Rocket Rush (level)

Level
Rocket Rush
Level code	8 - 5 (SNES) 9 - 5 (GBA)
World	Krematoa
Game	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Music track	Rocket Run (SNES) Hot Pursuit (GBA)
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Rocket Rush is the fortieth level in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! and the fifth level of Krematoa. It is the last regular level of the game. In the Game Boy Advance remake, it is instead the forty-sixth level due to the addition of Pacifica. Dixie and Kiddy are required to have obtained every Bonus Coin before they can access Rocket Rush; as such, there are no Bonus Levels, making Rocket Rush the only level without any. Rocket Rush is a cliffside level that Dixie and Kiddy must travel through in a Rocket Barrel. For the first half, the Kongs must steer the Rocket Barrel as it steadily descends between the cliffs. During this half, they encounter red Buzzes and must collect Fuel Drums along the way so that the Rocket Barrel does not run out of fuel. At the second half, the Rocket Barrel touches an Ignition Barrel at the bottom of the level, causing it to blast up the other side of the cliff. The Kongs must carefully maneuver the Rocket Barrel so that it does not crash into a cliff.

In the Game Boy Advance remake, the Buzzes can damage Dixie and Kiddy if they touch the Rocket Barrel. Green Buzzes appear in the remake, unlike the original version, and they can be defeated from the Rocket Barrel's exhaust flames. Red Buzzes cannot be defeated. The controls for the Rocket Barrel were reversed, making it so pressing left or right on the D-Pad makes the Rocket Barrel go in the corresponding direction. The Star Barrel does not appear in the remake.

Another major difference is that in the SNES version, if the rocket descends too quickly, the rocket explodes and both Kongs (if the player has both) do their crying and tantrum on-screen at the same time. In the GBA version, however, it's not the descent speed that damages the rocket, but rather whether the rocket still has fuel when touching a wall or the ground, after which (if the rocket has no fuel left) the rocket disappears in an explosion without any visible signs of Kiddy or Dixie (even if it hits the side of a wall instead of the ground).

Like other Krematoa levels, when the Knautilus rises from the center lake of the world, Rocket Rush gets a bright red tint.

Layout

When the level begins, the Kongs find a Rocket Barrel. They jump in to find themselves hovering downwards. With limited fuel, the Kongs gain speed and maneuver around a few Buzzes, as they follow a banana trail and grab the letter K. Heading into a narrow passage, they encounter more Buzzes, along with a Fuel Drum. They will enter a small area, where they travel diagonally and head into another narrow passage. Once they get through the passage, they hover through a small space. Another small opening is at the bottom of this small area. They go through it to enter a larger area, where they find another Fuel Drum. Continuing downwards, they come up to a diagonal pathway, surrounded by some Buzzes. The Kongs fly between the Buzzes and curve into another path. There, they find several Buzzes flying across the area, as well as a Fuel Drum. They also find the letter O here. Once the Kongs exit this area, they make several twists and turns through the rest of the path. Eventually, they find a small gap in the ground. At this point, the Star Barrel can also be found.

Falling into the small gap, the heroes grab some more Fuel Drums and hit a barrel with a flame icon on it. This barrel causes the Rocket Barrel to move upwards. With progressively faster speed, the Kongs rush upwards, taking a different route than the one they traveled down before. If the Kongs hit a wall, they lose a great amount of fuel. Using banana trail to guide them, the Kongs soon head past the letter N and begin to travel through thinner passages. There, the Rocket Barrel lands, and the Kongs can continue to the Level Flag, which gives them the fifth and final cog for Boomer's machine.

Items and objects

Sprite	Name	Count
	Bear coin	3
	DK Barrel	1

K-O-N-G Letters

Letter	Location
	SNES: Obtained by sticking to the left after departing on the Rocket Barrel GBA: In a narrow area of the route down after some Red Buzzes
	To the left side of a succession of Buzzes
	In the route ascending the cliffside
	SNES: Right before the end of the level (absent in the US version of the game) GBA: It is found by sticking to the left side of the route beyond two Banana Bunches

DK Coin

Image

Location

To the left of the Level Flag, the Kongs must pick up a Steel Barrel and then go further left to find the Koin on a high ledge. The Kongs must throw the Steel Barrel over the Koin so that it rolls against a wall and bounces back into Koin from behind. This causes the Koin to be defeated, and the Kongs are rewarded the DK Coin. In the Game Boy Advance version, the Koin and Steel Barrel swap places.

Gallery

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

• 

  Dixie jumps to the Rocket Barrel at the start

• 

  The Rocket Barrel ascends during the second half of the level

• 

  The level's red tint after the reveal of the Knautilus

Game Boy Advance

• 

  The letter K

• 

  The Rocket Barrel goes down to the Ignition Barrel

• 

  The letter G

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ポンコツロケットでゴー[?] Ponkotsu roketto de gō	Rickety Rocket Ride
German	Raketen-Rausch[?]	Rocket Rush
Italian	Missili in Picchiata[?]	Missile in Dive
Spanish	Alboroto de Cohetes[?]	Rocket Riot

Trivia

• In the Game Boy Advance remake, it is possible for the player to do a glitch which makes the Kongs fall off the screen in the Rocket Barrel. The player can only continue playing the game by exiting the level or resetting the game.
• This is one of two levels where both Dixie and Kiddy do their crying and tantrum on-screen at the same time if both get injured; the other being Demolition Drain-Pipe. However, this only occurs in the SNES version due to the different gameplay mechanics in the GBA version.