Donkey Kong Country

Template:Articleabout 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, with 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, 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 more new elements. Donkey Kong Country was also released on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2006, being the same as the original version.

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 takes over his job. While watching for predators beneath the darkness, the young monkey is attacked by a Krusha. The villain traps the monkey inside a barrel and then steals the Banana Hoard with other Kremlings, dropping a fruit trail on the way. Next morning, a loud calling of Donkey Kong's 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 the 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 Kong, Funky Kong, and even Candy Kong, the monkeys eventually reach a large ship known as the Gangplank Galleon, where they meet the Kremling 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 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 him. 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 the SELECT button to switch characters.

It should be noted that 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.

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 of a cliff and jumping while in mid-air. This can give 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. They can swim easily through the water; however, this can only be done in 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. Donkey Kong is stronger and slower than him, and he also has his own unique move called Hand Slap. The Hand Slap move can allow 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 farther than Diddy, making Donkey Kong more likely to hit enemies. If one of the heroes throw a Steel Keg against a wall, he is able to jump on the barrel as it rolls back and balance on it.

Special Areas

File:CrankysCabin.jpg

The special area, Cranky's Hut.

The other members of the Kong clan in these special areas can 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 random hints. 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 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 Color and Game Boy Advance remakes, the area is replaced by Funky's Fishing, where Funky hosts a fishing mini-game. 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 earns 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.
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 game).
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 Extra Life Balloons grant the primates with one extra life, green Extra Life Balloons give them two, and the rare blue Extra Life Balloons give them three more.
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, 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.
File:TireDKC65.PNG	Tires	Tires appear in many levels throughout the game, and they can bounce the heroes to high areas. Most tires are stationary, although some 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 that the arrow points 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.
File:StarBarrelDKC65.PNG	Continue 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 Continue 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. It should be noted that they can also be used just like normal barrels.
File:TNTBarrelDKC65.PNG	TNT Drums	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 walls.
File:SteelBarrelDKC65.PNG	Steel Kegs	Another common type of barrel. They can be used much like normal barrels, but are harder to break. They can roll into an unlimited amount of enemies and even bounce back off of 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 can also make the Rockrocs in the level stop moving, although they begin to move again when the Go Barrel appears in its place shortly after.
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. 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.
File:DiddyKDKC65.PNG	Diddy Kong	This young ape is 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 little 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 Dance Studio in the Game Boy Advance version). She allows the Kongs to save their game and also performs in a dance contest with them.
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 version, and Funky's Fishing in the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance versions. He is usually seen holding a green surf board, 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.	Jungle Hijinxs	Oil Drum Alley
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 nose is able to defeat any enemies on the way.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
File:WinkyDKC.PNG	Winky the Frog	Winky can defeat most enemies by jumping on them, including Zingers, which can not be touched by a Kong otherwise. Winky also jumps very high, providing access to certain Bonus Levels. He is replaced by Rattly the Rattlesnake in Donkey Kong Country 2.	Winky's Walkway	Rope Bridge Rumble
File:SquawksDKC.PNG	Squawks the Parrot	Squawks is the only non-rideable Animal Buddy in the game. He assists the Kongs by carrying a lamp through the level, Torchlight Trouble, which helps them see in a dark cave. He can not be hurt by enemies, nor does he come from an Animal Crate.	Torchlight Trouble	Torchlight Trouble
File:ExpressoDKC.PNG	Expresso the Ostrich	Expresso has the ability to dash through areas at a fast pace. He can also glide through the air, much like Dixie Kong can in later Donkey Kong Country installments. Smaller enemies (such as Klaptraps) can pass under his legs as well.	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. Diddy Kong 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, but 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.	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, and 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.	Coral Capers	Croctopus Chase
	Gnawty	A generic beaver enemy. Like Kritters, they are very common, but are much weaker than other enemies. They simply walk around in ground levels and try to hit the monkeys. Cartwheel or jump attacks can defeat them, as can all Animal Buddy attacks.	Jungle Hijinks	Platform Perils
File:KlaptrapDKC.PNG	Klaptrap	A small crocodile enemy that acts much like Gnawties. They simply walk back and fourth through ground levels, trying 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.	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 Hijinks	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.	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 Hijinks	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 a jump, neither of the primates can beat them with a cartwheel attack, so Diddy must use barrels or Animal Buddies to defeat them.	Millstone Mayhem	Platform Perils
File:DankyMong.PNG	Manky Kong	A strange ape enemy that throws barrels at the Kongs to attack. They have an unlimited supply of barrels, and do not stop throwing the obstacles until defeated. Jump and cartwheel attacks can 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 that spits 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. Sometimes, they appear flying in place over large gaps, where they can be used as platforms to bounce on. Any attack can defeat these bird foes.	Jungle Hijinks	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.	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 many 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. 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. Animal Buddies can also defeat them.	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 damaged, but once Donkey or Diddy Kong jump on its head five times, with the help of a bouncy tire, it is defeated.	Necky's Nuts
File:ZingerQueen.PNG	Queen B.	A giant Zinger that flies around the room. She is often accompanied by several smaller Zingers, 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.	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.	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 can be used to defeat the boss.	Boss Dumb Drum
File:MasterNeckySenior.PNG	Master Necky Snr.	A similar foe to Master Necky. This enemy, however, is much stronger, and he sticks his head out of the corners of the screen and 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.	Necky's Revenge
File:KingKroolDKC.PNG	King K. Rool	The Kremling that stole 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.	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:

• There are three different title screens.
• Much like Donkey Kong Land, only one Kong appears at time.
• The Game Boy printer can be used.
• The level Winky's Walkway has been extended.
• A new level called Necky Nutmare has been added in Chimp Caverns.
• The Kongs do not ride the Animal Buddies; rather, they become them.
• 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.
• Some of the music in Donkey Kong Land is reused, replacing 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.

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. The changes in this game include:

• Candy now hosts a dancing mini-game at Candy's Dance Studio and has different theme music.
• 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 & Go Barrel turns to the sign "STOP".
• Some enemies come in more varieties of colors (Gnawties are blue, normal Kritters are purple, etc.)
• Some boss battles are slightly different: Queen B. now has several Zingers surrounding her when she gets hit, Really Gnawty makes stalactites fall from the ceiling when he jumps after being hit, Dumb Drum must have a 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.
• The game can be saved at any time on a map screen.
• 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 was added, in which the Kongs have to collect photographs throughout the game in order to add pictures to the scrapbook.

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.

• 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 theme of Donkey Kong Country.
• Super Smash Bros.: Barrel Cannons seen in Donkey Kong Country appear here.
• Donkey Kong 64: Another instalment 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: Donkey Kong Country/Beta elements

Staff

Main article: Donkey Kong Country Staff

Glitches

Main article: Donkey Kong Country/Glitches

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.

References

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