Snow Barrel Blast

Snow Barrel Blast is the seventeenth level of the popular Super Nintendo game, Donkey Kong Country. It is also the first level of the Gorilla Glacier area.

Taking place on a snowy landscape, the Kongs must trudge up and down steep slopes and cross wide abysses. The only way to cross these abysses, however, is by the use of barrel cannons. With good aim and skill, the heroes have to blast over the gaps, trying not to hit into any enemies or fall into a pit. This can be tricky, though, as the barrels move in several directions and make it hard to shoot right into the next barrel. To make matters worse, a storm develops over time in the level and makes it harder for players to see the screen. Enemies in this level include the flying foes, Neckys, along with Klaptraps, Zingers, Gnawtys, and a single Krusha.

Level Layout
At the start of the level, the heroes emerge from an igloo near a small hill with a Necky slowly flying over it. They can find a Barrel Cannon at the top of the slippery slope. If they aim and shoot towards a banana trail, they land on a flat piece of land. As the Kongs approach a small alcove in the ground, a trio of Neckies fly by that can be bounced off of to reach an Extra Life Balloon. Two Klaptraps march along a flat surface below these bird enemies. If they continue ahead, they can find a piece of ice floating in an abyss. A Zinger orbits this platform. A downwards slope can be found nearby with a Barrel Cannon at the bottom of it. Although a trail of bananas is placed straight above it, the heroes must shoot diagonally with it to cross a gap and land back on land. A Zinger stands in their way as they shoot across. Upon landing back in solid ground, a Necky flies towards the Kongs. A steep ledge and a snowy hill are ahead, and Klaptraps walk along them. The letter K is just before a Barrel Cannon at the bottom of the hill. This helpful barrel can be used to send them over an abyss. However, it cannot shoot them all the way across, but there are two other Barrel Cannons in the gap assure that they get over. They are placed diagonally from each other.

Once the third barrel shoots the primates back into land, Donkey and Diddy head up a small hill with a few Klaptraps at the top of it. After the heroes tread over this flat pathway, they reach a Barrel Cannon that aids them in crossing another gap. A Zinger surrounds it. Three other Barrel Cannons are placed over the abyss diagonally from each other. The Kongs must use them to blast of the gap, which has a steep hill on the other side of it. A steel keg stands on the top of this hill, which is followed by another steep hill with several Gnawties crawling along it. A Necky and another gap are at the bottom of the slope. An Auto Fire Barrel also floats at the beginning of the gap that blasts the primates to another Auto Fire Barrel above it. This barrel them shoots them towards a Necky above solid ground. Once the Kongs land back on the ground, they can find a long, steep, and slippery slope ahead of them that leads to a Barrel Cannon in a gap. The cannon can blast them to an Auto Fire Barrel. This barrel then shoots them towards two more Auto Fire Barrels, which fire them a long distance over a large section of land. The heroes land on the Star Barrel, which is located to the right of a lone Krusha.

A flat pathway with a ledge at the end of it is ahead. At the top of the ledge, the heroes can find a small hill with a wall in front of it. They can blast over the wall with a nearby Barrel Cannon, which rotates at a full 360 degree turn. If they shoot at the correct angle, they are blasted directly onto a raised piece of land with a DK Barrel on it. A slippery hill is to the east of here wit ha large gap at the end of it. The primates must cross the beginning of the abyss with the use of a few small platforms floating in it. Neckies fly towards them as they progress, but they disappear when the Kongs reach an Auto Fire Barrel. This barrel shoots them over more of the gap to a normal Barrel Cannon with a Zinger around it. The cannon can be used to continue over the gap through the letter N and to an Auto Fire Barrel, which they blasts them over the remaining part of the gap.

When they reach land again, they can find a flat pathway with a Barrel Cannon above it. An Animal Token of Rambi hovers above it, while a pair of Zingers surround the barrel. Nearby, the heroes can find a Necky flying in a wide abyss. Many Barrel Cannons are lined up next to it over various parts of this gap. The Kongs must shoot through the barrels to cross. As they progress, many Zingers impend in their progress. Some of the foes fly in a vertical path between the barrels, while others surround them. Eventually, the heroes find themselves in the final barrel, which can fire them onto a small, icy platform with a sign on it; the sign informs them that they are near the end of the level. Several more small platforms are ahead, one of which that has a Zinger surrounding it. After the final platform, the primates land on a larger piece of solid ground with a large hill on it. As they climb over the hill, a Klaptrap attacks them. On the other side of the mound, they can find two steep ledges with an exit sign at the top of it. If they walk into the igloo near here, they complete the level, heading over to Slipslide Ride.

K-O-N-G Letters

 * K: The letter K is before the third Barrel Cannon in the level.
 * O: The Kongs can shoot to the letter O at the top of a wide area when they access the second Bonus Level.
 * N: The letter N floats above a gap found just before the Rambi Animal Token found after the Star Barrel.
 * G: Shortly after the letter N, the primates reach a wide abyss with many barrels within it. If they shoot downwards at the third barrel, they land in another barrel in a hidden area, which shoots them to the other side of the abyss. They fly past the letter G on the way across.

Bonus Levels

 * When the heroes enter the level, they can discover a Necky flying towards them. They should then jump up on the igloo behind them and bounce off of it when it comes near. They land in a hidden barrel that shoots them to the first Bonus Level. Here, they need to watch as an Animal Token of Winky the Frog moves around four barrels. When it stops on a barrel, it disappears. The Kongs then must be up to the challenge of choosing which barrel it stopped in. Once they do so, they are awarded with the token and then be able to leave the stage.
 * After the primates pass the Star Barrel, they should head west and jump over a Krusha. If they fall into a nearby pit with a banana trail in it, they land in a barrel. It takes them to the second Bonus Level, where they have to blast out of a spinning barrel to grab many bananas and the letter O. Once they miss the barrel upon trying to land in it, they are taken back to the main level.
 * Just before finding an Animal Token of Rambi the Rhinoceros, the Kongs find themselves in a barrel near a Zinger. There, they should blast downwards and land on a platform with the letter N. After this is done, they must simply jump into a nearby barrel to enter the third and final Bonus Level in Snow Barrel Blast. There, the need to shoot through several spinning barrels in a strait line to grab some special items. At the end of the area, the group can walk into a nearby opening to exit.