Donkey Kong Country

Template:Articleabout Template:Redirectshere Template:Infobox Donkey Kong Country is a game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System released in 1994. It is known for being the first game to use pre-rendered sprites, creating a 3D effect throughout the game. It is the first game in the Donkey Kong Country series and has three sequels: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. It also has a similar semi-sequel, titled Donkey Kong Land, and a rare competition variant. The game stars Donkey Kong, along with his buddy and nephew, Diddy Kong, in his debut, as the two travel across Donkey Kong Island in search for the Banana Hoard.

The game was remade for the Game Boy Color in 2000 and was also remade again for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The two remakes feature some new Bonus Games, the ability to save in the overworld, and several other new elements. Donkey Kong Country was also released on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2006 and 2007, being the same as the original version. The trilogy was delisted from the Virtual Console in November 2012 due to reasons unknown.

Storyline

During a stormy night on Donkey Kong Island, Diddy Kong is told by Donkey Kong to guard his Banana Hoard for his "hero training" until midnight, when Donkey Kong will take over. While watching for predators beneath the darkness, that young monkey becomes attacked by a Krusha. The villain traps the monkey inside a DK Barrel and steals the Banana Hoard along with the other Kremlings, dropping a fruit trail on the way. Next morning, a loud calling of his name wakes Donkey Kong. Realizing that he has slept through his watch, the big ape quickly exits his treehouse, only to find Cranky Kong, who tells him hints about the Kremlings stealing the hoard. Donkey Kong soon realizes that both his Banana Hoard and Diddy Kong are missing and sets out to find them. After finding Diddy in a barrel, both Donkey and Diddy head out to find the stolen Banana Hoard.

File:G0bananas65.png

Donkey Kong celebrating the recovery of his Banana Hoard.

On their travels, the two heroes tread through deep jungles, mines, forests, temples, snowy mountains, caves, and several other regions of the island, fighting many enemies and bosses on the way. With assistance from Cranky, Funky, and Candy Kong, the monkeys eventually reach a large ship known as the Gangplank Galleon, where they meet the Kremling Krew's leader, King K. Rool. The Kongs soon "defeat" the foe, only to find the king to get back up and fight with a new set of attacks. However, the duo manages to bring him down a second time, this time defeating the crocodile once and for all. After King K. Rool's defeat, Cranky Kong congratulates the heroes, who then tells them to check the Banana Hoard. They do so, finding that the bananas have been returned.

In the Game Boy Advance remake of the game, a short cutscene is seen at the beginning of the game when DK's bananas are stolen and after King K. Rool's defeat, where Cranky, Funky, and Candy Kong congratulate the apes on their victory. King K. Rool soon recovers and forces them off the ship, sailing away.

Gameplay

The game introduces the "tag-team" system, where Diddy and Donkey Kong follow each other throughout each level. However, the monkey in the front of the group is the Kong in play, so the other Kong simply follows behind the other. If the hero in play is injured, he quickly runs off the screen, and the Kong behind him takes his place as the character in play. In cases like this, only one Kong is on the screen at the time, as the other is defeated. If the lone Kong is injured by an enemy, the player loses an Extra Life and must restart the level from the beginning or by the Star Barrel. Fortunately, any Kong that is missing can be recovered by breaking open a DK Barrel; however, these special barrels do not appear many times in most levels. When a hero is freed from a DK Barrel, he heads to the back of the group behind the Kong in play and is not able to be controlled until the Kong in the lead is injured or if the player hits to switch characters. Then Donkey Kong hi-five with Diddy and switch, or Diddy hi-five with Donkey Kong and switch.

Only one Kong appears on the screen at a time in the Game Boy Color version of the game, and a DK Barrel appears at the corner of the screen instead when there is more than one Kong in the group. Also, the Kongs do not run off the screen in the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance remakes as they rather fall off the screen.

Kong Abilities

File:DKCI4365.jpg

Donkey Kong swings on a rope in the level, Ice Age Alley.

While both Kongs have different abilities, they have the same basic moves. Both Donkey and Diddy are able to jump, cartwheel (or roll), climb, and swim to pass through levels. The most commonly used basic abilities are the jump and cartwheel moves, which help the heroes cross gaps and defeat enemies. While cartwheeling is often used to pummel into weaker foes, it can also be used as part of the super-jump technique. Both characters can use this move by simply cartwheeling off a cliff and jumping in mid-air. This gives them both a longer jump to cross wider abysses.

Other than jumping and cartwheeling, the Kongs can also use their climbing and swimming abilities to traverse levels. Climbing can only be done on ropes, which can swing the primates over gaps if they cling onto them. Some ropes are stationary, which means that the Kongs can take advantage of their climbing abilities on them to head up the rope to a higher area. Another move both Kongs can perform is their swimming ability which can only be done inside of the water in the underwater levels.

File:BarrelRide65.jpg

Diddy rides on a Steel Keg.

Both Kongs also have some different abilities, as well as different stats. Diddy is faster and more agile than Donkey Kong; however, he is not as strong as him and has difficulty defeating stronger enemies such as Krushas and Klumps. Donkey Kong is stronger and slower than him, and he also has his own unique move called Hand Slap. The Hand Slap move allows him to defeat enemies and find hidden objects in the ground or on treetops.

Another difference between the two Kongs is how they pick up and throw barrels. When Diddy Kong picks up barrels, he holds them in from of his body, protecting him from any enemies in his way. However, Donkey Kong holds barrels above his head, leaving his whole body vulnerable to enemy attacks. Additionally, Donkey Kong throws his barrels slightly further than Diddy, making Donkey Kong more likely to hit enemies from another distance. If the primates throw a Steel Keg against a wall, they are able to jump on the barrel as it rolls back and balance on it.

Special Areas

The special area, Cranky's Cabin.

The other members of the Kong Family clan in these special areas which assist Donkey and Diddy while they are adventuring.

• Cranky's Cabin: This area is run by Cranky Kong, who the heroes meet here to hear him talking about some random hints and random rambling about how the 8-bit era was better than the 36-bit era. There is one Cranky's Cabin in every world.
• Candy's Save Point: This area is run by Candy Kong. The Kongs can travel here in any world to save their game for free. In the Game Boy Color remake, this area is replaced by Candy's Challenge where the monkeys have to go through a Bonus Level and collect a golden coin. In the Game Boy Advance remake of the game, the area is replaced by Candy's Dance Studio, where Candy hosts a dance mini-game, which can be won to earn collectibles.
• Funky's Flights: In this special area, the Kongs can meet Funky Kong and use his Jumbo Barrel to travel to any unlocked world. In the Game Boy Advance remakes, the area is replaced by Funky's Fishing, where Funky hosts a fishing mini-game along with having the Jumbo Barrel. In the game, the Kongs must catch fish while riding on Enguarde to win prizes.

Items and Objects

Collectibles and Mechanisms

During their adventure, Diddy and Donkey run in a variety of collectibles and objects, some helpful, and some harmful. Many of these objects are listed below.

Image	Name	Description
File:BananaSprite65.png	Bananas	These are the most common items in the game, and many appear in every level (excluding boss levels). They are very similar to coins from the Mario series, as collecting 100 of them gives the Kongs an extra life.
File:BunchoBanana65.png	Banana Bunches	These items are very similar to bananas, except that they are worth ten bananas rather than one. Although they are very common, they are usually harder to find then normal bananas and can sometimes be hidden in hard to reach places. Ten of these equal an Extra Life.
File:RambiToken65.PNG	Animal Tokens	These items are special tokens in the shape of the game's various Animal Buddies (excluding Squawks). If three of one kind is collected, the Kongs are taken to a bonus area where they must collect many smaller Animal Tokens with the buddy carved in the collected tokens (e.g. If three Expresso tokens are collected, the player plays as Expresso in the bonus minigame).
File:BalloonDKC65.PNG	Extra Life Balloons	Similar to 1-Up Mushrooms from the Mario series, these balloons give the Kongs extra lives when collected. The balloons come in three different colors: Red, blue, and green. The red Extra Life Balloons grant the primates with one extra life, green Extra Life Balloons give them two lives, and the rare blue Extra Life Balloons give them three lives.
File:KONGDKC65.PNG	K-O-N-G Letters	Four of these special objects are hidden in every level (excluding boss levels), and each letter put together spells the word "KONG." If the Kongs collect all four letters in a level, they are awarded with an extra life. Each letter is found in order, meaning that the letter K is found first in the levels, then the O, then the N, and the letter G is found last. Additionally, letters much like the K-O-N-G Letters appear in certain Bonus Levels, where they must be hit in order to spell out a word.
File:RambiBarrelDKC65.PNG	Animal Crates	These semi-common crates contain Animal Buddies, and are placed in both normal levels and Bonus Levels. The type of Animal Buddy freed from the crate depends on the picture on the object. In the Game Boy Color remake, the crates transform the monkeys into a certain Animal Buddy depending on the Animal Buddy's logo on the crate.
File:TireDKC65.PNG	Tires	Tires appear in many levels throughout the game, and they bounce the heroes to high areas. Half tires are stationary, while the other tires that are full can be pushed into different areas.
File:RopeDKC65.PNG	Ropes	These common objects appear in many levels, and the Kongs can climb up and down on them to progress. Most ropes in the game swing over wide abysses, so the primates can use them to cross the gaps. In Slipslide Ride, blue and purple ropes appear that pull the heroes up and down automatically.
File:MineCartDKC65.PNG	Mine Carts	These rather uncommon objects are seen only in mine levels, and automatically begin to move on the track when entered. The Kongs are able to jump while on them so they can head over broken part of the track. Sometimes, broken mine carts appear on the track as an obstacle.
File:FallingPlatformDKC65.PNG File:PlatformDKC65.PNG	Platforms	Many platforms appear throughout the game. Although most of them are stationary, some move back and fourth over gaps. Later in the game, platforms with arrows appear, and they move in the direction depending on the arrow point's direction symbol when stepped on. Other moving platforms appear near the end of the game, including one that must constantly be refueled to keep it moving.

Barrels

The most common objects in Donkey Kong Country and its series are barrels. Many different barrels appear throughout this game, each having a different purpose and use. Below shows these uses on the barrels.

Image	Name	Description
File:BarrelDKC65.PNG	Regular Barrels	These ordinary barrels are very common. The barrels can be picked up and thrown at enemies to defeat them. Some barrels do not break when making contact with the ground, and can roll over many different enemies. Diddy Kong can hold these types of barrels and others as a form of defense as well.
File:Firebarrel.gif	Barrel Cannons	Another common type of barrel. They appear in almost every level, and are able to shoot the Kongs over gaps or to other Barrel Cannons. Some Barrel Cannons automatically fire the Kongs when entered, while others must be activated first. Some may also move in a specific direction as first seen in Barrel Cannon Canyon.
File:StarBarrelDKC65.PNG	Star Barrels	One of these common barrels appear in the middle of every level, excluding boss levels. As their name suggests, they serve as the checkpoint for the levels. If the two heroes are both defeated anytime after breaking the barrel, they appear back in the area the Star Barrel last was when retrying the level.
File:DKBarrelDKC65.PNG	DK Barrels	DK Barrels are the most common barrels in the game, as several of them appear in every level. If one of the Kongs are missing from the group, the surviving Kong can break one of these barrels to bring their partner back. However, DK Barrels only appear in certain parts of the level. They can also be used just like normal barrels, except that they cannot roll on the ground.
File:TNTBarrelDKC65.PNG	TNT Barrels	These common barrels are much like normal barrels, however, they explode when making contact with anything after being thrown. They are often used to destroy powerful foes and break through sensitive walls.
File:SteelBarrelDKC65.PNG	Steel Kegs	Another common type of barrel. They can be used much like normal barrels, but are harder to break and are silver colored. They can roll into an unlimited amount of enemies and even bounce off walls without breaking. Because of this, the Kongs are able to perform their barrel rolling move on them.
File:SGBarrelDKC65.PNG	Stop and Go Barrels	These uncommon barrels appear in Stop & Go Station, where they are used to control the lights. Go Barrels make the lights illuminating the level green, while Stop Barrels make them red. Hitting the Stop Barrels also makes the Rockkrocs in the level stop moving when on STOP and begin to move again when the Stop & Go Barrel changes to GO.
File:OFF and ON Barrels.PNG	On and Off Barrels	These barrels only appear in Loopy Lights and act almost like Stop and Go Barrels, except the barrels affect the lighting of the stage making it harder to maneuver.
File:FuelBarrelsprite65.png	Fuel Barrels	These barrels only appear in the level, Tanked Up Trouble, but are vital for the Kongs' survival. They are needed to provide fuel for the platforms used in the said level, which fall off the stage if not fueled up enough. Because they are so important, they are often placed in hard to reach places.
File:JumboBarrelDKC65.PNG	Funky Barrel	A type of Jumbo Barrel. The Funky Barrel can be entered in Funky's Flights, where it flies the duo to any place in the island they have journeyed to. The heroes do not have to pay any fee to use it.

Levels

The overworld map.

Donkey Kong Country features many levels in which the Kongs must successfully complete in order to reach the final boss, including boss levels. The levels are separated into worlds, such as the Kongo Jungle, and each world features five to six levels and one boss stage. Every non-boss level is home to five or less Bonus Levels, which can optionally be found to finish the game 100%, or to simply collect extra goodies such as Banana Bunches. Unlike in the Mario series, the player does not have to traverse a whole boss level to reach the boss. They simply appear in the boss battle. Every level also has its own theme, or "environment." For example, levels such as Barrel Cannon Canyon are marked as "Jungle" levels, as they take place in a jungle.

Note that the following table lists the levels in the original order on the SNES version of the game.

Levels and Bonus Areas
Kongo Jungle
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
1			Jungle Hijinxs	2	Jungle
2			Ropey Rampage	2	Jungle
3			Reptile Rumble	3	Cave
4			Coral Capers	0	Coral
5			Barrel Cannon Canyon	2	Jungle
6			BOSS LEVEL: Very Gnawty's Lair	0	Boss Arena
Monkey Mines
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
7			Winky's Walkway	1	Walkway
8			Mine Cart Carnage	0	Mines
9			Bouncy Bonanza	3	Cave
10			Stop & Go Station	2	Mines
11			Millstone Mayhem	3	Ruins
12			BOSS LEVEL: Necky's Nuts	0	Boss Arena
Vine Valley
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
13			Vulture Culture	3	Forest
14			Tree Top Town	2	Treetops
15			Forest Frenzy	2	Forest
16		18	Temple Tempest	2	Ruins
17		16	Orang-utan Gang	5	Jungle
18		17	Clam City	0	Coral
19			BOSS LEVEL: Bumble B. Rumble	0	Boss Arena
Gorilla Glacier
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
20			Snow Barrel Blast	3	Snow
21			Slipslide Ride	3	Cave
22		23	Ice Age Alley	2	Snow
23		22	Croctopus Chase	0	Coral
24		25	Torchlight Trouble	2	Cave
25		24	Rope Bridge Rumble	2	Treetops
26			BOSS LEVEL Really Gnawty Rampage	0	Boss Arena
Kremkroc Industries, Inc.
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
27			Oil Drum Alley	4	Factory
28			Trick Track Trek	3	Walkway
29		30	Elevator Antics	3	Cave
30		29	Poison Pond	0	Coral
31		32	Mine Cart Madness	3	Walkway
32		31	Blackout Basement	2	Factory
33			BOSS LEVEL: Boss Dumb Drum	0	Boss Arena
Chimp Caverns
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
34			Tanked Up Trouble	1	Walkway
35			Manic Mincers	3	Cave
36			Misty Mine	2	Mines
-	37	-	Necky Nutmare	1	Cave
37	38	37	Loopy Lights	2	Mines
38	39	38	Platform Perils	2	Walkway
39	40	39	BOSS LEVEL: Necky's Revenge	0	Boss Arena
Gangplank Galleon
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
40	41	40	BOSS LEVEL: Gangplank Galleon	0	Boss Arena

Characters

Playable Characters

The game features two playable characters who try to return the Banana Hoard. Below are these two characters and a description on them.

Image	Name	Description
File:DKDKC65.PNG	Donkey Kong	The main hero of the game, who has a hoard of bananas under his treehouse. Donkey Kong is much stronger and heavier than his partner, Diddy Kong, and can therefore defeat more powerful enemies. He also has his own move, the Hand Slap which can defeat certain enemies and reveal hidden objects.
File:DiddyKDKC65.PNG	Diddy Kong	This young ape is the best friend of Donkey Kong and a hero in training who sets out with Donkey Kong to recover the Banana Hoard during the events of the game. Although he is not as strong as his partner, he is a bit faster. However, his light weight keeps him from being able to defeat more powerful enemies in a single jump.

Supporting Characters

With the two playable to Kongs, there are also some non-playable apes who help them out in the game's special areas. The table below describes these helpers and names them.

Image	Name	Description
File:CandyKDKC65.png	Candy Kong	Known to be Donkey Kong's girlfriend, this Kong runs Candy's Save Point (or Candy's Challenge or Candy's Dance Studio in the Game Boy Advance version). She allows the Kongs to save their game in the SNES version, play a bonus mini-game in the Game Boy Color version, or performs in a dance contest with them in the Game Boy Advance remake.
File:CrankyKDKC65.PNG	Cranky Kong	This old ape resides in Cranky's Cabin, where he gives the heroes random hints on how to complete the game. He is convinced that he is the best video game hero, and does not believe the apes can complete their adventure without his assistance.
File:FunkyKDKC65.PNG	Funky Kong	Funky Kong runs Funky's Flights in the game's Super Nintendo and Game Boy Color version where he lends the Kongs his Jumbo Barrel to travel throughout areas of Donkey Kong Island or Funky's Fishing in the Game Boy Advance version where he still has the same place as he did in the previous versions just with an additional fishing challenge. He can be seen holding a green surfboard, while wearing a bandanna and a pair of sunglasses.

Animal Buddies

The supporting Kongs are not the only ones to aid Donkey and Diddy in their quest; the wildlife also help. Each Animal Buddy is prisoner in a crate with their likeness on it. The Kongs can only use the Animal Buddies in certain levels, meaning that the Kongs leave their helpers once they exit a level. Each buddy has different abilities, as shown below.

Image	Name	Description	First Level Appearance	Last Level Appearance
File:RambiDKC.PNG	Rambi the Rhinoceros	Rambi is first found halfway through the first level. He is able to ram into most enemies to defeat them, and he can also break entrances to hidden Bonus Levels along with sensitive walls.	Jungle Hijinxs	Manic Mincers
File:EnguardeDKC.PNG	Enguarde the Swordfish	Enguarde is an Animal Buddy that is exclusively found in underwater levels. The Kongs have better control underwater while riding him, and his sharp bill is able to defeat many enemies on the way.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
File:WinkyDKC.PNG	Winky the Frog	Winky can defeat most enemies by jumping on them, some being ones that the monkeys cannot defeat by themselves, such as Zingers. Winky also jumps very high, providing access to certain Bonus Levels and hidden areas. He is replaced by Rattly the Rattlesnake in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.	Winky's Walkway	Rope Bridge Rumble
File:SquawksDKC.PNG	Squawks the Parrot	Squawks is the only non-rideable Animal Buddy in the game along with the only one not having his own face on an Animal Token. He assists the Kongs by carrying a lamp through the level, Torchlight Trouble, which helps them see in the dark cave. He can not be hurt by enemies.	Torchlight Trouble	Torchlight Trouble
File:ExpressoDKC.PNG	Expresso the Ostrich	Expresso has the ability to dash through areas at a fast pace because of his sneakers. He can also glide through the air temporarily, much like Dixie Kong can in later Donkey Kong Country installments. Enemies smaller than Expresso (such as Klaptraps) can pass under his legs as well without injuring him.	Temple Tempest	Misty Mine

Enemies

Normal Enemies

As with all other Donkey Kong platformers, Donkey Kong Country features many different kinds of enemies, who try to defeat the Kongs throughout every level. Below shows the enemies' names, descriptions, and first and last level appearances.

Image	Name	Description	First Level Appearance	Last Level Appearance
File:TheArmy.PNG	Army	An armadillo enemy who rolls up into a ball and charges at the Kongs to attack. Unlike Donkey, Diddy cannot defeat them in one jump if they are rolled up in a ball, and instead must jump on them once to release them from their attacking state. This leaves them vulnerable to jump attacks.	Ropey Rampage	Platform Perils
	Bitesize	A piranha enemy that lives in water. They attack by simply swimming around in the water and into the monkey. These enemies can only be defeated by Enguarde the Swordfish.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
File:Juniorsquirt.gif	Chomps Jr.	A small, blue shark enemy that, like Bitesizes, swims around the underwater areas of the game. However, they are a little bigger than these fish foes, so they are slightly harder to avoid and too can only be defeated by Enguarde.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
	Chomps	A large, green shark enemy. They, as their name suggests, are the bigger versions of the Chomps Jr. enemies, and take up slightly more space than them in the water. Like other underwater foes, only Enguarde can beat them.	Coral Capers	Croctopus Chase
File:Clampbo.PNG	Clambo	A clam enemy that throws pearls across the area. They usually hide on the outskirts of levels to throw these objects. They can throw multiple pearls at a time. These enemies cannot be defeated in any way.	Coral Capers	Clam City
	Croctopus	An octopus enemy that quickly treads through water to hit the Kongs. They are usually seen heading around platforms in the water, however, in the level, Croctopus Chase, they instead race behind the Kongs in order to hit them. They hide in the first small gap they come up to after chasing them, though. These enemies, like Clambos, cannot be defeated either.	Coral Capers	Croctopus Chase
	Gnawty	A generic beaver enemy. Like Kritters, they are very common, but are weaker than most enemies. They simply walk around in ground levels and try to hit the monkeys. All signs of attacks can defeat them, along with all Animal Buddy attacks.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
File:KlaptrapDKC.PNG	Klaptrap	A small crocodile enemy that acts much like Gnawties. They simply walk back and fourth through ground levels except for the fact that these enemies try to bite the Kongs with their sharp teeth. Because of this, the primates are not able to attack them with a cartwheel attack from the front, and must instead jump on them. They can cartwheel to defeat them in the back however.	Stop & Go Station	Loopy Lights
File:Klumpy.PNG	Klump	A strong crocodile enemy that patrols some ground levels. Because of their helmets, Diddy Kong is unable to defeat them with a jump attack, unlike Donkey Kong, and must instead defeat them with a cartwheel attack.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
File:KrashKlash.PNG	Krash	A Kremling that only appears riding in mine carts. They ride on the Kongs' track and race toward them to attack. The heroes have no choice but to jump with the carts to avoid them. Sometimes, the Krashes wait in stationary mine carts, which the Kongs can take as their own if they defeat the foes and hijack the carts.	Mine Cart Carnage	Mine Cart Madness
File:KrittersDKC.PNG	Kritter	The normal species of Kremlings that simply walk around ground levels to defeat the Kongs. Like Gnawties, they can be defeated by any attack.	Jungle Hijinxs	Loopy Lights
File:Krush.PNG	Krusha	A muscular crocodile enemy that cannot be defeated by any of Diddy Kong's normal attacks. While Donkey Kong can beat them with any sign of attack, Diddy cannot use jumping attacks so he must use barrels, cartwheel attacks, or an Animal Buddy to defeat them.	Millstone Mayhem	Platform Perils
File:DankyMong.PNG	Manky Kong	A strange ape enemy and a villainous Kong Family member that throws barrels at the Kongs to attack. They have an unlimited supply of barrels, and do not stop throwing the obstacles until defeated. Jumping and cartwheel attacks defeat them.	Orang-utan Gang	Loopy Lights
File:Mincer.PNG	Mincer	A spiked tire obstacle. They are able to move about the areas in levels, and take up much space. They cannot be defeated by any attack, and must simply be avoided at all costs.	Torchlight Trouble	Manic Mincers
File:MinineckDKC.PNG	Mini-Necky	A little vulture enemy there are, as their name states, the miniature forms of Neckies. These enemies spit nuts at the Kongs to attack. Sometimes, they fly up and down to shoot nuts to different areas. They can be defeated by any attack.	Vulture Culture (SNES and GBA versions) Winky's Walkway (GBC version)	Elevator Antics (SNES and GBA versions) Necky Nutmare (GBC version)
	Necky	A normal vulture enemy that throws nuts at the Kongs from high platforms or fly in place over large gaps, where they can be used as platforms to bounce on. Any attack can defeat these bird foes.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
File:DrumOil.PNG	Oil Drum	A drum obstacle that emits fire or shoots out enemies, such as Slippas. Often, they must be used as platforms to cross wide gaps. They can only be destroyed by TNT Barrels.	Winky's Walkway	Misty Mine (SNES and GBA versions) Necky Nutmare (GBC version)
File:Rockkrock.PNG	Rockkroc	A zombie-like Kremling that, when exposed to a red light, crouches into a ball, making itself look like a rock. When under a green light, they dash across areas and try to hit the Kongs. Because of their speed, they are considerably difficult to avoid when not under a red light, which can be triggered by hitting a Stop Barrel. These enemies cannot be defeated	Stop and Go Station	Stop and Go Station
File:MilkSlippa.PNG	Slippa	A common snake enemy that slithers through cave levels and other ground areas. Like some other enemies, they hurt the heroes when touched, but can be defeated by any attack.	Reptile Rumble	Misty Mine
File:JellySquidge.PNG	Squidge	A jellyfish type enemy that swims up and down through underwater areas in zigzag lines. They hurt the Kongs when touched, and cannot be defeated by any attack except those used by Enguarde.	Croctopus Chase	Poison Pond
File:ZingDKC.PNG	Zinger	A very common wasp enemy that appears in almost every level. These foes must be maneuvered around at all costs, as they fly all around certain areas of the game's levels. Their flight path often depends on the color of the Zinger. The only way to defeat them is by hitting them with barrels or Animal Buddies. Red ones can only be defeated by TNT Barrels.	Ropey Rampage	Platform Perils

Bosses

A boss is found at the end of every world and guards a portion of Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard. Each boss (excluding King K. Rool) is a bigger version of a generic enemy and requires more work to defeat. Below lists these bosses in order of appearance and gives a brief description on them.

Image	Name	Description	Level Appearance
File:VeryGnawty.PNG	Very Gnawty	A giant Gnawty that jumps around, trying to hit the Kongs. It must be jumped on five times to defeat. Each time the foe is hit, it becomes angrier and faster than the next, making the battle progressively harder.	Very Gnawty's Lair
File:NeckyMaster.PNG	Master Necky	A giant Necky that creeps its head out of the four corners of the screen, spitting out nuts. The creature spits nuts faster when jumped on, but becomes defeated once Donkey or Diddy Kong jump on its head five times.	Necky's Nuts
File:ZingerQueen.PNG	Queen B.	A giant Zinger that flies around the room. When hit, Queen B. turns red and goes around the stage rampaging up and down and is temporarily invincible until returning to normal. She is often accompanied by several smaller Zingers when red in the Game Boy Advance remake, who protect her from all attacks until they are defeated. Her weak point is her stinger, which must be hit by several barrels to defeat her. She must be hit with barrels five times to collapse.	Bumble B. Rumble
File:ReallyGnawty.PNG	Really Gnawty	A foe that is very similar to Very Gnawty. However, it is much faster and has the ability to jump much higher when angry. In the Game Boy Advance remake, Really Gnawty performs one large jump after it is attacked, causing fragile stalagmites to fall from the ceiling and hurt the Kongs. When this boss is jumped on five times, he collapses.	Really Gnawty Rampage
File:DumbDrum.PNG	Dumb Drum	A giant Oil Drum that spawns enemies after it hits the floor, attempting to crush the Kongs. If the primates manage to defeat all the enemies it throws at them, the drum explodes and is defeated. In the Game Boy Advance remake of the game, a TNT Barrel appears every time one of the five enemy groups thrown from the boss are defeated. The barrels must be thrown at Dumb Drum five times to defeat it.	Boss Dumb Drum
File:MasterNeckySenior.PNG	Master Necky Snr.	A similar foe to Master Necky. This enemy, however, is much stronger, and sticks his head out of the corners of the screen. He also spits nuts much faster than the latter. He also spits more than one nut at a time at the heroes during the battle, giving them more to dodge. The more jumped on, the more aggressive he gets, making him spit more nuts after each hit. Five jumps on the head defeats this enemy. In the Game Boy Advance remake, Snr. is accompanied with Master Necky in the battle.	Necky's Revenge
File:KingKroolDKC.PNG	King K. Rool	The Kremling that is responsible for stealing Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard, and the final boss. He has a variety of attacks, including throwing his crown, jumping on the apes, and causing cannonballs to rain from the sky. The primates can jump on his head to defeat him, although this can only be done when his crown is off of his head or they get injured.	Gangplank Galleon

Port Differences

Game Boy Color

File:1263694757-00.png

Diddy Kong in the new level, Necky Nutmare.

The game was ported to the Game Boy Color in 2000. While it's a faithful conversion, there are still a few differences, some of which due to the Game Boy Color's limited capabilities. These include:

• There are three different title screens.
• Much like Donkey Kong Land, only one Kong appears at time. The only difference is there is an additional DK Barrel if there are two Kongs, unlike DK Land, which only has one Kong appearing without notice.
• The Game Boy printer can be used to print some scrapbook photos.
• The level Winky's Walkway has been extended with some more enemies and a different layout.
• A new level called Necky Nutmare has been added in Chimp Caverns.
• The Kongs do not ride the Animal Buddies; rather, they become them when jumping on the Animal Crates containing the Buddies.
• Two mini-games have been added: Funky hosts a fishing game known as Funky's Fishing (which would be later reprized in the GBA port) and Cranky hosts a shooting game called Crosshair Cranky.
• Two additional difficulties have been added: the first one removes DK Barrels and the other removes Star Barrels.
• Most of the music and sound effects from Donkey Kong Land are reused, replacing many of the original themes from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System version.
• The Warp Barrel in Mine Cart Carnage was removed.
• A Select Screen resembling the Donkey Kong 64 one was added.
• The game saves automatically after completing a level.
• Candy's Save Point has been replaced by Candy's Challenge where Donkey and Diddy have to collect a golden Banana coin in each challenge of a world.
• The credits roll while showing various screenshots instead of Donkey Kong's Treehouse.

Game Boy Advance

File:Hello.png

The new area, Candy's Dance Studio.

Another port of the game was made for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. It is a faithful conversion, even more so than the Game Boy Color version, since the Game Boy Advance's technical capabilities surpass that of the Super NES. Even so, the game features quite a few changes from the original. Some changes in this game include:

• A "Time Attack" mode has been added, where Donkey and Diddy Kong must collect objects and complete the level in a certain amount of time.
• Rockkrocs can now be defeated by Donkey Kong's Handslap move when they are curled up in a ball when the Stop and Go Barrels turn to the sign "STOP".
• Some enemies come in more varieties of colors (Gnawties are blue, normal Kritters are purple, etc.)
• When the heroes enter a Warp Barrel, they are sent into a short area that contains a group of bananas that spell out the word "WARP." In the original version of the game, as well as in the Game Boy Color version, they are simply sent to the end of the level, and not into this short area.
• Some boss battles are slightly different: Queen B. now has several Zingers surrounding her when she gets hit and turns red, Really Gnawty makes stalactites fall from the ceiling when he jumps really high and far after being hit, Dumb Drum must have TNT Barrels thrown at it after the enemies are defeated, and the battle against Master Necky Snr. is against both him and Master Necky simultaneously.
• After each boss, Cranky Kong comes out and compliments the Kongs on beating the boss while criticizing the bosses.
• The game can be saved at any time or place, including halfway points in levels. With this, Candy's save areas are replaced with a dance studio, with different theme music. Here, a dancing minigame can be played.
• After meeting Funky (who also has different music) once, he can be summoned anytime on the world map.
• The maps have been slightly redesigned. The world maps are also zoomed in more.
• Starting from Vine Valley onwards, a few of the levels have been placed in a different order; for instance, Temple Tempest has become the sixth level in Vine Valley, rather than the fourth.
• Instead of the Credits taking place in Donkey Kong's Treehouse, it takes place on Gangplank Galleon.
• A new mode called "Hero Mode" has been added. In this mode, the player controls a yellow Diddy, who must complete every level without the help of Star Barrels or DK.
• The game keeps track of the number of lives and bananas the Kongs have when saved, unlike in the original, which puts them back at five lives and zero bananas every time the game is reset.
• The Barrel Cannons that send the Kongs to Bonus Levels are replaced by the Bonus Barrels used in the sequel.
• The game has more sound effects and character voices particularly from Donkey Kong 64.
• A scrapbook, similar to the one in the Game Boy Color version, was added, in which the Kongs have to collect photographs throughout the game in order to add pictures to the scrapbook.
• The Two Player Contest option (while starting a new file) was removed. This option was removed in the remakes of its two sequels as well.

Development

The leadup to Donkey Kong Country's creation started in the summer of 1993. While visiting Rare as a part of a globe-travelling journey to find potential quality games in development, Tony Harman of Nintendo of America saw a Tech Demo showing an animated, computer-rendered boxer punching. Rare was experimenting with 3D Animation at the time as they found the then-popular digitization technique too restrictive. Impressed by the demo, Harman lobied for Nintendo to collaborate with Rare, and with the help of Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto, managed to convince them. Nintendo approached Rare with the mandate to make a game that would have "better graphics than Aladdin", presumably referring to the popular Sega Genesis game, which was lauded for its impressive graphics and animation. They recommended that it should star Donkey Kong, as they thought that the character and his universe were less explored than other Nintendo properties and that thus Rare could have greater creative freedom while making the game. Rare also received several millions worth of cutting-edge Silicon Graphics equipment, which was made possible due to Nintendo had forged a relationship with the company for the development of the Ultra 64 (the Nintendo 64's prototype).

A team of 12 peoples was assembled for the project, which was the most Rare had assigned for a single game at the time. Game Designer Greg Mayles cited Super Mario Bros. 3 as his chief inspiration, saying that he wanted to imitate its structure while also providing smooth and flowing level designs that skilled players could navigate quickly. A team of developers was sent to the nearby Twycross Zoo to observe the movement of real gorillas, but found that the movement of real gorillas was not suited to the fast-paced platformer they wanted to make, and instead based Donkey Kong's movements on that of an horse. The Kremlings originated from another project Rare was developing at the same time, but were transplanted into the game as Rare found that they fitted Donkey Kong Country's aesthetic perfectly. The developers also wanted the screen to be as "clutter-free" as possible, which lead to the creation of a "buddy" character so that the player could take more than one hit. Donkey Kong Jr. was first considered for the role, but he was changed into a separate character as Nintendo felt Rare's redesign looked too different.

Rare demoed an early version of the game at Nintendo's Kyoto HQ. Reception of the demo was mixed, with Gunpei Yokoi remarking that the game looked "too 3D". However, Shigeru Miyamoto approved of what was done with the project. He and his staff gave advice to Rare on how to improve the game, with one of the results being the implementation of the Hand Slap move a few weeks before completion.

Competition Cartridge

Main article: Donkey Kong Country Competition Cartridge

A specialized competition variant featuring an assortment of random levels and a point counter was manufactured for use in various video game tournaments held throughout 1995. After that, the few existing cartridges were sold in a Nintendo Power subscriber catalogue. Due to its rarity, this version is a valuable collector's item.

Reaction and sales

At the time of its release, Donkey Kong Country was extremely acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. According to Gamespot, Donkey Kong Country has a critic score of 9.1, having over 85% from every critic. The game was also placed 39th in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997 , and it was rated the 90th best game on a Nintendo system in their top 200 games list in 2006. Praise went to its graphics, music, and overall fun and addictive game-play.

Sales were more than expected, since the game was released at the peak of the 16-bit era. The game had an extremely successful first day at the stores, and sold 8.5 million copies worldwide, making it the second best selling game on the Super Nintendo, following Super Mario World. To date, it is the best selling Donkey Kong game and the best seller by Rare.

Although it won 1994's game of the year by Electronic Gaming Monthly, it was later placed on their top 10 overrated games, as well as on Gamespy's overrated games of all time list. It has mixed reactions today, but is still well-received by fans.

References to Other Games

• Donkey Kong - Cranky Kong is said to be the Donkey Kong from this game who fought Mario in some of his own games. The Oil Drums from the first stage of this game were also featured in Donkey Kong Country at Oil Drum Alley. In addition, the intro of the game has Cranky Kong listening to and operating a phonogram that's playing the theme song for the original Donkey Kong arcade game in a background resembling the iron bars from the original arcade game before Donkey Kong drowns out the music with his boom box and proceeds to knock Cranky Kong out of the area, revealing that the setting is actually within the jungle, further implying Cranky Kong's connection to the original Donkey Kong.
• Donkey Kong Jr. - Cranky is the original Donkey Kong, implying that the hero DK is DK Jr.

File:BarrelRides65.png

The barrel roll move introduced in Donkey Kong Country, as seen in Donkey Kong Country 3.

References in Later Games

• Donkey Kong Land: The semi-sequel of Donkey Kong Country, which contains gameplay elements and music remixes from its prequel.
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: The direct sequel, which contains many gameplay elements from its predecessor. Also, in the Game Boy Advance remake, Diddy makes a reference to the first game in the intro, stating that he did not want to surrender the Banana Hoard to Kaptain K. Rool after all that he and Donkey Kong went through to get it last time. Additionally, Winky can be seen in the background of Cranky's Monkey Museum.
• Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!: As with Donkey Kong Country 2, many gameplay elements are reused (including the return of being able to balance the Kongs on Steel Barrels, which is absent in Donkey Kong Country 2).
• Conker's Pocket Tales: When Conker stands still for a moment, he starts playing a Game Boy. The music that is heard while he is playing is the title screen music of Donkey Kong Land, presuming Conker has the game.
• Super Smash Bros. series: Barrel Cannons seen in Donkey Kong Country appear here. Also, Kongo Jungle stages appear in the three games as Congo Jungle in the first Super Smash Bros. game, and Kongo Jungle in Super Smash Bros. Melee and remade in Melee Stages in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Donkey Kong 64: Another installment in the series with many similarities to Donkey Kong Country. It features the entire non-playable Kong cast, as well as another Jungle Hijinxs remix. In the Game Boy Color version, the Select Screen resembles the Donkey Kong 64 one.
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii: Mario can pick up and throw barrels in this game. This ability may have been borrowed from Donkey Kong Country. Also, the Animal Buddy mechanics are used on Yoshi; he can only be used in certain levels and gets left behind when the level is cleared.

Beta Elements

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country beta elements

Early previews video show minor differences, such as items in different spots, different level palettes and the Krusha and Klump enemies being invulnerable to attacks they are vulnerable to in the final game.

Unused data still present on the cartridge include several sprites (including one enemy featured in the sequel), enemy palettes swaps and an early script which depicts Cranky Kong as a friendlier character.

Staff

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country staff

Glitches

Main article: List of glitches in Donkey Kong Country

Quotes

Main article: List of quotes in Donkey Kong Country

Trivia

• Although the Gnawties seen in-game are gray, the Gnawty on the game's boxart is blue. The species eventually became blue in Donkey Kong 64 and in the Game Boy Advance port of Donkey Kong Country.
• This game has an adaptation in the Super Mario-Kun manga with some changes. Mario and Yoshi land in the Donkey Kong Country by mistake, and Cranky Kong asks to them help Donkey and Diddy in their task to find the bananas and stop King K. Rool.
• In early releases, the giant bananas had the logo for Dole fruits on them. This was quickly replaced with the Nintendo logo.