A hidden mode where the player can hit specific combination of buttons to enter a cheat to start off the new game. The player can access this mode by pressing Down another five times from "Music Test."

Characters

Kong Klan

Sprite	Kong	Summary	New
Playable
	Diddy Kong	Diddy Kong makes his return to the Donkey Kong Country series, but this time as the game's leading character. He retains his signature cartwheel run and high jumping ability in order to help rescue Donkey Kong from Kaptain K. Rool.
	Dixie Kong	Dixie Kong makes her video game debut as the girlfriend and sidekick of Diddy Kong. She can perform helicopter spins with her long, blonde ponytail, allowing her and Diddy to move across long distances.
Supporting
	Cranky Kong	Cranky Kong is Donkey Kong's grandfather and aids the Kongs with his Monkey Museum, where he gives advice to the two about Bonus Areas.
	Donkey Kong	The grandson of Cranky Kong and best friend of Diddy, DK has been captured by Kaptain K. Rool and the Kremlings. The Kongs encounter him tied up and dangling from the ceiling of Stronghold Showdown, where he ultimately assists them in defeating Kaptain K. Rool.
	Funky Kong	Funky Kong returns from Donkey Kong Country, although this time to run Funky's Flights II, where he rents out Jumbo Barrel to the Kongs, allowing them to travel back to other worlds which they have completed.
	Swanky Kong	One of the allies to the Kong Family, Swanky Kong is a game show host and an aide to Diddy and Dixie. He hosts Swanky's Bonus Bonanza, where he rewards the Kongs with Extra Life Balloons for correctly answering his queries.
	Wrinkly Kong	Wrinkly Kong makes her video game debut as the elderly wife to Cranky Kong and the grandmother of Donkey Kong. She runs Kong Kollege and, like her husband, advises the Kongs, but also can save the game.

Animal Buddies

Animal Buddies are partners who help Diddy and Dixie find Bonus Barrels, DK Coins, Banana Coins, and other items using their special abilities. They appear in many levels, and the Kongs can sometimes turn into the buddy or ride on it. An animal runs away when hit by an enemy, very similar to Yoshi in Super Mario World. Most of the buddies from Donkey Kong Country return in Diddy's Kong Quest, but a few new ones also appear in the game as well, making a total of nine Animal Friends. Below is a list of each Animal Friend, and a brief description on them.

Sprite	Animal Friend	Summary	Stages		New
			First	Last
	Clapper	Clapper is able to cool down water when jumped on. In Lava Lagoon, he cools the very warm liquid, making it safe for the Kongs to swim through without getting burnt. In Clapper's Cavern, he freezes water, allowing the Kongs to cross and avoid the hungry Snapjaws below.	Lava Lagoon	Clapper's Cavern
	Enguarde	Returning from Donkey Kong Country, Enguarde can knock enemies out with his sharp nose, and charge his Superstab to break through walls. Enguarde is mostly usable only underwater, since he cannot move well on land.	Lockjaw's Locker	Animal Antics
	Glimmer	Glimmer has a role very similar to Squawks in the first Donkey Kong Country. He lights the pitch-black water in the level Glimmer's Galleon. Glimmer is one of the only Animal Friends that cannot be affected in levels because enemies do not hurt him at all.	Glimmer's Galleon	Glimmer's Galleon
	Rambi	First appearing in the original Donkey Kong Country, Rambi can ram foes that come in his way. He can also jump on Zingers and other enemies that Diddy and Dixie Kong cannot defeat alone. Rambi can also use his Supercharge which makes him move at high speed, and able to break through walls and crush enemies.	Pirate Panic	Animal Antics
	Rattly	Rattly takes the role of Winky from Donkey Kong Country. He features the same purpose: to jump to higher areas. Rattly can help the Kongs reach bananas and even Bonus Barrels above their heads. The rattlesnake also has a Superjump: an extra high jump.	Topsail Trouble	Animal Antics
	Squawks	Unlike Donkey Kong Country, where Squawks only lit dark areas in Torchlight Trouble, Squawks' role is entirely different, and the Kongs can ride him by grabbing around his body to reach high areas. He can also shoot pellets at enemies to bring them down.	Squawks's Shaft	Animal Antics
	Squitter	The game's new Animal Friend, Squitter, can shoot webs at nearby enemies to defeat them. Sometimes, the Kongs must cross a large abyss that cannot be crossed by jumping. The spider can shoot special webs that form into platforms and allow them to move across. Unlike most Animal Friends, Squitter cannot touch enemies without being harmed: He can only shoot them with his webs.	Hot-Head Hop	Animal Antics

Cranky's Video Game Heroes

The Cranky's Video Game Heroes ceremony features three cameos of other Nintendo game protagonists, each with their own amount of Hero Coins collected.

Sprite	Name	Origin	Information
	Mario	Super Mario	Mario is the default champion, with 39 of the 40 coins.
	Yoshi	Super Mario	Yoshi is the default runner-up, with 29 coins.
	Link	The Legend of Zelda	Link is by default in 3rd place, with 19 coins; if the player manages to get enough coins to reach the podiums, he consequently disappears.

Enemies

“How many? I reckon they're just put fancy pictures in here to make it look good. There's only three of these in the game, at most!”

—Cranky Kong

The game features many enemies to attack the player, some that are Kremlings and some that are not. All underwater enemies hurt the Kongs if swum into.

Sprite	Enemy	Summary	Stages		New
			First	Last
Lazy Landlubbers
	Cat O' 9 Tails	A bluish-purple cat with nine tails. They attack by spinning out of control and hitting the Kongs. Sometimes, a Cat O' 9 Tails that is spinning out of control can throw the Kongs upwards.	Mudhole Marsh	Fiery Furnace
	Click-Clack	Large beetles that can damage the Kongs. It must be jumped on twice to defeat: The first jump flips the Click-Clack, which can then be thrown at other foes to attack them. Click-Clacks can be defeat instantly by either rolling into them or by throwing an object at it.	Mainbrace Mayhem	Clapper's Cavern
	Flitter	A large dragonfly that can hurt the Kongs if touched on the sides, but the Kongs can bounce on them to cross abysses.	Topsail Trouble	Animal Antics
	Mini-Necky	A small vulture wearing a bandanna. They attack by swooping down at the Kongs, trying to ram into them. They can defeated by being jumped on. It is one of the two enemies returning from Donkey Kong Country.	Kannon's Klaim	Animal Antics
	Neek	Functionally similar to Klomps but smaller in size, Neeks move around trying to hit the Kongs, but they can be defeated with a cartwheel or jump.	Pirate Panic	Animal Antics
	Screech	K. Rool's pet parrot and a mini-boss encountered after beating K. Rool's Keep. He is raced by Squawks during the second half of Screech's Sprint.	Screech's Sprint
	Spiny	Spinies are spiked porcupines who attack with their sharp quills. If the Kongs jump on a Spiny, they get injured; they can defeat a Spiny by a frontal rolling attack.	Glimmer's Galleon	Fiery Furnace
	Zinger	Large wasps that attack the same way as before: standing in place or moving to sting the Kongs when they come near. There are yellow and red varieties: Reds can only be defeated with a TNT Barrel or an Invincibility Barrel, and yellows can be beaten by Rambi, Squawks, Rattly, or a thrown object.	Gangplank Galley	Animal Antics
Submerged Seadogs
	Flotsam	Stingrays that swim around areas, trying to hit the Kongs. They can only be defeated by Enguarde. They come in two colors, green and blue. The blue Flotsams only move in one direction, while the green Flotsams swim either left or right and change direction at times.	Lockjaw's Locker	Animal Antics
	Lockjaw	Very fast moving piranha fish that try to bite the Kongs.	Lockjaw's Locker	Animal Antics
	Puftup	They are spiky puffer fish encountered only underwater. Some of them release spikes while exploding.	Lava Lagoon	Animal Antics
	Shuri	Underwater starfish enemies that only Enguarde can defeat. When the Kongs approach them, they unleash their only attack: spinning at the Kongs, trying to hit them.	Lockjaw's Locker	Animal Antics
	Snapjaw	An invincible purple piranha fish and a variety of Lockjaw appearing in only two levels, Slime Climb and Clapper's Cavern. In both levels, they patrol the water and bite the Kongs if they fall in. They are very similar to Lockjaws in appearance, but are much faster and more deadly.	Slime Climb	Clapper's Cavern
Kremling Kuthroats
	Kaboing	Kremlings that bounce around on their two peg legs. Some of them simply bounce in place, while others jump forward. Jumping on their heads defeats them.	Gangplank Galley	Animal Antics
	Kaboom	Similar to Klobbers except they wear TNT Barrels. Kabooms hide in their barrels and come out when approached. A Kaboom explodes if hit on the side.	Ghostly Grove	Klobber Karnage
	Kackle	Kackles are large, skeletal Kremlings. They appear only in Haunted Hall and chase the Kongs throughout much of the said level. A time limit is given when they chase the Kongs, and when the timer hits zero, they attack. Time can only be added to the timer by hitting Plus Barrels.	Haunted Hall
	Kannon	A Klump dressed as a pirate. Kannons wield cannons in order to shoot kannonballs at the Kongs. Klumps sometimes shoot barrels, which can be bounced on to cross large gaps.	Kannon's Klaim	Animal Antics
	Klampon	Klampons are four-legged crocodiles similar to Klaptraps from Donkey Kong Country. They patrol the area and bite any of the two Kongs that come too close to their mouth. They can sometimes be seen guarding Spinies.	Hot-Head Hop	Animal Antics
	Klank	Kutlass-like enemies that ride Roller Coasters. They throw barrels at the Kongs to attack. In Rickety Race, players must race several Klanks to the finish.	Target Terror	Rickety Race
	Klinger	Orange Kremlings always found gripping on ropes, chains, and cattails: They continuously climb up before sliding back down.	Mainbrace Mayhem	Screech's Sprint
	Kloak	A ghostly Kremling that floats in the air in some levels. They usually throw barrels and Spinies to attack, but eventually fly away from the Kongs if not defeated. Sometimes, hidden Kloaks throw bananas and other collectibles.	Barrel Bayou	Screech's Sprint
	Klobber	A barrel-wearing Kremling that hides in a barrel, disguising itself as one. When approached, Klobber jumps out and runs at the Kongs to push them. Yellow Klobbers release the Kongs' bananas, and the rare black ones release their Extra Life Balloons. The green variants, however, do not steal anything.	Pirate Panic	Klobber Karnage
	Klomp	Enemies that walk around on one peg leg. Touching them can hurt a Kong, but they can easily be defeated with any attack method.	Pirate Panic	Ghostly Grove
	Klubba	A large, buff Kremling who operates a tollbooth in every world, guarding the Lost World, though Diddy and Dixie can pay 15 Kremkoins to unlock one of the levels.	Klubba's Kiosk
	Krockhead	Krockheads are crocodile heads that poke out from either the swampy waters or lava, either consistently or at fixed intervals. Diddy and Dixie can use them to safely get across. Green Krockheads are used as standard platforms, while the brown ones spring the Kongs upward.	Hot-Head Hop	Mudhole Marsh
	Krook	They wear a trenchcoat and have two hooks for hands. Krooks throw hooks at the Kongs to attack them.	Squawks's Shaft	Fiery Furnace
	Kruncha	Strong, muscular Kremlings that get very angry when approached. If touched, they turn red and march back and forth angrily. Krunchas are defeated only from being hit by a barrel. A rarer pink variation appears in Castle Crush and Clapper's Cavern.	Gangplank Galley	Clapper's Cavern
	Kutlass	Kutlasses carry two large swords, which they attack with and try to hurt the Kongs with them. If the Kongs escape the attack, they have a short amount of time to jump on them before the Kutlasses can pull their swords out of the ground. The green Kutlass pulls out its swords faster, making it more difficult for the Kongs to attack directly.	Krockhead Klamber	Fiery Furnace

Barnacled Bosses

Sprite	Boss	Summary	Stages
			First	Last
	Krow	Krow is the first boss and is a large vulture who appears at the end of Gangplank Galleon. He attacks by taking a large egg from his nest and throwing it down at the Kongs, or by bumping into his nest, causing numerous large eggs to fall. The Kongs can attack Krow by throwing a large egg at him. After taking four hits, Krow is defeated. Later, Krow's ghost appears as the fifth boss and is battled at the end of Gloomy Gulch. Here, he is fought in three sections of the stage. He sends ghost Mini-Neckies to attack the Kongs, though one of them is a normal Mini-Necky. By jumping on the live Mini-Necky, this spawns a barrel, which the Kongs must use to attack Krow. After he takes three hits, Krow is defeated again.	Krow's Nest	Kreepy Krow
	Kleever	Kleever is the second boss and a giant sword. It tries to attack the Kongs by swinging itself at them and launching fire balls at them, and it can only be defeated by being hit by a kannonball. After being hit by a kannonball, however, it usually goes on a rampage, chasing the Kongs over a pit of fire. The Kongs have to damage Kleever six times to defeat it. A few small Kleevers can also be seen in the battle against Kerozene to attack the Kongs.	Kleever's Kiln	Kleever's Kiln
	Kudgel	A buff Kremling with a very similar appearance to Klubba, but is gray in color. His weapon is very large and has a few nails in it. This weapon is used to attack the Kongs and break any barrels they pick up. Kudgel also has the ability to jump very high and land onto the Kongs. The Kongs have to throw TNT Barrels at Kudgel to damage him, with six hits being required to defeat him.	Kudgel's Kontest	Kudgel's Kontest
	King Zing	King Zing is the fourth boss. An enormous Zinger, he usually is seen flying around the area, trying to sting Squawks, the only character who can defeat him. To damage King Zing, Squawks has to shoot an egg at his stinger. After taking some damage, King Zing can shoot spikes at the parrot, which must be avoided at all costs. After taking six hits, King Zing shrinks in size, but can summon additional Zingers to protect himself. Once all the extra Zingers are gone, Squawks has to spit three more eggs at King Zing to defeat him for good.	Rambi Rumble	King Zing Sting
	Kaptain K. Rool	The final boss and King K. Rool's pirate alias. Kaptain K. Rool wields a large blunderbuss, which fires kannonballs and gases at the Kongs. The poisonous gases, if touched, can change the controls around for the player, making it harder to move the Kongs. Kaptain K. Rool also dashes across the area when being fought, trying to hit the Kongs. Sometimes, he even becomes invisible when doing this. The Kongs have to throw kannonballs into the blunderbuss to damage Kaptain K. Rool, with nine hits required to defeat him; he does fake his defeat a few times during the process. Kaptain K. Rool later appears in Krocodile Kore, where the Kongs have to evade his weaponry until a kannonball appears; unlike the first battle, Kaptain K. Rool only has to be damaged once to defeat him the second time.	K. Rool Duel	Krocodile Kore

Items

“I've never seen so much worthless rubbish! I'm surprised they don't give you a special "trash barrel" to haul it all around in!”

—Cranky Kong

Sprite	Item	Summary	New
	Bananas	Bananas are exactly like coins from the Super Mario series, since collecting 100 of them earns the player an extra life. A trail of bananas may sometimes lead to a hidden item.
	Banana Bunches	They are worth ten bananas when collected, comparable to [[ but do not appear as commonly.
	Banana Coins	They are used to pay the various services provided by the other Kongs. They are scattered around in every level, and appear several times in them.
	Cranky's Video Game Hero Coins	Cranky's Video Game Hero Coin are huge coins hidden by Cranky Kong in all of the game levels. There are 40 to collect. After Kaptain K. Rool is defeated, Cranky counts the number of Video Game Hero Coins collected and ranks Diddy accordingly as a part of Cranky's “Video Game Hero” contest.
	Extra Life Balloons	Extra Life Balloons come in red, green, and blue varieties. Red Balloons give the player one life, Green Balloons give the player two lives, and a Blue Balloon gives the player three lives.
	KONG Letters	A series of four golden tokens in each level that reward an extra life when all of them are collected. There are four letters: K, O, N, and G, altogether spelling "Kong". The player must search through every level of the game and look for these. If all four letters are found, they get an extra life.
	Kremkoins	Kremkoins are the reward for completing Bonus Areas and boss levels. Kremkoins can be used only to enter the Lost World from Klubba's Kiosk.
	Letter	Kaptain K. Rool's ransom note, obtainable from his cabin once at the beginning of Pirate Panic.
	Stars	Appearing in bonus stages, collecting all stars within the time limit earns a Kremkoin.

Objects

Mechanisms

Sprite	Mechanism	Summary
	Animal crates	Contains the depicted Animal Friend, who can be freed by jumping on the crate.
	Brambles	Huge, thorny vines that hurt the Kongs when touched.
	Crates	Crates are very similar to Barrels, but they break as soon as making contact with an enemy or the ground.
	Eggs	Projectiles used by Squawks and Krow, as well as against the latter.
	End of Level Target	A High striker-like mechanism appearing at the end of every level. If the target is landed on hard enough, the barrel breaks, giving the Kongs the prize depicted, usually Bananas, Banana Bunches, Banana Coins, or an Extra Life Balloon. The letter G or a DK Coin appear on a few End of Level Targets. There are usually nearby Barrel Cannons that the Kongs can shoot from to land on the pad.
	Fireballs	Burning spheres launched by Kleever.
	Honey	A sticky substance that prevents the Kongs, but when against the walls, they can climb higher.
	Hook	Grabbable objects that can be hung from and jumped from. Harmful ones are thrown by Krooks.
	Hot Air Balloon	Floating platforms that lift when caught in steam jets.
	Kannons	An object that launches the Kongs to a Bonus Level when a Kannonball is loaded inside.
	Kannonballs	Kannonballs have to be carried to their corresponding kannon nearby to activate it. If a kannonball falls into a pit, it cannot be recovered.
	No Animal Signs	An Animal Buddy disappears upon crossing, but the player could be rewarded an item if the animal reaches the sign.
	Roller Coasters	Rickety, skull-shaped amusement park vehicles that must be carefully ridden to avoid falling from the track.
	Ropes	Unlike the previous game, ropes may appear both horizontally and vertically (often amongst each other). Their design differs between environments, with their appearances that include normal ropes, giant typha plants, vines, and chains. A notable type are the phantom ropes who repeatedly vanish and reappear.
	Smoke	Multicolored, skull-patterned gases shot from Kaptain K. Rool's blunderbuss, with varying effects: blue smoke freezes the Kongs, red smoke slows them down, and purple smoke inverts left and right on the player's controls.
	Spike Balls	Kannonballs with retractable spikes shot from Kaptain K. Rool's blunderbuss.
	Spike Traps	Clusters of wooden spikes found in the jungles of the Lost World.
	Stinger	Spikes shot in several directions at once by exploding Puftups as well as the large King Zing three times after every second successful attack against him.
	Tires	Enormous rolling objects that can be bounced on.
	Treasure chests	They can be picked up and thrown at enemies, revealing a collectible, such as a Banana Coin. Some require more than one hit to open.
	Webs	Squitter can create these as temporary platforms or projectiles.
	Wind	Pushes the player in various directions.

Barrels

Throwable barrels
Sprite	Barrel	Summary
	Barrels	Normal Barrels are very common objects that can be used to attack enemies, especially Zingers, which have only limited methods of being defeated, but break upon contact.
	DK Barrels	DK Barrels appear several times in every level, and can be broken to free a lost Kong. If both Kongs are present, the DK Barrel acts no differently from a normal barrel.
	TNT Barrels	Explosive barrels that can be thrown at walls to blast them away, creating an opening. TNT Barrels can also defeat red Zingers and other powerful enemies in one hit.
Enterable barrels
	Animal Barrel	When an Animal Barrel is entered, the Kongs are transformed into the depicted Animal Friend, whether it is Enguarde, Rambi, Rattly, Squawks, or Squitter.
	Arrow Barrels	Blasts the Kongs in the direction depicted
	Barrel Kannons	Barrel Cannons are very common barrels that can blast the Kongs to high areas when entered. Sometimes, upon being entered, the barrels spin in circles. If this happens, player has to hit the correct button to blast out of it as it points in the desired direction.
	Biplane Barrel	The Biplane Barrel is a vehicle that can be rented from Funky's Flights II, acting as the succesor of the Funky Barrel in Donkey Kong Country. The Kongs must pay two Banana Coins to use it, unless it is their first visit, in which case using it is free of charge. The Biplane Barrel can take the Kongs around the many areas of Crocodile Isle.
	Blast Barrels	Blast Barrels automatically blast the Kongs in a direction not specified before launching.
	Bonus Barrels	Bonus Barrels lead the Kongs into a Bonus Level if entered. There are one, two, or rarely three Bonus Barrels in a level.
	Diddy & Dixie Barrels	Diddy & Dixie Barrels are uncommon barrels that is usable only by either Diddy or Dixie, depending on whose face is shown.
	Golden Barrel	The Golden Barrel can only be found in Klubba's Kiosk. After the Kongs pay Klubba 15 Kremkoins per world, he allows them to use this barrel. If the Kongs enter it, they are taken into the Lost World.
	Rotatable Barrels	Rotatable Barrels can be rotated to aim in the Kongs' desired directions. However, like Steerable Barrels, they have time limits, which shoots the Kongs out of the object when time runs out.
	Steerable Barrels	Steerable Barrels appear only in Fiery Furnace. There, they can be controlled when the Kongs are inside it. They can move the barrel in any direction, but only for a limited time. Once the countdown reaches zero, the Kongs are automatically blasted out.
	Warp Barrels	Warp Barrels appear in early levels and act as hidden shortcuts to the end of their respective stage.
Triggerable barrels
	Check and X Barrels	Only appearing in Target Terror, the Check and X Barrels control whether the roller coaster's gates are passable.
	Exclamation Point Barrels	When touched, the Kongs become temporarily invincible, giving these the exact function of Super Stars from the Super Mario series. While invincible, the Kongs can defeat enemies just from touching them and walk over sharp spikes.
	Krockhead Barrels	These appear only in Krem Quay. When hit, they summon Krockheads from the swampy water to be used as platforms.
	Plus and Minus Barrels	Plus and Minus Barrels appear only in Haunted Hall, where they increase and decrease the amount of time the Kongs have before being hit, respectively. If this timer runs out, a Kackle attacks them. The Plus Barrel also appears in Rickety Race, where it will speed up the Roller Coaster for the Kongs, as well as make it go backwards in one of the bonus areas.
	Star Barrels	Star Barrels, when hit, mark the level's halfway point, so if the Kongs are defeated, they can start the level over where the Star Barrel was.

Supporting locations

Image	Title	Owner	Summary
	Funky's Flights II	Funky Kong	The Kongs can go here to revisit previous worlds using the Biplane Barrel.
	Swanky's Bonus Bonanza	Swanky Kong	An optional minigame of a quiz about various trivia relating to the game, and winning earns the player Extra Life Balloons. When a quiz is completed, it cannot be played again.
	Kong Kollege	Wrinkly Kong	A place where Wrinkly teaches a class of Kremlings, unseen during gameplay. Its main purpose is to save the game (free at first but later costing two Banana Coins), though Wrinkly can also give some hints, like how Cranky does in the Monkey Museum.
	Monkey Museum	Cranky Kong	Cranky gives vague advice on how to find secrets hidden within levels, with some hints being free and some costing Banana Coins.
	Klubba's Kiosk	Klubba	A tollbooth to the Lost World. The Kongs can unlock and access a level of the Lost World if they pay 15 Kremkoins to Klubba.

Levels

Levels and Bonus Areas
Gangplank Galleon
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
1	Pirate Panic	2	Ship deck	Klomp's Romp
2	Mainbrace Mayhem	3	Ship mast	Jib Jig
3	Gangplank Galley	2	Ship deck	Klomp's Romp
4	Lockjaw's Locker	1	Ship hold	Lockjaw's Saga
5	Topsail Trouble	2	Ship mast	Jib Jig
6	BOSS LEVEL: Krow's Nest	0	Ship mast	Boss Bossanova
Crocodile Cauldron
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
7	Hot-Head Hop	3	Lava	Hot Head Bop
8	Kannon's Klaim	3	Mines	Kannon's Klaim
9	Lava Lagoon	1	Ship hold	Lockjaw's Saga
10	Red-Hot Ride	2	Lava	Hot Head Bop
11	Squawks's Shaft	3	Mines	Kannon's Klaim
12	BOSS LEVEL: Kleever's Kiln	0	Lava	Boss Bossanova
Krem Quay
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
13	Barrel Bayou	2	Swamp	Bayou Boogie
14	Glimmer's Galleon	2	Ship hold	Lockjaw's Saga
			Ship deck	Snakey Chantey Klomp's Romp (GBA version)
15	Krockhead Klamber	1	Swamp	Bayou Boogie
16	Rattle Battle	3	Ship deck	Snakey Chantey
17	Slime Climb	2	Ship mast	Jib Jig
18	Bramble Blast	2	Brambles	Stickerbush Symphony
19	BOSS LEVEL: Kudgel's Kontest	0	Swamp	Boss Bossanova
Krazy Kremland
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
20	Hornet Hole	3	Hive	Flight Of The Zinger
21	Target Terror	2	Roller coaster	Disco Train
22	Bramble Scramble	1	Brambles	Stickerbush Symphony
23	Rickety Race	1	Roller coaster	Disco Train
24	Mudhole Marsh	2	Swamp	Bayou Boogie
25	Rambi Rumble	2	Hive	Flight Of The Zinger Run, Rambi! Run!
26	BOSS LEVEL: King Zing Sting	0	Hive	Boss Bossanova
Gloomy Gulch
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
27	Ghostly Grove	2	Forest	Forest Interlude
28	Haunted Hall	3	Roller coaster	Haunted Chase
29	Gusty Glade	2	Forest	Forest Interlude
30	Parrot Chute Panic	2	Hive	Flight Of The Zinger
31	Web Woods	2	Forest	Forest Interlude
32	BOSS LEVEL: Kreepy Krow	0	Ship mast	Boss Bossanova
K. Rool's Keep
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
33	Arctic Abyss	2	Ice	In A Snow-bound Land
34	Windy Well	2	Mines	Kannon's Klaim
35	Castle Crush	2	Castle	Krook's March
36	Clapper's Cavern	2	Ice	In A Snow-bound Land
37	Chain Link Chamber	2	Castle	Krook's March
38	Toxic Tower	1	Castle	Krook's March
39	BOSS LEVEL: Stronghold Showdown	0	Castle	False Triumph?
The Flying Krock
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
40	Screech's Sprint	1	Brambles	Stickerbush Symphony Bad Bird Rag
41	BOSS LEVEL: K. Rool Duel	0	Gunship	Crocodile Cacophony
Lost World
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
42	Jungle Jinx	1	Jungle	Primal Rave
43	Black Ice Battle	1	Ice	In A Snow-bound Land
44	Klobber Karnage	1	Jungle	Primal Rave
45	Fiery Furnace	1	Lava	Hot Head Bop
46	Animal Antics	1	Jungle	Primal Rave
			Ice	In A Snow-bound Land
			Jungle	Primal Rave
			Brambles	Stickerbush Symphony
			Jungle	Primal Rave
47	BOSS LEVEL: Krocodile Kore	0	Altar	Crocodile Cacophony

Cheats

In the original version, when the player starts a new file, they can press Down ten times to navigate down to the hidden Cheat Mode option (after five presses, the hidden Music Test will appear). While highlighting the option, the player can press a combination of buttons to enter one of two cheats:

• One cheat removes all the DK Barrels. It is activated by entering: B, A, Right, Right, A, Left, A, X
• One cheat causes the Kongs to start with 50 lives. It is activated by entering: Y, A, Select, A, Down, Left, A, Down

Differences in other versions

In addition to regional differences, there are two main revisions of the SNES release. Changes from the first version:

V1.1

• Jungle Jinx and Klobber Karnage both have their bonus areas' color schemes swapped from the previous version.
• King Zing moves faster during King Zing Sting.
• Infinite throwing jump glitch fixed.
• Various bugs fixed.

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Glitches

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest glitches

Castle Crush glitch

Warning! Performing this action may corrupt your game's save file.

Note: This glitch only works in the SNES, Wii U and Nintendo Switch versions.

Two examples of the glitch's effects.

To perform this glitch, the player must enter Castle Crush with Diddy Kong as the lead character (Dixie is optional, but cannot be the lead character). Then, the player must pick up the first DK Barrel and hold it against a wall. The player must now drop the barrel and quickly pick it up again; if done correctly, the barrel will break, but Diddy will act as if he's still holding it. Upon throwing the "invisible barrel", it will be replaced with a nearby object, with the exact object depending on how much of the level had been traversed before throwing. Throughout most of the level, this will cause an enemy to warp in front of Diddy, following which the enemy will often die immediately. If thrown near the top, it will be replaced with the "No Rambi" sign. Both of these outcomes are relatively harmless. However, if thrown shortly after being "picked up," the invisible barrel will be replaced with the nearby Rambi Barrel. The transformation aspect of the Rambi Barrel becomes broken after this happens, and will typically cause Diddy to either turn into a screen-sized glitchy mess, an incorrectly-colored Klubba with no hammer, which stands in place, or a fully-black Kleever, which moves slowly to the side while spinning. In all three of these cases, the game typically will softlock shortly thereafter.

Quotes

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest quotes

Wrinkly Kong

• "All those Kremlings want to do is learn how to fight and squash monkeys!"
• "Those naughty crocodiles! All they want to learn is how to fight and squash monkeys, Tsk!"
• "When you see Kaptain K. Rool, can you ask him if he has done his homework?"
• "Hurry along! School is nearly finished! You need to study a little more if you're going to beat the Kremlings!"
• "You're looking a little weary dear. Would you like to save your game?"
• "Good luck, children."
• "Be careful now, Kongs."
• "Have you been to see my husband Cranky? He complains a little, but he does know everything about this island."
• "Goodbye, dearies."
• "Don't be a stranger now."
• "Well! Just look at all those sums those Kremlings have done. Disgraceful!"
• "I hope you're better behaved than those reptiles. Why I even caught one sharpening his sword in class yesterday."

References to other games

• Donkey Kong - Cranky makes a direct reference to this game in the intro by saying, "Whisking off maidens and chucking barrels seven days a week, I was!"
• Super Mario Bros. - The instruction booklet's description of the Minus Barrel jokingly states that it will send the player to the Minus World.
• Super Mario franchise - Mario makes an appearance as a video game hero as first place or second place depending on the number of Cranky's Video Game Hero Coins obtained. Yoshi also appears in second or third place depending on the number of coins obtained.
• The Legend of Zelda series - At Cranky's Video Game Heroes, Link can be seen in third place or ranked out.
• Sonic the Hedgehog series - Sonic the Hedgehog's discarded shoes is seen among the "No Hopers" pile in the original SNES game.
• Killer Instinct - A Killer Instinct arcade cabinet and a poster of Chief Thunder can be seen in Cranky's Monkey Museum.
• Earthworm Jim series - Earthworm Jim's discarded blaster is seen among the "No Hopers" pile in the original SNES game.

References in later games

• Donkey Kong 64 - Paintings of Kaptain K. Rool hang in sunken ships in this game.
• DK: Jungle Climber - Funky's Theme in this game is a cover of the theme Funky the Main Monkey.
• WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase - The microgame DK Country is based on the game.
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - A bramble level returns, and is named Bramble Scramble after the one in Donkey Kong Country 2.
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - In this game, one of King K. Rool's attacks involves him using his blunderbuss and he also wears his pirate hat when using the move. Kaptain K. Rool also appears as a spirit in this game, using his artwork from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. In King K. Rool's announce trailer "The Rivals", Donkey Kong's and Diddy Kong's eyes comically bulge out in horror when they witness King K. Rool knock away King Dedede (who had posed as King K. Rool as a prank), referencing their reactions when about to face a boss in Donkey Kong Country 2 (and to a lesser extent, Donkey Kong's reaction whenever Kaptain K. Rool regains consciousness and starts the next phase of the final boss battle).

Development

Even before the first Donkey Kong Country turned out to be a blockbuster success, the game's development team already had plans for a sequel. The team focused first on the game's environments; the game's setting was informed by Gregg Mayles' life-long obsession with pirates and the fact that the first Donkey Kong Country had already featured most stock platforming level archetypes. While some ideas from its predecessor were carried over, all of the levels in Donkey Kong Country 2 were brand new. Replacing Donkey Kong with the new character Dixie Kong came from a desire to take risk and surprise players.

Speaking of the game's level design, Mayles explained that Donkey Kong Country 2 went with a more exploration-based structure as "If we had made it speed runs again then there wouldn't have been much scope for us to go anywhere different with it" and to make the game more different from its predecessor. Secret collectables and the Lost World were included to give the game more intrigue and extend its replay value. Nintendo was less involved in Donkey Kong Country 2's development, which Gregg Mayles chalked up to the success of the first game.

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest pre-release and unused content

The subtitle was originally Diddy Kong's Quest, but it was later changed to Diddy's Kong Quest.

Rare Witch Project preview and German strategy guide

Mr. X, an earlier version of Kackle. Its artwork originates from a German player's guide.

The Rare Witch Project website once had previews of several upcoming enemies and characters for Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Among these enemies was a sinister looking character simply dubbed "Mr. X". Mr. X was an early version of the enemy Kackle, a ghostly Kremling that appears in the level Haunted Hall and chases the Kongs throughout the level in the final version of the game. Mr. X was a phantasmagoric white Kremling with red eyes, wearing a large black jacket covered in army medals, he also possessed two small hooks for hands. Despite his status as an unused element, Mr. X somehow managed to be included in the official German player's guide, which cryptically states that he is a character no one has known or has seen.

Reception

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest received widespread critical acclaim, considered by critics to be among the best titles on the Wii's Virtual Console.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Wii	Mark Birnbaum, IGN	8.8/10	"If you love action-platformer games then Donkey Kong Country 2 is a no-brainer. There is a strong chance that you've already played it on the SNES or GBA so you'd know how similarly it plays to the original. Consequently, it's easy to recommend spending the 800 Wii points to anyone who has enjoyed the original classic by Rareware. Who doesn't love blasting from barrels and collecting bananas? Surely no normal person."
Wii	Frank Provo, GameSpot	9/10	"If you're looking for a diverse platformer that'll take you a while to finish, look no further than Donkey Kong Country 2. It's well worth the 800 Wii points that you'll need to fork over to download it to your Wii."
Wii	Damien McFerran, Nintendo Life	9/10	"Donkey Kong Country 2 may prove frustrating for some younger or less dedicated players. For those who enjoy a challenge this is probably one of the best games available on the Virtual Console. PAL users will be pleased to hear as this is a game developed by Rare this game is optimised for 50Hz. That means no real differences between this and it's[sic] NTSC counterpart."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
GameRankings		89.81%

Nintendo eShop description

Kaptain K. Rool and his cutthroat Kremlings have kidnapped Donkey Kong and are holding him ransom at Crocodile Isle for the banana hoard! Who will brave the seas to save our hairy hero?

Enter Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong, and they're ready to head out and show their stuff! The two small Kongs are each equipped with their own abilities—Diddy Kong's Cartwheel can sprint him across a distance, while Dixie Kong's Helicopter Spin will let her float from high places.

Play solo, against a friend, or together with a friend in eight exciting worlds. During your adventure, meet up with other Kong family members for some fun times or friendly advice. Be on the lookout for animal friends, collectibles, and hidden areas, as they can be very valuable in your adventures!

All aboard, and let's set sail! It's time for Kaptain K. Rool to get knocked off his ship.

Staff

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest staff

Head Programmer

• C. Sutherland

Assistant Head Programmer

• M. Wilson

Technical Programmer

• B. Gunn

Programmer

• T. Attwood

Characters / Animation

• S. Mayles

Objects and Additional Characters / Backgrounds

• M. Stevenson

Backgrounds

• C. Gage
• J. Nash
• A. Smith

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.

• 

  Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong

• 

  Donkey Kong

• 

  Cranky Kong

• 

  Wrinkly Kong

• 

  Funky Kong

• 

  Swanky Kong

• 

  Kaptain K. Rool

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest media.

Snakey Chantey

File infoMedia:DKC2 SNES Snakey Chantey.oga ​

Stickerbush Symphony

File infoMedia:DKC2 SNES Stickerbush Symphony.oga ​

Bad Bird Rag

File infoMedia:DKC2 SNES Bad Bird Rag.oga ​

Crocodile Cacophony

File infoMedia:DKC2 SNES Crocodile Cacophony.oga ​

School House Harmony

File infoMedia:DKC2 SNES School House Harmony.oga ​

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	スーパードンキーコング2 ディクシー＆ディディー[?] Sūpā Donkī Kongu Tsū Dikushī ando Didī	Super Donkey Kong 2: Dixie & Diddy

Trivia

• The game was placed 33rd in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997.
• This is the only game in the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy where the players start with four lives by default. The other two games have the players start with five lives by default.
• The game over screen is also used in error and anti-piracy screens in-game. This also occurs in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
• An arcade game manufacturer named Sunwise made a Japan-only slot machine game based on the Japanese version of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest called Swanky no Bonus Slot (which translates to "Swanky's Bonus Slots"). The game would play a music piece while the wheels would spin.

External links

• Nintendo of Japan webpage
• Nintendo of America webpage