Donkey Kong Country

This article is about the 1994 SNES game Donkey Kong Country. For other uses of the name "Donkey Kong Country", see Donkey Kong Country (disambiguation).

"DKC" redirects here. For the games with the same abbreviation, see Donkey Kong Circus and Donkey Kong Classics.

Donkey Kong Country
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Rareware
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Console (Wii, Wii U, New 3DS), Super NES Classic Edition, Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online
Release date	SNES: November 18, 1994 November 21, 1994 November 24, 1994 November 26, 1994 1994 Virtual Console (Wii): December 7, 2006[?] December 8, 2006[?] December 12, 2006[?] February 19, 2007[?] May 26, 2008[?] Virtual Console (Wii U): October 16, 2014[?] October 17, 2014[?] November 26, 2014[?] February 26, 2015[?] Virtual Console (New 3DS): March 4, 2016[?] March 24, 2016[?] March 24, 2016[?] March 25, 2016[?] Super NES Classic Edition: September 29, 2017[?] September 29, 2017[?] September 30, 2017[?] October 5, 2017[?] Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online: July 15, 2020 July 15, 2020 July 15, 2020 July 15, 2020 July 15, 2020 July 15, 2020
Language(s)	English (United States) French (France) German Japanese
Genre	Platformer
Rating(s)	Original release: ESRB: - Kids to Adults ACB: - General Virtual Console: ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages USK: - All ages
Mode(s)	1–2 players
Format	Super NES: Game Pak Wii: Digital download Wii U: Digital download Nintendo Switch: Digital download Nintendo 3DS: Digital download Super NES Classic Edition: Built-in
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 Super NES Classic Edition: Super NES Classic Controller Classic Controller
Serial code(s)	SNS-8X-USA

“An incredible 3-D Adventure in The Kingdom of Kong!”

—Tagline

Donkey Kong Country is a side-scrolling platform game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System released in November 1994. It was developed by Rare and published by Nintendo. The game stars Donkey Kong and his sidekick Diddy Kong, as the two travel across Donkey Kong Island to recover their banana hoard, stolen by the Kremlings and their leader, King K. Rool. Donkey Kong Country introduced Donkey Kong's modern design, his supporting cast and enemies, setting, musical motifs, and the gameplay mechanics that would make recurring appearances in other games starring him, let alone spinoff games of the Super Mario franchise in general. A year later, the game received a sequel, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, effectively starting the Donkey Kong Country series.

Donkey Kong Country was a commercial success. Besides receiving a sequel, Donkey Kong Country had manga adaptations in both Kodansha's Super Mario manga and Super Mario-kun; a chapter book adaptation; a 40-episode 3D animated series; a 13-minute long promotional VHS tape titled Donkey Kong Country: Exposed; and various merchandise. Donkey Kong Country was noted for using pre-rendered sprites that were converted from 3D CGI models on Silicon Graphics workstations, inspiring future video games to do the same.

The game was remade for the Game Boy Color in 2000 and was also remade again for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. Both remakes each have added minigames and the ability to save in the overworld. Donkey Kong Country was ported to the Wii's Virtual Console in 2006/2007. On November 25, 2012, Donkey Kong Country and its sequels were delisted from the Wii Virtual Console, supposedly because of Microsoft renegotiating licensing agreements with Nintendo before re-releasing it, but on October 30, 2014, the games were relisted in Europe and Australia. Around that time, the games were released on 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 was ported exclusively to the New Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console in March 2016. It is one of the 21 games included on the Super NES Classic Edition and was made available on Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online for the Nintendo Switch on July 15, 2020.

In 1995, a specialized competition variant named Donkey Kong Country Competition Cartridge 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.

Story

“I'll hunt them down through every part of my island, until I have every banana from my hoard back!!”

—Donkey Kong

During a stormy night on Donkey Kong Island, Donkey Kong orders Diddy to guard his banana hoard for his "hero training" until midnight. While watching for predators beneath the darkness, Diddy hears noises outside. He nervously asks, "W-w-who goes there?!". An ominous voice tells the other to seal Diddy in a barrel, kick it into the bushes, and steal the bananas. Diddy gets ambushed by Kremlings, some of which he manages to defeat with his Cartwheel Attack until being overpowered by Klump. He seals Diddy in a DK Barrel and kicks it across the jungle. The Kremlings load the entire banana hoard onto their vehicles and carry them through the jungle, dropping behind trails of bananas.

The next morning, Donkey Kong wakes up by a loud calling of his name. Realizing that he slept through his watch, Donkey Kong quickly exits his tree house, only to find Cranky Kong outside. Cranky prompts Donkey Kong to check the banana cave for a "big surprise". Inside the cave, Donkey Kong finds out that all of his bananas were stolen, with only a few discarded peels lying around. Cranky mocks Donkey Kong for shirking his responsibility, noting that Diddy is also gone. Meanwhile, Donkey Kong is in disbelief over his stolen bananas and rages that the Kremlings stole all of them. Donkey Kong vows to bring payback upon the Kremlings and recover his banana hoard.

Cranky breaks the fourth wall by questioning why the "game idea" involves finding Diddy and rescuing bananas instead of a damsel in distress. Donkey Kong tells how Diddy wishes to be a video game hero like Donkey Kong. Cranky believes neither of them are suitable for being video game heroes, and he goes on to brag about his popularity during the arcade era. Deeming the adventure "ridiculous", Cranky believes Donkey Kong would be lucky to even sell ten copies of the game. Donkey Kong gets mad at Cranky and insists on going on an adventure to save Diddy and recover the stolen bananas. Donkey Kong leaves and follows a trail of bananas along his way. Cranky briefly hesitates, but then follows after Donkey Kong. Cranky mumbles that Donkey Kong may need his help and further mentions that kids do not have respect for their elders anymore.

In the first level, Donkey Kong releases Diddy Kong, who tags along during the adventure. Together, the Kongs travel through various areas, including jungles, mines, forests, temples, snowy mountains, caves, and factories. With assistance from Cranky, Funky, and Candy Kong, the two Kongs eventually make it to the Gangplank Galleon, where they are confronted by the Kremling Krew's leader, King K. Rool. After Donkey Kong and Diddy defeat King K. Rool, Cranky congratulates them and tells them to check the banana hoard. They do so, finding that the bananas have been returned.

Gameplay

The game introduces the "tag-team" system, where Diddy and Donkey Kong follow each other throughout each level. However, the member 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, forcing them to either restart altogether or from the Star Barrel. There is a DK Barrel from which a Kong can be freed. 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-fives with Diddy and switches places, or vice versa.

Abilities

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 Kongs 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. The Kongs can also use their climbing and swimming abilities to traverse levels. Climbing can only be done on ropes, which can swing the Kongs 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.

Both Kongs also have some different abilities, as well as different stats. Diddy is faster and more agile than Donkey Kong, but he lacks the same strength struggles to defeat 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.

The Kongs pick up and throw barrels differently than one another. When Diddy Kong picks up barrels, he holds them in front 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.

Controls

Basic controls
Action(s)	Controls
Walk
Climb
Jump
Swim
Run	Hold +
Roll Attack (Donkey Kong)
Cartwheel Attack (Diddy Kong)
Pick up
Throw	Release
Hand Slap (Donkey Kong)	+
Midair jump	Roll/cartwheel off a ledge then
Tag (with both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong)	/
Switch players (only in Two player team)
Dismount (while riding Animal Friend)
Pause game
Animal Friends
Action(s)	Controls
Run (Rambi)	Hold +
Horn attack (Rambi)	Run into an enemy
Flap (Expresso)	in midair
Swim (Enguarde)
Stab (Enguarde)	/
Dash (Enguarde)
Jump (Winky)
Menus & world map
Action(s)	Controls
Select item
Move (world map)
Confirm
Enter level
Exit previously cleared level	while paused

Modes

When selecting a new file, the player can choose either single player or multiplayer; once the player selects a mode, they cannot change it unless they delete it and start a new one. In multiplayer, the first player controls Donkey Kong while the second player controls Diddy Kong. In multiplayer, if either Kong is hit, the other player must press a button to take over with their Kong. The game keeps a score for both players, to keep track of how many levels they have completed.

Icon	Title	Description
	One player	A single player controls both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.
	Two player contest	Two players compete to finish the most levels. The first player's Kong duo are normal, while the second player's Kongs are both yellow.
	Two player team	Two players cooperatively take turns playing through the levels. The first player controls Donkey Kong, while the second player controls Diddy. Players can change turns by switching the Kongs or by losing their Kong.

Characters

The Kongs

There are a few Kongs who help Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong along their journey, and they each appear in one of the supporting locations.

Playable
Sprite	Character	Summary
	Donkey Kong	The main hero of the game, who has a hoard of bananas under his tree house. 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.
	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. For what Diddy lacks in strength is compensated by being faster than Donkey Kong. However, his light weight keeps him from being able to defeat more powerful enemies in a single jump.
Supporting
	Candy Kong	The love interest of Donkey Kong, Candy runs a shack, where the player can save their game progress.
	Cranky Kong	Cranky Kong was the original Donkey Kong from the Donkey Kong arcade game. 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.
	Funky Kong	Funky Kong operates a flight service, where he allows Donkey Kong and Diddy to use his Jumbo Barrel to travel throughout areas of Donkey Kong Island.

The Good Guys

The supporting Kongs are not the only ones to aid Donkey Kong and Diddy in their quest; the wildlife also help. Each Animal Friend is imprisoned within an animal crate depicting their likeness. The Kongs can only use the Animal Friends in certain levels, meaning that they do not go over with the Kongs into the next level. Each buddy has different abilities, as shown below.

Sprite	Character	Summary	Stages
			First	Last
	Rambi	Rambi 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
	Enguarde	Exclusive to underwater stages, Enguarde's sharp bill can defeat most enemies along the way, which the Kongs cannot do alone.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
	Winky	Winky can defeat most enemies by jumping on them, including Zingers, which damage the Kongs from this method. Winky also jumps very high, providing access to certain Bonus Levels and hidden areas. His high jumping function would be inherited by Rattly in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.	Winky's Walkway	Rope Bridge Rumble
	Expresso	Expresso has the ability to dash through areas and glide downward.	Temple Tempest	Misty Mine
	Squawks	Squawks is the only non-rideable Animal Friend as well as the only without 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

Enemies

Donkey Kong Country has a variety of enemies that try to defeat the Kongs throughout every level. Below shows the enemies' names, descriptions, and first and last level appearances.

The Bad Guys
	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
	Gnawty	Regular and weak beaver enemies. Gnawtys simply walk around, trying to hit the Kongs. All attacks can defeat the gray variants. However, the brown Gnawties ride on Millstones, protecting them from any attack.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
	Manky Kong	They were part of the Kong Family before being exiled. Manky Kongs attack by throwing an unlimited supply of barrels. Jumping and cartwheel attacks defeat them.	Orang-utan Gang	Loopy Lights
	Mini-Necky	Small vultures that spit nuts at the Kongs to attack. They sometimes fly up and down to shoot nuts to different areas. Any attack can defeat a Mini-Necky.	Vulture Culture	Elevator Antics
	Necky	Regular-sized vultures that either throw nuts when perched on high platforms or fly in place over large gaps, where they can be bounced on as platforms. Any attack can defeat a Necky.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
	Slippa	Red coral snakes that slither along the ground in cave areas. Any attack can defeat one.	Reptile Rumble	Misty Mine
	Zinger	Large wasps that fly all around certain areas. Their flight path often depends on the color of the Zinger: yellow moves vertically; orange moves horizontally; pink moves in a circular path; green moves in a u-shaped path. The only way to defeat Zingers is by hitting them with barrels or Animal Friends.	Ropey Rampage	Platform Perils
The Aquatic Bad Guys
	Bitesize	A piranha enemy that swims around in the water. Only Enguarde can defeat them.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
	Chomps	Large, green shark enemies that function the same as Bitesizes and their junior counterparts, but are larger. Only Enguarde can defeat them.	Coral Capers	Croctopus Chase
	Chomps Jr.	Small, blue shark creatures that behave like Bitesizes, aside from being slightly larger and faster. Only Enguarde can defeat them.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
	Clambo	A clam that spits pearls across the area, usually from outskirts of the level. Clambos can throw multiple pearls at a time. They cannot be defeated.	Coral Capers	Clam City
	Croctopus	An octopus enemy that treads around underwater. The purple type moves in fixed patterns around blocks of coral reef. The blue type follows a set path, actively trying to hurt the Kongs. Croctopuses, like Clambos, cannot be defeated.	Coral Capers	Croctopus Chase
	Squidge	Jellyfish-like creatures that swim up and down in zigzag lines. They can be defeated by Enguarde.	Croctopus Chase	Poison Pond
The Kremlings
	Klaptrap	Small, four-legged Kremlings that walk back and fourth, attempting to bite the Kongs with their sharp teeth; because of this, the Kongs cannot damage Klaptrap from rolling or cartwheeling into them from the front. Purple Klaptraps jump at the same time as the Kongs.	Stop & Go Station	Loopy Lights
	Klump	A strong Kremling that wears some military gear. A Klump's helmet protects it from being jumped on by Diddy, unlike Donkey Kong, though the aforementioned Kong can still defeat a Klump with a cartwheel attack.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
	Krash	Kremlings that ride inside of Mine Carts, on the same track as the Kongs, but in the opposite direction. The Kongs are left with no choice but to jump with the carts to avoid Krashes. A few Krashes wait in stationary mine carts, which the Kongs can hijack by defeating the Krash.	Mine Cart Carnage	Mine Cart Madness
	Kritter	The normal species and grunt soldiers of the Kremling Krew, Kritters are one of the most basic enemies, similarly to Gnawties, so any attack can defeat them. The movement behavior of a Kritter is determined by its color: green simply walks forward; blue jumps while moving forward; brown jumps vertically, but does not move forward; yellow jumps left and right; and gray hops forward a few times before making a long jump.	Jungle Hijinxs	Loopy Lights
	Krusha	Strong, muscular enemies unaffected by all of Diddy's regular attacks. Donkey Kong can defeat the blue Krushas only by jumping on it. Krusha laughs off any attack it is unaffected by. Gray Krushas are resistant to even Donkey Kong's normal attacks, but they can still be defeated by barrels.	Millstone Mayhem	Platform Perils
	Rock Kroc	A zombie-like Kremling that crouches into a ball shape when exposed to red light. While under a green light, Rock Krocs 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 & Go Barrel.	Stop & Go Station
Obstacles
	Black drum	A drum obstacle that launches out an unlimited number of a certain enemy species, such as Slippas and Gnawties. Only a TNT Drum can destroy it.	Winky's Walkway	Misty Mine
	Cannonball	Giant iron balls that fall across the screen sequentially when K. Rool performs his floor-slam attack.	Gang-Plank Galleon
	Coconut	Projectiles that are either spit or thrown by the Necky family, either horizontally or in bouncing arcs.	Jungle Hijinxs	Necky's Revenge
	Crownerang	K. Rool's crown, which he throws to attack, thought this renders him vulnerable to stomp attacks.	Gang-Plank Galleon
	Millstone	Millstones are enormous invulnerable stone wheels ridden in by Gnawties.	Millstone Mayhem	Temple Tempest
	Mincer	A large, spiked tire obstacle that moves either in fixed patterns or remains still. They cannot be defeated by any attack.	Torchlight Trouble	Manic Mincers
	Oil drum	They are drum obstacle slightly wider than black drums. Oil drums release fire, either continually or at regular intervals. Only a TNT Barrel can destroy them.	Torchlight Trouble	Oil Drum Alley
	Pearl	Projectiles spit by Clambos in groups of one to five.	Coral Capers	Clam City

The Bosses

There is a boss at the end of every world, and it guards a portion of the stolen bananas. Most bosses are a bigger version of a generic enemy. The bosses are listed below.

#	Sprite	Boss	World and stage	Summary
1		Very Gnawty	Kongo Jungle - Very Gnawty's Lair	A giant Gnawty who jumps around, trying to hit the Kongs. It must be jumped on five times to defeat. With each hit, Very Gnawty moves faster.
2		Master Necky	Monkey Mines - Necky's Nuts	A giant Necky who creeps its head out of the four corners of the screen, spitting coconuts. He spits nuts faster when jumped on, but becomes defeated after being jumped on five times.
3		Queen B.	Vine Valley - Bumble B. Rumble	A giant Zinger who flies around the arena. When hit by a barrel, she turns red and invincible temporarily, rampaging up and down. After five hits, Queen B. is defeated.
4		Really Gnawty	Gorilla Glacier - Really Gnawty Rampage	A boss who both acts like and resembles Very Gnawty. However, Really Gnawty is much faster, and he can jump much higher when angry. Like the previous three bosses, Really Gnawty is defeated after five hits.
5		Dumb Drum	Kremkroc Industries Inc. - Boss Dumb Drum	A giant black drum that tries to crush the Kongs before spawning a few of an enemy species, in order of: Kritters, Slippas, Klaptraps, Klumps, and Armys. Once all enemies are defeated, Dumb Drum explodes in defeat.
6		Master Necky Snr.	Chimp Caverns - Necky's Revenge	A boss similar to Master Necky except he spits coconuts much faster. Whenever he takes damages, Master Necky Snr. spits out more more of them during one session. After five hits, Master Necky Snr. is defeated.
7		King K. Rool	Gang-Plank Galleon	The king of the Kremlings, K. Rool is the final boss and the one who stole the banana hoard. His attacks include throwing his crown, jumping on the Kongs, and causing cannonballs to rain down from above. While K. Rool is without his crown, the Kongs can jump on him to attack.

Items

Sprite	Item	Description
	Bananas	The most common of the items, bananas are scattered throughout all levels except boss levels. They function exactly like coins from the Super Mario series, since collecting 100 of them can be collected for an extra life.
	Banana Bunches	Each is worth ten Bananas when collected, making them similar to the 10 Coin.
	Giant bananas	A giant banana is held by each boss. Claiming one marks the completion of one of the game's worlds.
	Animal tokens	Special tokens designed in the likeness of every Animal Friend except 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 same Animal Friend as the one carved in the collected tokens.
	Mini Animal Tokens	Hundreds of them fill the Animal Friend bonus stages. An extra life is earned for every one hundred of them collected.
	Big Animal Tokens	A single Big Animal Token is hidden in each of the Animal Friend-themed bonus stages. Collecting it doubles the held amount of Mini Animal Tokens.
	Donkey Kong Balloons	Directly copying 1-Up Mushrooms from the Super Mario series, Donkey Kong Balloons give an extra life when collected. The balloons appear in red, blue, and green colors The red type rewards only an extra life; the green type rewards two lives; and the rare blue Extra Life Balloons rewards three lives, just as the 3-Up Moon does in Super Mario World.
	K-O-N-G Letters	Four of these special objects are hidden in all stages except boss stages, 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. Certain Bonus Levels involve spelling out a word with letters that resemble the K-O-N-G Letters.

Objects

Mechanisms

Sprite	Mechanism	Description
	Animal crates	Somewhat common crates that contain Animal Friends. They appear in certain levels, and sometimes also in Bonus Levels The type of Animal Friend freed from the crate depends on which one is pictured.
	Arrow Signs	These signs indicate the Kongs are approaching the end of a stage.
	Elevators	Lifts vary in function: Some are stationary; some move back and forth over gaps; and some move vertically. In later levels, there are platforms with an arrow on them, and stepping on it takes the Kongs in the direction the arrow is pointed. There are certain moving platforms in Tanked Up Trouble, and these run on fuel canisters.
	Exits	These signs indicate the Kongs have reached the end of a stage.
	Mine Carts	Mine Carts appear only in two levels. They automatically begin to move on the track when entered. The Kongs can jump with the Mine Cart to go over obstacles, especially pits and Krashes
	Ropes	Ropes can be climbed up and down on to progress. Most of them swing over wide pits so that the Kongs can get across. Slipslide Ride uniquely has blue and purple ropes that move the Kongs up and down, respectively.
	Tires	Tires appear in many levels and bounce the Kongs high up. Half tires are stuck in the ground, whilst whole tires can be pushed around.

Barrels

Many different barrels appear throughout this game, each having a different purpose and use. Below shows these uses on the barrels.

Playable
Sprite	Barrel	Summary
	Regular Barrels	Very common barrels with steel rings. They can not only be thrown at enemies, but also roll upon hitting the ground, up until hitting an enemy or hitting a breakable wall.
	Vine Barrels	They are just like regular barrels except they break instantly when hitting with the ground instead of rolling.
	DK Barrels	Either one or a few of these barrels appear in every stage. If one of the Kongs is missing, the current Kong can break one of these barrels to return their partner. However, DK Barrels only appear in certain parts of the level. If both Kongs are available, the DK Barrel functions exactly like a Vine Barrel.
	Steel kegs	Durable, silver colored barrels made of steel. Steel kegs can roll into an unlimited number of enemies in its path without breaking and bounce off of walls. It is possible ride on top of a steel keg.
	TNT Drums	Barrels that explode upon being thrown. They can destroy enemies, including Krushas, and break through sensitive walls.
Enterable barrels
	Barrel Cannons	They can shoot the Kongs over gaps or to other Barrel Cannons. Some may also move in a specific direction as first seen in Barrel Cannon Canyon.
	Blast Barrels	Barrel Cannons that automatically fires the Kongs when entered, and some Blast Barrels send them to a bonus room or near the end of the level.
	Jumbo Barrel	It can be rented on the world map from Funky's Flights and fly the Kongs around to any place they have visited.
	Save barrel	Found only at Candy's Save Point, jumping into the save barrel saves the game progress.
Triggerable barrels
	Continue Barrels	One appears around the middle point of every stage, excluding boss stages. They are a checkpoint, so if the player loses a life, they can restart from where the Star Barrel is located.
	Roulette Barrels	Roulette Barrels float in groups in the air of certain bonus rooms. In some challenges, they switch between displaying different items that stop when touched, and as such need matched (or in some cases spell the word "KONG"), or they may switch a Donkey Kong Balloon around in a shell game-type manner where the final location must be guessed.
	Stop & Go Barrels	These barrels appear only 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.
	ON/OFF Barrels	These barrels appear only in Loopy Lights and act almost like Stop and Go Barrels, except the barrels affect the lighting of the stage.
	Fuel canisters	These barrels appear only in Tanked Up Trouble, where they provide fuel for the platforms, otherwise they will fall off of the stage.

Supporting locations

Three other members of the Kong clan assist Donkey and Diddy while they are adventuring.

Screenshot	Location	Owner	Summary
	Cranky's Cabin	Cranky Kong	Cranky rambles a lot, complaining about how games were better in his heyday, while divulging level hints in the process.
	Funky's Flights	Funky Kong	The Kongs can rent the Jumbo Barrel and travel to any other area.
	Candy's Save Point	Candy Kong	The Kongs can jump into a save barrel to save the player's progress.

Levels

Click a level icon to open the relevant article.

Donkey Kong Country features many levels that the Kongs have to complete before they can reach the boss stage within a world, much like the sidescrolling games of the Super Mario series. Each world features five to six levels and one boss stage. Every non-boss level is home to possibly up to five 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," such as jungles, caves, or factory. A head of either Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong appear on the location of every world and level, corresponding to the Kong who completed it. A Kritter head appears only on the next level or world that has not been completed yet.

Most levels have bonus rooms in them, two or three on average. They allow the Kongs to collect items and prizes. Entering every bonus room is required to achieve 101% completion.

Levels
Kongo Jungle
#	Level	Bonus rooms	Type of level	Music theme
1	Jungle Hijinxs	2	Jungle	DK Island Swing
2	Ropey Rampage	2	Jungle	DK Island Swing
3	Reptile Rumble	3	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
4	Coral Capers	0	Underwater	Aquatic Ambiance
5	Barrel Cannon Canyon	2	Jungle	DK Island Swing
6	BOSS LEVEL: Very Gnawty's Lair	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
Monkey Mines
#	Level	Bonus rooms	Type of level	Music theme
7	Winky's Walkway	1	Walkway	Life in the Mines
8	Mine Cart Carnage	0	Minecart/Mineshaft	Mine Cart Madness
9	Bouncy Bonanza	2	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
10	Stop & Go Station	2	Mineshaft	Misty Menace
11	Millstone Mayhem	3	Ruins	Voices of the Temple
12	BOSS LEVEL: Necky's Nuts	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
Vine Valley
#	Level	Bonus rooms	Type of level	Music theme
13	Vulture Culture	3	Forest	Forest Frenzy
14	Tree Top Town	2	Treetops	Treetop Rock
15	Forest Frenzy	2	Forest	Forest Frenzy
16	Temple Tempest	2	Ruins	Voices of the Temple
17	Orang-utan Gang	5	Jungle	DK Island Swing
18	Clam City	0	Underwater	Aquatic Ambiance
19	BOSS LEVEL: Bumble B. Rumble	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
Gorilla Glacier
#	Level	Bonus rooms	Type of level	Music theme
20	Snow Barrel Blast	3	Snow	Northern Hemispheres
21	Slipslide Ride	3	Ice cave	Ice Cave Chant
22	Ice Age Alley	2	Snow	Northern Hemispheres
23	Croctopus Chase	0	Underwater	Aquatic Ambiance
24	Torchlight Trouble	2	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
25	Rope Bridge Rumble	2	Treetops	Treetop Rock
26	BOSS LEVEL: Really Gnawty Rampage	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
Kremkroc Industries, Inc.
#	Level	Bonus rooms	Type of level	Music theme
27	Oil Drum Alley	4	Factory	Fear Factory
28	Trick Track Trek	3	Walkway	Life in the Mines
29	Elevator Antics	3	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
30	Poison Pond	0	Underwater	Aquatic Ambiance
31	Mine Cart Madness	3	Minecart/Walkway	Mine Cart Madness
32	Blackout Basement	2	Factory	Fear Factory
33	BOSS LEVEL: Boss Dumb Drum	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
Chimp Caverns
#	Level	Bonus rooms	Type of level	Music theme
34	Tanked Up Trouble	1	Walkway	Life in the Mines
35	Manic Mincers	2	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
36	Misty Mine	2	Mineshaft	Misty Menace
37	Loopy Lights	2	Mineshaft	Misty Menace
38	Platform Perils	2	Walkway	Life in the Mines
39	BOSS LEVEL: Necky's Revenge	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
Gang-Plank Galleon
#	Level	Bonus rooms	Type of level	Music theme
40	BOSS LEVEL: Gang-Plank Galleon	0	Ship	Gang-Plank Galleon

In addition to saving at a world's Save Point, the Kongs can also use Funky's Flights to save at a previous world (except in the first world). In each world, they can save after every level once they encounter either of these amenities.

• In Kongo Jungle, Funky's Flights can be accessed after Coral Capers, and Candy's Save Point can be accessed after Barrel Cannon Canyon. The Kongs can save after five levels.
• In Monkey Mines, Candy's Save Point and Funky's Flights can both be accessed after Stop & Go Station. The Kongs can save after four levels.
• In Vine Valley, Funky's Flights can be accessed after Tree Top Town, and Candy's Save Point can be accessed after Orang-utan Gang. The Kongs can save after two levels.
• In Gorilla Glacier, Candy's Save Point and Funky's Flights can both be accessed after Torchlight Trouble. The Kongs can save after five levels.
• In Kremkroc Industries, Inc., Candy's Save Point can be accessed after Elevator Antics, and Funky's Flights can be accessed after Mine Cart Madness. The Kongs can save after three levels.
• In Chimp Caverns, Funky's Flights can be accessed after Misty Mine, and Candy's Save Point can be accessed after Platform Perils. The Kongs can save after three levels.

Differences in other versions

TCRF article: Donkey Kong Country (SNES)/Version Differences

Three different versions are known to exist for the North American release.

V1.1

In Trick Track Trek, the moving platform does not fall instantly once it reaches the end of the line. Otherwise, it is v1.0.

V1.2 (Player's Choice)

In Coral Capers, there is a gap between the Continue Barrel and lower platform. Otherwise, the game is at most v1.1.

Japanese

• Rather than only Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong appearing on the title screen, the Japanese version of the screen includes both Kongs, as well as all five animal buddies, and a pair of Zingers.
• On the World Map, the DK head next to Donkey Kong's Treehouse is not present.
• Manky Kong takes two hits from Diddy to be defeated, unlike in the American/European versions where either Kong can kill him in a single blow.
• The Rock Krocs in Stop & Go Station can be defeated in the Japanese version via DK's Hand Slap, whereas they cannot be defeated at all in the other versions.
• In the Japanese version, Hand Slapping three enemies consecutively would earn DK several bananas.
• Extra DK Barrels were added to various levels:
  • In Barrel Cannon Canyon, an extra barrel was added near the letter N.
  • In Snow Barrel Blast, two barrels were added to the Barrel Cannon section, and one of the existing ones was moved.
  • In Elevator Antics, an extra barrel is present at the top of the vine leading to the first bonus room.
  • In Mine Cart Madness, an extra barrel was added near the level's Continue Barrel.
  • In Loopy Lights, an extra barrel is present near the first Necky.
• Certain levels were made easier:
  • In Mine Cart Carnage, some of the crashed Mine Carts were removed.
  • An extra TNT Drum was added to Millstone Mayhem.
  • The Mini-Necky was removed from the end of Vulture Culture.
  • A specific room in Clam City contains only three piranhas instead of four.
  • The first Klaptrap has been removed from Snow Barrel Blast, as well as one of the Neckys, and the green Zinger before the Barrel Cannon.
  • One of the Armies was removed from the stage, alongside the Zinger placed directly above it. Additionally, the fourth blue Kritter and another pair of Zingers were removed.
  • The oil drums in Oil Drum Alley have a longer gap between the times when they release flames, thus making them attack less frequently.
  • The moving platforms in Trick Track Trek do not automatically drop at the end of their cables, giving the player more time to jump off.

Glitches

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country glitches

Enguarde color swapping

First, the player has to go to Croctopus Chase. Then, after the parts where the Kongs are carried from one place to another by the blast barrels, the Kongs will have to find Enguarde and get on him. Then the player has to go back through the level until the Kongs reach the last blast barrel that the apes were shot from. By simply getting in that barrel and getting fired out, the player can perform four different glitches:

1. The first of these is that Diddy will be walking, not swimming, behind Donkey Kong. The player can get off Enguarde and swim to his side. Then the player must press select. If done correctly, the camera will freeze and Diddy alone will be able to walk around as if it were a land level.
2. While still frozen, the player could jump back on Enguarde. Diddy should turn into a greenish-blue color and hover in mid-air. This allows the player to control Enguarde by himself, which results in the Kongs being left behind if the player continues on through the level.
3. While on Enguarde, the player can press and then once quickly after. Enguarde should turn into another greenish-blue Diddy that the player will be able to control. If the player touches the other floating Diddy it will turn the player back into Enguarde.
4. While using Enguarde once again, the player needs to press the quickly and repeatedly; it will permanently turn him into a reddish color with either DK or Diddy following behind.

As this new red Enguarde, the player has to have Diddy follow behind him (if Donkey is behind the player, the player will have to press twice and the Kongs should switch). Then, the player has to press and the player then has to press . This results in Enguarde transforming into an oddly colored Donkey Kong that hovers in the air while the player is left controlling the Kongs once again. The player can redo this with DK following behind the player while the player is controlling Enguarde, and a normally colored Diddy should be hovering in the air instead of the oddly colored Donkey Kong.

Quotes

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country quotes

Candy Kong

• "Hi, I'm Candy Kong and this is my Save Point!"
• "If you want to save your current game, just jump into my spinning save barrel!"
• "Hello guys, got anything worth saving?"
• "Wow! You guys really came a long way! Save your game now, while you have the chance!"
• "Yoo-hoo, Honey Kong! Now's a good time to save where you've gotten to!"
• "It must have been hard work for you to come all this way! Why not save your game?"
• "Can I help you monkeys save your game?"
• "How would you like a quick spin in my save barrel?"

Soundtrack

The game's soundtrack was released in Japan under the title Super Donkey Kong Game Music CD Jungle Fantasy. This album has a total of 28 tracks, including most of the original soundtrack of the game and seven new arrangements by Yoshiyuki Ito. A different album, entitled DK Jamz, was released in the United States, Germany, and France. The latter features 23 or 25 tracks depending on the version, including some omitted from the Japanese soundtrack. It also features one of the Yoshiyuki Ito covers, although Ito is not credited.

Development

The lead-up 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, tentatively called Brute Force, showing an animated, computer-rendered boxer fighting a prototypical version of Orchid. Rare was experimenting with 3D animation at the time as they found the then-popular digitization technique too restrictive. Impressed by the demo, Harman lobbied 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" (specifically referring to the popular 1993 Sega Genesis game, which was lauded for its impressive graphics and animation hand-drawn by Disney animators). 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.

A team of 12 people were assembled for the project, which was the most Rare had assigned for a single game at the time. Gregg 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 were sent to the nearby Twycross Zoo to observe the movements of real gorillas, but found that it would not suited to the fast-paced platformer that they wanted to make. The team created around fifteen different styles of movement for Donkey Kong, including ones based on rabbits and frogs, before arriving at the current animations, based loosely on the movements of horses. The Kremlings originated from another project Rare was developing at the same time (which, according to Rareware employee Gregg Mayles, was from a canceled adventure game named Jonny Blastoff and the Kremling Armada), but were transplanted into the game as Rare found that they were a good fit for Donkey Kong Country's aesthetic. 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, inspired by the "big Mario returns to little Mario" system of the Super Mario games. 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.

When Donkey Kong Country was demonstrated at Summer CES 94, Nintendo of America had arranged the press conference to have people assume that the game was running off an early version of the then-upcoming Ultra 64 in order to further impress those who would not believe that it was capable of running on a 16-bit console.

Rare demoed an early version of the game at Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto. 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.

Reception

At the time of its release, Donkey Kong Country received universal acclaim by critics and audiences, with the game being praised for its visuals, controls, and replayability. The massive hype it received due to its innovative use of pre-rendered 3D sprites and subsequent commercial success has been credited with extending the SNES's lifespan and help the system stay relevant in the face of the next-generation Sega Saturn and PlayStation consoles.

Following Rare's acquisition by Microsoft, Donkey Kong Country experienced a period of backlash. Electronic Gaming Monthly placed the game in their top 10 overrated games list (despite the publication previously awarding it the 1994 Game of the Year award), and, in their review of the GBA version, stated that the game did not hold up. Similarly, GameSpy placed it ninth on their list of the top 25 most overrated games of all time. Regardless, the Game Boy Advance and Virtual Console re-releases were still positively received.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
SNES	George Wood, Flight of Fantasies	n.d	"Donkey Kong Country is truly perfect. If you do not get this amazing new generation of Donkey Kong Country madness, you are stupid. Yes, I know it's insulting, but that's also the truth. If you're a true video game fan, you will not hesitate in the slightest bit to buy this piece of gaming history."
SNES	Mr. Goo, Die Hard Game Fan	100/100	"When you see Donkey Kong Country for the first time, you'll do what I did ... turn into a blabbering, drooling idiot! This is the most amazing 16-bit game yet, and that's a fact. Simply everything about DKC is kick-butt rocking magnificent ... you'd swear it was 32-bit. If you possess a SNES, you have no excuse not to buy this game NOW."
SNES	Nintendo Power	4.4/5	"The ultimate graphics in the best action adventure game ever for the Super NES or any other video games system. It's simply the best. Battery backed-up memory. 100 bonus areas. MINUS: Players may miss many of the bonus areas and think the game is shorter than it really is. (You must try everything to get the full impact!"
Wii	Lucas M. Thomas, IGN	8.5/10	"A sacrifice may be offered of some of your nostalgic feelings for this title, as its revolutionary-in-1994 visuals aren't as spectacular any more, now in 2007. But DKC's gameplay is still a lot of fun, and it's still easy to see why this was the game that saved the Super."
Wii	Damien McFerran, Nintendo Life (formerly VC Reviews)	9/10	"Over a decade has passed since this game's original release and although some of the shine has dulled it still manages to impress. Although it's not in the same league as the sublime Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country still ranks as one of the better SNES platformers and is a worthy download on the Virtual Console."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
GameRankings		SNES - 88.94%

Sales

Donkey Kong Country ended up selling 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 9.3 million copies worldwide, making it the third best-selling game on the Super Nintendo, following Super Mario World and Super Mario All-Stars. To date, it is the best-selling Donkey Kong game and overall Rare's best-selling game.

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 is playing the theme song for the Nintendo Entertainment System version of Donkey Kong in a background resembling the iron bars from the original 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.

References in later games

• Super Smash Bros. series: Diddy Kong's up taunt in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and onwards is based on his victory animation from Donkey Kong Country.
• Donkey Kong Country Returns: Some of Cranky Kong's quotes are also reused.
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: In the level Canopy Chaos, Cranky's record player can be found, which plays the original title theme when the player ground pounds in front of it.
• WarioWare Gold: A microgame in 5-Volt's stage based on Donkey Kong Country appears in this game.

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country pre-release and unused content

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 that 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

Donkey Kong Country was developed by a team of 12 people, the largest development staff of any Rareware game at that point. Rareware co-founder Tim Stamper was the director while Gregg Mayles served as the designer.

The game had a team of three composers working on it. Eveline Fischer composed the tracks "Simian Segue", "Candy's Love Song", "Voices of the Temple", "Forest Frenzy", "Treetop Rock", "Northern Hemispheres", and "Ice Cave Chant". Robin Beanland's sole contribution was the Funky's Flights theme (a holdover from the arcade version of Killer Instinct, featuring a vocal sample by Robin Beanland). David Wise handled the rest of the soundtrack.

Nintendo eShop description

After a dark and stormy night, Donkey Kong finds all of his bananas stolen by

K. Rool and his reptilian crew of Kremlings! Armed with chest-pounding muscle, mighty barrel rolls, and awesome vine-swinging skills, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong set out to face their adversaries!

Play solo, compete with a friend, or play cooperatively with a friend in over 100 levels filled with collectibles and hidden bonus levels. With the help of Donkey Kong's quirky family, animal friends, and your fast reflexes, our dynamic duo will prove to be an unstoppable force.

Time to save those bananas!

Gallery

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

• 

  Logo

• 

  English logo

• 

  Super Famicom cover

• 

  Title screen

• 

  Donkey Kong

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Donkey Kong Country media.

Theme

File infoMedia:DKC SNES Theme.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[?] Sūpā Donkī Kongu	Super Donkey Kong
Chinese (simplified)	超级咚奇刚[?] Chāojí Dōngqí Gāng	Super Donkey Kong
Chinese (traditional)	超級咚奇剛[?] Chāojí Dōngqí Gāng	Super Donkey Kong
French	Donkey Kong Country[?]	-
German	Donkey Kong Country[?]	-

External links

• Super Donkey Kong Japanese Super Famicom manual
• Donkey Kong Country North American SNES manual