Star Barrel

A Star Barrel (also known as a Continue Barrel)    is a barrel with white stars painted on it that first appears in Donkey Kong Country. It serves as a checkpoint during a level, usually halfway through. Star Barrels appear in almost every level of the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy, Donkey Kong Land 2, and Donkey Kong Land III.

Every Star Barrel floats in the air, with the stars spiraling around the barrel circumference. If the Kongs jump at a Star Barrel, it breaks, and a shower of colorful sparkles rains upon them, indicating that it has been activated. This way, if the Kongs exit a level or lose a life, they can resume from the Star Barrel's location. By doing so, the Star Barrel shakes, and the Kongs burst out of it. However, if the player gets a Game Over or restarts the game, the Kongs must restart from either the level itself or where the player last saved their game. A Star Barrel's effect also wears off when the Kongs complete a level.

In the Game Boy Advance ports of the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, if the Kongs exit a level where they have activated a Star Barrel, and the player saves and restarts their game, the Kongs can resume from the Star Barrel.

In the original Super Nintendo Entertainment System release of Donkey Kong Country, there is a type of Star Barrel known as a save barrel. One of them appears at Candy's Save Point and has the same appearance as ordinary Star Barrels. Unlike their normal counterpart, when the Kongs jump into a save barrel, the barrel does not break.

Certain levels in the games lack Star Barrels. Rickety Race in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest lacks a Star Barrel; one was added in the GBA version. In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, two of the Krematoa levels, Stampede Sprint and Rocket Rush (in the GBA version only), do not have Star Barrels. Additionally, certain cheat codes can remove Star Barrels in those games. Inputting, , , , , , , in the hidden Cheat Code option in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest removes all DK Barrels and Star Barrels; inputting "ROCKARD" in the Cheat Code menu does the same in the Game Boy Advance version. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble has a cheat menu as well, where inputting "TUFST" (SNES version) / "TUFFER" (GBA version) removes all Star Barrels, though the GBA version's code works only for a new file.

In Donkey Kong Land, the Star Barrels were replaced with Continue Points. In Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Professor Chops instead marks the checkpoint for the Kongs.

Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

 * Instruction manual bio: "These barrels are decorated with a star design. If you knock out one of these barrels, you will restart at the barrel's location instead of beginning of the level when you lose a life."
 * Wii U Virtual Console manual bio: "If you knock out one of these barrels, when you lose a life you will restart at the barrel's location instead of the beginning of the level."

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)

 * Instruction manual bio: "These barrels mark a midway point in the stage. If you break one of these barrels, you'll continue at that point if you lose a life later in the level."
 * Wii U Virtual Console manual bio: "If you break one of these barrels, you will be able to continue the game from that spot when you lose a life."

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (SNES) / Donkey Kong Land 2 / Donkey Kong Land III

 * Instruction manual bio: "Star Barrels mark a midway point in the stage. If you break one of these barrels, you'll continue from that point."

Donkey Kong Country (GBC/GBA)

 * 'Instruction manual bio: "Break open a star-spangled Continue Barrel to restart at that location the next time you lose a life."

Donkey Kong Country 2 (GBA)

 * Instruction manual bio: "These barrels mark a midway point in the stage. If you break one, you'll continue at that point should you lose a life later in the level."

Donkey Kong Country 3 (GBA)

 * Instruction manual bio: "These mark a midway point in the level. Break one to continue from that point if you lose a life before reaching the end."

Trivia

 * In Donkey Kong Country, there is an unused sprite for the Continue Barrel with its top open.