Donkey Kong Country

Template:Articleabout Template:Infobox Donkey Kong Country is a game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1994, it is known for being the first game to use pre-rendered sprites, creating creating a 3D effect throughout the game. It is the first game in the Donkey Kong Country series, with three sequels, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. It also has a similar semi-sequel, titled Donkey Kong Land. The game stars Donkey Kong, along with his buddy, Diddy Kong, in his debut, as the two travel across Donkey Kong Island in search for the Banana Hoard.

The game was remade for the Game Boy Color in 2000, and was also remade again for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The two remakes feature some new Bonus Games, the ability to save in the overworld, and several more new elements. Donkey Kong Country was also released on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2006, being the same as the original version.

Story

King K. Rool has stolen Donkey Kong's precious Banana Hoard from his home on Donkey Kong Island. With the help of his friend, Diddy Kong, Donkey must chase K. Rool to his ship, the Gangplank Galleon, and get back his bananas.

Gameplay

Diddy and Donkey Kong in Jungle Hijinxs.

The game introduces the "tag-team" system. Diddy and Donkey Kong follow each other and each have their own unique abilities. Diddy is faster and more agile than Donkey, however, he's not as strong as Donkey and have difficulty defeating stronger enemies such as Krushas. Donkey Kong is stronger and slower, as well as having his own unique move called Hand Slap. If one of the Kongs happens to be attacked, he will run away and can't be used. A Kong can be "resurrected" by finding a DK Barrel and smashing it. Losing both Kongs or falling in a bottomless pit will cause an Extra Life to be lost.

Kong Allies

During their adventure, Donkey and Diddy are helped by the other members of the Kong clan. They are:

• Cranky Kong helps by randomly giving hints. He also appears to give narration after the defeat of a boss in the Game Boy Advance version.
• Candy Kong allows the player to save their progress. She also hosts a dance mini-game in the Game Boy Advance version.
• Funky Kong lets the Kongs use his barrel jet, allowing them to visit worlds they have already completed. He also hosts a fishing mini-game in the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance version.

Animal Buddies

The Kongs are not the only ones to aid Donkey and Diddy in their quest, the wildlife also help. Each Animal Buddy is prisoner in a crate with their likeness on it. The Kongs can only use the Animal Buddies in certain levels, meaning that the apes leave their helpers once they leave a level. Each buddy has different abilities, as shown below.

Image	Name	Description	First Level Appearance	Last Level Appearance
File:RambiDKC.PNG	Rambi the Rhinoceros	Rambi is first found halfway through the first level. He is able to ram into most enemies to defeat them, and he can also break entrances to hidden Bonus Levels.	Jungle Hijinx	Oil Drum Alley
File:EnguardeDKC.PNG	Enguarde the Swordfish	Enguarde is an Animal Buddy that is exclusively found in underwater levels. The Kongs have better control underwater while riding him, and his sharp nose is able to defeat any enemies on the way.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
File:WinkyDKC.PNG	Winky the Frog	Winky can defeat most enemies by jumping on them, including Zingers, which can not be touched by a Kong otherwise. Winky also jumps very high, providing access to certain Bonus Levels. He is replaced by Rattly the Rattlesnake in Donkey Kong Country 2.	Winky's Walkway	Rope Bridge Rumble
File:SquawksDKC.PNG	Squawks the Parrot	Squawks is the only non-rideable Animal Buddy in the game. He assists the Kongs by carrying a lamp through the level Torchlight Trouble, which helps them see in the dark cave. He can not be hurt by enemies, nor does he come from an Animal Crate.	Torchlight Trouble	Torchlight Trouble
File:ExpressoDKC.PNG	Expresso the Ostrich	Expresso has the ability to dash through areas at a fast pace. He can also glide through the air, much like Dixie Kong can in later Donkey Kong Country installments. Smaller enemies (such as Klaptraps) may also pass under his legs.	Temple Tempest	Misty Mine

Items and Objects

This article is under construction. Therefore, please excuse its informal appearance while it is being worked on. We hope to have it completed as soon as possible.

During their adventure, Diddy and Donkey run in a variety of collectibles and objects, some helpful, some harmful. They are listed below.

Image	Name	Description

Levels

The overworld map.

The "world" (Represented by a Hut) located before Kongo Jungle on the overworld map can not be accessed. The Kongs are shown to start off their journey by leaving this area and heading to Kongo Jungle.

Note that the following table lists the levels in the original order on the SNES version of the game.

Levels and Bonus Areas
Kongo Jungle
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
1			Jungle Hijinx	2	Jungle
2			Ropey Rampage	2	Jungle
3			Reptile Rumble	3	Cave
4			Coral Capers	0	Coral
5			Barrel Cannon Canyon	2	Jungle
6			BOSS LEVEL: Very Gnawty's Lair	0	Boss Arena
Monkey Mines
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
7			Winky's Walkway	1	Walkway
8			Mine Cart Carnage	0	Mines
9			Bouncy Bonanza	3	Cave
10			Stop & Go Station	2	Mines
11			Millstone Mayhem	3	Temple
12			BOSS LEVEL: Necky's Nuts	0	Boss Arena
Vine Valley
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
13			Vulture Culture	3	Forest
14			Tree Top Town	2	Treetops
15			Forest Frenzy	2	Forest
16		18	Temple Tempest	2	Temple
17		16	Orang-utan Gang	5	Jungle
18		17	Clam City	0	Coral
19			BOSS LEVEL: Bumble B. Rumble	0	Boss Arena
Gorilla Glacier
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
20			Snow Barrel Blast	3	Snow
21			Slipslide Ride	3	Cave
22		23	Ice Age Alley	2	Snow
23		22	Croctopus Chase	0	Coral
24		25	Torchlight Trouble	2	Cave
25		24	Rope Bridge Rumble	2	Treetops
26			BOSS LEVEL Really Gnawty Rampage	0	Boss Arena
Kremkroc Industries, Inc.
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
27			Oil Drum Alley	4	Factory
28			Trick Track Trek	3	Walkway
29		30	Elevator Antics	3	Cave
30		29	Poison Pond	0	Coral
31		32	Mine Cart Madness	3	Walkway
32		31	Blackout Basement	2	Factory
33			BOSS LEVEL: Boss Dumb Drum	0	Boss Arena
Chimp Caverns
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
34			Tanked Up Trouble	1	Walkway
35			Manic Mincers	3	Cave
36			Misty Mine	2	Mines
-	37	-	Necky Nutmare	1	Cave
37	38	37	Loopy Lights	2	Mines
38	39	38	Platform Perils	2	Walkway
39	40	39	BOSS LEVEL: Necky's Revenge	0	Boss Arena
Gangplank Galleon
#			Level	Bonus Areas	Type of Level
SNES	GBC	GBA
40	41	40	BOSS LEVEL: Gangplank Galleon	0	Boss Arena

Enemies

This article is under construction. Therefore, please excuse its informal appearance while it is being worked on. We hope to have it completed as soon as possible.

Normal Enemies

Image	Name	Description	First Level Appearance	Last Level Appearance
File:TheArmy.PNG	Army		Ropey Rampage	Platform Perils
	Bitesize		Coral Capers	Poison Pond
File:Juniorsquirt.gif	Chomps Jr.		Coral Capers	Poison Pond
	Chomps		Coral Capers	Croctopus Chase
File:Clampbo.PNG	Clambo		Coral Capers	Clam City
	Croctopus		Coral Capers	Croctopus Chase
	Gnawty		Jungle Hijinks	Platform Perils
File:KlaptrapDKC.PNG	Klaptrap		Stop & Go Station	Loopy Lights
File:Klumpy.PNG	Klump		Jungle Hijinks	Platform Perils
File:KrashKlash.PNG	Krash		Mine Cart Carnage	Mine Cart Madness
File:KrittersDKC.PNG	Kritter		Jungle Hijinks	Loopy Lights
File:Krush.PNG	Krusha		Millstone Mayhem	Platform Perils
File:DankyMong.PNG	Manky Kong		Orang-utan Gang	Loopy Lights
File:Mincer.PNG	Mincer
File:MinineckDKC.PNG	Mini-Necky
	Necky		Jungle Hijinks	Platform Perils
File:DrumOil.PNG	Oil Drum		Winky's Walkway
File:Rockkrock.PNG	Rockkroc		Stop and Go Station	Stop and Go Station
File:MilkSlippa.PNG	Slippa		Reptile Rumble
File:JellySquidge.PNG	Squidge			Poison Pond
File:ZingDKC.PNG	Zinger		Ropey Rampage	Platform Perils

Bosses

Each Boss is found at the end of a world and guards a portion of Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard. Each boss (excluding King K. Rool) is a bigger version of a generic enemy. They are, in order of appearance.

Image	Name	Description	Level Appearance
File:VeryGnawty.PNG	Very Gnawty	Remember a simple Gnawty what jump very low.	Very Gnawty's Lair
File:NeckyMaster.PNG	Master Necky	A giant Necky what throw nuts. Is needed to jump in his head.	Necky's Nuts
File:ZingerQueen.PNG	Queen B.	A Giant Zinger what turn in his room. Is defeated with some attacks with Barrels	Bumble B. Rumble
File:ReallyGnawty.PNG	Really Gnawty	Other Giant Gnawty, but can jump more high and run.	Really Gnawty Rampage
File:DumbDrum.PNG	Dumb Drum	A giant Oil Drum what throw enemies after what hit the floor. For defeat it, is needed to attack all the enemies what exit.	Boss Dumb Drum
File:MasterNeckySenior.PNG	Master Necky Snr.	Is other giant Necky, but each turn add a nut to throw.	Necky's Revenge
File:KingKroolDKC.PNG	King K. Rool	The King launch his crown, and when ground pound do fall giant balls.	Gangplank Galleon

Quotes

Main article: List of Quotes in Donkey Kong Country

Ports

The game was ported to the Game Boy Color in 2000. While it's a faithful conversion, there are still a few differences:

• There are three different title screens.
• Much like Donkey Kong Land, only one Kong appears at time.
• The Game Boy printer can be used.
• The level "Winky's Walkway" was extended.
• A new level called "Necky Nutmare" has been added in Chimp Caverns.
• The Kongs don't ride the Animal Buddies; rather, they become them.
• Two minigames have been added: Funky hosts a fishing game known as Funky's Fishing (which would be later reprised in the GBA port) and Cranky oversees a shooting game.
• Two additional difficulties have been added: the first one removes DK Barrels and the second one removes Star Barrels.
• Some of the music in Donkey Kong Land was reused.

Another port was made for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The changes for this one include:

• Candy hosts a dancing mini-game at Candy's Dance Studio.
• A "Time Attack" mode has been added.
• The Rockkroc enemy can now be defeated by using Donkey Kong's Handslap move.
• Some enemies have different colors.
• Some bosses were made stronger: Queen B. now has three Zingers surrounding her, Really Gnawty can make stalactites fall, Dumb Drum must have a TNT Barrel thrown at it, and the battle against Master Necky Snr. is against both him and Master Necky the younger simultaneously.
• The game can be saved at any time on a map screen.
• After meeting Funky once, he can be summoned anytime on the world map.
• The maps have been redesigned.
• Starting from Vine Valley onwards, a few of the levels have been placed in a different order; for instance, Temple Tempest became the sixth level in Vine Valley, rather than the fourth.
• The credits took place in Donkey Kong's Treehouse in the original; they now take place on the Gangplank Galleon.
• A new mode called "Videogame Hero" has been added. In this mode, the player controls a yellow-clad Diddy and will never encounter DK Barrels or Star Barrels.
• The save also saves the number of lives.
• The automatic barrels that sent players to bonus rooms were replaced by the Bonus Barrel used in the sequel.
• The game had more voices.
• A scrapbook was added, in which players had to collect Photographs throughout the game in order to add pictures to it.

Reaction and sales

At the time of its release, Donkey Kong Country was extremely acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. According to Gamespot, Donkey Kong Country has a critic score of 9.3, having over 90% from every critic. Praise went to its graphics, music, and overall fun and addictive game-play.

Sales were more than expected, since the game was released at the peak of the 16-bit era, but when the Sega Genesis was at the height of its popularity, and the SNES witnessed its rise. The game had an extremely successful first day at the stores, and sold 8.5 million copies worldwide, 2nd on the SNES to Super Mario World. To date, it is the best selling Donkey Kong game and the best seller by Rare.

The game was placed 39th in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997.

Although it won 1994's game of the year by EGM, it was later placed on their top 10 overrated games, as well as on Gamespy's overrated games of all time list. It has mixed reactions today, but is still well-received by fans.

References to Other Games

• Donkey Kong- Cranky Kong claims to be the Donkey Kong in this game, he also makes mentions fighting Mario, and is seen in the final stage of this game in the opening scenes. The Oil Drums from the first stage were also featured in this game at Oil Drum Alley.
• Donkey Kong Jr.- If the above is true, Donkey Kong Junior is the Donkey Kong featured in this game.

References in Later Games

• Donkey Kong Land: The semi-sequel, which contained gameplay elements from Donkey Kong Country, as well as remixes of some songs.
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: The direct sequel, which of course, contained many gameplay elements from its predecessor. Also, in the Game Boy Advance remake, Diddy makes a reference to the first game in the intro, stating that he didn't want to surrender the Banana Hoard to K. Rool after all that he and Donkey Kong went through to get them last time. Also, a remix of the Jungle Hijinxs theme plays in the bonus stages, and Winky could be seen in the background of Cranky's Monkey Museum.
• Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!: As with Donkey Kong Country 2, many gameplay elements were reused (including the return of being able to balance the Kongs on steel barrels, which was absent in DKC2). Also, another Jungle Hijinxs remix can be heard at Wrinkly's Save Cave.
• Conker's Pocket Tales: When Conker stands still for a moment, he will start playing a Game Boy. The music that is heard while he is playing is the title theme of DKC. This game came out in 1999, where the DKC remake for the Game Boy came out in 2000.
• Super Smash Bros.: Donkey Kong appears as a playable character, and there's a selectable jungle themed stage, which contains a blasting barrel at the bottom.
• Donkey Kong 64: Another installment in the series. It features the entire non-playable Kong cast, as well as another Jungle Hijinxs remix.
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii: The animal buddy mechanics are used on the Yoshis, meaning that they could only be used in certain levels in that game. Also, barrels could be picked up and thrown.

Beta Elements

Main article: Donkey Kong Country/Beta elements

Staff

Main article: Donkey Kong Country Staff

Glitches

Main article: Donkey Kong Country/Glitches

Trivia

• The Gnawty enemy is pictured as blue on the boxart while they were gray in-game. They eventually became blue in Donkey Kong 64 and the GBA port.
• This game has an adaptation in the Super Mario-Kun manga with some changes. Mario and Yoshi land in the Donkey Kong Country by mistake, and Cranky Kong asks to them help Donkey and Diddy in their task to find the bananas and stop King K. Rool.

References

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