Diddy Kong Racing

Diddy Kong Racing
	; For alternate box art, see the related gallery.
Developer	Rareware
Publishers	Rareware (US, EU); Nintendo (JPN)
Platform	Nintendo 64
Release dates	November 21, 1997; November 21, 1997; November 24, 1997;
Languages	English; Japanese; French (Europe); German;
Genres	Racing, adventure
ESRB:	- Kids to Adults
PEGI:	- Three years and older[?]
ELSPA:	- Three years and older[?]
USK:	- All ages[?]
ACB:	- General[?]
Modes	Single player, multiplayer
Format	Nintendo 64: Game Pak
Input	Nintendo 64: Nintendo 64 Controller
Serial code	NUS-NDYJ-JPN;

This article is about the Nintendo 64 game. For the Nintendo DS remake, see Diddy Kong Racing DS.

"DKR" redirects here. For the canceled Nintendo GameCube follow-up starring Donkey Kong, see Donkey Kong Racing. For the Wii game known as "Donkey Kong Returns" in Japanese, see Donkey Kong Country Returns.

“A Wild Racing Adventure”

—Tagline

Diddy Kong Racing is a racing/adventure game developed and published by Rareware for the Nintendo 64. Featuring gameplay elements similar to those in the Mario Kart series, the game includes the use of airplanes, hovercrafts, and cars. The game features a story mode and a multiplayer mode. Most of the game's playable characters besides the titular Diddy Kong are original characters, though two characters who would go on to be the main characters of their own franchises, Banjo and Conker, first appeared in Diddy Kong Racing while their own games were still in development.

Diddy Kong Racing sold 4.5 million copies upon release^[5] and was recognized by Guinness World Records as the fastest-selling game of the time, with 800,000 copies sold before Christmas 1997. The game was even successful enough to become a Player's Choice title.

Two sequels were planned, but both were subsequently canceled in the aftermath of Microsoft's acquisition of Rare in 2002. These included Donkey Kong Racing for the Nintendo GameCube and Diddy Kong Pilot for the Game Boy Advance, the latter of which was eventually reworked into the Banjo-Kazooie game Banjo-Pilot. Around 2004, Climax pitched its own sequel idea to Nintendo, Diddy Kong Racing Adventure, but it was ultimately rejected. A remake of the game was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007, titled Diddy Kong Racing DS.

Story[edit]

Taj introduces himself to Diddy.

According to the instruction manual, the story begins with Diddy Kong sitting on the porch of his tree house, opening a letter delivered by a carrier pigeon. The note reads, "Dear Diddy, Help!!!" The message is from his old friend, Timber, the son of the Kongs' guests, the Tigers. Diddy reads the note and invites his friends, Banjo and Conker, to join him in the fight against Wizpig. Diddy calls Squawks to deliver the message to his friends. While Diddy is in the jungle, two Kremlings watch him from behind a boulder. One Kremling, Krunch, suggests they follow Diddy, but the other Kremling ignores him; Krunch eventually follows Diddy Kong.

Meanwhile, Timber is trying to calm Pipsy, where she exclaims that she had just seen Taj, who said he would help. TipTup, confused, protests that Taj has been missing for 50 years. Afterwards, the group thinks about the Wizpig face that was carved onto the mountainside overnight and the race courses that were magically sealed. The group knows they need to solve the problem before Timber's parents return. Bumper then concludes the conversation by telling his friend that everybody needs to start practicing. Agreeing with Bumper, Timber and his friends leave, hoping that Diddy Kong does not mention this to Timber's parents; this is where the story leads into the game's own opening, where Taj introduces himself to the player character and explains what they need to do to progress.

When the first four worlds are completed, the carving of Wizpig's head on the mountainside opens and allows one of the characters to race Wizpig. After beating him, the group has a party along the beach. However, Wizpig interferes in the party before a spaceship arrives and takes him into space. The lighthouse on the beach transforms into a rocket ship that takes them to Future Fun Land.

After the character completes all the tasks in that world and gets the whole T.T. amulet, Wizpig can be faced again, racing against him in their plane, while he rides a rocket. After winning, Wizpig's rocket short circuits and blasts him into an unknown planet. Once again, the characters celebrate their victory without Wizpig interfering and with the carving of Wizpig's head on the mountainside turned into a golden carving of Taj's head.

Right before the credits roll, one of Wizpig's spaceships appears, and Wizpig's laughter is heard, leaving the game on a cliffhanger. The credits end on the text "To be continued..." with Diddy Kong Pilot or Donkey Kong Racing originally intended to serve as the follow-up to the game before both were canceled.

Gameplay[edit]

One of Diddy Kong Racing's main mechanics is the use of different vehicles. For example, Diddy is riding a plane.

Diddy Kong Racing features ten playable characters—eight of which are available by default, and two unlockable—and three different types of vehicles for different terrain: cars for land, hovercrafts for water or land, and planes for air. Each character and vehicle has different strengths and weaknesses, sometimes in combination. For example, Krunch normally has low steering, but his steering is higher in a hovercraft due to that vehicle's emphasis on weight.

In races, bananas can be picked up to increase speed, while Weapon Balloons provide items to use in the race. The color of the Weapon Balloon determines what item it will be, and collecting multiple of the same color in sequence improves the item's effects by up to a total of three levels. Collecting a balloon of another color cancels it out and replaces it with the new item.

Adventure Mode[edit]

The overworld for adventure mode.

Adventure mode is the main mode of the game. While exploring Timber's Island, the players must find a number of Golden Balloons to access various challenges and to defeat Wizpig. There is a total of five worlds that can be accessed from the main Timber's Island hub, and each has four main racetracks, a trophy championship, a boss track, and—aside from the last one—a special battle minigame. Different vehicles are sometimes required for different tracks, and the player can change them at any time by speaking with Taj, located in the center of the Timber's Island map. Each of the smaller worlds, meanwhile, instead has T.T. walking around the hub, and he tells the player's progress when approached. If the players beats the boss of the world they are given the challenge of collecting eight silver coins in each course of that world and then win simultaneously. When the challenge is complete, the player faces the boss again. After beating the boss again, the racer receives a piece of Wizpig amulet, and the player can participate in a world's Grand Prix mode, the Trophy Race, which the boss even suggests. The player obtains a gold trophy if they win first place, a silver one for second place, and a bronze one for third place.

Golden Balloons can be found scattered on Timber's Island or won from races, either from tracks or from Taj on the island. All of the standard tracks have two Golden Balloons available: one from a standard race, and one from completing a Silver Coin collection challenge. The standard races must be completed first to race the world's boss, who then challenges the player to complete the Silver Coin races; after they are completed as well, the player can rematch the boss for a piece of the Wizpig amulet. The boss then challenges the player to complete the Trophy Race championship. Each of the first four worlds has a key hidden in one track that opens a gate to the respective world's battle minigame, which awards a piece of the T.T. amulet.

When all four pieces of the Wizpig amulet are gathered, the player is able to race Wizpig in Wizpig's First Strike, accessed by flying into the giant stone Wizpig mouth in the central hub. Upon losing, he throws a tantrum and retreats to his own planet, Future Fun Land, which is accessed by driving to where the lighthouse used to be on the beach To race him again, the player must complete all races and Silver Coin challenges, requiring every Golden Balloon in the game, and collecting all four pieces of the T.T. amulet from the Challenge levels. The adventure is complete once Wizpig is defeated here.

Taj's challenges[edit]

TipTup racing Taj in a plane

After the player collects enough Golden Balloons in Adventure Mode, Taj will appear and challenge the player to a race in a specific vehicle. The player has to race Taj, who rides a flying carpet. The racetrack is marked with red flags showing the Nintendo 64 logo and the player has to follow them. If they leave the set track by too far a margin, they will be disqualified. After Taj is beaten, he will reward the player with another Golden Balloon. There are three different challenges and each of them can be repeated at any time after they have been unlocked (the player will only obtain one Golden Balloon per challenge however).

Car Challenge is a relatively easy race done in a car. This race goes around a dirt road right in front of Dino Domain and reaches into a tunnel. This should be very easy for the player because of Taj's slow movement.

Hovercraft Challenge is the second of Taj's races and is somewhat more difficult than the Car Challenge. The track is mostly in water and begins next to the bridge which leads to Dino Domain. In the race the player will hover into a waterfall that is on the far east of the river. Here, they will be in a cave leading to Snowflake Mountain and eventually fall down two small waterfalls taking them to the ocean. Going east will take the player back on shore where they need to go through a small tunnel leading to the finish line.

Plane Challenge is considered to be the hardest of Taj's three races and a plane is used in it. This race begins at the same place where the Car Challenge begins. From the start the player must fly up to the tunnel leading to Snowflake Mountain and then move east, going over a long river. From there, the player must glide to the beach and go east again. After going through a small tunnel, the player should end up at the finish line.

Adventure Two Mode[edit]

Adventure Two is played the same as the standard Adventure Mode, but harder. The balloons are silver, the tracks are flipped (very similar to Mirror Mode in the Mario Kart series), and the locations of the silver coins are different, often in hard to reach places. It is unlocked by defeating Wizpig at Future Fun Land in Adventure Mode.

Tracks Mode[edit]

Players can freely play all the race tracks unlocked. Tracks with a Taj symbol are completed tracks, and players can choose any vehicle that is compatible with the track. Tracks with a Wizpig symbol have not been cleared, and players will be unable to play that track at all. The tracks are listed in the order they appear in Trophy Races, not in the order they are unlocked in Adventure Mode. At the start of the game, only the first of the tracks (as ordered by the Trophy Race) can be played from each of the main four worlds. Time Trial mode is also accessed here, where the player needs to race to beat T.T.'s best times. This is optional in the main game, but it is required to unlock T.T. himself. Additionally, "magic codes" can be used to affect the game in various ways, with one being told to the player after they complete the adventure.

Trophy Races and Challenge levels are also accessible through Tracks mode; however, players always use each track's default vehicle, regardless if a Taj symbol is present.

If Adventure Mode progress is deleted via the Save Options menu, the Tracks Mode also resets its status.

Characters[edit]

Playable characters[edit]

All of Diddy Kong Racing's playable characters unlocked

There are 10 playable characters in Diddy Kong Racing, with eight available from the start and two being unlockable. All of these characters except Diddy Kong debut in this game. Some characters have discrepancies depending on the vehicle they use; TipTup and Pipsy have the same speed as Diddy on a car when they have 4 to 10 bananas and have the same speed as Diddy on a hovercraft and a plane, while T.T. has the same speed and acceleration as Krunch on a plane.^[6] This is the first game to introduce Banjo, TipTup (later renamed Tiptup), and Conker, three characters who appear in other Rare games with Banjo being one of the main characters in Banjo-Kazooie and Tiptup appearing as a minor character, returning in the sequel Banjo-Tooie. Conker would appear in Conker's Pocket Tales and would've appeared in Twelve Tales: Conker 64 until it was reworked into the adult-oriented title, Conker's Bad Fur Day. With the exception of T.T., all of the playable characters appear in the game's intro sequence. All ten characters have their own theme instrument in the background music of the "Player Select" menu that changes depending on the highlighted character: a muted horn - which plays an arrangement of "DK Island Swing" - for Diddy, steel drums for Pipsy, a steel guitar for Bumper, a marimba for TipTup, a harmonica for Timber, a banjo for Banjo, a flute for Conker, an electric guitar for Krunch, a fiddle for Drumstick, and a rotary organ for T.T.

Only Diddy Kong and Krunch, characters originating (or whose species originate) from the Donkey Kong franchise, are owned by Nintendo, while the rest of the characters, who are wholly original characters created by Rare, are property of the company and Microsoft following its buyout. Because of this, Banjo and Conker would be removed in Diddy Kong Racing DS, replaced by Tiny Kong and Dixie Kong respectively. However, Tiptup still appears in both versions.

Default characters[edit]

Driver	Weight	Acceleration	Turning	Top speed	Bio
Krunch	Heavy	1/5	1/5	4/5	"Seeing Diddy Kong rush off so suddenly makes the Kremlings very suspicious, so Krunch goes bounding after him to make sure there aren't any anti-Kremling plots in the works. Diddy Kong, Timber and company don't exactly trust him, but Krunch insists he's only there to lend a hand..."
Diddy Kong	Middle	3/5	3/5	2.5/5	"Regarded as a hero after all his adventures in Kong country, the young primate is a long-time friend of Timber and doesn't think twice about responding to his call for help. With his family tending to their guests, he even manages to sneak off without their interference."
Bumper	Middle	2.5/5	2.5/5	3/5	"Unlike most of his kind, Bumper the badger prefers speed and thrills to a quiet nocturnal lifestyle. He gets even more worked up than his friends when he realizes how much racing and excitement will be involved in the crusade against Wizpig..."
Banjo	Heavy	2/5	2/5	3.5/5	"Even before the start of his future partnership with Kazooie, Banjo isn't one to turn down the chance of an adventure. So when Squawks brings the message from his pal Diddy Kong, the Honey Bear stuffs a few things into his trusty backpack and takes to his heels."
Conker	Middle	2.5/5	2.5/5	3/5	"Another friend made by Diddy Kong on one of his endless adventures with Donkey Kong, Conker is also an exploration nut who'll jump at any chance to break free of a squirrel's less than exciting daily routine. He's eager to join up with Banjo as the bear passes through."
TipTup	Light	4.5/5	4.5/5	1.5/5	"TipTup the turtle is another member of the close group of animal friends, but because of his nervous (and maybe even slightly clumsy) nature, he's never been particularly fond of the racing that the others seem to like so much. Now, though, he doesn't seem to have much choice!"
Pipsy	Light	5/5	5/5	1/5	"Evicted from her mountain home by the wicked Wizpig, Pipsy the mouse turns to her friends for help and gives them yet another reason to want the intruder out. She might seem delicate, but take her on in a race and you'll find that she's a lot tougher than she looks!"
Timber	Middle	3/5	2.5/5	3/5	"A playful young tiger, Timber has been left in charge of the island while his parents visit their old friends over in Kong Country. Desperate to get Wizpig out and everything else back to normal before they return, Timber rallies his friends to join up with Taj's resistance!"

Unlockable characters[edit]

Driver	Weight	Acceleration	Turning	Top speed	Bio	Unlock requirements
Drumstick	Heavy	2/5	1.5/5	4.5/5	"The most experienced racer on the island, Drumstick was the animals' best hope for getting rid of the intruder. Unfortunately, something seems to have gone wrong and he hasn't been seen since he went off to make a stand. Could he have fallen afoul of one of Wizpig's spells?"	The player must get all four Grand Prix trophies, which reveals a frog with a rooster crest in Timber's Island hub. The racer must run over it to return Drumstick to normal.
T.T.	Middle	5/5	2.5/5	5/5	"Like Taj, the overseer of the racetracks is less than impressed with Wizpig's behavior, but in T.T.'s case, it's because the bully has sealed off his beloved courses. He can't do much on his own, but he's certainly willing to give the animals any help he can in their mission."	The player must get good enough times around tracks in Time Trials mode to unlock T.T.'s ghost for each course, and then beat each.

Other important characters[edit]

Name	Bio
Taj	"Evicted from his mountain home and cut off from his lamp, this ancient Genie isn't exactly pleased with the despicable Wizpig. Now, he's in search of a champion racer to go up against the uninvited guest and hopefully teach him a lesson in manners!"
Wizpig	"The big bad bully himself, a spiteful space traveler who hops from planet to planet looking for good places to drop in and cause havoc until there's nothing left there to amuse him. Nobody's ever managed to kick him out before he got bored, but there has to be a first time..."

Worlds[edit]

Diddy Kong Racing contains twenty race tracks split between five worlds as well as five separate challenge levels. In Adventure Mode, players can access them by driving to specific areas marked with large doors, requiring a set amount of Golden Balloons to access them. In Track Mode, racers are able to choose what type of vehicle to bring into the race if available, which can affect the paths in the course they are able to take.

Challenge levels are unlocked when players find hidden keys in one track of each world. Challenge levels involve players completing tasks in an arena-like map similar to the Mario Kart series' Battle Mode, and in Adventure Mode, if they are won in, pieces of the T.T. amulet are rewarded. In addition, Trophy Races are unlocked for each world after the second boss race has been cleared. These races are played consecutively with the four race tracks of each world, and players are awarded points for their standing, making it similar to Grand Prix modes of other racing games. Trophy Races feature harder AI racers than the single races. If the players get first place overall, they win a trophy depending on their placement, with third place being a bronze T.T. trophy, second being a silver Taj trophy, and first being a gold Wizpig trophy.

Vehicle availability is marked as available () and unavailable (). The letter D () indicates that the vehicle is not only available, but that the player uses this vehicle by default in races in Adventure Mode and Trophy Race.

Dino Domain[edit]

The Dino Domain is a prehistoric area full of dinosaurs and pterosaurs. It is accessed across the bridge in the central part of Timber's Island and requires one balloon to enter.

Tracks[edit]

Course	Car	Hovercraft	Plane	Unlock requirements
Ancient Lake				Adventure Mode: Default: × 1 Silver Coin Challenge: × 6 Adventure Two Mode: Default: × 1 Silver Coin Challenge: × 6
Fossil Canyon				Adventure Mode: Default: × 2 Silver Coin Challenge: × 7 Adventure Two Mode: Default: × 2 Silver Coin Challenge: × 7
Jungle Falls				Adventure Mode: Default: × 3 Silver Coin Challenge: × 8 Adventure Two Mode: Default: × 3 Silver Coin Challenge: × 8
Hot Top Volcano				Adventure Mode: Default: × 5 Silver Coin Challenge: × 10 Adventure Two Mode: Default: × 5 Silver Coin Challenge: × 10

Tricky Challenge[edit]

Boss	Course	Vehicle	Description
Tricky	Tricky Challenge	Car	Tricky races the player character up a spiraling mountain. Beyond constantly charging forward and potentially flattening the player, he has no special behavior. Boulders occasionally travel down the mountain. In the second race, more boulders as well as falling pillars are added.

Fire Mountain[edit]

Course	Vehicle	Description
Fire Mountain	Plane	The objective of this challenge level is to obtain eggs from the central lava pit, carry them to their nest, and wait for the eggs to hatch. Other players may attempt to sabotage the effort by stealing eggs or using missiles against them. The first player who hatches three eggs wins.

Snowflake Mountain[edit]

Snowflake Mountain is a snowy, Christmas-themed area. It is accessed from the frosty northeast corner of Timber's Island and requires two balloons to enter.

Tracks[edit]

Course	Car	Hovercraft	Plane	Unlock requirements
Everfrost Peak				Adventure Mode: Default: × 2 Silver Coin Challenge: × 10 Adventure Two Mode: Default: × 2 Silver Coin Challenge: × 10
Walrus Cove				Adventure Mode: Default: × 3 Silver Coin Challenge: × 11 Adventure Two Mode: Default: × 3 Silver Coin Challenge: × 11
Snowball Valley				Adventure Mode: Default: × 6 Silver Coin Challenge: × 14 Adventure Two Mode: Default: × 6 Silver Coin Challenge: × 14
Frosty Village				Adventure Mode: Default: × 9 Silver Coin Challenge: × 16 Adventure Two Mode: Default: × 9 Silver Coin Challenge: × 16

Bluey Challenge[edit]

Boss	Course	Vehicle	Description
Bluey	Bluey Challenge	Hovercraft	Bluey races on a jagged, icy, downhill ski slope full of trees to act as obstacles. As with Tricky, his only behavior is stampeding forward, though he does not squish the player character. In the second race, a few snowballs are added as further obstacles.

Icicle Pyramid[edit]

Course	Vehicle	Description
Icicle Pyramid	Car	The objective of this challenge level is to eliminate foes by using weapons against them. Bananas represent a drivers' health and if they run out, they are eliminated. The last player standing wins the challenge.

Sherbet Island[edit]

Sherbet Island is an oceanside area extensively requiring the hovercraft. It is accessed from the small island to the east of Timber's Island and requires ten balloons to enter.

Tracks[edit]

Course	Car	Hovercraft	Plane	Unlock requirements
Whale Bay				Adventure Mode: Default: × 10 Silver Coin Challenge:

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]