Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is the second Donkey Kong Country game for the Super Nintendo. It is the sequel of Donkey Kong Country and is also the predecessor to Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! and Donkey Kong Country Returns. The game has a Game Boy pseudo-sequel, Donkey Kong Land 2, that was released one year after the original. It was released in 1995 and stars Diddy Kong, as he and his partner, Dixie Kong, make their way through Crocodile Isle to save Donkey Kong from the Kremling Krew.

In 2004, a remake of the game was made for the Game Boy Advance. It features several differences, including the addition of photographs and extra DK Coins. Later in 2007, the game was released on the Virtual Console to play on the Wii system. This release has been delisted as Nintendo is renegotiating terms with Microsoft regarding transitioning the DKC series to the Wii U.

Storyline
Some time after the events of Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong is kidnapped by the Kremling Krew while relaxing on the beach. The Kong family finds a note signed by Kaptain K. Rool, which states that Donkey is held hostage in exchange of the Kong's family Banana Hoard. Not wanting to give up the hoard he helped secured in the previous adventure and eager to prove himself as a "real video game hero", Diddy Kong volunteers to rescue Donkey Kong and is quickly joined by his girlfriend Dixie Kong, who insisted on accompanying him.

The two Kongs land on the Kremling's home, Crocodile Isle, and explore it, defeating various members of the Kremling Krew along the way. The pair eventually board The Flying Krock, where Donkey Kong is held, and battle Kaptain K. Rool, the leader of the Kremlings. K. Rool is defeated and Donkey Kong manages to free himself, and then punches Kaptain K. Rool through the roof of the Flying Krock. K. Rool falls from Crocodile Isle and lands in the water surrounding it, where he is seemingly eaten by sharks. Diddy and Dixie are then congratulated by Cranky Kong for their success and intronized in the Video Game Heroes Hall of Fame.

During their adventures, the pair can also reach Crocodile Isle's Lost World by paying its guard, Klubba, with Kremkoins scattered all over the island. After giving Klubba all of the Kremkoins and exploring the Lost World, the Kongs finds Crocodile Isle's power source, Krocodile Kore, and Kaptain K. Rool, who is hiding there. A battle ensues and the pair eventually defeats K. Rool again, causing his blunderbuss to explode. This propels the crocodile into the energy geyser powering Crocodile Isle, blocking it until it explodes. The game then cuts to Donkey, Dixie and Diddy watching Crocodile Isle from a cliff, as it explodes and sinks into the ocean.

Kong Abilities
In order to travel through each level of the game and complete each of the game's many Bonus Levels, the apes have to use their basic and special abilities. However, both of the heroes have different abilities. The basic abilities include jumping, climbing, and swimming. Jumping is often used in the game to cross gaps and grab things in the air. A super-jump can also be performed if the apes cartwheel off of a ledge and jump while in mid-air. Diddy's cartwheel move and Dixie's Helicopter Twirl can also defeat a large amount of enemies, although some foes are immune to this attack. Dixie is able to use her Helicopter Twirl ability in mid-air as well, allowing her to float for a short amount of time to avoid falling into gaps. Both apes can also climb up ropes quickly to access high areas, although Diddy Kong is able to climb slightly faster than Dixie, just as he can on land and in water. Swimming in Diddy's Kong Quest is much like swimming in early Mario platformers. The player must hit the jump button to advance upwards into the water. If the player is to not hit any buttons, the apes slowly float downwards to reach lower areas or to dodge underwater enemies.

Though Diddy does not have as many abilities as Dixie, he is able to defend himself while holding a barrel. While Diddy holds an object in front of his body to block himself, Dixie holds objects over her head, allowing enemies to easily attack her. When both Kongs are in play, and none are stuck in a DK Barrel, the two heroes are able to use the new Team-up move. During this move, one of the monkeys pick up the other and hold them on their shoulders. Though not able to move as fast this way, the ape on the other monkey's shoulders can be thrown at enemies to easily beat them. The hero can also be thrown upwards to grab high up objects and to reach high areas.

Special Areas
Various spots of Crocodile Isle are hosted by more or less benevolent characters, each of which help the duo in different way.


 * Funky's Flights II is where the player can revisit previous worlds. Funky Kong also hosts flight tests in the Game Boy Advance port.
 * Swanky's Bonus Bonanza is a quiz about various obscure facts of the game. Swanky Kong and (in the Game Boy Advance port) Candy Kong host it. The prize for successfully completing a quiz are Extra Life Balloons. When a quiz is successfully completed, it can’t be played again.
 * Kong Kollege is where Wrinkly Kong teaches a class of Kremlings. Here, the player can learn basic facts about the game's controls, how to defeat the World's Boss, and (in the SNES version only) save the game progress.
 * Monkey Museum is where Cranky Kong shares cryptic advice on how to find secrets hidden within levels. It is called Cranky's Hut in the Game Boy Advance port, where Cranky also hosts the Expresso Racing minigame.
 * Klubba's Kiosk is an area leading to the Lost World, which is guarded by Klubba, the toll-keeper to the special world. He lets the Kongs access the Lost World here if they pay him fifteen Kremkoins. In the Game Boy Advance port, Klubba also hosts the minigame, Bag a Bug.

Diddy's Dash
Diddy's Dash is a mode exclusive to the Game Boy Advance version of the game.

During Diddy's Dash, Diddy Kong, alone, races through the levels of the game as fast as he can while being timed. At some point, there is a line of stars going across the screen. This line is a checkpoint, and if Diddy is attacked by an enemy after going through the checkpoint, he ends up back at it. Each default time is five minutes. Since Diddy is the only playable character in this mode, all DK Barrels are replaced by crates and barrels.

Once the monkey finishes a level, his time is recorded. Diddy can race through the level again and again to beat his best time. The player may only choose levels to race in that they have previously unlocked. Also, boss battles are not available in this mode.

Bonus Games
There is three bonus games in the Game Boy Advance version of the game. The three bonus games are:


 * Expresso Racing, the player races as Expresso against three other ostriches.
 * Funky's Flights, Diddy Kong performs different tasks for Funky Kong. The Gyrocopter is used in the game.
 * Bag a Bug, Diddy Kong must collect red bugs while being chased by Klubba. If the player comes into contact with Klubba, they are hit by his club and lose their bugs.

Animal Buddies
Animal Buddies are partners in the Donkey Kong Country series. They help the Kongs find Bonus Barrels, DK Coins, Banana Coins, and other special items in the game with their special abilities. They often appear in levels, and the Kongs can sometimes turn into the buddy or ride on it. The heroes must be careful when riding on the animal though, as they run away when hit by an enemy, very similar to Yoshi in Super Mario World. Most of the animal buddies from Donkey Kong Country return in Diddy's Kong Quest, but a few new ones also appear in the game as well. Below is a list of each Animal Buddy, and a brief description on them.

Items and Objects
Many collectibles and objects can be found on the Kongs' quest, hidden in each level of the game. Below shows the main objects the monkeys can find during gameplay.

Barrels
Barrels are prominent items throughout the Donkey Kong series, and multiple variants exist, many which are featured in Donkey Kong Country 2. Below shows the different types of barrels and what they do.

Enemies
As with all games, Diddy's Kong Quest features many enemies to attack the player, some that are Kremlings and some that are not. Most of the enemies are new, though some enemies, such as Zingers, reappear from the first game.

Changes in the Game Boy Advance port
As was the case with the Game Boy Advance port of the original Donkey Kong Country (and the later port of Donkey Kong Country 3), changes have been made to the game, including:
 * The last level in K. Rool's Keep, Stronghold Showdown, in the original, was a small room where Donkey Kong was found tied up and suspended, and Diddy or Dixie would do their victory dances, only to see DK get snatched away. In the Game Boy Advance version, the level is on the castle roof, and the player must fight a new boss, Kerozene.
 * Kudgel's pants change from yellow to red.
 * The game's graphics are slightly brighter due to the lack of a backlight.
 * This makes the Lost World look much less menacing though, and Glimmer the Anglerfish has changed from practically mandatory to just helpful due to the increased lighting in Glimmer's Galleon.
 * This also gets rid of the night carnival theme the original Krazy Kremland had, in favor for a sunset one.
 * The file selection screen at the beginning now has Diddy Kong as a cursor, a la Donkey Kong Land 2. Additionally, in PAL regions, the title screen itself is the box art of Donkey Kong Land 2 (in NTSC regions, it's the box art from the original Donkey Kong Country 2).
 * Cranky comes to talk to the player after the defeat of each boss, as in the port of the first game.
 * Swanky's quiz is redesigned in the remake and has some new questions. Candy Kong also appears here, although she is nowhere to be found in the original.
 * The view from the Kong Kollege windows changes from world to world in the remake but looks identical in every world of the original.
 * A new game mode called Diddy's Dash is available from the start. In this mode, the player can only play as Diddy and must get to the end of the level as fast as possible. There are no Star Barrels; instead, multiple checkpoints are scattered throughout the stage. If Diddy should die, he instantly appears back at the last checkpoint.
 * Minigames have been added to the port, including Bag a Bug, Expresso Racing, and Funky's Flights. Tiny Kong appears in some of these.
 * Funky's Biplane Barrel has been replaced by a Gyrocopter.
 * When the player starts a new file, a cutscene of what is only described in the manual of the original is shown.
 * There are more color variations for Kaboings and Flotsams than the original.
 * When the player defeats Krow, a short scene of him leaving his body as Kreepy Krow is shown, although nothing at all like this is seen in the original.
 * The boss level Kleever's Kiln now has lightning effects in the background; while in the original SNES version, the lightning effects were absent.
 * Instead of just a title screen and file select, a new main menu is present in the remake with three selections: Diddy's Dash, Start, and Bonus Games.
 * Unlike the original game, all the levels that the player unlocks for the Lost World are accessible from any entrance to it.
 * Cranky's Video Game Heroes are in a different order. Instead of Yoshi being second, and Link being third, Link is second, and Yoshi is third. The background in Cranky's Video Game Heroes is also different than the original's, having more of a tropical theme.
 * There are 68 DK Coins, as opposed to the original, which has 40.
 * The Super Nintendo controller is no longer present at K. Rool Duel.
 * The ending is slightly different. In the original, Donkey Kong punches K. Rool through the roof of the Flying Krock, while in the remake, he punches him through the window instead.
 * The levels Target Terror and Rickety Race now take place around sunset, while in the original it is the middle of the night.
 * The level Lava Lagoon has been slightly altered from the original.
 * The Monkey Museum has been replaced by Cranky's Hut.
 * Nearly all sound effects are different, enemies, including bosses, all have different voices and so do generic things such as explosions and wind.
 * Wrinkly Kong gives the player a scrap book when he or she first meets her, and she asks the player to fill it. This can be done by doing certain things, such as defeating specific enemies.
 * By pressing start on the overworld a new menu comes up allowing the player to save anywhere on the map, see advice given to him or her by Wrinkly and Cranky, call Funky and fly to another area, see the scrap book, or check minigame high-scores.
 * Before fighting a boss a second time, Swanky Kong charges ten Banana Coins to calculate how much time it takes the player to defeat the boss.
 * Dixie Kong and several enemies have new voices clips, all of which are taken from Donkey Kong 64 and Diddy Kong Racing.
 * The Worlds' maps have been redesigned.
 * The player can travel to a different world for free at any time, as long as Funky Kong is seen at least once.
 * The death and end-of-level music no longer changes depending on the level. It instead changes depending on which character is being used at the time.
 * The music “Run! Rambi, Run!” that plays when King Zing chases the Kongs in the original version of Rambi Rumble was removed, and replaced by the music heard when racing against Screech in the remake. The music can still be heard in the sound test, though.
 * Donkey Kong Island cameo appearances were removed for unknown reasons.
 * A cheat that allows the player to obtain all Kremkoins in the first level is no longer present. However, it can still be done by entering the code, "FREEDOM" in the password screen.
 * The player's lives and Banana Coins are now saved, instead of losing them whenever the game is turned off after saving.

Head Programmer

 * C. Sutherland

Assistant Head Programmer

 * M. Wilson

Technical Programmer

 * B. Gunn

Programmer

 * T. Attwood

Characters / Animation

 * S. Mayles

Objects and Additional Characters / Backgrounds

 * M. Stevenson

Backgrounds

 * C. Gage
 * J. Nash
 * A. Smith

References to Other Games

 * Donkey Kong - Cranky makes a direct reference to this game in the intro by saying, "Whisking off maidens and chucking barrels seven days a week, I was!"
 * Donkey Kong Country - The reason the Kongs do not swap the banana hoard for Donkey Kong is because they had just tried hard to get them back in this game. Also a stuffed Winky is found in the game. Additionally, Cranky states that Donkey Kong Country 2 will never be as good as Donkey Kong Country, and then says that it was "rubbish". The sound effect Steel Barrel play can be heards in Mining Melancholy, and when the Kleever takes hit from cannonball.
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - The remake references the original, as when the monkeys defeat Kerozene Cranky says "I bet you didn't expect that!", as Kerozene did not appear in the original; also K. Rool says "You didn't think it would be so easy did you?" as Kerozene appears.
 * Mainstream Mario - Mario makes an appearance as a video game hero as first place or second place depending on DK Coins obtained.
 * Yoshi - Yoshi appears as a video game hero in second or third place in the SNES Version and third place or ranked out in the GBA Version depending on DK Coins.
 * Super Mario Bros. - The instruction manual's description of the Minus Barrel jokingly state that it will send the player to the Minus World.

References in Later Games

 * Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! - Wrinkly mentions how she had given up working in a school, which was her occupation during Donkey Kong Country 2. Also, many of the item sound effects in Donkey Kong Country 2 are used again in this game.
 * Donkey Kong Land 2 - A direct semi-sequel to Donkey Kong Country 2, in which most of the level names and bosses remained the same.
 * Donkey Kong 64 - Paintings of Kaptain K. Rool hang in sunken ships in this game.
 * DK: Jungle Climber - Banana Coins, which debuted in Donkey Kong Country 2, make a return.

Wrinkly Kong

 * "All those Kremlings want to do is learn how to fight and squash monkeys!"
 * "Those naughty crocodiles! All they want to learn is how to fight and squash monkeys, Tsk!"
 * "When you see Kaptain K. Rool, can you ask him if he has done his homework?"
 * "Hurry along! School is nearly finished! You need to study a little more if you're going to beat the Kremlings!"
 * "You're looking a little weary dear. Would you like to save your game?"
 * "Good luck, children."
 * "Be careful now, Kongs."
 * "Have you been to see my husband Cranky? He complains a little, but he does know everything about this island."
 * "Goodbye, dearies."

Rare Witch Project Preview and German strategy guide
The Rare Witch Project website once had previews of several upcoming enemies and characters for Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Among these enemies was a sinister looking character simply dubbed "Mr. X". Mr. X was an early version of the enemy Kackle, a ghostly Kremling that appears in the level Haunted Hall and chases the Kongs throughout the level in the final version of the game. Mr. X was a phantasmagoric white Kremling with red eyes, wearing a large black jacket covered in army medals, he also possessed two small hooks for hands. Despite his status as a beta element, Mr. X somehow managed to be included in the official German player's guide, which cryptically states that he is a character no one known or has seen.

Note: This glitch only works in the Super Nintendo version. It was fixed for the Game Boy Advance and Virtual Console versions. The Castle Crush glitch has become infamous among fans as the series' most fatal glitch. For players brave enough to try it, they must enter Castle Crush with Diddy Kong as the lead character (Dixie is optional but cannot be the lead character). Then, the player must pick up the first DK Barrel and hold it against a wall. The player need to drop the barrel and quickly pick it up again; if done correctly, the barrel will break but Diddy will act as if he's still holding it. Upon throwing the "invisible barrel", various things could happen. Commonly the Rambi Barrel will appear and cause Diddy to transform into various things, including a solid black sprite of Kleever or a multi-colored Klubba, to name a few. The effects are short lived though as any attempts to move will result in the game crashing.

The aftermath of the glitch varies. Though some have been lucky to escape with no ill effects, others have reported save data being erased, or the game becoming corrupted to the point of being near unplayable. Therefore, it is wise to avoid this glitch at all costs.

Trivia

 * A Virtual Boy version of Donkey Kong Country 2 was in development for a short time, but was never completed due to the system's failure. Little else is known about this unmade version.
 * The game was placed 33rd in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997.
 * Even though Nintendo sold Rare to Microsoft, the Rare Symbol can still be seen in the beginning of the game, and in the Operations Guide in the Virtual Console release.
 * The subtitle "Diddy's Kong Quest" is a play on the word "conquest."