Game Boy: October 1997 November 1997[1] Game Boy Color: January 28, 2000 Virtual Console (3DS): May 7, 2014 October 30, 2014 October 31, 2014 February 26, 2015
Donkey Kong Land III (also formatted as Donkey Kong Land 3[2]) is a platformer video game for the Game Boy developed by Rareware and published by Nintendo in 1997. It is loosely based on the SNES game, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, as it features the same characters, enemies, and level environments. It also stars Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong. Donkey Kong Land III is the third and final entry of the Donkey Kong Land series. Like its two predecessors, Donkey Kong Land III is housed on a yellow cartridge and it has specific Super Game Boy enhancements, including a unique border of pocket watches.
The original Game Boy version was never released in Japan, which instead received a Game Boy Colorport in 2000. It is not dual compatibile with original Game Boy units, as evident from the transparent cartridge it is contained in. The Game Boy Color port was never released outside of Japan.
Like its two predecessors, Donkey Kong Land III was released on the Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console. The Game Boy Color port was released in Japan on May 7, 2014, while the original Game Boy version was released in Europe and Australia in October 2014 and North America in February 2015.
Announcements of a contest to find the fabled Lost World, which was said to have dominated legends for centuries, attracted "would-be" explorers all over the world to seize the long awaited chance of fame and fortune. Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Baron K. Roolenstein all hear of the contest, and the Kongs set out leaving Dixie Kong with her cousin, Kiddy Kong. Dixie wants to prove herself just as worthy as the other participants, so she decides to participate in the contest and takes Kiddy along with her. Kiddy is not that aware about what is going on and decides to follow Dixie into the jungle.
After traveling through the worlds, Dixie and Kiddy are confronted by Baron K. Roolenstein at the end of Tin Can Valley. To access the Lost World, Dixie and Kiddy must collect every DK Coin and Watch. Within the Lost World itself, the Kongs must collect all the DK Coins and the final Watch to engage in the final boss battle against Baron K. Roolenstein. When the Kongs defeat him, they are crowned as the victors of the contest. Baron K. Roolenstein then concedes the remaining six Watches and allows the Kongs to try out the Time Attack mode.
Donkey Kong Land III plays very similarly to Donkey Kong Land 2. The player controls two different characters, Dixie and Kiddy, and only one Kong appears on-screen at a time. Dixie and Kiddy retain most of their abilities from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Dixie can use her Helicopter Spin to whirl her ponytail on the ground or glide in midair. Kiddy is heavier and stronger and can defeat strong enemies such as Krumples by jumping on them, whereas Dixie cannot. In each world, the Kongs must complete the levels in order until reaching the world boss, whom the Kongs must defeat to unlock the next world.
As the Kongs explore a level, they must avoid enemies along the way and collect items such as bananas and bear coins along the way. Every Bonus Level is accessed from a Bonus Barrel, and the reward for completing a Bonus Level's objective is a Bonus Coin. Some levels have an Animal Barrel, which transform the Kongs into the pictured Animal Friend, whose abilities are often required to complete a level or to reach hidden areas. Each Animal Friend has their own set of abilities.
Each world has a Wrinkly Refuge, where Wrinkly Kong saves the player's progress, and a Sheepy Shop, which is run by Bear, the only Brothers Bear of the game. If Dixie and Kiddy have enough Bonus Coins, Bear allows them to play a memorization minigame, Memory if they have at least a number of Bonus Coins. The Kongs are rewarded a Watch for the first time they complete a challenge in a world. In most levels, there is a Koin guarding the DK Coin, except for underwater levels, where the DK Coin appears by itself like in Donkey Kong Land 2. The Kongs are required to obtain every DK Coin and Watch to access the final World, the Lost World.
Wrinkly is the only supporting Kong in the game. She resides in Wrinkly Refuge, with one appearing in each world. The Kongs can visit Wrinkly to have their game progress saved, always free of charge.
Bear is the only Brothers Bear in the game. He operates a Sheepy Shop in every world, where the Kongs can play memory if they have collected enough Bonus Coin. The Kongs can spend bear coins for level hints or to use Bear's teleportation device, which warps them to the Northern Kremisphere map.
Unlike her previous appearance, Ellie the elephant can spray unlimited water projectiles from her trunk but cannot carry a barrel using her trunk. Ellie no longer runs away when she sees a Sneek.
Enguarde the swordfish is the aquatic Animal Friend of the game, and he can defeat enemies by stabbing them with his bill. Unlike Donkey Kong Land 2, Enguarde can no longer perform a super stab.
Bazukas appear in later levels of the game. They carry a large bazooka to shoot regular barrels at the Kongs. Unlike Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Bazukas cannot be defeated because there are no TNT Barrels, which are used to defeat Bazukas in their debut appearance.
Enemies who hide in an explosive TNT Barrel. They always hang from a rope and move back and forth in a fixed pattern. Dixie or Kiddy must avoid moving into a Klasp otherwise it explodes on them, injuring the Kong in play; this is otherwise the only way for the Kongs to defeat Klasps.
A Koin appears in most levels and guards a DK Coin, which is attached to their shield. It wears a bucket on its head to protect itself from jump attacks. To defeat a Koin, the Kongs must pick up a nearby Steel Barrel and throw it behind Koin at a wall; the Steel Barrel rebounds and hits Koin from behind, which defeats it and rewards the DK Coin to the Kongs.
Kopters carry two large helicopter blades which they spin to hover in the air. Unlike Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, the Kongs can defeat a Kopter by jumping on it.
They are small Kremlings with large teeth. Krimps move back and forth, repeatedly opening and closing their mouth. The Kongs cannot roll into Krimp from the front, else it bites and injures the Kong. To defeat a Krimp, the Kongs must either jump on it or roll into it from behind.
Krumples are strong, muscular Kremlings that Dixie cannot defeat directly, although Kiddy can defeat a Krumple by jumping on it. Krumples can also be defeated by an Animal Friend or a barrel.
Krushas are the direct successor to Klobbers, as both are Kremlings who hide in a barrel. When Dixie or Kiddy approach a Krusha, it pops out and runs after the Kong. Krushas cannot hurt the Kongs directly, and they attempt to knock them into a pit or a hazard. Dixie or Kiddy can jump on a Krusha to force it back into its barrel. The Kong can then pick up the barrel containing Krusha and throw it to defeat the enemy.
Kuchukas are idle Kremlings who hide inside a barrel, and they attack by throwing small bombs at the Kongs. Like Bazukas, they cannot be defeated because there are no TNT Barrels, and must be avoided by the Kongs.
Bounty Basses are fat fish enemies found in the coral levels. Unlike their appearance in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Bounty Basses do not contain an item. Like the other underwater enemies, Bounty Basses can be defeated by Enguarde.
Buzzes are mechanical wasps who appear throughout the game. They are invulnerable to both Dixie's and Kiddy's attacks, and Buzzes can be defeated from a barrel or an Animal Friend.
They are owl-like robotic enemies that wield large carbines (hence their name). Karbines are always in the background, shooting fireballs at Dixie and Kiddy. The Kongs must avoid being hit by the fireballs.
Lemguins jump out of underground holes and slide on the icy ground, just like penguins do. Their beak and even their back side are the parts of their body that harm the Kongs. They can be defeated by stomping them on the top.
They are urchin enemies with spiky shells to protect themselves, even from Enguarde's stab. Lurchins have a squish core, which they repeatedly open and close their shell within. Enguarde can defeat a Lurchin by stabbing it in the center.
Nids are jumping spiders with a plank of wood on their back. If Dixie or Kiddy sit on a Nid, it bounces them to a higher area. Nids are more like an ally because they are required for the Kongs to progress.
Barbos is a large Lurchin and the first boss of the game, and it is fought at Barbos Bastion from Cape Codswallop. The Kongs transform into Enguarde for the battle. Barbos attacks by releasing three Lurchins, one of which stops in front of Enguarde. He must stab the Lurchin once it is open, causing the Lurchin to bounce off the wall and hit Barbos.
Bleak is a large snowman and the second boss, and he is fought at Bleak Magic from Primate Plains. During the battle, Bleaks stand in one spot, shooting large snowballs from his hat at the Kongs. Dixie or Kiddy can attack Bleak by throwing a barrel at him. After being hit four times, Bleak gets defeated.
Arich is a large spider and the third boss, and it is fought at Arich Attack from Blackforest Plateau. Arich attacks by either descending at the Kongs or by spitting small balls of venom at them. The Kongs must jump on Arich four times to defeat it.
KAOS is a robot programmed by K. Rool to destroy Dixie and Kiddy. It is the fourth boss and is fought at Krazy Kaos from Great Ape Lakes. During the battle, KAOS attempts to roast the Kongs by releasing flames from below. The Kongs must quickly run under KAOS before it releases a flame from its pipe. After some time, KAOS stops in the center of the arena and starts to send out blade-like platforms. This gives Dixie and Kiddy a chance to attack KAOS, by jumping on his head. The Kongs must quickly jump from the platforms before KAOS sends out a punching glove to knock them off.
During the first battle, K .Rool tries to attack the Kongs by shooting electric beams at them, and he also uses his jetpack to fly around the area. To attack K .Rool, Dixie or Kiddy must throw a barrel at him. K .Rool gets defeated after being hit four times. In the second battle, K .Rool retains most of his attacks except that he also throws bombs. When K .Rool is defeated again, the Kongs complete their adventure.
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One appears at the end of every Bonus Level or by completing its objective. The Kongs are required to collect them to play the Memory challenge in each world.
They are large, golden coins with the "DK" logo. A DK Coin is guarded by a Koin in every level (except underwater levels, where the DK Coin is found by itself). Dixie and Kiddy are required to collect the DK Coins to enter the Lost World.
The Kongs are rewarded a Watch for completing a Memory challenge the first time for each world. Like DK Coins, the Watches are also required for entering the Lost World.
These barrels have an opening in the top and are found in midair. The Kongs can blast from them to reach higher areas or to get across gaps. Barrel Cannons often appear in midair.
Boo Barrels appear in cave areas, and they are similar to auto-fire Barrel Cannons except they constantly vanish and reappear. Some Boo Barrels point in the direction of a Buzz, and the Kongs must wait for these Boo Barrels to disappear to avoid being blasted into a Buzz.
When Dixie or Kiddy enter a Booster Barrel, it blasts up like a rocket, and upon reaching a certain height, usually at a platform, the Booster Barrel blasts out the active Kong. Booster Barrels only appear in a few levels, all of which they appear throughout.
Like Donkey Kong Land 2, every DK Barrel in the game appears in midair. If Dixie or Kiddy are missing their partner, they can jump at a DK Barrel to release the missing Kong. The DK Barrels have no effect if both Kongs are present.
A type of Barrel Cannon which the player can move left or right as it automatically blasts Dixie or Kiddy in midair. It automatically follows the Kongs until they land.
Warp Barrels take the Kongs to the end of a level. They are found at the start in just the Cape Codswallop levels. Warp Barrels are invisible and are only revealed when the Kongs enter one.
Dixie Kong walking in Polar Pitfalls in the Time Attack mode
The player can unlock the Time Attack mode by completing the game with every Bonus Coin, every DK Coin, and by defeating Baron K. Roolenstein in the Lost World. This earns them a 97% completion score, and from the file select screen, the player always starts on the Time Attack menu from the save file in which they unlocked it. The player can select the "RE-ENTER GAME" option at the bottom to play the main game.
Time Attack lists twelve levels on a wooden dashboard. Each of these levels do not appear under their usual name but rather named after their theme, such as "Cave" or "Machine". The objective of Time Attack is for Dixie Kong or Kiddy Kong to complete a level within a time limit. Once this is done in every level, the player completes the game entirely, with a 103% ranking.
When the player starts the level, an on-screen timer appears at the bottom of the screen, keeping track of their time as move through the level. If the player completes the level under the default time or their previous time, it overwrites the previous time. If the player finishes a level below the default time, an exclamation mark appears next to the level's name.
In the Game Boy version, the most recent time is displayed on the bottom of the screen (unless the player exits a level with + or loses a life). For reasons unknown, this was removed from the Game Boy Color version.
While the Game Boy Color version of Donkey Kong Land III is a direct colored port of the original Game Boy release, it features a few differences.
General changes:
The player's latest time is no longer displayed on Time Attack.
Since the Game Boy Color has a faster CPU than the original Game Boy, the game has less slowdown. An example is in Clifftop Critters, where less lag eliminates the possibility of the Kongs losing a life from falling too far down.
Additionally, the title screen's Jetty Jitters demo is not synchronized, and the Kongs cannot reach the end of the level. This is because of timing differences between the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, which has a faster CPU.
In the original version, there was a bug where Dixie and Kiddy could enter the Lost World without enough DK Coins; this was fixed for the Game Boy Color version.
Graphical changes:
The splash screen and title screen were slightly redesigned.
The world maps are no longer animated: the water and smoke no longer move, the mills no longer turn, and lights no longer flash from the interior of Wrinkly Refuge and Sheepy Shop.
Two versions of this game are known to exist for the North American release. They can be distinguished from their two title screens.
v1.0
v1.1
In both v1.1 and the Japanese version, a pit was added at the very end of Tundra Blunda. This was likely done to fix a minor bug that prevents the Steel Barrel from getting stuck if Kiddy goes to the very end and throws it.
Like its prequel, Donkey Kong Land 2, Donkey Kong Land III has cheat codes that the player can input from the title screen by entering a certain button combination. When the player enters a cheat, a sound effect. The game uses the D-Pad for its button combination unlike Donkey Kong Land 2, which uses the and buttons. Both versions of Donkey Kong Land III feature the same cheat codes:
Pressing , , , , grants Dixie and Kiddy fifty extra lives.
Pressing , , , , allows the player to play Memory after exiting from the title screen.
Pressing , , , , , , unlocks every area, except for the Lost World initially. The Watches, Bonus Coins, and DK Coins are not unlocked. Once the Lost World is reachable, every level in this world is unlocked.
Pressing either , , , or changes the level shown in the title screen's gameplay demo (which plays after the title screen's music ends). The Kongs eventually die in every gameplay demo, except for the default Jetty Jitters demo in the original Game Boy version. The demo changes based on the number of times that the player presses the buttons:
"Rare have once again stuck a lot of content into the game, providing good value for your money. Like the rest of the series it features a varied collection of enemies and locations for you to work your way through. It may not do anything new but it does do things well. Donkey Kong Land III is a good looking, great sounding Game Boy title, but more importantly it's a lot of fun to play. The best of the DKL trilogy and one of the best options for 3DS-owning platform fans.'"
"Donkey Kong Land III is a decent enough platformer, but it feels somewhat half-hearted. There's less to do outside the stages and they aren't quite as creative as you'd expect from the series. That's not to say it is bad, as it does what it provides extremely well, rather that it falls short of expectation. There's still fun to be had, and it's definitely worth playing if you're a fan of the series.'"
"I've come to the same conclusion with Donkey Kong Land 3 as I have with its predecessor. It's a relatively fun game for a few hours, with tons of leeway for replay. The graphics were more annoying than DKL2, enough to impede gameplay, but in the end I still had fun with the game. It provides a few hours of enjoyable gameplay, and again it's a nice trip down memory lane.'"
Despite his name being featured in the title, Donkey Kong does not appear in Donkey Kong Land III. However, he is mentioned in the manual's story. Aside from Diddy Kong Racing and its DS remake, this game is the only title of the Donkey Kong series that he does not appear in.
The game's soundtrack consists of 8-bit re-orchestrations of the music from Donkey Kong Country 3. However, the tracks "Frosty Frolics" and "Pokey Pipes" do not appear; the snow and pipe levels use "Cascade Capers" and "Cavern Caprice" instead, respectively. In addition, "Rocket Run" is programmed into the game—however, it is unused and can only be accessed by ROM hacking.
- Kids to Adults
- All ages
Game Pak
Game Pak
Digital download
