Bramble Blast (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest)
Template:Levelbox Bramble Blast is the sixteenth level of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and the sixth level of Krem Quay.
Summary
This is the first bramble level of the game, and in it, Diddy and Dixie Kong must navigate within an maze infested with brambles via many series of Barrel Cannons, sometimes including a few Auto-Fire Barrels and Arrow Barrels. A series of Barrel Cannons are usually located within an enclosed area, and most of them alternate between two or three directions. The Kongs must figure out a path from the Barrel Cannons to reach the last one that blasts them through out the area through a narrow passageway. The Kongs can often find the correct path by blasting in the direction with a trail of bananas. Sometimes the bananas can lead them to an item, such as a Banana Bunch Coin, or in one instance, one of the Bonus Barrels.
Zingers are the main enemy of the stage, although a few Flitters are also present. Sometimes, Diddy and Dixie go on-foot between barrel blasting segment, by walking on thin floorboards made of wooden planks. There are two floorboards with on-foot enemies, one having a single Klampon and the other having two Click-Clacks.
The Kongs can find Squawks the Parrot just before the end of the level. To reach him, the Kongs must blast out of the final Auto-Fire Barrel, but instead of bouncing on the four Flitters in succession, the Kongs must bounce from the first one and fall into a gap on the left (indicated by a trail of three bananas). An Arrow Barrel then blasts the Kongs up into an Auto-Fire Barrel, which in turn blasts them into a hidden path and on to Squawks. This path is essential, as Squawks can flap the Kongs through the path to obtain the DK Coin, the letter G, and even enter a Bonus Barrel.
The background music for this level, and the other bramble levels in the game, was originally intended as a water or clouds theme, but was repurposed due to the final game lacking those.[1] The song's title in the SNES version's sound test is "Brambles", while the official soundtrack labels it "Stickerbush Symphony". The Game Boy Advance remake's sound test, however, spells this as "Stickerbrush Symphony". An arrangement of the theme appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, under the name "Bramble Blast", and reappears under the "Stickerbush Symphony" title in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In a tweet, David Wise stated that the official name of the theme is "Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast)", but that he likes the names "Stickerbrush Symphony" and "Brambles".[1] A different arrangement appears in the Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze level Twilight Terror.
Layout
The Kongs begin the level on some wooden boards that carry them over the sharp brambles. A Banana Bunch is above the entrance to the level, and it can be reached with their Team-up move. If the primates travel to the east from here, they reach an Auto Fire Barrel that shoots them into an area full of Barrel Cannons. They must use these many barrels to shoot to the top-right corner of the area, where another Auto Fire Barrel is located. Before the heroes access this Auto Fire Barrel, they are able to shoot to a Banana Bunch in the bottom-right corner of the area and also to a DK Barrel near the top-left corner of the same area. Once they reach the Auto Fire Barrel, they are shot into another section of Barrel Cannons. A Zinger and the letter K are among these many barrels, which must be used to send the Kongs into the top-right corner of the area. Here, they can find a narrow passage containing a Zinger, and they must shoot through it to reach a larger area of Barrel Cannons. As they shoot towards the top of the area by using these barrels, they come up to some bananas, a Banana Bunch, and the letter O, which are all surrounded by the many cannons.
Eventually, the heroes reach a passage that they must shoot through to access another Barrel Cannon that is guarded by a Zinger. This Barrel Cannon is placed in a narrow passage among the brambles. While trying not to shoot into the brambles, the Kongs must fire themselves southwest from here in order to access another Barrel Cannon in a wider area that contains more Barrel Cannons. These cannons are positioned on the perimeter of the area, and the heroes must shoot around the section to reach another curved passage among the brambles. Four Barrel Cannons are placed throughout this passage, and they must be used to shoot over the brambles. However, all four of them rotate when accessed, so the heroes must aim carefully. If they manage to reach the fourth barrel and then shoot northwest, they land inside of another Barrel Cannon in the fifth section of barrels. Most of this section consists of Barrel Cannons, but a few Auto Fire Barrels are also mixed into it.
After the primates shoot the correct way through the barrel maze, they reach an Auto Fire Barrel that fires them along a trail of bananas and into another Auto Fire Barrel, which can then send them into another wide area that contains only three Barrel Cannons. The first Barrel Cannon simply tilts left and right towards the two Barrel Cannons below it. The lower two barrels make full rotations when entered, and they can be used to reach a Banana Coin hidden high above the barrels. One of these Barrel Cannons can also be operated to blast the heroes towards a narrow passage that contains two more Barrel Cannons that rotate when accessed. The last of these Barrel Cannons is able to fire the Kongs along a trail of bananas and to an Auto Fire Barrel that can blast them down to a Star Barrel, and then into another Barrel Cannon.
This Barrel Cannon tilts from left to right as it holds the Kongs, so they must shoot out of it when it leans to the right in order to shoot to another Barrel Cannon near here. This Barrel Cannon tilts just like the previous barrel, and it hovers under the letter N and next to a DK Barrel, which is followed by another Barrel Cannon. The heroes must shoot to this barrel to arrive in the sixth section of Barrel Cannons. Here, the cannons are placed along the perimeter of the diamond-shaped area. A single Auto Fire Barrel is also placed among these Barrel Cannons, but shooting into it does not help them progress, as the barrel simply shoots them back to the beginning of the barrel section. As the two friends shoot through this section of barrels, they must watch out for a Zinger that flies in the center of the area. Soon, they make their way into a curvy, thin passage that contains a few Barrel Cannons that rotate when accessed.
As they shoot through the thin passage with these barrels, they, in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System version of the game, come up to a red Extra Life Balloon that quickly floats away if they do not move fast enough. Eventually, the primates fire themselves into a slightly wider part of the passage, where they can find two more rotating Barrel Cannons and some more Barrel Cannons that simply tilt from left to right when accessed. As the primates fire through the area with these barrels, a few Zingers stand in their way, and they must avoid the enemies in order to reach an Auto Fire Barrel that can shoot them upwards towards some wooden planks that support a Klampon. The Kongs must dodge this foe while avoiding the brambles only slightly above their heads in order to reach a trail of bananas that lead them into a narrow, square-shaped passage. Three Barrel Cannons are placed along this square-shaped area, and they rotate when the Kongs are inside of them. With precise aim, the duo must shoot around the square-shaped passage with them in order to reach another section of wooden planks. These planks, as the ones before, help carry the Kongs, along with two Click-Clack enemies, over some brambles.
A rather small area of Barrel Cannons follows the wooden planks, and while the duo shoots through the section with these barrels, they come up to a Banana Bunch, some bananas, and an Auto Fire Barrel that can blast them into a larger area of barrels. Here, the primates can find a mixture of Barrel Cannons and Auto Fire Barrels, along with bananas and, in the Game Boy Advance version of the game, a Golden Feather. Once the heroes reach the bottom-right corner of the area, they can find an Auto Fire Barrel that is able to fire them through a thin passage and towards a trio of Barrel Cannons with bananas around them. The first two of these barrels rotate when loaded, so the Kong must watch their aim to avoid shooting into any brambles. The last of the three Barrel Cannons tilts from left to right when accessed, and it can be used to shoot into a nearby Flitter that the heroes must bounce on to reach an Auto Fire Barrel. This barrel automatically fires the heroes into a quadruplet of Flitters, who Diddy and Dixie must bounce on in order to cross over the brambles. Some wooden planks are ahead of here, and they support an End of Level Target, which must be jumped on to complete the level. A Rotatable Barrel with only five seconds on it is above this target, and the heroes can win a prize from the End of Level Target if they shoot to it from this barrel.
If the primates bounce into the gap found before the previously-mentioned quadruplet of Flitters, they land in an Auto Fire Barrel that is able to shoot them into another Auto Fire Barrel in a hidden part of the level. This barrel can blast the Kongs into Squawks, who is able to carry them through the hidden area. To the right of Squawks's location, the group can find a Banana Bunch in the corner of the area around some brambles. To the left of here, the heroes can find a DK Barrel in a small alcove and some bananas that are followed by a wide passage leading to a small area that contains a DK Coin, which is guarded by a Zinger. A pair of red Zingers are farther into the area to the right, and they both move back and forth in a vertical path. They are followed by a curvy path with a few Banana Bunches in it. After the heroes pass the second Banana Bunch, they reach a wider area with a red Zinger circling the inside of it. If they head down a small passage below this foe, they can find an Auto Fire Barrel that can shoot them into a Bonus Barrel. Once they finish playing in the Bonus Level it leads to, they lose Squawks and are fired into the letter G, which is located in a narrow passage near here. The Rotatable Barrel with four seconds (five in the Game Boy Advance version) located above the End of Level Target is at the bottom of this passage. The possible prizes include a Banana, Banana Coin, or a Banana Bunch.
Enemies
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
 Click-Clack |
2 |
 Flitter |
5 |
 Klampon |
1 |
  Zinger (yellow and red) |
7 (yellow) 3 (red) Total: 10 |
Items and objects
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
 Banana Bunch |
8 |
 Banana Bunch Coin |
2 |
 DK Barrel |
3 |
Secrets
Bonus Areas
| Image | Type and description |
|---|---|
| Find the Token! Some time after the letter O, the Kongs end up in a barrel blasting segment with a couple of Arrow Barrels. They must blast around the section until reaching the west corner, where a Barrel Cannon can blast them southwest into a gap (alluded by a single Banana). Here, they are caught by a Bonus Barrel that blasts them down into the Bonus Area. Here they have 40 seconds to blast between a series of Barrel Cannons (arranged in a diamond-shaped pattern) to reach a Kremkoin on the right side. The Kongs must find the correct path to the Auto-Fire Barrel, which blasts them out of the maze and directly into the Kremkoin. | |
| Find the Token! In the hidden path with Squawks, the Kongs and Squawks must fly all the way to the end of the path. The Bonus Barrel is located after the third red Zinger in the path and is accessed from an Auto-Fire Barrel. The Bonus Area is somewhat like a continuation of the hidden path, as the Kongs and Squawks must carefully move around the bramble maze and reach the Kremkoin at the end. They only have 25 seconds to complete the challenge. There are are a few groups of three Bananas in the path, which notify them and Squawks to change direction. There is a No Animal Sign to the left of the Kremkoin: if Squawks passes it, he turns into an Extra Life Balloon. If the Kongs and Squawks hit a bramble, they lose at the challenge. |
Collectibles
| Item | Location |
|---|---|
 DK Coin |
When starting the hidden path with Squawks, the Kongs and Squawks must go left. As they travel upward, they must fly to a corner in the left, where a vertically-moving Zinger is guarding a DK Coin. To obtain it, Squawks must defeat the Zinger and fly into the DK Coin. |
 Golden Feather (GBA version) |
After encountering the first two Click-Clacks, the Kongs must pass through a small set of Barrel Cannons and then blast into a large arrangement of Barrel Cannons. Here, the Kongs must blast from the Barrel Cannons to the left of the wall, and make their way around to the right side. The Golden Feather is positioned in the right corner, just southwest of the Barrel Cannon positioned between two Arrow Barrels. |
K-O-N-G Letters
| Letter | Location |
|---|---|
|
In the second assortment of Barrel Cannons, which the Kongs transition into directly after the first, the Kongs must blast down into the Barrel Cannon at the bottom left. From it, they must blast in a northeast direction into the letter K. |
|
In the third assortment of Barrel Cannons, the letter O is located just southeast of the last Barrel Cannon, which blasts them out of the section. The Barrel Cannon alternates between four directions, one of them being southeast, directly into the letter O. |
|
Right after the Star Barrel, the Kongs are blasted into an upward-facing Barrel Cannon that quickly changes its aim. The letter N is floating above the Barrel Cannon, and the Kongs can only reach it by blasting out just as the Barrel Cannon is facing north. |
|
After completing the second Bonus Area, the Kongs are returned in a narrow path with the letter G, which is floating above the Rotatable Barrel above the End of Level Target. |
Gallery
Game Boy Advance
The Kongs blasting between a series of Barrel Cannons
The Kongs blast from spinning Barrel Cannons in a very tight path between the brambles.
Location of the Golden Feather
Squawks flying Dixie through the hidden path before the End of Level Target.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | とげとげタルめいろ[?] Togetoge taru meiro |
Spiky Barrel Labyrinth | |
| German | Affen Action (SNES) Affen-Action (GBA)[?] |
Monkey Action | |
| Italian | Labirinto di Rovi![?] | Brambles Maze! | |
| Spanish | Rompezarzas[?] | Bramblebreaker |
