Donkey Kong 64

Template:Infobox Donkey Kong 64 is a 3D action-adventure platformer game developed by Rareware and released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999. It is a follow-up to the original Donkey Kong trilogy for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System; it is the first and so far only 3D platformer game in the Donkey Kong franchise. In the game, Donkey Kong and his friends go on an adventure to stop King K. Rool from using his doomsday device, the Blast-o-Matic, to destroy Kong Isle.

In April 2015, Donkey Kong 64 was ported to the Wii U's Virtual Console service. The game, along with Super Mario 64, were among the first Nintendo 64 games that were released for the Wii U's Virtual Console.

Story

K. Rool ordering his minions to distract Donkey Kong while the Kremlings repair Crocodile Isle.

The story begins with a view of DK Isles, which is the homeland of the Kongs. Meanwhile, the Kremlings and King K. Rool are sailing inside a fortified, technological version of Crocodile Isle, which hosts the doomsday device, the Blast-o-Matic. The device was designed by a weasel engineer named Snide, whom K. Rool later fired out of paranoia. K. Rool puts the Kritters in charge of operating the Blast-o-Matic and manuevering Crocodile Isle, but due to the Kritters' incompetence and laziness, Crocodile Isle crashes into a rock. The Blast-o-Matic becomes heavily damaged as a result. Crocodile Isle docks directly in front of Kong Isle, and K. Rool orders three of his minions, a Klump, a Kritter and a Kasplat, to distract Donkey Kong by stealing his banana hoard and imprisoning the other Kongs, to buy them time as they repair the Blast-o-Matic. Klump assures K. Rool that they have already fulfilled his orders.

Donkey Kong's first visit to Cranky's Lab

Meanwhile, Donkey Kong is in his tree house, doing push ups while listening to the DK Rap on his radio. Squawks suddenly flies into his house and tells Donkey Kong that all of his Golden Bananas are gone and that the other Kongs have vanished. Donkey Kong then goes to Cranky's Lab for help, where Cranky Kong, who has the role of a professor, offers homemade potions that each grant a new ability to a Kong. He allows Donkey Kong to have his first potion, the Simian Slam, after he completes the Training Barrels. With the Simian Slam, Donkey Kong exits outside Kong Isle and starts his adventure in stopping K. Rool and rescuing the Kongs.

Donkey Kong goes inside a round, green prison where a giant Kremling, K. Lumsy, is imprisoned. He was locked inside a cage for refusing to help K. Rool in destroying DK Isles. K. Lumsy asks Donkey Kong to retrieve the Boss Keys to unlock his cage and free him. As Donkey Kong recovers his Golden Bananas, he eventually saves Diddy Kong in Jungle Japes, Lanky and Tiny Kong in Angry Aztec, and lastly Chunky Kong in Frantic Factory. Tiny meets the Banana Fairy Princess in Banana Fairy Island, and she asks Tiny and the other Kongs to capture all of the Banana Fairies with the Banana Fairy's Camera.

King K. Rool preparing for the final battle.

The Kongs manage to enter inside of Crocodile Isle and manage to shut down the Blast-o-Matic before its power gets fully restored. After the Kongs obtain the final Boss Key, K. Rool retreats into his King Kruiser II. With the final Boss Key, the Kongs free K. Lumsy from his cage. He then chases after K. Rool, who is flying his airship around Kong Isle. As he chases K. Rool, K. Lumsy accidentally trips over a rock and hits the cruiser, causing it to crash into the water. The Kongs enter the King Kruiser II and engage in a five-round boxing match against King Krusha K. Rool. After the match, Funky Kong appears and launches a boot at K. Rool while Candy Kong distracts him. This results in K. Rool being defeated, and the Kongs and rest of DK Isles celebrate over their victory.

Instruction manual text

“Left!” rasped a voice to his left.

“Right!” came back the immediate response from the other side.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now the Klaptrap turning the wheel wasn’t so sure. His little legs were getting tired, and those two incompetent fools didn’t have a clue where they were going.

“Left!”

“Right!”

With a sudden sickening crunch of metal against rock, the King’s pride and joy came to a shuddering halt, knocking all three off their feet. The tough little Klaptrap was up first, dashing eagerly across to the broken bridge window to see what those goons had hit.

“You two are going to be in sooo much trouble!” he barked gleefully.

But that pair weren’t the only ones in trouble. Deep within the gloomy bowels of his latest creation, a furious King K. Rool sat on his throne, glaring down at the quaking generals of his vast Kremling army.

“Well? I’m still waiting for an answer...”

His plan couldn’t fail this time, or so he had thought. But like so many times in the past, he’d underestimated just how useless his scaly minions could be. It had taken years to build, but now his mighty island stronghold lay immobile off the coast of its very first target – Kong Isle. Perhaps all was not lost, though...

“Power up the Blast-o-Matic. Target is Kong Isle. Fire when ready!”

Instead of a deafening explosion, there came only a pathetic whimper.

“I’m so v-very sorry your m-majesty, but I’m afraid the Blast-o-Matic isn’t quite w-working yet...”

K. Rool turned to face the white-coated technician responsible for the bad news. The King began to cry.

“It’s just not fair...” he sobbed. “I really thought I was going to win this time.”

Klump waddled over and put a consoling arm around his distraught leader.

“Don’t get all upset now, your excellency. We’ll go and capture those nasty Kongs for you. Then we’ll steal their Golden Bananas as usual so that if any Kongs escape us, they’ll be too busy looking for them to come and ruin your magnificent plans.”

As King K. Rool watched his generals leave, he wiped away his crocodile tears and began to laugh. His little play acting had worked, and now those Kongs would soon be history. He glared down at his bemused technician.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Get the Blast-o-Matic working. I’ve got an island to destroy!”

Gameplay

Donkey Kong climbing a tree in the first level, Jungle Japes.

The player controls one of the five available Kongs, who must venture into open and vast levels similar to those found in Super Mario 64. Their objective in every level is to obtain the Golden Bananas among other collectibles. Only Donkey Kong is available from the start, and the other four Kongs, Diddy Kong, Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong, and Chunky Kong, are eventually freed and become available during the adventure. The player can use the Tag Barrels, located throughout every level, to switch to another Kong to play as. All five Kongs are required for completing the game because each of them must use their unique abilities to recover the Golden Bananas. There are 25 Golden Bananas in every level, and each of the five Kongs have their own five Golden Bananas to obtain

The gameplay is heavily based upon item collection, and each stage has several items for each Kong to collect. It is not mandatory to collect every single item, but it is required for 101% completion. Many of the collectibles (including Banana Medals, Banana Bunch Coins, bananas, and blueprints) are of a certain color, and can only be collected by a Kong specifically associated with that color:

• Donkey Kong - yellow
• Diddy Kong - red
• Lanky Kong - blue
• Tiny Kong - purple
• Chunky Kong - green

Donkey Kong standing at the shore of Kong Isle, which is part of the hub world.

Banana Bunch Coins are currency used by the Kongs to pay for Cranky Kong's, Funky Kong's, and Candy Kong's respective services. At Cranky's Lab, the Kongs can purchase a potion to learn a unique ability. At Funky's Store, each Kong can purchase their own weapon that fires a certain type of ammo. At Candy's Music Shop, the Kongs can purchase their own musical instrument to perform on a Music Pad. Cranky offers more abilities to the Kongs in the later levels, and likewise, Candy and Funky offer more upgrades in later levels.

Donkey Kong obtains a Boss Key after defeating a boss.

DK Isles is the hub area from where the Kongs can access the other levels. Every level has its own lobby on DK Isles and a portal leading into the level itself. At first, the level lobbies are blocked or inaccessible by the Kongs. To unlock a level's lobby, the Kongs must use a Boss Key to open a padlock of K. Lumsy's cage. This results in K. Lumsy happily celebrating and creating a tremor that unlocks access into a lobby (with the exception of the first level, Jungle Japes, which is accessed after Donkey Kong meets K. Lumsy). In every lobby, B. Locker prevents the Kongs from entering a level unless they have at least a certain number of Golden Bananas to meet B. Locker's requirement. The later levels require the Kongs to have more Golden Bananas in order to enter.

Every level has a boss whose arena is accessible from the Troff 'N' Scoff location, Here the Kongs feed Scoff with a certain number of bananas, and as Scoff eats them, he progressively becomes larger. Eventually Scoff becomes large enough for Troff's platform to be raised up to the key for Troff to unlock the door leading to the level boss. Each boss can only be fought by a certain Kong, whose face appears on the door just before the battle. The boss battles are constructed around the designated Kong's abilities. After that Kong defeats the boss, the Kongs obtain a Boss Key.

The game features two Animal Friends, Rambi the Rhino and Enguarde the Swordfish, who each have an Animal Crate located in Jungle Japes and Gloomy Galleon respectively. Only Donkey Kong can transform into Rambi and only Lanky can transform into Enguarde. Rambi can attack enemies and smash crates and wooden walls, and Enguarde can attack enemies and smash open chests to reveal hidden items.

Multiplayer

It has been requested that this section be rewritten and expanded to include more information.

Donkey Kong 64 has its own multiplayer mode that supports 2-4 players, and has a total of 3 arenas. There are two types of multiplayer games in the mode: Monkey Smash and Battle Arena. There are 6 modes for Monkey Smash, and 4 for Battle Arena. All five Kongs that are playable in the main game are playable in this mode as well as a secret sixth unlockable character, Krusha from Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Land, who does not appear in Adventure mode at all.

Monkey Smash

In Monkey Smash, characters engage in a deathmatch-style battle on an open arena. They must collect ammo and shoot them from their weapons to damage their opponents. There are six modes:

• Survival: The last character standing is the winner.
• Coin Hoard: Characters compete to collect the most coins within a time limit. If a character loses all of their health, they lose coins.
• Wins: The first character to reach a target number of monkey smashes wins.
• Time: The character with the most monkey smashes at the end of the time limit wins.
• Capture: The character holding the coin at the end of the time limit is the winner.
• Capture Pad: Characters must try to activate the pads while holding the coin. The first one to activate them all wins. A variant of this mode does not appear in Battle Arena.

Battle Arena

In Battle Arena, the characters must use weapons and explosives to knock their opponents off a platform. There are five modes:

• Wins: The first character to score a set number of ring outs wins.
• Coin Hoard: The character to collect the most coins within the time limit wins.
• Survival: The character who survives the longest wins.
• Capture: The character holding the coin at the end of the time limit is the winner.
• Time: The character with the most ring-outs in a set time limit wins.

Six items appear randomly on the arena. Each of them have a different effect than in Adventure mode:

• Yellow Banana: Temporarily increases a character's speed.
• Crystal Coconut: Makes a character larger temporarily.
• Supply Crate: These contain a weapon which, as in Adventure mode, correspond to a Kong. Krusha has his own one, the orange grenade launcher. Unlike Adventure mode, these weapons are temporary and come with five shots, and once all are used up, the weapon disappears.
• Blue Banana: Temporarily freezes all of the user's opponents.
• Orange: If touched, the Orange sends out a shockwave across the arena.
• Question Mark: An item entirely absent from Adventure mode, the Question Mark produces a random effect such as reverse direction or slow motion.

Controls

• : Jump, swim fast underwater
• : Attack, swim slowly underwater, swim faster while floating in the water, grab and throw objects, shoot weapon (with weapon out), hold to charge up Super Slam and release to use it, take a picture with the Banana Fairy's Camera
• : Crouch, dive underwater, activate pad move (when standing on Cranky's Kong Pad), stand still (with weapon out), use Bananaport Pad, release vine
• Center camera behind the character (hold to fixate the camera in a position), face the other direction when holding vines
• : Move character, move cursor in menus
• : Pause/Unpause, view status screen
• : Rotate camera left
• : Rotate camera right
• : Enter first-person view
• : Zoom out/in
• + : Pony Tail Twirl (Tiny)
• + : Jumping attack
• + : Simian Slam, Super Simian Slam, Super Duper Simian Slam
• + : Backflip
• + : Special Move (Diddy, Lanky, Chunky)
• + : Throw an orange
• + : Take out weapon/put away weapon, cancel Cranky's Kong Barrel ability
• + : Take out the Banana Fairy's Camera
• + : Play instrument
• + : Running attack
• + + : Long jump
• + + : Roll/slide (Donkey, Tiny)

Characters

Playable

Kong	Information	Manual description
Donkey Kong	Donkey Kong is the main and starting character. He is a balanced character with average speed and agility, slightly slower than Lanky. Donkey Kong can kick forward if the player presses the button, and can use a double-handed punch while in the air by pressing the button as he jumps. Donkey Kong uses the Coconut Shooter as his personal weapon, which can shoot coconuts, and his musical instrument is the bongos. Donkey Kong is the only character who can access Baboon Blast challenges via his Kong Pad, and can use Gorilla Grab to pull levers. Donkey Kong can collect yellow bananas, Banana Bunch Coins, and Blueprints.	"He's the only ape who still cares enough to wear a tie. DK may not be the most powerful Kong - or the quickest - but he applies a strong blue-collar work ethic to the business of Kremling Crushing. That may be why he's the leader of the Kong Clan."
Diddy Kong	Diddy Kong is the first Kong to be rescued and the second one overall. He is found imprisoned in a cell in a mountainside of Jungle Japes. When Donkey Kong frees him, Diddy becomes a playable character. Diddy has weaker attacks than the other Kongs, which is compensated by his quick speed and agility. Diddy's main attack is his trademark cartwheel. While Diddy is in midair, the player can press the button for him to spin his tail. From his Kong Pad, Diddy can perform the Simian Spring to reach heights by bouncing on his tail, and he can use Chimpy Charge to charge into switches and fragile walls. Diddy Kong uses the Peanut Popguns as his personal weapon, which can shoot peanuts, and can use them in conjunction with his Rocketbarrel Boost. Diddy's musical instrument is an electric guitar. Diddy can collect red bananas, Banana Bunch Coins, and Blueprints.	"You'll probably recognize his familiar furry mug from past adventures. A mere bantamweight in bulk, this courageous chimp is the heavyweight champion of hard-core attitude. Whether he's rocking out on a six-stringed, amplified guitar or rocketing through the sky, he's always giving it 100 percent - Diddy Style."
Lanky Kong	Lanky Kong is one of the imprisoned characters. He is rescued in the second level, Angry Aztec. Lanky is the most balanced in speed, strength and agility, and his long arms give him longer range in his basic attacks than other Kongs. By pressing the button, the player can have Lanky stretch out his arms either to attack enemies or to reach switches. By standing on his Kong Pad, Lanky can perform Baboon Balloon to briefly inflate himself and float up like a balloon. With his OrangStand ability, Lanky can walk on his hands, which allows him to move up steep slopes. A related ability, the OrangStand Sprint, allows Lanky to perform OrangStand, but at a much faster speed. Lanky's personal weapon is the Grape Shooter, a blowgun that he can spit grapes from, and his musical instrument is the trombone. Lanky Kong can collect blue bananas, Banana Bunch Coins, and Blueprints.	"This knuckle-dragging Kong looks like a clown, and it's more than just a coincidence. Think of him as a twisted twig on a distant branch of the family tree. Kremlings and Klaptraps may snicker at his goofy gait as he ambles in their direction, but there's nothing funny about a hyper extended sucker punch."
Tiny Kong	Tiny Kong is the fourth Kong and the only playable female Kong. Like Lanky, she is also rescued at Angry Aztec, and the player can either rescue her before or after Lanky and Chunky. Tiny has the highest speed and agility of the Kongs, though her attacks are comparatively the weakest. Tiny's main attack is using her ponytails to whip other enemies, done by pressing the button. While Tiny is in midair, she can use her Pony Tail Twirl to spin around her ponytails and slowly glide through the air. With the Mini-Monkey ability, Tiny can shrink herself to a very small size, allowing her to access small entrances. Tiny uses the Feather Bow as her personal weapon, which can shoot feathers, and her musical instrument is the saxophone. Tiny can collect purple bananas, Banana Bunch Coins, and Blueprints.	"Dixie's VERY little sister brings a big dose of flower power to the Kong's campaign. You'll find her pigtails perfect for pugilism and not too bad for a helicopter ride from the treetops. Tiny never shrinks from her responsibilities - even when she shrinks herself physically for a mouse's eye view of the action. "
Chunky Kong	Chunky Kong is the fifth and final Kong, who is rescued from a hanging cage in Frantic Factory. Chunky is the strongest of the Kongs, as he can lift boulders and other heavy objects, as well as attack enemies with powerful punches. However, he is the slowest, least agile, and has the lowest jump height of the Kongs. By pressing , the player can have Chunky perform his main attack, where he rapidly spins to attack an enemy. By standing on his associated Kong Pad, Chunky can perform Gorilla Gone to become invisible. By jumping into his Kong Barrel, Chunky can perform Hunky Chunky, which turns him to a giant size. Chunky uses the Pineapple Launcher as his personal weapon, which can shoot pineapples, and his musical instrument is the triangle. Chunky can collect green bananas, Banana Bunch Coins, and Blueprints.	"He's big. He's bad. He plays the triangle. Chunky is something of a primate paradox: brutal when the situation demands it, yet almost meek at other times. He's also not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so he'll need all the help you can give him. If there's heavy lifting to be done, however, Chunky is the Monkey to see."

Animal Friends

Animal Friend	Information
Rambi the Rhino	Rambi is one of the two playable Animal Friends. He can use his strong horn to smash crates, attack enemies, and break huts and wooden walls depicting his face. Rambi's Animal Crate appears in Jungle Japes, and only Donkey Kong can enter the crate to transform into him. Rambi also makes an appearance in one of Donkey Kong's Hideout Helm challenges.
Enguarde the Swordfish	Enguarde can use his pointy bill to smash open treasure chests and reveal hidden items. He can jump out from the water and go through stars with the DK logo in the center. Enguarde's Animal Crate appears in Gloomy Galleon, and Lanky is the only character who can transform into Enguarde.

Kremlings

Kremling	Information
Krusha	Krusha is a Kremling originating from Donkey Kong Country, and is a character playable only in the game's multiplayer mode. He is unlocked once the player collects fifteen Banana Fairies. He has similar attributes to Chunky Kong, as he is one of the strongest characters physically, but lacks in speed and agility, although he has a few unique attacks, such as a fast sliding punch. His weapon of choice is the orange grenade launcher, which is used to launch oranges.
Klaptrap	Klaptrap is a regular enemy that appears in various locations throughout the game, but he is playable in a minigame, "Beaver Bother". He must bark to scare away the numerous Gnawties into the hole in the middle of the arena before the time runs out.

Supporting characters

Character	Information
Banana Fairy Princess	The Banana Fairy Princess is the princess of the Banana Fairies and lives in a fairy shaped structure on an island surrounding DK Isles. Only Tiny Kong can visit her, and when she does, the Banana Fairy Princess will request that the Kongs search for and return her Banana Fairies to her. The Banana Fairy Princess will then give away the Banana Camera Film and also gives the Kongs the ability to perform a Super Slam, which can defeat almost any enemy in one hit.
K. Lumsy	K. Lumsy is a large Kremling who is first seen locked up in a large cage on an island beside Crocodile Isles. Unlike the other members of the Kremling Krew, K. Lumsy is a kind-hearted Kremling who refuses to destroy DK Isles, which resulted in King K. Rool locking him up. The Kongs agree to collect the keys to K. Lumsy's prison and set him free, which is one of the game's main tasks.
Wrinkly Kong	Wrinkly Kong appears in the lobbies to each world (save for Hideout Helm) where she appears as a ghost, having died prior to the start of the game. Here, she gives the Kongs hints towards one of their Golden Bananas in each level. The Wrinkly Doors are color coded to match each of the Kong's main colors. Poor Wrinkly Kong she died
Troff	Troff and Scoff are a pig and hippopotamus, respectively, that appear in each boss portal. They appear standing beside each end of the boss door, with Troff trying to reach the key to unlock it and Scoff on the other end. The Kongs must feed Scoff in order for Troff to reach the key to open the boss door.
Scoff
Snide	Snide is a weasel character who was once the chief technician for King K. Rool. However King K. Rool threw him out because he found him untrusting. Snide set out for revenge against him by asking the Kongs to locate the blueprints to the Blast-O-Matic and helping them with destroying it. Snide's HQ can be found in every level (excluding Hideout Helm) as well as DK Isles where the Kongs can exchange blueprints for Golden Bananas, as well as play bonus games after returning all the blueprints.

Minor characters

Throughout the game, the Kongs meet various characters within certain worlds. These characters often don't appear outside said world, with a few exceptions.

Character	Description
B. Locker	B. Locker is a character who appears at the entrance to each world in the world's lobby. He appears to block the world's entrance and will only let the Kongs enter if they have a certain number of Golden Bananas. If they do, he will disappear and allow access to the world.
Beanstalk	A character appearing in Fungi Forest. The Beanstalk sprouted from a small pink seed found by Tiny Kong and holds a Golden Banana at its top.
Beetle	The Beetle is a character appearing in the worlds Angry Aztec and Crystal Caves. She is a racing beetle who challenges Tiny Kong in Angry Aztec and Lanky Kong in Crystal Caves, both with the same conditions of collecting 50 DK Coins and beating her in the race.
Buzzard	A buzzard character sporting a pilot helmet and goggles appears in the Angry Aztec area. It can only be met as Diddy Kong after freeing him from his caged prison. Upon doing so, he will challenge Diddy Kong to race through the rings he leaves behind; if beaten, he will reward Diddy with a Golden Banana.
Ice Creature	The Ice Creature is a frozen tomato looking character appearing only in Crystal Caves. It appears in the igloo where only Lanky can visit it. He will challenge Lanky to a game and reward him with a Golden Banana should he win.
Llama	The Llama is a character who appears in Angry Aztec. He is first seen locked in a cage before being freed by Donkey Kong. After being freed, he rewards Donkey Kong with a Golden Banana and can later be found in his temple.
Mermaid	The Mermaid is a character only appearing in Gloomy Galleon. She lives in a shell like structure deep underwater and can only be visited by Tiny Kong with her Mini-Monkey ability. When Tiny visits the Mermaid, she will ask her to retrieve her lost pearls. Once Tiny retrieves the pearls, she will be given a Golden Banana.
Mini-Car	The Mini-Car is a character appearing in Frantic Factory and Creepy Castle. Both times he can only be encountered by Tiny Kong and both times he will challenge her to a race. The first time appears on a set track while the second time in the block tower area of Frantic Factory. If Tiny beats him in both races, she will receive a Golden Banana for each time.
Owl	The Owl is a character appearing in Fungi Forest. Similarly to the Buzzard from Angry Aztec, the Owl will only talk to Diddy Kong at night, though Diddy must be using his Rocketbarrel Pack in order to do so. After talking with him, the Owl will start a similar, ring based challenge the Buzzard gave Diddy, with the difference being a Bonus Barrel reward rather than a direct Golden Banana.
Rabbit	The Rabbit is a character that appears in Fungi Forest and Crystal Caves. He can only be talked to by Lanky in Fungi Forest and encountered only by Chunky in Crystal Caves. In Fungi Forest, he will challenge Lanky to a race for a Golden Banana. While Lanky beats him a first time, he refuses to give him the banana and declares for a rematch where is much faster and the OrangStand Sprint is required to beat him. When the Rabbit loses the second race, he gives Lanky a Golden Banana. In Crystal Caves, he is found tied to a TNT Barrel surrounded by flames. Chunky must defeat the flames for a set time to free the Rabbit and obtain a Golden Banana.
Ring announcer	The ring announcer is a character only appearing for the final fight against King K. Rool. He is a living microphone with a handle resembling a tuxedo. During the final fight, he appears as the announcer of the battle, giving off dramatic introductions to the Kongs.
Seal	The Seal appears in Gloomy Galleon and can only be spoken to by Donkey Kong. After Donkey Kong frees him from his cage prison, the Seal will thank him with a Golden Banana as well as a racing minigame for a second Golden Banana.
Worm	The Worm is a character appearing only in Fungi Forest and can only truly be interacted with by Chunky Kong. The Worm resides in an apple surrounded by monstrous tomatoes and requests Chunky to help him by defeating the tomatoes and moving his apple home. By doing so, he rewards Chunky with a Golden Banana.

Buildings and abilities

Cranky's Lab

Cranky's Lab

Cranky's Lab is a location that Professor Cranky Kong resides in, and it appears in every area of the game, with the exception of Hideout Helm. Cranky has seemingly taken up science as a hobby, and in his lab, the player can buy different potions in exchange for Banana Bunch Coins to learn new techniques and abilities needed to progress throughout the game. Also, if the Kongs visit Cranky at his lab with at least fifteen Banana Medals, Cranky allows them to play a game called Jetpac (an early Rare game). The Kongs must get 5000 points in the game in order to obtain the Rareware Coin.

There are three kinds of potions that are available for the Kongs and each type of potion gives them a different ability. The types of abilities are as follows:

• Pad Move - These abilities are activated when any of the Kongs stand on a circular pad with their face on it.
  
• Barrel Move - To activate a Barrel Move, the playable Kong has to enter a wooden barrel with their face on it.
  
• Special Move - Most of the Kongs' Special Moves can be used anytime, with the exception of Donkey Kong's, which can only be used near rusty levers.
  

There are also shared potions which give all the Kongs the same ability - to press Kong Switches with their face on them.

Potions and prices

Potions
Kong	Pad Move	Barrel Move	Special Move
Donkey Kong	Baboon Blast, 3 coins A Donkey Pad will blast him up into the sky into a Barrel Cannon course	Strong Kong, 5 coins A Donkey Barrel will allow him to become invincible	Gorilla Grab, 7 coins Allows him to pull levers
Diddy Kong	Simian Spring, 7 coins Diddy Pad allows him to jump great heights off his tail	Rocketbarrel Boost, 5 coins A Diddy Barrel allows him to fly	Chimpy Charge, 3 coins Allows him to charge head first into gongs or certain switches
Lanky Kong	Baboon Balloon, 5 coins A Lanky Pad allows him to fill up with hot air and float to unreachable places	OrangStand Sprint, 7 coins A Lanky Barrel allows him to run on his hands very fast	OrangStand, 3 coins Allows him to walk up steep hills or platforms on his hands
Tiny Kong	Monkeyport, 7 coins A Tiny Pad allows her to transport to another Tiny pad	Mini-Monkey, 3 coins A Tiny Barrel allows her to shrink to get into small places or passageways	Pony Tail Twirl, 5 coins Allows her to fly through the air with her ponytails
Chunky Kong	Gorilla Gone, 7 coins A Chunky Pad allows him to become invisible	Hunky Chunky, 3 coins A Chunky Barrel allows him to increase in size to lift bigger objects, climb bigger trees or pound bigger pressure pads	Primate Punch, 5 coins Allows him to use a roundhouse punch that would KO most enemies or break certain obstacles

Shared potions
Potion	Price	World
Simian Slam Allow Kongs to activate Green Switches	Free	DK Isles
Super Simian Slam Allow Kongs to activate Blue Switches	5 coins	Fungi Forest
Super Duper Simian Slam Allow Kongs to activate Red Switches	7 coins	Creepy Castle

Funky's Store

Funky's Store

Funky's Store is a shop owned by Funky Kong where the Kongs can buy and reload their weapons. Each Kong has his or her own personalized weapon. They can use these weapons to shoot a variety of fruit-based projectiles to attack enemies, hit certain switches that have a certain fruit emblem on them, and hit Banana Balloons. Initially, the Kongs can have 50 rounds of ammunition, but this amount increases when the Kongs buy Funky's upgrades. The prices of his upgrades are as follows:

• Shooter Installment - 3 coins
• Ammo Belt 1 - 3 Coins
• Homing Ammo - 5 Coins
• Ammo Belt 2 - 5 Coins
• Sniper Scope - 7 Coins

Kong	Weapon
Donkey Kong	Coconut Shooter
Diddy Kong	Peanut Popguns
Lanky Kong	Grape Shooter
Tiny Kong	Feather Bow
Chunky Kong	Pineapple Launcher

Candy's Music Shop

Candy's Music Shop.

Candy Kong owns a music shop where she provides the Kongs with powerful instruments that they can use to make a variety of things happen. At certain points of the game, Candy also gives the Kongs an extra melon, increasing their health. Usually, when the Kongs play their instruments on certain locations, doors open or areas that were previously impossible to reach become accessible. The power of the instrument can also defeat all the enemies on the screen, but playing it reduces its energy. The Kongs can touch Candy's Headphones to replenish their instruments' energy, or visit Candy to reload the energy. The instrument, however, does not lose any energy if the Kongs play it when they are standing on a Music Pad.

• Music Installment - 3 Coins
• Upgrade 1 - 5 Coins
• 3rd Melon and Music Energy - 7 Coins
• Upgrade 2 - 9 Coins

Kong	Instrument
Donkey Kong	Bongo Blast
Diddy Kong	Guitar Gazump
Lanky Kong	Trombone Tremor
Tiny Kong	Saxophone Slam
Chunky Kong	Triangle Trample

Snide's H.Q.

Snide's H.Q.

Over the course of the game, the player may find Kasplats holding pieces of blueprint. If the player takes them to Snide's H.Q., Snide will trade the blueprints for Golden Bananas. There are a total of 40 blueprints in the game, 5 per world along with 5 in DK Isles. If the player delivers all of Snide's Blueprints, he will then allow the Kongs to play the various Bonus Stage games. In addition, collecting blueprints increases the amount of time that the Kongs have to complete the final world, Hideout Helm, by one minute per blueprint collected.

Wrinkly Doors

Diddy Kong's Wrinkly Door

Wrinkly Doors are found in the lobby of each level (excluding Hideout Helm). As the name suggests, Wrinkly Kong will come out of each door if a Kong approaches it and give the Kong advice on one of their Golden Bananas hidden in each level. The doors are color coded for each Kong; yellow for Donkey Kong, red for Diddy Kong, purple for Tiny Kong, blue for Lanky Kong and green for Chunky Kong.

Levels

Name	Description
Jungle Japes	Jungle Japes is the first level of the game. It takes place in a tropical jungle. Diddy Kong is imprisoned in this level, and is held in a cage in the cliffs. The jungle is home to many kinds of enemies, including Gnawties, Zingers, and Kritters. This is a basic level where the player can learn basic gameplay elements. The jungle has several trees and vines that can be climbed, allowing the Kongs to reach new heights. There is a river going through the jungle, and the area is surrounded by many rocky cliffs, most of which can be climbed. One of these cliffs has a mine located inside the mountain itself, where several crates and conveyor belts are found. There are also several dark tunnels in the jungle, connecting the various areas. There is a stormy area of the jungle that can only be accessed by one of the tunnels, and it contains Cranky's Lab. Rambi the Rhino is found in this area. The boss of this level is Army Dillo, and he is fought by Donkey Kong.
Angry Aztec	Angry Aztec is the second level visited by the Kongs. It is located in a group of ancient temples in the middle of the desert. Lanky Kong and Tiny Kong are both imprisoned in this area, in different temples. In the outside area, there is a constant sandstorm, but it does not affect gameplay. There are several palm trees that can be climbed, and most of them give access to higher parts of the ruins. There are also several quicksand swamps, both inside and outside the temples, located throughout the level that damage the Kongs should they touch the quicksand. Notable points in this area include the Llama's Temple, home to a Llama that is originally found imprisoned in a cage, and the five-door temple, which has areas accessible by each Kong. Once Donkey Kong saves the llama, he later helps him by cooling a pool of lava, allowing Donkey Kong to swim in the pool and free Lanky Kong from his jail cell. In this level, Diddy also gets to free a vulture once he flies with his Rocketbarrel Boost through a golden gate on top of a spinning statue three times. The boss of this level is Dogadon, and he is fought by Diddy Kong.
Frantic Factory	Frantic Factory is the third level in the game, and where the last imprisoned Kong can be found, Chunky Kong. This is a toy factory owned by the Kremlings. Several animate Kremling wind-up toys are found here, such as the Robokremlings and the Mechanical Zingers. The factory consists of several areas and rooms, mainly The Lobby, Storage Room, Block Room, Factory Machine, and the R&D. Most of these rooms contain weird machines and boxes, along with challenges for each Kong to face. There are several dark tunnels resembling huge pipes that are used to access the different rooms of the factory. A Donkey Kong arcade game is found in the factory, and the player must win the game once to obtain a Golden Banana, and a second time to obtain the Nintendo Coin. Tiny Kong gets to race a Mini-Car once she shrinks herself, and she must complete two laps on a toy racetrack, while collecting at least ten DK Coins. One of the game's three mini-bosses, the Toy Monster, is also found in this level. The boss of this level is Mad Jack, and he must be defeated by Tiny Kong.
Gloomy Galleon	Gloomy Galleon is the fourth level, and it seems to be based off of the Gangplank Galleon level in the game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. This level takes place in a water area surrounded by huge cliffs, where several sunken ships from earlier Donkey Kong Country games are found. There are several dark and humid caves that connect the various lakes found in the level. Many of the sunken ships are locations to treasures and Golden Bananas. However, the inside of these shipwrecks are extremely dark, and as such, the Kongs receive help from the Lightfish, who illuminates the area for them. This is also the only level where Enguarde the Swordfish makes an appearance, although only Lanky Kong can transform into him. Tiny Kong also discovers a secret underwater palace where she meets the Mermaid, who has lost all of her pearls and asks Tiny to find them. Another race takes place in this area, this time against the Seal. The boss of this level is Puftoss, and he is battled by Lanky Kong.
Fungi Forest	Fungi Forest is the fifth level, and it is set in a vast forest area with many mushrooms and several wooden barns. The main gimmick in this level is the giant Cuckoo Clock located in the center of the forest. The Kongs can hit certain switches located on the Cuckoo Clock to make it change the day into night, and vice versa. Certain areas, such as Snide's HQ can only be accessed during the day, while other areas like some of the wooden barns can only be accessed during the night. The enemies present in this level are also affected by the time of the day. Enemies like Zingers only appear in the day, while Bones and Koshas only appear during the night. The giant mushrooms found throughout the forest appear to glow during the night, providing the only source of light when the sun goes down in this level. A mini-boss, the Giant Spider, is fought in one of the barns by a shrunken Tiny Kong. The main boss of this level is a rematch with Dogadon, and he is fought by Chunky Kong.
Crystal Caves	Crystal Caves is the sixth level of the game. It is located exclusively inside a huge, humid cavern with several icy crystals. There are several water rivers and ponds throughout the cavern, as well as a few cabins that contain collectibles inside them. There is an icy igloo near the beginning of the stage with five doors. Each door can only be opened by playing the instruments of certain Kongs on pads near them, and these doors lead to different rooms of the igloo with challenges for each Kong. There is also a Giant Viking Kremling at the highest part of the cavern that constantly smashes the floor, raining down stalactites on the Kongs. Once this Kosha is defeated, the stalactites stop falling down from the ceiling. Additionally, there are some see-through icy walls that can only be broken by Chunky Kong's Primate Punch ability. These walls often block passages to hidden areas of the cavern. The boss fight of this level is a rematch against Army Dillo, and he is fought by Donkey Kong.
Creepy Castle	Creepy Castle is the seventh and penultimate level in the game. It consists of a huge, medieval castle floating above the clouds in the sky. The castle has a constant spooky atmosphere, and its many rooms are haunted. The Kongs must explore both the outside and the inside of the castle. The outside consists of several grassy and wooden platforms with enemies such as Bones and Koshas. There is a constant thunderstorm outside, and a pond near the beginning of the stage. There is also a giant tree near the pond that can be entered for one of the Golden Bananas, and a small greenhouse with a labyrinth where a Kroc resides. The castle itself consists of several haunted rooms, some of them with a medieval style. The largest room in the castle is the Ballroom, a huge room with images of K. Rool and three giant candles. Next to this room is the Museum, which contains several ancient statues. The library is haunted by several books that attack the Kongs. The castle also has several underground catacombs, where a torture room and a creepy minecart track with a resident demon that attacks the Kongs are found. The boss of this level is King Kut Out, and he can be fought by all the Kongs, although only Lanky is mandatory for the battle.
Hideout Helm	Hideout Helm is the eighth and final level of the game. It is located inside King K. Rool's fortress, and is where the Blast-o-Matic is located. As soon as the Kongs enter this stage, a timer appears on the bottom of the screen, indicating how much time the Kongs have to shut down the machine before it destroys Donkey Kong Island. Depending on how many Blueprints the Kongs collected, the amount of time increases. The default time is ten minutes, and each blueprint given to Snide adds one minute to the timer for a maximum of fifty minutes. The machine must be disabled by completing minigames with each Kong, thus disabling the machine by sections. Once the Blast-o-Matic is disabled, the Kongs can access the final Boss Key if they have at least four Battle Crowns and have completed Jetpac and Donkey Kong. There are no collectibles in this level aside from five Banana Bunch Coins found in the minigames and a Battle Crown. When the Kongs reach the highest area in the fortress, K. Rool flees in his King Kruiser II, only to crash when K. Lumsy is freed, allowing the Kongs to battle him in the final showdown.

Enemies

Enemy	Description
Gnawty	Gnawties are blue beaver enemies mostly found in Jungle Japes. Their only attack pattern is running into the Kongs.
Kritter	Kritters are King K. Rool's main henchmen. They are common throughout the game in levels and mini games. They spawn off some unique sub species as well such as Robokremlings or Ghosts.
Zinger	Zingers are wasp enemies that are commonly seen throughout each level. They mainly attack by dropping green oranges or by swooping down to sting the Kongs.
Kasplat	Kasplats are enemies that hold Snide's blueprints. Five appear in each world (excluding Hideout Helm) and Kong Isle, each one holding a blueprint colored after a Kong's main color. The color of their hair tells which Kong's blueprint they hold. Their main attacks are creating shockwaves and using various punches. While they are resilient to most attacks, Kasplats are easily defeated by the shock wave attack or a musical instrument.
Klump	Klumps are large Kremlings who mainly attack by throwing green oranges. At close range, they can also push back the Kongs with their bellies. Although the Kongs can attack them directly, Klumps can only truly be defeated by oranges, the shock wave attack, and a musical instrument. Likewise, Chunky Kong can defeat Klumps by touching them while in his Hunky Chunky state. Klumps drop three oranges when defeated.
Klobber	Klobbers are green Kremlings hiding in barrels. If a Kong gets close enough, they will pop their heads and feet out and follow the Kong in an attempt to hit them. Klobbers can't be harmed with direct attacks at all; the Kongs will hurt themselves if they even touch a Klobber directly. Klobbers can only be defeated with oranges, the shock wave attack, or a Kong's musical instrument.
TNT Bomber	TNT Bombers are red Klobbers hiding in TNT Barrels. Like Klobbers, they follow the Kongs when they get too close, but if they don't catch them, they will explode shortly after. They can't be attacked with normal direct attacks, but they are easily defeated by oranges, a musical instrument, and even shots fired from the Kongs' shooters. The shock wave attack also defeats them, but it'll hurt the Kongs in the process.
Krash	Krashes are Kremling riding in Mine Carts who appear in Bonus Stages relating to Mine Carts. Here, they will swing clubs as they pass by the Kong. Sometimes their minecarts will be positioned beside the Kong for a short period of time. They can't be defeated and can only be avoided by jumping or leaning away from them when they swing their clubs.
Klaptrap	Klaptraps are small, alligator like enemies that appear in various levels in the game. They will chase the Kongs around attempting to bite them. They can be defeated by any attack method, though once they are defeated, their jaws will remain and continue chasing the Kong. The jaw can also be defeated in any way. Of course, defeating a Klaptrap with an orange or a musical instrument will prevent the jaws from appearing. Purple Klaptraps are immune to all direct attacks, along with the shock wave attack; the Kongs will only get bit if they use that attack, or touch the Purple Klaptrap in any way. As such, they can only be defeated by the use of an orange, or a musical instrument. Instead of dropping a watermelon slice, they drop three oranges when defeated.
Kosha	Koshas are small Kremlings who wield large, spiked clubs. They use the club as their main source of attack, swinging or slamming it to harm the Kongs. Koshas can take away two watermelon slices from a Kong, making them dangerous enemies to face. Koshas can also shake off any direct attacks that they take, making it so that only the shock wave attack, a musical instrument or Chunky touching them while using his Hunky Chunky ability can defeat them. Oranges can also defeat a Kosha, but only while its club is stuck in the ground.
Ghost	Ghosts are Kritters wearing bedsheet ghost costumes. They only appear in Creepy Castle and also aid in the battle against King Kut Out. They only attack by running into the player.
Shroom	Shrooms are blue Kremlings wearing mushroom costumes. They appear in Fungi Forest where they disguise themselves as normal mushrooms until the Kongs get too close. Once they do, a Shroom will pop out and chase the Kong.
Bones	Bones are skeletal Kritters who appear mainly in night time areas (such as Fungi Forest). They attack with clubs, and can be defeated by any attack, though weaker attacks will only break the skull and left arm. Stronger attacks will defeat it instantly. Additionally, oranges can easily take out a Bones, and remove the skull and left arm at the same time.
Block	Blocks are enemies only found in Frantic Factory. They resemble stick blocks with colorful shape holes in them. They appear in the toy fight area in Frantic Factory and are only fought by Chunky. Their only attack is running into him.
Mr. Dice	Mr. Dice is an enemy found only in Frantic Factory. They are dice with arms and legs. The 2 side is facing forward, making the dots look like eyes. They are found in the toy block tower area as well as the Toy Monster fight. They only attack by running into the Kong.
Sir Domino	Sir Domino is an enemy only found in Frantic Factory. They are domino enemies with arms and legs. Two appear in the Toy Monster battle while a few can be found in the toy block tower area. They can be defeated by any attack.
Super Block	A Super Block is an enemy found only in Frantic Factory. Only three appears during the Toy Monster fight where they act as the body of the monster. Due to the nature of the fight, they can only be fought as Chunky using his Hunky Chunky move.
Mechanical Zinger	Mechanical Zingers are robotic versions of Zingers only appearing in Frantic Factory. They act just like normal Zingers, only with robot designs, such as landing wheels for legs and a propeller instead of wings. They attack in the same way by dropping green oranges, but they never swoop down at the Kongs.
Puftup	Puftups are puffer fish enemies found mostly in water areas, such as Gloomy Galleon. They are mostly stationary until a Kong approaches them, to which they will explode. Puftups aid Puftoss in his battle.
Shuri	Shuries are starfish enemies that only appear underwater. They attack by charging into the Kongs as they swim. They cannot be defeated due to the Kongs not having proper attacks underwater and being immune to Enguarde's stab attack.
Scubi	Scubis are scuba diving starfish enemies only appearing in underwater areas. They are similar to Shuries though they attack with whips rather than charging. Like Shuries, they cannot be defeated.
Book	Books are haunted, flying ghost books that only appear in Creepy Castle library areas. They are invincible enemies that only Donkey Kong encounters. He must use his Strong Kong ability to pass through them.
Flame	Flames are fireball enemies appearing only in one of Chunky Kong's missions in Crystal Caves. They try to light a TNT Barrel with the Rabbit Lanky raced tied to it. Flames can be defeated with any attack.
Bat	Bats are enemies commonly found in dark areas, mainly Fungi Forest during the night and Creepy Castle. They often replace Zingers during these times, though they do not drop green oranges. They do, however, swoop down at the Kongs.
Tomato	Tomatoes are enemies found only in Fungi Forest where they surround the Worm's apple in one of the forest's areas. Chunky Kong must use his Hunky Chunky ability to defeat them. The only attack Tomatoes have is ramming into the Kongs.
Robokremling	Robokremlings are robotic, wind-up Kremlings, appearing only in Frantic Factory. They attack mainly by trying to run into the Kongs. Although the Kongs can stun them with their direct attacks, Robokremlings can only truly be defeated by oranges, the shock wave attack, a musical instrument, and Chunky Kong's Primate Punch.
Oyster	Oysters are clam-like enemies that appear in Gloomy Galleon. They are present in the treasure chest area within treasure cove where they hold the pearls from the Mermaid. Tiny is the only one who encounters them, though they can't be defeated. They open and close their mouths at regular intervals, which causes damage if touched.
Kroc	Kroc is an unseen enemy that only take the form of a green crosshair on the screen. They appear in Angry Aztec, Crystal Caves, and Creepy Castle, and usually appear after the Kong retrieves a Golden Banana or fails a challenge in a specific area. Their only attack is taking aim at the Kong present and firing a blast that either instantly knocks out the Kong or removes a single melon slice after a set amount of time.
Resident demon	The resident demon is a large, skeletal Kremling only appearing in the Minecart Ride game in Creepy Castle. It attacks by swiping its disembodied claws at Donkey Kong or by sending Skull Carts holding TNT down the tracks.

Bosses

Troff and Scoff guard the doors that lead to the bosses who hold seven of the eight keys to K. Lumsy's cage. By feeding Scoff a certain number of bananas, it allows Troff to reach the key to open the door. The players need to feed Scoff more bananas each progressed level and the combined total of all the Kongs' bananas can be pertained. Once all the bananas reach to 0, the key opens the door and a roulette spins, determining which Kong is going to battle against the Boss. Only the designated Kong can enter the door. The door will close if a different Kong tries to go inside the door at any time. Once the correct Kong enters the door, the door slams shut, and evil laughter can be heard before the screen fades to the Boss Battle.

Boss	World	Banana requirement	Kong used	Description
Army Dillo	Jungle Japes, Crystal Caves	60 (Jungle Japes) 350 (Crystal Caves)	Donkey Kong (twice)	Jungle Japes: Army Dillo is the boss of Jungle Japes and first boss of the game. His general attack pattern is firing fireballs from the cannons attached to his shell and rolling along the ground to try and flatten Donkey Kong. Crystal Caves: Army Dillo's rematch in Crystal Caves. Much like Dogadon's rematch, Army Dillo's rematch plays much like the first one, albeit with a few new moves. Army Dillo now has rockets attached to his shell, which he uses to create shockwaves upon landing. After taking enough hits, he will also fire homing missiles at Donkey Kong.
Dogadon	Angry Aztec, Fungi Forest	120 (Angry Aztec) 300 (Fungi Forest)	Diddy Kong (Angry Aztec) Chunky Kong (Fungi Forest)	Angry Aztec: Dogadon will fly around the stage spitting fireballs at Diddy Kong. Each time he is struck, he spits more fireballs, moving to a new corner each time. Fungi Forest: Dogadon's rematch in Fungi Forest. The battle plays out similarly to the first, however, Dogadon has a few different attacks. After being hit two times, he will breathe a wave of fire along the arena, and after the third hit, will stomp the arena, causing it to slowly sink into the lava. Chunky must use his Hunky Chunky ability to fully defeat Dogadon.
Mad Jack	Frantic Factory	200	Tiny Kong	Mad Jack's arena takes place on a 4-by-4 grid of tall platforms. Mad Jack will hide in his box and jump from platform to platform, attempting to flatten Tiny. When standing still, he will throw fireballs at her. After being hit 3 times, he will start firing lasers that shock a platform when hit. He will be invisible after taking four hits.
Puftoss	Gloomy Galleon	250	Lanky Kong	Puftoss sits in the middle of the small pond, spitting fireballs at Lanky. After a few hits, he will jump up and cause shock waves to travel to the outer walls of the arena. He may also summon Puftups to home in on, and damage Lanky.
King Kut Out	Creepy Castle	400	All (Lanky Kong goes first)	A cardboard cut out of King K. Rool that acts as the boss of Creepy Castle. The cut out is capable of firing lasers from its head and creating duplicate cut outs to fool the Kongs. The Kongs must use a cannon to strike the cut out.
King Krusha K. Rool	DK Isles	N/A	All (Donkey Kong goes first)	The final battle against King K. Rool (under the name King Krusha K. Rool) which plays out in a boxing style. King Krusha K. Rool uses a variety of attacks to harm the Kongs, from creating shockwaves, to throwing his gloves like boomerangs, to punching the Kongs, to faking being knocked out.

Note: The final boss, King K. Rool, does not involve help from Troff & Scoff.

Mini-bosses

There are only three mini-bosses in the game:

Mini-Boss	World	Description
Toy Monster	Frantic Factory	A giant monster made up of various toys. It can only be fought by Chunky while using the Hunky Chunky ability. It appears after Chunky defeats all the other toy enemies in the area. It attacks mostly through punches. Although the shock wave attack does hurt this enemy, it also hurts Chunky Kong in the process.
Giant Spider	Fungi Forest	The Giant Spider is a mini boss found in one of the barns in Fungi Forest. It can only be fought by Tiny, as she is the only one able to enter the barn at night (through a tiny hole in the side). The Giant Spider attacks by sending waves of little spiders at Tiny and spitting web balls from its mouth, some of which can even reverse the player's controls. To combat this foe, Tiny Kong has to attack its eye by using her Feather Bow.
Giant Viking Kremling	Crystal Caves	The Giant Viking Kremling is a mini boss found in Crystal Caves, and it is fought by Tiny. It is generally responsible for the constant raining stalactites in the area. It attacks much like its smaller counterparts, and can be defeated by using the Kongs' shock wave attack, musical instruments, or an orange if it's club is stuck in the ground.

Items

Item	Description
Golden Banana	Golden Bananas are the main collectible item, and they have a pivotal role in the storyline. They make up Donkey Kong's banana hoard supply, which were stolen by the Kremlings at the start of the game. Golden Bananas allow the Kongs to bypass B. Locker and enter new levels if they meet the minimum Golden Banana requirement. Each level has five Golden Bananas for each Kong to find, and they must complete certain challenges, often designed around each Kong's abilities, to earn the Golden Banana. There is a total of 201 Golden Bananas in the entire game. While not all Golden Bananas are required for finishing the game, they are required for 101% completion. After capturing every Banana Fairy, Tiny can visit the Banana Fairy Princess and receive the 201st Golden Banana. This specific Golden Banana has the Rareware logo on it instead of the usual Nintendo logo.
Banana	Bananas are the most common items. The Kongs must collect the bananas and feed them to Scoff until he becomes heavy enough for Troff, both of whom are using a mechanism, to elevate to the key and unlock the door to the level boss. Each banana is of a certain color that can only be obtained by the Kong who corresponds to that color. Each level has 500 bananas, with 100 for each Kong to collect. Bananas are found in every level except Hideout Helm, and they can be found individually, in bunches of fives, or packed into a Banana Balloon, which contains ten bananas.
Banana Bunch Coin	Banana Bunch Coins are used as currency to pay for the Kongs' services. Like bananas, Banana Bunch Coins appear in five different colors and can only be obtained by the Kong corresponding to that color. Banana Bunch Coins are used to learn new moves at Cranky's Lab, to buy weapons and upgrades at Funky's Store, and musical instruments from Candy's Music Shop. Donkey Kong also uses two extra Banana Bunch Coins to play the Donkey Kong arcade game.
5-Banana Coin	5-Banana Coins are a rare, multi-colored type of Banana Bunch Coin that give five Banana Bunch Coins to each Kong, even if a Kong has not yet been rescued. 5-Banana Coins are only found buried beneath a DK Dirt Pile, and the player can unearth it by performing a Super Slam. Each level usually only has one 5-Banana Coin.
Banana Medal	The Kongs can obtain a Banana Medal in a level by obtaining 75 bananas of their color. There are 40 Banana Medals in the game and five in each level, one for each Kong to collect. If the Kongs have at least 15 Banana Medals, Cranky allows them to play a classic Rareware title, Jetpac. In Hideout Helm, which does not feature any bananas, the Banana Medals are obtained differently: a Kong is rewarded a Banana Medal for completing one of their Bonus Stages. The other 25 Banana Medals do not have any other role other than to contribute to 101% completion.
Boss Key	Boss Keys are golden keys that are needed to open the padlocks of K. Lumsy's cage. There are eight Boss Keys, and as their name suggests, each one is guarded by a boss at the end of a level. The only exception is the eighth and final Boss Key, which is acquired at the end of Hideout Helm. Every time a Kong brings unlocks a padlock of K. Lumsy's cage, he happily celebrates and causes a tremor that slightly alters the layout in the hub world, allowing the Kongs to access more levels.
Melon	Melons represent the Kongs' health meter, and are made up of four slices. The Kongs start with one melon, but during their adventure, they can obtain two more from Candy Kong. If a Kong gets hit by an enemy or comes in contact with a stage hazard, they lose a melon slice, sometimes even two. They can obtain more melon slices by breaking open a Melon Crate or by defeating enemies such as Kritters or Gnawties. If the Kongs lose all their melon slices, they are sent back to the start of the level.
Melon Crate	Melon Crates are big, wooden crates with a melon imprinted on them. They contain up to four melon slices, which are used to replenish the Kongs' health.
Orange	Oranges are explosive fruits that are used as weapons. They have a multitude of uses, with the main use being to defeat enemies, including stronger ones such as Klump. Oranges are useful for destroying barriers and other obstacles, such as certain fragile walls and fences. The Kongs can carry up to 20 Oranges, but later in the game the limit slightly increases to 25, and again to 30. Oranges also appear during Multiplayer mode where they have an additional function of generating a shockwave attack.
Candy's Headphones	Candy's Headphones are blue headphones that fully restore the energy of the Kongs' instruments. Candy's Headphones are objects which appear around every level, and they fully restore the instruments' energy without the Kongs having to visit Candy's Music Shop. They can be used an unlimited number of times. Candy's Headphones only start to appear once the Kongs learn how to play their instruments.
Supply Crate	Supply Crates are wooden crate objects found in every level. They provide five pieces of ammo for the Kongs' weapons and often appear in areas that requiring them to use their weapons. A Kong can simply walk into a Supply Crate to obtain its ammo. There is a less common, unique, red type of Supply Crate that provides red homing ammo to the Kongs.
Crystal Coconut	Crystal Coconuts are crystal items that collectively power each Kong's Kong Barrel ability. The Kongs can initially carry up to twenty Crystal Coconuts, but as they capture more Banana Fairies, the amount increases; each collected Banana Fairy adds another Crystal Coconut to the max, for up to forty Crystal Coconuts. On certain occasions, like in the final battle, the Kongs receive infinite Crystal Coconuts.
Banana Camera Film	Banana Camera Films are yellow film rolls that are used with the Banana Fairy's Camera. They are necessary for capturing photographs of each of the Banana Fairies. Each time a Kong takes a photograph from the Banana Fairy's Camera, they use up a film. Banana Camera Films are uncommon items which only appear in certain parts of a level.
Rareware Coin	The Rareware Coin is one of the required items for obtaining the final Boss Key to unlock K. Lumsy's cage. In order to obtain it, the player must play Jetpac at Cranky's Lab. By earning 5,000 points in the game, the Rareware Coin drops from the top of the screen, allowing the player to obtain it.
Nintendo Coin	Aside from the Rareware Coin, the Nintendo Coin is another required item for obtaining the final Boss Key to K. Lumsy's cage. In Frantic Factory, there is an arcade cabinet of the original Donkey Kong game, which Donkey Kong must play. After completing it, Donkey Kong must play the arcade game again, this time with the Nintendo Coin replacing Pauline's sprite and increased game difficulty.
Blueprint	The blueprints are the design plans for the Blast-o-Matic, and Snide assigns the Kongs to recover the blueprints. There are five blueprints in each level, each of a different color corresponding to a Kong. Each blueprint is guarded by a Kasplat, whose hair represents which color blueprint they have. For each blueprint that the Kongs recover for Snide, they are rewarded with a Golden Banana. During the final level, Hideout Helm, Snide uses every blueprint that the Kongs recovered to delay the Blast-o-Matic from firing and gives the Kongs more time to deactivate the machine entirely.
Battle Crown	Battle Crowns are the reward for completing a Battle Arena Pad challenge, where the Kongs must survive several enemies within a time limit. There are ten Battle Crowns, four of which are required to enter K. Rool's throne room in Hideout Helm. The other six have no effect during the Kongs' adventure and only add to the 101% completion ranking.

Barrels

Barrel	Description
Barrel	Regular barrels return from the previous Donkey Kong Country titles, though they are very uncommon in Donkey Kong 64. The Kongs can pick up barrels and throw them to defeat enemies. Once thrown, the barrel continues rolling in the same direction until it hits into something, causing it to break.
Bonus Barrel	Bonus Barrels can be identified from a picture of a Golden Banana on them. When a Kong enters a Bonus Barrel, they are taken to a Bonus Stage where they must complete a certain task. After completing it, the Kong exits the Bonus Barrel with a Golden Banana reward. In Hideout Helm, the Bonus Barrels appear as a keg, and their Bonus Stages must be completed to deactivate the Blast-o-Matic.
Cranky's Kong Barrel	Cranky's Kong Barrels are wooden barrels that depict one of the five Kongs' face on them. These barrels are used to activate the Kongs' special abilities, learned when they consume Cranky's magic potions. For example, once Donkey Kong enters one of Cranky's Kong Barrel with his face on it, he becomes able to use his special ability, Strong Kong, for a limited amount of time. The special abilities, however, use up the Kongs' Crystal Coconuts.
Steel Keg	Steel Kegs are heavy, metallic barrels that only appear in a wooden barn of Fungi Forest. Due to their weight, Steel Kegs can only be lifted by Chunky Kong. Chunky must put three Steel Kegs on a conveyor belt at a nearby grinder to obtain a Golden Banana.
Tag Barrel	Tag Barrels are a rotating wooden barrel depicting one of the five Kongs' faces on each side. Tag Barrels are used for the player to switch into another Kong to play as.
TNT Barrel	TNT Barrels are explosive barrels that appear during Army Dillo's and Dogadon's boss fight, and they must be used to attack the boss. When thrown, TNT Barrels act like normal barrels by continuing to roll in a direction until they hit something. A difference with TNT Barrels is how a fiery explosion is generated when it collides into something. There are enemies known as TNT Bombers who hide in TNT Barrels.

Switches

There are a few types of switches, which usually affect the landscape when activates. This allows the Kongs to access to new areas and collectibles. The switches are either found on the ground, or in the walls, requiring a special ability to hit them. There are three types of switches:

Switch	Description
Kong Switch	Kong Switches are the most common type of switch, and as their name suggests, they depict the face of a Kong. Kong Switches appear in three colors, each of which can be activated by a type of Simian Slam including their stronger counterparts. The Simian Slam works on normal green Kong Switches, the Super Simian Slam on blue ones, and the Super Duper Simian Slam on red ones. When a Kong Switch is activated, it usually reveals a secret or opens up a passageway.
Target Switch	Target Switches are a type of switch that appear on the walls. Each one depicts a certain ammo, which indicates the specific type that can activate it. It either depicts a coconut (Donkey Kong), a peanut (Diddy Kong), a grape (Lanky Kong), a feather (Tiny Kong), or a pineapple (Chunky Kong).
Wall switch	Wall switches are similar to Target Switches except they can only be activated from Diddy's Chimpy Charge or Chunky's Primate Punch. They are the least common of the three switches.

Pads

Pad	Description
Cranky's Kong Pad	Cranky's Kong Pads depict one of the Kongs' face. They allow the depicted Kong to perform a unique ability associated with the Kong Pad, if the Kong has purchased the ability from Cranky's Lab.
Music Pad	By playing on a Music Pad, the Kong can trigger a certain event, such as revealing a Golden Banana or opening the entrance to a passageway. A Music Pad depicts an instrument, and only the Kong corresponding to it can perform on the Music Pad. The Kong does not use any musical energy from performing on a Music Pad.
Battle Arena Pad	Battle Arena Pads are pads with a headshot of King K. Rool on them. By stepping on a Battle Arena Pad, the Kong is teleported into a Battle Arena where they must fight several enemies and survive in the given time limit. When the Kongs successfully survive the Battle Arena challenge, they are rewarded a Battle Crown.
Bananaport Pad	Bananaport Pads are a pair of two pads that share a color and number. There are five pairs in every level and on the DK Isles hub. Once both pads in a pair are activated (which is done by walking onto each one), the Kong can enter a giant banana to quickly warp from a pad to its likewise one.

Mystery

When the players manage to collect a certain amount of Banana Fairies in any file, the Mystery option will be unlocked in the main menu. Depending on the number of Banana Fairies collected, the players will unlock the following things:

Unlockables	Banana Fairies	Details
Cinemas	2	The players can replay any of the cutscenes that they saw during game play. The ending cinema and bonus cinema are not included, however.
Bonuses	6	The players can play the bonus mini-games, the Rambi Arena and the Enguarde Arena, each pertaining to a certain Animal Friend. The Donkey Kong arcade game and the Jetpac game can also be played.
Bosses	10	The players can rematch any of the bosses they fought, except King K. Rool.
Krusha	15	The players can enable the use of Krusha for multiplayer mode.
Infinite Items	20	The players can set equipment supplies for all items to infinite. However, infinite ammunition only applies to Homing Ammo; normal ammunition is not infinite, thus the player cannot use this option until the Homing upgrade is bought. Health also is not included in the bonus.

Similarities between Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo-Kazooie

As both Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo-Kazooie were games made by Rare, there are a few similarities between them:

• In an early version, Banjo and Kazooie's faces could be seen on a shower stall in DK's Tree House. Similarly, pre-release material of Banjo-Kazooie shows a picture of DK as he appeared in the original Donkey Kong Country above Banjo's bed, but was eventually replaced with a picture of Tooty, Banjo's sister.
• The gameplay of Donkey Kong 64 shares many things with Banjo-Kazooie, like the different pads (and their appearance), the Golden Bananas (collected and used in the same way as Banjo-Kazooie's Jiggies), some moves (the OrangStand, for example, being extremely similar to the Talon Trot) and the Blast-o-Matic (which is more or less the Donkey Kong 64 equivalent of the B.O.B., the Big-O-Blaster, used by Gruntilda in Banjo-Tooie).
• Fungi Forest was originally intended for Banjo-Kazooie, but got canned due to time constraints, before being moved to Donkey Kong 64 with minor changes.
• Donkey Kong 64 was part of the incomplete feature called Stop 'n' Swop. It involved six different colored eggs and a key of ice, found in Banjo-Kazooie, and only two eggs and the key were shown in the ending cinematic (after collecting all 100 Jiggies). Their locations were sealed off, and it was told that they would be unlocked in Banjo-Tooie. After hackers found the codes to access their hiding places, the eggs proved useless. Rare intended to use them as a connection between Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, and Donkey Kong 64, unlocking secret features in all of them. After accessing a special pause menu, gamers were supposed to stop their current game and swap the Game Paks for another. Stop 'n' Swop got canned by Nintendo, due to concerns about players damaging their systems and the possibility that it would not be possible in some revisions of the Nintendo 64 hardware. Due to fact that the necessary chunk of the code for Banjo-Kazooie was already complete and compiled in the game after its release when Nintendo changed the N64's hardware, Stop 'n' Swop remained a mystery until the Xbox Live Arcade re-release of Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie where Rare completed the contraption they started, replacing Donkey Kong 64 with Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. However, the use of the Eggs and Key for Donkey Kong is still unknown.
• Donkey Kong 64 holds many cameos to the Banjo-Kazooie series, including the enemies resembling Swellbellies, and the relation between the enemy Gnawty and the character Gnawty, who is a minor character in Banjo-Kazooie.
• Inside of Candy's Shop are three of the instruments that appeared in the intro to Banjo-Kazooie, which are Banjo's banjo, Kazooie's kazoo, and Mumbo's xylophone.
• The tune that plays when Troff and Scoff unlock a boss door is almost identical to the tune that plays whenever Banjo enters a room containing a Stop 'N' Swop item in Banjo-Kazooie.
• In both games, the first three worlds share the same themes; the first being a mountain like valley, the second being set in a sandy like environment, and the third is set in an industrial facility.
• In both games, World 5 features two races, the first one not requiring a new move, but the second one requires a move that allows the player to run at a very fast speed. In both games, the move must be learned in the next world.
• In both games, World 7 takes place in a haunted like environment and even share similar music.

References to other games

• Donkey Kong: A full version of this game can be played at Frantic Factory. Notably, for many years, this would be the only rerelease of the arcade version since the Ikegami Tsushinki lawsuit until it was rereleased standalone in 2018 as part of the Arcade Archives line. Part of the song that plays in Creepy Castle (as well as in the dungeons) incorporates the melody heard while Donkey Kong is climbing to the top of the construction site with Pauline.
• Donkey Kong Country: The Jungle Japes theme is an arrangement of "DK Island Swing," the jungle level theme first heard in Jungle Hijinxs. Also, King K. Rool has the same appearance as that game, and Squawks has shrunken back down to his original size from that game.
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: Pictures of Kaptain K. Rool can be spotted in the sunken ship of Gloomy Galleon, in the museum of Creepy Castle and in some cabins in Crystal Caves.
• Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!: When the Kongs visit Wrinkly Kong for the first time, she says that she has been deceased since Donkey Kong Country 3. The alarm sound effect from Krack Shot Kroc is used for the K. Rool's Mobile Island Fortress, the conveyor belts in the Jungle Japes mine when they are set to "low," and in the minigame Krazy Kong Klamor.

References in later games

• Donkey Kong Country: The Game Boy Color remake features several minigames that were included in Donkey Kong 64, while the Game Boy Advance version features voices of DK, Diddy, and King K. Rool that were used in Donkey Kong 64. In addition, the menu selection for the former was taken directly from Donkey Kong 64.
• Super Smash Bros. Melee: The DK Rap was rearranged for background music on the Kongo Jungle stage. Jungle Japes appears as a stage, with many elements from its original appearance.
• Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's voices from this game are recycled from Donkey Kong 64.
• Donkey Kong Country 2: After the Kongs complete Funky's "Cool Sounds" mission in the Game Boy Advance remake, he mentions the Monkey Rap. Some of Dixie's voices are Tiny's recycled. Tiny Kong appears in Funky's minigames during Kongnapped and Kongnapped 2 where the player must rescue a certain amount of her.
• DK: King of Swing: Crystal Coconuts made a return, although they served an entirely different purpose. Also, Wrinkly Kong was a ghost in this game, just as she was in Donkey Kong 64. DK and Diddy's 64 voices are recycled yet again, although they are the edited versions heard in Donkey Kong Country for Game Boy Advance. Bats returned as enemies, now known as Flipflaps.
• Donkey Kong Country 3: Lanky, Tiny, and Chunky make cameos in one of Funky's minigames, in the Game Boy Advance remake.
• Mario Hoops 3-on-3: Diddy's Special Shot involves the use of his Rocketbarrel Jetpack.
• Donkey Kong Barrel Blast: Chunky's Pineapple Launcher, Crystal Coconuts, Golden Bananas, and Banana Fairies were usable items. Also, the entire concept of barrel-rocket belts originated from DK64. Lanky was also reintroduced in that game as well.
• Diddy Kong Racing DS: The game's title logo was similar to DK64's and Tiny Kong was a playable racer.
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Diddy Kong was included as a playable character, and his move-set (specifically his Rocketbarrel Boost and Peanut Popguns) came straight from Donkey Kong 64. Also, Diddy Kong, Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong, and Chunky Kong appear as stickers straight from Donkey Kong 64.
• Donkey Kong Country Returns: Diddy Kong can use a Rocketbarrel Jetpack to slow Donkey Kong's fall and in multiplayer when facing either Mugly or Thugly the player can have Diddy Kong shoot peanuts at them and Mugly or Thugly will eat them being distracted.
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U: Trophies of the Peanut Popgun and Rocketbarrel Pack appear in these games. Trophies of Lanky Kong and Tiny Kong appear in the Wii U version.
• Mario Party 10: DK's description says "He's finally back to kick some tail!"
• Skylanders: SuperChargers: Chunky Kong's special ability, Primate Punch, is used as Turbo Charge Donkey Kong's primary ability in this game.
• Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: A rearrangement of the Jungle Japes theme is used as Rabbid Kong's battle theme in this game. A rearrangement of DK Isles is also heard.
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: King K. Rool's Final Smash, Blast-o-Matic, is taken from the game over scene for this game, although it shows the weapon actually firing at the DK Isles and blowing it up. In addition, some of his moves as well as the near-end of the trailer have him adopting boxing gloves, referring to the nature of his final battle in the game. King K. Rool also cameos in the Boxing Ring arena nearing the end of Ken Masters and Incineroar's debut trailers, alluding to the final battle in the game, which dealt with a boxing match between him and the Kongs. Tiny Kong, Lanky Kong, and Chunky Kong also all appear as spirits.
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Donkey Kong's website description for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 references Chunky Kong's verse in the DK Rap, saying "He's so strong, it isn't funny."

Development

Donkey Kong 64 started development immediately after the conclusion of Donkey Kong Country 3's. The original incarnation of Donkey Kong 64 was meant to be more similar in design to the Donkey Kong Country series than the final game, featuring linear levels played through a combination of forward-scrolling and side view sections, similar to Crash Bandicoot. After around 18 months, development was rebooted after Rare took notice of the trend of open 3D games started by Super Mario 64. Transitioning the series to true 3D proved challenging: graphic artist Mark Stevenson noted that "As an artist who was on the DKC games, I used to build and animate the characters from a fixed side-on view. Being able to see this character from any angle, you'd make an animation, put it in the game, and you'd think it looked good side-on, but awful from every other angle! It was challenging from a technical and design perspective. Donkey Kong 64 was among the first Nintendo 64 game to feature dynamic lightning, although its implementation was faked after the first rendering.

Due to the success of Banjo-Kazooie, one of the first requests Rare co-president Tim Stamper made was to include even more collectables. Mechanics such as the 5 playable characters and "thrilling moments" such as mine cart and slide sequences were also deviced to differentiate the game from Banjo-Kazooie. Grant Kirkhope, who had composed the soundtrack to Banjo, settled on a darker tone due to David Wise's work on the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy. Although the realistic gun models sighted in pre-release material were always intended to be placeholder, the final design of the Coconut Gun was only conceived after a mortified Shigeru Miyamoto saw Donkey Kong's shotgun in a demo of the game and immediately drew up a replacement.

In 2013, a story was published that implied Donkey Kong 64 was not initially meant to require the Expansion Pak. According to that story, Rare was unable to fix a memory leak bug discovered near the game's release date; the bug would cause the game to crash after 30 minutes of gameplay, but Rare found that the issue did not occur when the Expansion Pak inserted. As a result, the game was bundled with the Expansion Pak, a move that supposedly took a large toll on the game's profits. This turned out to be the result of a misconception that confused and melded the decision to use the Expansion Pak into the discovery of the game-breaking bug, as indicated by lead artist Mark Stevenson in a 2019 interview. In 2019, Mark Stevenson said in a Nintendo Life interview that the Expansion Pak was in fact the only way to properly run Donkey Kong 64, as the game-breaking bug was eventually patched out, though the necessary game code required to run the game would be provided via the Expansion Pak, further proving that the game was built around it ever since the beginning of the game's development.

Staff

Main article: List of Donkey Kong 64 staff

Donkey Kong 64 was developed by Rare Ltd. and published by Nintendo. The game's core development team was largely formed of people who had no involvement with Rare's previous Donkey Kong games, although several Donkey Kong Country veterans such as Gregg Mayles and Chris Sutherland are credited as support staff.

The game's soundtrack was composed by Grant Kirkhope. Initially meant to assist Eveline Fischer, Kirkhope ended up composing the entire soundtrack (including the DK Rap) and also provided the voice of Donkey Kong.

Descriptions

Wii U Shop Channel

North America

"With his mechanical isle stuck off the shores of DK Island, K. Rool kidnaps the Kong family to distract Donkey Kong™. It's up to our furry hero to rescue his friends, reclaim his Golden Bananas, and save his homeland from certain doom. Choose from five Kong members as you play solo in a quirky adventure or with friends in competitive battle arenas!

Join Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong™, Tiny Kong™, Lanky Kong™, and Chunky Kong™ as they fight to keep DK Island safe and sound from K. Rool and his Kremling crew. Climb, swim, and jump with each of the five Kong members through treacherous and puzzling areas while taking advantage of their special abilities and upgrades. Encounter friendly aid from other Kongs and a caged Kremling by the name of K. Lumsy. Hunt for collectibles and play wacky minigames while solo, or duke it out in battle arenas with friends in a four-player split-screen view. There's enough fun to go around to make you go bananas!"

Europe

"King K. Rool™ has set his sights on conquering Kong Isle, and only Donkey Kong and his pals can save the day! In DK's first 3D adventure, help him rescue his furry friends, reclaim the Golden Bananas and save his homeland.

Take control not only of Donkey Kong and Diddy, but also Tiny, Lanky and Chunky Kong. Each character has unique abilities, from Tiny’s Ponytail Twirl to Chunky’s Pineapple Launcher.

With a massive single-player quest packed with surprises and a madcap multiplayer mode, Donkey Kong 64 is a bursting barrel of fun!"

Reception

Donkey Kong 64 was the subject of universal acclaim at release. Critics praised the game's length and large amount of content, the variety brought about by the game's tasks and different player characters, and the graphics, although multiple outlets expressed disappointment that Donkey Kong 64 did not feel like a massive technological leap over the developer's previous work on Banjo-Kazooie despite requiring the Expansion Pak accessory. A reoccurring criticism of the game was that Donkey Kong 64 was derivative of Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, and not a revolutionary step like the critics judged Donkey Kong Country to be.

In a 1999 interview, Shigeru Miyamoto said of Donkey Kong 64 that Rare "really perfected the art" of making 3D action games and that "I bet you that it turns out to be the absolute best 3D action game available on any hardware - even including Dreamcast.", although he ultimately judged that Donkey Kong 64 would not be a game that would attract new players to the Nintendo 64.

In later years, critical reception to Donkey Kong 64 has been more mixed. Modern retrospectives of the Donkey Kong series and reviews of the game's Wii U rerelease have criticized various aspects of Donkey Kong 64's design such as the excessive gating of collectables and switches by characters, the tedium of having to backtrack to switch characters through the Tag Barrel, and the low quality and frustrating nature of many of the Bonus Stages. Publications such as Electronic Gaming Monthly blamed Donkey Kong 64 as one of the factors in the decreasing fortunes of the 3D platformer genre. Former Rare employee and Donkey Kong 64 composer Grant Kirkhope was quoted as saying the game and fellow Rare platformer Banjo-Tooie were "too much", and the game's lead tester Gavin Price mocked its high amount of collectibles in an interview.

In a 2016 Famitsu poll to determine the "most memorable" games for each console, Donkey Kong 64 ranked 7th for the Nintendo 64 with 129 votes, being the only Donkey Kong game to make the list.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
N64	Matt Casamassina, IGN	9/10	"Well, Donkey Kong 64 has finally hit home and I think the wait has definitely been worth it. The game, while not the leap and bound that Donkey Kong Country was for Super NES, is still an excellent platformer all the same. It's an epic, gargantuan, huge, giant-sized platformer. It's a game that is packed full of things to do. There is so much that it's often overwhelming. The game is every great platformer combined into one package. And that, more than anything else, is what separates it from the competition."
N64	Nelson Taruc, GameSpot	9/10	"That said, this reviewer feels Donkey Kong 64 offers too much solid gameplay to warrant such criticism, even though it's not the technological marvel that Donkey Kong Country had been in its heyday. Those of you who remotely liked Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie will be excited to the point of numbness by this game. However, for those of you averse to the "collect everything" gameplay mentality, this game might come off as a chore to complete. In any case, Donkey Kong 64 has high-quality adventure written all over it - despite its camera flaws - and it gives you many reasons to see the good-guy Kongs thrive in 3D."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		90
GameRankings		86.73%

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Donkey Kong 64 media.

Several course's themes for Donkey Kong 64 are actually unused themes from Banjo-Kazooie that were reused for the game.

The DK Rap - This is what plays during the introduction to Donkey Kong 64.

File infoMedia:DKRap.oga 3:20

Jungle Japes Theme - This music plays when the Kongs enter Jungle Japes.

File infoMedia:Jungle Japes.oga 4:09

Mad Jack's Theme - This music plays when Tiny faces Mad Jack.

File infoMedia:Mad Jack.oga 4:23

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Donkey Kong 64.

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  Donkey Kong with his Coconut Gun

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  Diddy Kong

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  Tiny Kong

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  Lanky Kong

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  Chunky Kong with his Pineapple Launcher

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  King K. Rool

Quotes

Main article: List of Donkey Kong 64 quotes

• "I've been waiting a long time for this moment. Soon, Donkey Kong and his pretty little island will be no more!" - King K. Rool
• "Well, if it isn't my good-for-nothin' son..." - Professor Cranky Kong
• "Snide's my name, revenge is my game!" - Snide

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Donkey Kong 64 pre-release and unused content

Early screenshots show that DK's Tree House was meant to have a shower stall with Banjo and Kazooie on it. The Kong's weapons originally resembled actual weapons, such as Donkey Kong's Coconut Shooter resembling a double barreled shotgun.

Glitches

Main article: List of Donkey Kong 64 glitches

Donkey Kong 64 contains a variety of glitches, to a degree that the game is often considered to be one of the most broken games on the Nintendo 64. Lag issues are common, most noticeably in Frantic Factory and few other places. To keep the gameplay at a steady pace, the developers implemented a movement speed-to-lag system, where the more lag there is, the faster characters move. Due to this, players can frequently clip through terrain. Orange explosions cause massive lag, and the fact that the player can enter first person mode and throw oranges faster allowed the use of many more sequence breaks and wall clips. Most of the lag issues were fixed in the Virtual Console release of the game, which means some glitches are impossible to perform.

Name in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ドンキーコング64[?] Donkī Kongu Rokujūyon	Donkey Kong 64
Chinese	森喜刚64 (Simplified) 森喜剛64 (Traditional)[?] Sēnxǐgāng	Literally "Forest Happy Kong 64"

Trivia

• The game was originally nicknamed Ultra Donkey Kong by the press (although Leigh Loveday denied the game was ever named that internally) and was rumored to be for the Nintendo 64DD.
• In Banjo-Tooie, another Rare game, one of the questions Gruntilda asks during the final battle is "What is the name of the first game I appeared in?". One of its three answers, Grunty Kong 64, directly references Donkey Kong 64.