Gusty Glade (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest)

Gusty Glade is the twenty-fifth level of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2. It is also the third area of Gloomy Gulch.

Although taking place in an eerie forest, this level has strong gusts of wind that can push the Kongs into abysses. Sometimes, the wind can be tricky and change directions suddenly, so they must watch their footing. To make things a little easier, Rattly the Rattlesnake can be found in this stage. He is hidden behind a high piece of land right at the beginning of the level. Enemies here include Klampons, Kannons, Neeks, Spinys, Click-Clacks, Flitters, and Kutlass.

Level Layout
Diddy and Dixie Kong begin the level in front of a tall, steep hill that they can climb over to find an Animal Crate (or an Animal Barrel in Donkey Kong Land 2) that contains Rattly. A Banana Coin and a photograph, found only in the Game Boy Advance port, is also in this hidden area in Donkey Kong Country 2. A straight pathway with a pair of Klampons on it is to the right of the tall hill. Once the enemies are passed, a strong wind begins to blow the heroes towards a large alcove with a Click-Clack in it. There is a DK Barrel above this alcove. Some stair-like structures follow with a few more Klampons marching down them. A second gap is present after the last stair, and a Banana Coin floats within it. On the other side of the gap, the Kongs can find a pathway that winds around a raised piece of land with two Spinies and a treasure chest, containing the letter K, on it.

Another large abyss is ahead, but it can be crossed if the heroes ride on the hard gusts of wind. A gap much wider follows, and dozens of thin, pillar-like platforms are in it. Most of these platforms hold a Neek or a Klampon, but two of them carry the letter O and a DK Barrel. After the final pillar, the Kongs approach another large gap that they can cross with the wind's help. There are some stair-like structures on the opposite side of the abyss, and Klampons and Spinies walk along them. Another abyss is ahead, and this time, the wind cannot help the Kongs cross it, as a high platform must be reached. However, a hook floats in the center of the gap to assist the heroes in crossing. After they pass the gap, they can find a pathway leading to another gap. A small hill with a No Animal Sign is on the pathway, and Rattly disappears when it is passed, if he had been found previously. An Auto Fire Barrel with the Star Barrel above it is above the gap mentioned previously.

This barrel immediately blasts the primates onto a solid piece of land on the other side of the gap, where a Kannon is present. A wide alcove is ahead with a Kutlass in it. The Kongs' path is blocked by a high wall near here. However, they can climb to the top of the wall, which has a DK Barrel on it, with the use of a hook hanging in the air. Two Kutlass enemies (or two Spinies in Donkey Kong Land 2) are on the other side of the wall, and one of them can be found on a raised piece of land with a treasure chest, containing a kannonball, on it. Another treasure chest that contains the letter N is under this piece of land. Three gaps are farther ahead. The Kongs must be cautious of a pair of Zingers (or one Zinger in Donkey Kong Land 2) as they cross the first gap. The second gap, which a simple jump can help them cross, is followed by a small platform holding a kannon. The third abyss is very wide, and not even the wind can blow the heroes all the way across. Luckily, hooks float above the gap that they can use to pass it. The wind blows as they use the hooks to their advantage, and it can push them in the wrong direction as they hold onto the objects. Once the primates overcome the large abyss, they can reach large area of land with a gap in the center of it. A raised piece of land is behind the gap that can be used to cross it. As the Kongs walk along it, a Kannon shoots at them. A DK Barrel wobbles on the section of ground below the enemy. Three Barrel Cannons are present in a wide abyss ahead. The barrels, placed in a upward position, must be used to guide the primates over the abyss.

When they blast the heroes into the air, they are sent upwards, so they must shift to the right after exiting the barrels to land in the following cannon. However, the wind can blow them in the wrong direction if they shoot at the wrong time. When the Kongs finally pass the abyss, they find themselves on a tall hill with a Kannon on the bottom of it. A wide gap with a DK Coin above it is near the foe. The wind can help the heroes cross the abyss and land on a platform with another abyss right after it. The letter G is in this gap, which can be passed with the aid of the wind. An even wider pit follows. This time, the wind is an inconvenience to the Kongs, and they must use Barrel Cannons to cross. As they blast out of the barrels, which, as before, shoot them upwards, the wind pushes them around. They must wait for the correct time to shoot so that the wind puts them in the right place. A Zinger waits on the other side of this abyss next to the End of Level Target (or the spring in Donkey Kong Land 2). When this target is hit, the level is completed. In Donkey Kong Country 2, a prize can be won from the target if they shoot to it from the last Barrel Cannon. In the Game Boy Advance version of the same game, a Golden Feather is located on top of a hill after the target.

K-O-N-G Letters

 * K: The primates must break open a treasure chest found shortly after the first DK Barrel to discover the letter K.
 * O: In the area that contains the second DK Barrel, the heroes can find many thin platforms. The last of these platforms holds the letter O.
 * N: The letter N is enclosed in a treasure chest that is placed shortly after the level's Star Barrel.
 * G: The letter G hovers above the second-to-last pit in the level, and a super-jump or Team-up move is required to reach it safely.

Bonus Levels

 * Immediately before the primates pass the level's No Animal Sign, they must search above themselves to notice a Bonus Barrel in the air. They should use Rattly or their Team-up move to reach it. It leads them to a Bonus Level, where they must bounce along several Flitters to cross an abyss with the Kremkoin on the other side of it. As they cross the abyss, the wind blows them to the east towards the Kremekoin, which they have 10 seconds to find an collect. If they hit into an enemy, fall into the pit, or run out of time during this bonus, they are sent back into the main level.
 * Similar to Donkey Kong Land 2's second Bonus Level, the Kongs must uncover a kannonball from inside a treasure chest, which is located not long after the Star Barrel. Then, they must carry it across two pits and throw it into a nearby kannon. Once the kannon is loaded, they must walk into it to be shot to a Bonus Level. Here, they must use a moving Barrel Cannon to shoot to 65 stars that float high in the air. As the barrel moves under these stars, they must fire out of it to grab some of the objects. If all of the stars are obtained before the time limit of 30 seconds runs out, a Kremkoin appears on the right side of the area to grab with the remaining time. They are sent back to the main level if they fail to collect the Kremkoin before time runs out.

DK Coin

 * After the passing last Kannon in the level, the primates cross a large pit. A DK Coin is above this abyss, but it is too high to reach with a normal jump. They can use the barrels shot by the nearby Kannon to bounce up to a coin. Dixie Kong can also reach it by using her Helicopter Spin immediately after jumping off of the structure found before the Kannon.

Golden Feather (Game Boy Advance version only)

 * At the very end of the level, the Kongs should pass up the End of Level Target and try to jump up to the tall hill after it. They should find a hidden hook that helps them climb to the top, where they can grab the Golden Feather.

Photograph (Game Boy Advance version only)

 * At the beginning of the level, the heroes should use their Team-up move to throw one another onto the tall hill behind them. A hidden area is on the other side of the hill, where they can find Rattly's crate. After they release the rattlesnake from his crate, they should jump to the left along the side of another hill to grab a hidden photograph. They can also reach this photograph by using their Team-up move again. The photograph gives the heroes a picture of Rattly for page 12 of their scrapbook.