Castle Crush

Castle Crush is the thirtieth level of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, as well as the twenty-ninth level in the same game's Game Boy Advance remake. It is also the third area of K. Rool's Keep in Donkey Kong Country 2, and the second area of the world in the remake. It is one of two levels to not appear in Donkey Kong Land 2, as it was replaced by Dungeon Danger, a castle level without a rising floor.

This is the first castle level that Diddy and Dixie Kong venture through, and it features a gimmick not seen in any other Donkey Kong Country game: a rising floor. The rising floor forces the Kongs to avoid all ceilings, as they can be lifted towards them and then smashed into them. As they maneuver away from any structures or ceilings that they can be smashed into, several enemies try to get in their way, including Krunchas, Kutlass, Klampons, Krooks, Neeks, Spinies, Zingers, and Mini-Neckies. The Animal Buddy, Rambi the Rhinoceros, who is needed to access a Bonus Level, can be found in this level to help the primates defeat these foes for a portion of the level. Squawks the Parrot also appears in this level, and he is required to safely grab the level's DK Coin and to reach a Bonus Barrel.

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System version of Castle Crush is infamous among players for a fatal glitch.

Level Layout
The Kongs begin the level on a flat pathway surrounded by walls. Soon, a separate structure rises and lifts them off the ground, leading them up to a large group of bananas. As they are lifted higher, a Neek and a Spiny emerge from nearby alcoves to attack. A DK Barrel is located to the left of them on the other side of the wall as they encounter these foes. When the floor rises high enough, the wall blocking them from the barrel ends, allowing them to reach the barrel, which they can use to defeat a Kutlass in a narrow passage higher up. A passage is located to the left of the Kutlass, and an alternate path is to the right of it. The path on the left contains an Animal Barrel, and if the heroes enter it, they are turned into Rambi. A Krook stands near the path on the right and tries to hit the Kongs with its hooks as they come by. However, the foe is soon crushed into the ceiling from the rising floor. Once the floor rises higher, the two pathways join together and the heroes are lifted into a single passage that contains a Neek, and later, a Kruncha. After the heroes pass this enemy, they are lifted into a wide, open room with Spinies on both sides of it.

A few structures are above the foes, and a collectible is inside of the gaps between each of the structures. The letter K is against the wall to the right, while Banana Bunch is in the gap farther to the left of it. A lone banana is in the gap to the left of here, while a Banana Coin is on the edge of the room near the wall. Once the primates are raised past the structures, they make their way up a wide passage; as they head up, Klampons drop out of nearby alcoves to attack them. Eventually, they are lifted towards an alcove that contains a Banana Bunch. The heroes can find a Krook farther above here that is separated by a wall. After the floor raises them higher, the wall ends, allowing them to reach the Krook. Zingers are above this area, and once they are passed, the heroes reach an alcove that contains a Banana Coin on a platform. The floor then leads them up through a passage with a few alcoves on the sides of it, which Spinies drop out of to attack the Kongs. If they manage to pass these foes, they are raised to a ledge with a group of bananas that form an arrow pointing to a wall, which Rambi can break open to reach a Bonus Level. Once they are lifted past these bananas, they encounter a Klampon, who marches near an alcove in the wall that contains six bananas.

After they pass the bananas and travel higher, they come up to a No Animal Sign that makes Rambi disappear when passed. The duo is also given a Banana Bunch if they lead the Animal Buddy to the sign. The primates are soon lifted into a wide room that they must travel east through to find a passage on the other side of it. As they try to reach the opposite end of the room, a Spiny and a Klampon get in their way. Once they make it into the next passage, they come past a narrow alcove containing three bananas and then an Auto Fire Barrel that can blast them to another Auto Fire Barrel, which can then send them onto a high ledge with a Spiny on it far above the rising floor. If the heroes drop down this ledge, they reach a safe area containing the letter O and a Banana Bunch. At this point in the level, they can still not progress without the rising floor, so they must wait for it. Soon, the floor raises them to a room with a passage on the far end of it. They must quickly run across this room to reach the passage, while fighting off five Spinies that try to get in their way. If they reach the passage on the other side of the room, they are lifted into a large room with the level's Star Barrel in it.

If the heroes travel farther upwards from here, they can find an area that contains a DK Barrel, a Zinger, and an alcove with some bananas in it. If they run through the wall to the left of here, they can find a hidden area with an Animal Barrel in it, which can turn the primates into Squawks if they enter it. An alternate path is above the Animal Buddy that leads him past a trio of Krooks. If the primates do not take this secret passage, they must instead head up through a wider passage with the three aforementioned Krooks along the side of it. The foes are soon smashed by the rising floor, which leads the heroes to the meeting point of this path and the hidden path. If they continue to rise from here, they come up to several Zingers that travel back and forth in a horizontal path. A passage leading to the east is at the top of this area, and more passages leading north and south branch from it. With Squawks, they are able to take the passage to the south if the floor has not risen too much. This passage leads to the hidden DK Coin and many bananas. There are north passages to the north from here, and the one in the far right end of the area contains the letter N. The other passage contains a Zinger, who can be defeated with Squawks's nut projectiles.

After they head through one of the passages, they can journey to the left to find a No Animal Sign. If they pass it with Squawks, the Animal Buddy disappears and a TNT Barrel appears next to them as a prize for leading him to the sign. They can use the barrel to bust open a wall in a nearby alcove, which contains a group of bananas that form together to create the shape of an arrow pointing towards the wall. If they walk into the wall after breaking it open, they are led to a Bonus Level. If the play the bonus, they are led to an alcove located farther above here when they exit the bonus. A Klampon walks along a path to the right of this alcove. On the other side of the area, the heroes can find a passage that they can be raised through by the floor to reach a wider passage to the west with a Klampon and a Spiny in it. If they manage to reach the passage on the opposite side of this room, they are lifted up a long room with several alcoves on the sides of it. Klampons and Spinies emerge from these alcoves and try to drop down on the Kongs. Once they pass all of the enemy-filled alcoves, they make their way up to a wider room full of Mini-Neckies that swoop down at them as they progress. If they continue to rise from here, they soon make their way to a few Zingers that move in a circular pattern. As they rise through this area, they can notice a DK Barrel on the other side of a wall, which ends when the floor reaches a higher elevation. Once the heroes have access to the barrel, they are raised to an alcove that contains a Kruncha and the letter G.

Another alcove is to the right of here with six bananas in it. The primates are soon raised high into a narrower passage with two Krooks in long, thin spaces on the sides of it. They must dodge their hook projectiles, until the foes are soon crushed by the rising floor. Farther above this area, the duo can find a pathway leading them to the east past a trio of Spinies. In a wider room higher from here, they can find four Zingers that move in circular paths and orbit bananas. Once they pass the foes, they access a wide room with another passage on the opposite side of it. There are two Klampons with a Spiny between them in this area that the Kongs must pass as they head through the room. Once they reach the passage, they are led into a higher room with a barrel at the end of it. There are two passages at the top of the room, but one, which contains a Banana Coin and a Banana Bunch, is blocked off by a Zinger, who can only be defeated with the nearby barrel. The opposite passage leads simply to a trio of bananas. Either one of the passages can be used to reach a room that contains an End of Level Target. If they hit this target, they complete the level. Additionally, they can hit the target from a high platform to win a prize from it.

K-O-N-G Letters

 * K: Shortly after the heroes find Rambi, they are lifted into a wide room that contains a few structures. Collectibles are located between each of these structures. If the heroes head to the far-right side of the room and move through the space closest to the wall, they come up to the letter K.
 * O: Shortly after the heroes pass the No Animal Sign for Rambi, they are lifted towards some Barrel Cannons that send them onto a high structure. If they drop down from this structure before the floor rises too much, they can find the letter O near a wall.
 * N: The letter N is located near the wall immediately before the No Animal Sign for Squawks.
 * G: After the Kongs reach the final DK Barrel in the level, they encounter a Kruncha, who emerges from an alcove in the wall that contains the letter G.

Bonus Levels

 * As Rambi, the Kongs must ride along the floor for a while, until they see a formation of bananas in the shape of an arrow that points to a wall. Rambi should use his special ability to ram into the wall and break it. When he enters the hole he made, he is sent to a Bonus Level, where he needs to travel upwards by being lifted by the rising floor. As he is lifted, he is required to defeat six Zingers in order to make a Kremkoin appear at the top of the area. If he manages to grab the Kremkoin within 10 seconds of starting the bonus, the Kongs earn it to travel farther through the game.
 * If the primates cross the second No Animal Sign with Squawks, they are awarded with a TNT Barrel. They should use their prize to blow away the wall to the right before the floor comes up. If they walk into the newly-created opening, they are taken into a Bonus Level, where they have to maneuver around several large structures as the floor rises at its highest speed. If they make it to the top of the area within 30 seconds without being crushed, they can find a Kremkoin to grab with the remaining time.

DK Coin

 * After the Kongs turn into Squawks (who is hidden through a wall right after the Star Barrel), they must fly upwards. Soon, the bird travels to the east, where, he can find a pathway leading north. Although he would normally take this route, he must instead continue east and then travel downwards through a wide passage, where the DK Coin is located.

Golden Feather (Game Boy Advance version only)

 * After exiting the second Bonus Level, the heroes should ride up to the next area above, where they can discover Klampons and Spinies. They need to let the floor rise a bit to reveal the hidden Golden Feather in the top-right corner of the area.

Photograph (Game Boy Advance version only)

 * After the heroes turn into Squawks, they will a thin area, where they can find a few Krooks throwing hooks at them. The Krook in the middle displays a camera icon over its head, meaning that it is in possession of a photograph. If Squawks defeats it, they Kongs are given a picture of a Krook for the sixth page of the scrapbook, found exclusively in the Game Boy Advance remake of the game.