Grip 'n' Trip

Grip 'n' Trip is the twenty-fourth level in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, as well as the second level in the Cave world. After completing Rickety Rails, the Kongs have the option to do Grip 'n' Trip or Bombs Away.

Summary
This level takes place in a cave, where Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong must ride on minecarts to progress. Unlike earlier minecart levels such as Crazy Cart, the Kongs can jump directly out of a minecart rather than with them; this way, the Kongs can jump between minecarts throughout the level to obtain collectibles and avoid obstacles. (This is comparable to two levels from Donkey Kong Country, Mine Cart Carnage and Mine Cart Madness respectively). About halfway through the level, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong must cling on some Climbing Grass that moves parallel to the minecart. Near the end of the level, a train begins to ride on the track above the Kongs, holding a metal platform with more of the turf on it. There are instances in which the Kongs must cling onto the Climbing Grass to avoid the obstacles on the track below, then return into the minecart to collect items on the track when viable.

Tiki Buzzes are the only enemy in Grip 'n' Trip, making it one of the only Cave levels without Mole Miners or Mole Guard.

In the Time Attack mode of the game, a time of 1:34:00 is needed to get a gold medal, a time of 1:37:00 for silver, and a time of 1:39:00 for bronze.

Layout
At the beginning of the level, there is a small pillar standing in a gap. The Kongs can only cross the gap if they cling onto the green, grassy turf on the ceiling above. A platform following this ceiling holds the level's first DK Barrel. There is a Barrel Cannon nearby that shoots them over an abyss and into a minecart stationary on a track. The minecart begins to move immediately as they enter, pulling them down a small hill towards an abyss with a banana trail across it. Once they jump over this gap, they land in another minecart that takes them down a path full of more bananas. A separate track is above here that the primates can jump to. It leads them to a Puzzle Piece. The two tracks end at the next abyss nearby, which has another minecart on a track on the other side of it. There is an abyss ahead of here, and a Tiki Buzz flies slightly above the track after it. If they manage to cross the gap after the Tiki Buzz as well, they make their way onto a track with two more Tiki Buzzes floating next to each other with an Extra Life Balloon ascending between them. An Auto Fire Barrel floats above a track after a gap nearby. It can shoot the heroes into the letter K of the K-O-N-G Letters and then back on to the curved track below right by an additional pit. If the duo crosses this, they land in a new minecart, as they have each time before, and ride towards a Tiki Buzz at the edge of the track.

A lower track is immediately after the enemy that they can ride along to reach another gap to cross. When they get into the minecart at the other side of the abyss, they are carried down a slanted track that ends with a ramp. Some bananas and Banana Bunches are in this area. The ramp swings them over a gap onto another track, which has a Tiki Buzz at the end of it. A Puzzle Piece is in the air nearby here. There is a lower track following the enemy that leads to another Tiki Buzz. A third track in this area leading to a Tiki Buzz follows this as well, with a track after it pulling Donkey and Diddy towards a gap. There is a ceiling of climbable turf that they must climb onto here to avoid falling. Three Tiki Buzzes are located slightly below the ceiling. The turf helps the Kongs climb to another minecart. The cart leads them across a curvy area under a separate track, which has the letter O at the end of it. Once they reach the end of the lower track, they come up to another abyss that they must cross by climbing along a turf-covered ceiling. A hanging object being held by a train is at the end of the ceiling that they can climb on. When they get on it, the train begins to move and pulls them over a gap towards some bananas and a platform with the Tutorial Pig and the checkpoint on it.

A DK Barrel is located next to the checkpoint, followed by a trio of bouncy mushrooms. The final mushroom can bounce them onto another turf-covered object connected to a train. The train begins to move when they grab onto it, carrying them over a gap and to a track with a minecart on it. The cart leads them over a ramp, which then drops them onto another slanted track with a ramp at the end of it. This ramp sends them onto a straight track with another turf-covered object above it. The train carrying it moves parallel to the Kongs as they ride in the minecart, allowing them to grab onto the turf at any time here. They can grab onto the turf to be pulled into some bananas and a Banana Coin high in the air. More bananas and a Banana Coin can be found later on the track. The items are followed by a cliff with some roadblocks before it. In order to avoid hitting into the roadblocks, the heroes must grab onto the moving turf and ride over the nearby abyss, which has some Tiki Buzzes above it.

The letter N is between the last two Tiki Buzzes, with a minecart just below it. The primates can drop down into the cart to progress across another track that has a Puzzle Piece and a trail of bananas on it. Two gaps are ahead, with a track leading towards another track just below it. A Tiki Buzz is above this area, followed by an Auto Fire Barrel that can be optionally entered to be blasted into the background. If the heroes miss the barrel, they are led to another gap with an additional Auto Fire Barrel in it. The barrel blasts them to a few more tracks with gaps between each of them. Eventually, the heroes can find themselves riding down a bumpy hill towards another gap with a Barrel Cannon in it. The primates are also shot into this cannon when they reach the letter G at the end of the background segment here. The Barrel Cannon shoots them onto a flat track with yet another minecart on it. The gap following this cart has a platform on the other side of it. The Slot Machine Barrel is above this, and hitting it makes the level complete.

Enemies

 * Tiki Buzzes: 15

Items

 * Banana Coin: 10
 * DK Barrel: 2
 * Red Balloon: 2

K-O-N-G Letters

 * K: Above the track following the one with a Red Balloon is a Blast Barrel, which shoots the Kongs to the letter K if they jump into it.
 * O: Shortly after the third Puzzle Piece, there is Climbing Grass at the top of a ceiling near three Tiki Buzzes. The Kongs must climb along it to cross an abyss. When they get in the minecart at the other end of the abyss, Donkey Kong and Diddy must jump from their minecart to ride a track above them. The letter O is in midair at the end of the track.
 * N: After the fourth Puzzle Piece, the Kongs must cling an object covered by Climbing Grass, which hangs from a train on the track above, to avoid some roadblocks. Shortly after the minecart explodes by colliding into the obstacles, the Kongs go toward three Tiki Buzzes. The letter N is between the last two above the following minecart below.
 * G: From the fifth Puzzle Piece, the Kongs must jump into the first enemy after to enter a Blast Barrel that shoots them into the background. The background has two tracks with many collectible items and a Blast Barrel placed between them. Donkey Kong and Diddy must travel across the area to reach the letter G above another Blast Barrel that blasts them back into the foreground.

Puzzle Pieces

 * 1) A separate track is above the Kongs as they ride the second minecart. They must jump on the upper track, where they can collect Banana Bunches, Banana Coins, and a Puzzle Piece.
 * 2) Shortly after the letter K are more platforms with tracks. A Blast Barrel is next to a track, and it takes the Kongs to a Bonus Level. In the Bonus Level, Donkey Kong and Diddy must shoot from a horizontally moving Barrel Cannon and collect 57 bananas, two Banana Coins, and a Red Balloon within thirty seconds. After the Kongs collect the items, the Puzzle Piece appears.
 * 3) The Kongs must perform a high jump on the first Tiki Buzz after the Bonus Level to reach the third Puzzle Piece in the air.
 * 4) To the left of the checkpoint, the Kongs can Ground Pound a plant to reveal the fourth Puzzle Piece.
 * 5) After the letter N and riding the minecart after it is a short track with a Puzzle Piece following a banana trail.