Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong Country, known in Japanese as Super Donkey Kong, is a side-scrolling platform game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System released in 1994. It was developed by Rareware and published by Nintendo. The game stars Donkey Kong and his sidekick Diddy Kong, as the two travel across Donkey Kong Island to recover their banana hoard, stolen by the Kremlings and their leader, King K. Rool.

Donkey Kong Country reintroduced the Donkey Kong series (alongside the 1994 Game Boy game released a few months prior) after a nearly decade-long hiatus. The game also introduced Donkey Kong's modern design, his supporting cast and enemies, musical cues, and gameplay mechanics that most of the following Donkey Kong games as well as Donkey Kong's appearances in Mario spin-off titles would build upon. The game's success spawned multiple sequels and spin-offs, a 40-episode 3D animated series, a chapter book adaptation, manga adaptations in Mario-related publications such as Kodansha's Super Mario manga and Super Mario-Kun, and other merchandise. Donkey Kong Country was notable because of its pre-rendered sprites that were converted from 3D CGI models on workstations, inspiring future video games to do the same. Donkey Kong Country was followed by two sequels: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! in 1995 and 1996.

The game was remade for the Game Boy Color in 2000 and was also remade again for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. Both remakes feature some extra Bonus Games and the ability to save in the overworld. Donkey Kong Country was ported to the Wii's Virtual Console in 2006/2007. On November 25, 2012, for reasons unknown, Donkey Kong Country and its sequels were delisted from the Wii Virtual Console, but on October 30, 2014, the games were relisted in Europe and Australia. Around the same time, the games were released on the Wii U's Virtual Console in Europe and Australia, in Japan on November 26, 2014, and in the United States and Canada on February 26, 2015. For handhelds, Donkey Kong Country was ported exclusively to the New Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console in March 2016. It is one of the 21 games included on the Super NES Classic Edition and was made available on Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online for the Nintendo Switch on July 15, 2020.

In 1995, a specialized competition variant named Donkey Kong Country Competition Cartridge was manufactured for use in various video game tournaments held throughout 1995. After that, the few existing cartridges were sold in a Nintendo Power subscriber catalogue, and the carts have since become a collector's item.

Story
"I'll hunt them down through every part of my island, until I have every banana from my hoard back!!"

- Donkey Kong

During a stormy night on Donkey Kong Island, Donkey Kong orders Diddy to guard his banana hoard for his "hero training" until midnight. While watching for predators beneath the darkness, Diddy hears noises outside. He nervously asks, "W-w-who goes there?!". An ominous voice tells the other to seal Diddy in a barrel, kick it into the bushes, and steal the bananas. Diddy gets ambushed by Kremlings, some of which he manages to defeat with his cartwheel attack until being overpowered by Klump. He seals Diddy in a DK Barrel and kicks it across the jungle. The Kremlings load the entire banana hoard onto their vehicles and carry them through the jungle, dropping behind trails of bananas.

The next morning, Donkey Kong wakes up by a loud calling of his name. Realizing that he slept through his watch, Donkey Kong quickly exits his tree house, only to find Cranky Kong outside. Cranky prompts Donkey Kong to check the banana cave for a "big surprise". Inside the cave, Donkey Kong finds out that all of his bananas were stolen, with only a few discarded peels lying around. Cranky mocks Donkey Kong for shirking his responsibility, noting that Diddy is also gone. Meanwhile, Donkey Kong is in disbelief over his stolen bananas and rages that the Kremlings stole all of them. Donkey Kong vows to bring payback upon the Kremlings and recover his banana hoard. Cranky breaks the fourth wall by questioning why the "game idea" involves finding Diddy and rescuing bananas instead of a damsel in distress. Donkey Kong tells how Diddy wishes to be a video game hero like Donkey Kong. Cranky believes neither of them are suitable for being video game heroes, and he goes on to brag about his popularity during the arcade era. Deeming the adventure "ridiculous", Cranky believes Donkey Kong would be lucky to even sell ten copies of the game. Donkey Kong gets mad at Cranky and insists on going on an adventure to save Diddy and recover the stolen bananas. Donkey Kong leaves and follows a trail of bananas along his way. Cranky briefly hesitates, but then follows after Donkey Kong. Cranky mumbles that Donkey Kong may need his help and further mentions that kids do not have respect for their elders anymore.

In the first level, Donkey Kong releases Diddy Kong, who tags along during the adventure. Together, the Kongs travel through various areas, including jungles, mines, forests, temples, snowy mountains, caves, and factories. With assistance from Cranky, Funky, and Candy Kong, the two Kongs eventually a large pirate ship, the Gangplank Galleon, where are confronted by the Kremling Krew's leader, King K. Rool. After Donkey Kong and Diddy defeat King K. Rool, Cranky congratulates them and tells them to check the banana hoard. They do so, finding that the bananas have been returned.

In the Game Boy Advance remake, the introduction cutscene for starting a new save file is an abridged version of the instruction booklet story. The ending to the remake was altered; after King K. Rool's defeat, Cranky, Funky, and Candy congratulate Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong on their victory. King K. Rool soon recovers, forces them off the ship and sails away, vowing to return.

Gameplay
The game introduces the "tag-team" system, where Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong follow each other throughout the levels. The Kong in front is the one currently in play, while the other Kong follows behind. If the Kong in play is injured, he quickly runs off the screen (or falls off the screen in the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance remakes), and the other takes its place. If this happens, only one Kong is on the screen at a time. If the lone Kong is injured by an enemy, the player loses an extra life and must restart the level either from the start or from the activated Continue Barrel. Any Kong that is missing can be recovered from a DK Barrel. When either the Kongs are freed from a DK Barrel, he goes behind the Kong in play. The player can press to switch characters, in which case Donkey Kong high-fives Diddy to switch places with him, or vice versa.

In the Game Boy Color remake, only one Kong appears on screen at a time, like the Donkey Kong Land games. If both Kongs are in the group, the one not in play is represented by a DK Barrel icon at the bottom-left corner. By pressing, the player can switch characters, which shows the Kong in play being moved to the DK Barrel icon while the other Kong moves out to appear on-screen.

Abilities
The basic moves that Donkey Kong and Diddy can perform include jumping, rolling/cartwheeling, climbing, and swimming. The most commonly used basic abilities are the jump and roll moves, both of which allow the Kongs to cross gaps and defeat enemies. The roll and cartwheel act as the same move, but can only be used by Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong respectively. The respective Kong can perform their roll or cartwheel from a ledge to do a longer jump in midair, effective for moving across abysses. Ropes are the only object that the Kongs can climb up or down on, allowing them to reach items or higher areas. Some ropes start moving across a gap when the Kongs cling on it while some others remain stationary. The Kongs can only swim during underwater levels.

Aside from the rolling attack, the Kongs also have some different abilities. Diddy is faster and more agile than Donkey Kong, but he is not as strong, which makes it harder for him to defeat Armys, Krushas, and Klumps. Donkey Kong is stronger and slower than Diddy and can perform a unique move, the Hand Slap. The move allows Donkey Kong find hidden items or objects in the ground or on treetops, but it can also be used to defeat enemies.

Another difference between the two Kongs is how they pick up and throw barrels. When Diddy picks up a barrel, he holds in front of him, protecting himself from enemies in the way. Donkey Kong holds a barrel over his head, which leaves him vulnerable to enemies in the front. Donkey Kong can throw barrels slightly farther than Diddy, allowing him to hit an enemy from a distance. When the barrel hits into an enemy, it breaks. If the Kongs throw a steel keg against a wall, they can jump on the barrel and balance on it as it rolls along.

Modes
When selecting a new file, the player can choose either single player or multiplayer; once the player selects a mode, they cannot change it unless they delete it and start a new one. In multiplayer, the first player controls Donkey Kong while the second player controls Diddy Kong. In multiplayer, if either Kong is hit, the other player must press a button to take over with their Kong (in the Game Boy Advance version, the other player must press, as instructed on the screen). The game keeps a score for both players, to keep track of how many levels they have completed.

Supporting characters
There are a few Kongs who help Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong along their journey, and they each appear in one of the supporting locations.

Animal Friends
Aside from the supporting Kongs, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are also assisted by Animal Friends during the game. Each Animal Friend is prisoner in an Animal Crate with their likeness on it. The Animal Friends only appear in certain levels, and the Kongs cannot take them to other levels. Every Animal Friend has their own unique abilities.

Enemies
Various types of enemies appear throughout the levels, attempting to get into Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's way. The Kremlings are the main enemies of the game.

Bosses
At the end of every world, the Kongs must fight a boss, each guarding a portion of the stolen bananas. Most of the bosses are a larger version of an enemy.

Barrels
Barrels are the most common object in the game. There are many different types of barrels in the game, each with its own purpose and use.

Supporting locations
During their adventure, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are assisted by three other members of the Kong Family who operate their own location in every world.

In the Game Boy Advance remake, all three areas were changed.

Levels
Like Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country's levels and worlds are accessed from a world map. The main overworld is Donkey Kong Island, where the Kongs can travel between the worlds they have visited. Every world has a progression system where the Kongs must complete a level to unlock the next and so forth until reaching the boss level at the end. Every world has five to six levels. After the Kongs complete the boss level, they unlock the next world. The Kongs can return to the main Donkey Kong Island map by either defeating the world boss or by renting Funky's Jumbo Barrel.

A head of either Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong appear on the location of every world and level that either Kong has completed. A Kritter head appears only on the next level or world that the Kongs have not yet completed. In the Super Nintendo version, there is a glitch in single player mode where if Diddy completes a level and then Donkey Kong completes it afterward, his head does not appear on that level.

Most levels have Bonus Levels in them, two or three on average. They allow the Kongs to collect items and prizes. While it is optional for the Kongs to enter the Bonus Levels, entering every Bonus Level is required for 101% completion. Unlike the Super Mario series, the Kongs are not required to traverse a whole level to reach the end boss.

Note that the following table lists the levels in the original order from the Super Nintendo and Game Boy Color versions.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Three different versions are known to exist for the North American release. In Trick Track Trek, the moving platform does not fall instantly once it reaches the end of the line. Otherwise, it is v1.0. In Coral Capers, there is a gap between the Continue Barrel and lower platform. Otherwise, the game is at most v1.1.
 * V1.1
 * V1.2 (Player's Choice)


 * Japanese
 * Rather than only Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong appearing on the title screen, the Japanese version of the screen includes both Kongs, as well as all five animal buddies, and a pair of Zingers.
 * On the World Map, the DK head next to Donkey Kong's Treehouse is not present.
 * Manky Kong takes two hits from Diddy to be defeated, unlike in the American/European versions where either Kong can kill him in a single blow.
 * The Rock Krocs in Stop & Go Station can be defeated in the Japanese version via DK's Hand Slap, whereas they cannot be defeated at all in the other versions.
 * In the Japanese version, Hand Slapping three enemies consecutively would earn DK several bananas.
 * Extra DK Barrels were added to various levels:
 * In Barrel Cannon Canyon, an extra barrel was added near the letter N.
 * In Snow Barrel Blast, two barrels were added to the Barrel Cannon section, and one of the existing ones was moved.
 * In Elevator Antics, an extra barrel is present at the top of the vine leading to the first bonus room.
 * In Mine Cart Madness, an extra barrel was added near the level's Continue Barrel.
 * In Loopy Lights, an extra barrel is present near the first Necky.
 * Certain levels were made easier:
 * In Mine Cart Carnage, some of the crashed Mine Carts were removed.
 * An extra TNT Drum was added to Millstone Mayhem.
 * The Mini-Necky was removed from the end of Vulture Culture.
 * A specific room in Clam City contains only three piranhas instead of four.
 * The first Klaptrap has been removed from Snow Barrel Blast, as well as one of the Neckies, and the green Zinger before the Barrel Cannon.
 * One of the Armies was removed from the stage, alongside the Zinger placed directly above it. Additionally, the fourth blue Kritter and another pair of Zingers were removed.
 * The oil drums in Oil Drum Alley have a longer gap between the times when they release flames, thus making them attack less frequently.
 * The moving platforms in Trick Track Trek do not automatically drop at the end of their cables, giving the player more time to jump off.

Game Boy Color
Donkey Kong Country was remade for the Game Boy Color in 2000. It was released in Japan under the title, Donkey Kong 2001 (ドンキーコング2001), and as the name implies, it was released there in 2001. There are several differences, some of which are because of the Game Boy Color's limited hardware capabilities. Differences include:


 * The GBC version prompts the player to select a language before going to the title screen, in the SNES version the language select menu is found in the file select. Also unlike the SNES version, all of the text will be in the selected language instead of having menus still in English.
 * There are three different title screens.
 * There is no two-player option for adventure mode.
 * The mode selection menu is reminiscent of Donkey Kong 64's.
 * Much like the Donkey Kong Land games, only one Kong appears at time. A DK Barrel icon is shown if both Kongs are in a group.
 * In the German version, many levels' names were changed to ones that more closely resemble their English names.
 * DK Sticker Packs are newly collectible photographs hidden in a level of each world. They are viewable from the Sticker Book, and can even be printed from the Game Boy Printer.
 * Due to the graphical limitations, the stormy weather effects in the levels Ropey Rampage and Snow Barrel Blast are not present in this version. Also, perhaps ironically, the misty effect in Misty Mine is not present here.
 * The light in Torchlight Trouble does not have a beam of light, but rather lights up the whole screen.
 * The level Winky's Walkway has been extended with some more enemies and a different layout.
 * In Millstone Mayhem, the Gnawties sit on top of the millstones rather than in the middle.
 * A new level called Necky Nutmare has been added in Chimp Caverns.
 * The Kongs do not ride the Animal Friends; rather, they transform into them when jumping on the Animal Crate. If an Animal Friend comes in contact with an enemy, it reverts to Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong, who cannot transform back into the Animal Friend unless they find another Animal Crate.
 * The Kongs do not travel between levels on the world map along dots in a straight line, but rather following paths, similar to Donkey Kong Land.
 * Two mini-games have been added: Funky hosts a fishing game known as Funky's Fishing (which would be later reprised in the GBA remake) and Cranky hosts a shooting game called Crosshair Cranky.
 * Two additional difficulties have been added: the first one removes DK Barrels and the other removes Star Barrels. After beating the game in the normal difficulty, the player has to replay the game with each new difficulty in the same file to achieve 101% completion.
 * Most of the music and sound effects were taken from Donkey Kong Land or downgraded for Game Boy Color. Its Forest Frenzy track was even entirely newly composed.
 * The warping Blast Barrel in Mine Cart Carnage was removed.
 * The game saves automatically after completing a level. As a result, Candy's Save Point was replaced by Candy's Challenge where Donkey Kong or Diddy must complete a challenge in each world.
 * The staff credits shows various screenshots instead of taking place in DK's Tree House. The cast of characters no longer appears in the game.

Game Boy Advance
Another remake of the game was made for the Game Boy Advance in 2003, this one more closely resembling the original in terms of graphics and sound due to the system's more powerful hardware. Even so, the game features several differences from the original:


 * An intro cutscene is played when the player starts a new file, which is an abridged version of the story from the manual.
 * Regarding the cutscene, a difference between the cutscene and the manual was who ended up being responsible for subduing Diddy. In the cutscene, it was Krusha. In the manual, it was Klump.
 * A "Time Attack" mode has been added, called DK Attack, where Donkey and Diddy Kong must collect objects and complete the level in a certain amount of time.
 * Rock Krocs can now be defeated by Donkey Kong's Hand Slap when they are stopped by Stop & Go Barrels.
 * Some enemies come in different colors (normal Gnawties are blue, normal Kritters are purple, etc.) The original colors of some of said enemies are briefly featured in the credits.
 * The Blast Barrels that send the Kongs to bonus rooms are replaced by the Bonus Barrels used in Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Country 3.
 * Bonus rooms now have title cards ("Find the Exit", "Stop the Barrel", etc); this is another carryover from the sequels.
 * Also, as in the sequels, bonus rooms can now be reentered.
 * The Blast Barrels that send the Kongs near the end of the level are replaced by Warp Barrels.
 * The Warp Barrel in Millstone Mayhem has a different location, while the Warp Barrels in Vulture Culture, Tree Top Town, and Slipslide Ride were removed. In contrast, more Warp Barrels where added in the early levels, so all the levels in Kongo Jungle and Monkey Mines have one. This is a carryover from the sequels, which only have Warp Barrels in all the levels from their first two worlds.
 * When the heroes enter a Warp Barrel, they are sent into a short area that contains a group of bananas that spell out the word "WARP". In the original version of the game, as well as in the Game Boy Color version, the original barrel simply sends them to the end of the level and not into this short area.
 * From Vine Valley onwards, there are some changes from the original:
 * The bosses are fought a little differently:
 * Queen B. now has several Zingers surrounding her when she gets hit and turns red, which all must be taken out with barrels before she can be damaged again. The Zingers' placement changes after each hit.
 * Really Gnawty, rather than making high leaps after being hit, leaps over to the side of the stage, and causes stalactites to fall from the ceiling, before leaping around again.
 * After defeating the enemies that Dumb Drum drops, as it attempts to crush the player, the player must throw TNT Drums at it to damage it.
 * The player battles both Master Necky Snr. and Master Necky simultaneously. Rather than tossing an increasing number of nuts, Master Necky Snr. and Master Necky each toss a single nut at the same time, before either can be hit. After one is defeated, the other will toss four nuts before being vulnerable.
 * Some of the levels in the third through fifth worlds are reordered:
 * Temple Tempest is the sixth level in Vine Valley, rather than the fourth. This makes Orang-utan Gang and Clam City the fourth and fifth levels, respectively.
 * In Gorilla Glacier, Ice Age Alley and Croctopus Chase swapped placements, and so too have Rope Bridge Rumble and Torchlight Trouble.
 * In Kremkroc Industries Inc., Poison Pond and Elevator Antics are swapped. Blackout Basement and Mine Cart Madness are also swapped.
 * Very Gnawty and Really Gnawty swapped colors, but in accordance to the normal Gnawties' color change, Really Gnawty is now blue instead of grayish-green.
 * Some unused elements from the original that were still kept in its data were used in this remake. Examples include Necky's falling feathers when defeated, Cranky Kong's walking sprites and most of his unused dialogues.
 * After each boss, Cranky Kong comes out and compliments the Kongs on beating the boss while criticizing the bosses.
 * The game can be saved at any time or place, including halfway points in levels. With this, Candy's save areas are replaced with a dance studio, with different theme music. Here, a dancing minigame can be played.
 * After meeting Funky (who also has different music) once, he can be summoned anytime on the world map.
 * From Monkey Mines onward, the maps have been redesigned. The world maps are also zoomed in more.
 * On the world map, rather than in straight lines, the Kongs follow curved pathways between each level, similar to the sequels. The flashing ovals that mark the path are replaced with banana peels.
 * Some of the level backgrounds are edited:
 * At the end of Jungle Hijinxs, the time of day does not change to night, unlike in the original.
 * Likewise, Ropey Rampage remains overcast and stormy throughout. These changes were likely made to make the levels easier to see on the original, unlit Game Boy Advance screen.
 * The walls behind the mine levels' ground areas are hollowed out slightly, as the background can be seen through them.
 * Loopy Lights's background is changed to that of Mine Cart Carnage and Misty Mine.
 * Slipslide Ride's farthest background is now gem-filled, rather than plain purple.
 * Various foreground objects were added to some level environments that lacked them (ex: temple levels with trees in front, beams in mine levels).
 * To get 101% Completion, the player now also has to collect all of the K-O-N-G Letters and fill up the scrapbook.
 * The game exclusively features the "Hero Mode", unlocked for getting at least 90% completion on a save file. In this mode, the player controls a yellow-clothed Diddy, who must complete every level without the help of Continue Barrels or DK. However, the player can get the 101% the same way as in the original.
 * When the player saves the game, it also saves the number of lives and bananas the Kongs have, unlike in the original, which resets the count to five extra lives and no bananas every time that the game is reset.
 * The game has more sound effects and character voices, particularly from Donkey Kong 64, and enemies have different sound effects when beaten.
 * Donkey, Diddy, and King K. Rool now reuse their voice clips from Donkey Kong 64.
 * K-O-N-G Letters spin around as in the sequels, instead of always facing the screen; they also no longer sparkle or shimmer. This makes their animations more consistent in the series.
 * A scrapbook, similar to the one in the Game Boy Color version, was added; the Kongs have to collect photographs throughout the game in order to add pictures to it.
 * The Two Player Contest option (while starting a new file) was removed. This option was removed in the remakes of its two sequels as well.
 * Very Gnawty appears in DK's Tree House after defeating Really Gnawty. When it realizes that the Kongs have arrived, Very Gnawty hops past them and out of the front door. This can be performed only once per file, however.
 * Queen B is now dizzy upon defeat in addition to moving constantly. In the original, she just occasionally moved.
 * The cast of characters take place on Gangplank Galleon instead of DK's Tree House.
 * Only the enemies, bosses, and animal buddies are shown with their names during the cast scene; the Kongs are not listed.
 * After the cast of characters finishes, the Kongs are all shown on the Gangplank Galleon contemplating their adventure, when King K. Rool forces them off with the threat of using the ship's onboard cannons to blow up Donkey Kong Island. As the Kongs swim back to shore, K. Rool promises to return as his ship sails away. Cranky then criticizes the ending as a cheap attempt at setting up for a sequel.

Bonus Level Early Exit
This glitch can only be done in the Game Boy Advance version. The Kongs must go to the first Bonus Level found in Platform Perils and stand underneath the fourth barrel and a little to the right of it. Now, the Kongs have to hit this barrel when the G is not showing up. If they do it right, they will lose the bonus level as usual, but they will end up walking out early, not showing their Mini-Game defeat animation. This can be done with either Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong.

Enguarde Warps Colors
First, the player has to go to Croctopus Chase. Then, after the parts where the Kongs are carried from one place to another by the blast barrels, the Kongs will have to find Enguarde and get on him. Then the player has to go back through the level until the Kongs reach the last blast barrel that the apes were shot from. By simply getting in that barrel and getting fired out, the player can perform four different glitches:


 * 1) The first of these is that Diddy will be walking, not swimming, behind Donkey Kong. The player can get off Enguarde and swim to his side. Then the player must press select. If done correctly, the camera will freeze and Diddy alone will be able to walk around as if it were a land level.
 * 2) While still frozen, the player could jump back on Enguarde. Diddy should turn into a greenish-blue color and hover in mid-air. This allows the player to control Enguarde by himself, which results in the Kongs being left behind if the player continues on through the level.
 * 3) While on Enguarde, the player can press and then  once quickly after. Enguarde should turn into another greenish-blue Diddy that the player will be able to control. If the player touches the other floating Diddy it will turn the player back into Enguarde.
 * 4) While using Enguarde once again, the player needs to press the quickly and repeatedly; it will permanently turn him into a reddish color with either DK or Diddy following behind.

As this new red Enguarde, the player has to have Diddy follow behind him (if Donkey is behind the player, the player will have to press twice and the Kongs should switch). Then, the player has to press and the player then has to press. This results in Enguarde transforming into an oddly colored Donkey Kong that hovers in the air while the player is left controlling the Kongs once again. The player can redo this with DK following behind the player while the player is controlling Enguarde, and a normally colored Diddy should be hovering in the air instead of the oddly colored Donkey Kong.

Candy Kong

 * "Hi, I'm Candy Kong and this is my Save Point!"
 * ''"If you want to save your current game, just jump into my spinning save barrel!
 * "Hello guys, got anything worth saving?"
 * "Wow! You guys really came a long way! Save your game now, while you have the chance!"
 * "Yoo-hoo, Honey Kong! Now's a good time to save where you've gotten to!"
 * "It must have been hard work for you to come all this way! Why not save your game?"
 * "Can I help you monkeys save your game?"
 * "How would you like a quick spin in my save barrel?"
 * "I don't think he is, sugar. Let's get off this manky ship."

Development
The lead-up to Donkey Kong Country's creation started in the summer of 1993. While visiting Rare as a part of a globe-travelling journey to find potential quality games in development, Tony Harman of Nintendo of America saw a Tech Demo showing an animated, computer-rendered boxer punching. Rare was experimenting with 3D animation at the time as they found the then-popular technique too restrictive. Impressed by the demo, Harman lobbied for Nintendo to collaborate with Rare, and, with the help of and Shigeru Miyamoto, managed to convince them. Nintendo approached Rare with the mandate to make a game that would have "better graphics than Aladdin" (presumably referring to, which was lauded for its impressive graphics and animation hand-drawn by Disney animators). They recommended that it should star Donkey Kong, as they thought that the character and his universe were less explored than other Nintendo properties and that thus Rare could have greater creative freedom while making the game.

A team of 12 people were assembled for the project, which was the most Rare had assigned for a single game at the time. Gregg Mayles cited Super Mario Bros. 3 as his chief inspiration, saying that he wanted to imitate its structure while also providing smooth and flowing level designs that skilled players could navigate quickly. A team of developers were sent to the nearby Twycross Zoo to observe the movements of real gorillas, but found that it would not suited to the fast-paced platformer that they wanted to make. The team created around fifteen different styles of movement for Donkey Kong, including ones based on rabbits and frogs, before arriving at the current animations, based loosely on the movements of horses. The Kremlings originated from another project Rare was developing at the same time (which, according to Rareware employee Gregg Mayles was from a canceled adventure game named Jonny Blastoff and the Kremling Armada. ) , but were transplanted into the game as Rare found that they were a good fit for Donkey Kong Country's aesthetic. The developers also wanted the screen to be as "clutter-free" as possible, which lead to the creation of a "buddy" character so that the player could take more than one hit, inspired by the "big Mario returns to little Mario" system of the Super Mario games. Donkey Kong Jr. was first considered for the role, but he was changed into a separate character as Nintendo felt Rare's redesign looked too different.

Rare demoed an early version of the game at Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto. Reception of the demo was mixed, with Gunpei Yokoi remarking that the game looked "too 3D". . However, Shigeru Miyamoto approved of what was done with the project. He and his staff gave advice to Rare on how to improve the game, with one of the results being the implementation of the Hand Slap move a few weeks before completion

Game Boy Advance remake
The Game Boy Advance remake was coded from scratch. The developers extensively playtested the port to make sure the physics and controls were true to the original version, though some deviations were made to improve some mechanics and the level design.

Some of the floppies containing the original graphic assets were lost, while the surviving ones were disorganized and mostly unusable. To remedy this problem, team members ripped the sprites using an emulator. Most of the backgrounds were redone from the ground up to fit the Game Boy Advance's screen resolution, scale, and color palette.

Reception
At the time of its release, Donkey Kong Country received universal acclaim by critics and audiences, with the game being praised for its visuals, controls, and replayability. The massive hype it received due to its innovative use of pre-rendered 3D sprites and subsequent commercial success has been credited with extending the SNES's lifespan and help the system stay relevant in the face of the next-generation and  consoles. The Game Boy Color remake was similarly praised for taking a graphically-impressive title and putting it to the platform in a complete and technically competent form, in contrast to other unsuccessful attempts at directly porting or remaking home console games for handhelds. The game was placed 39th in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997 and it was rated the 90th best game on a Nintendo system in their top 200 games list in 2006.

Following Rare's acquisition by Microsoft, Donkey Kong Country experienced a period of backlash. Electronic Gaming Monthly placed the game in their top 10 overrated games list (despite the publication previously awarding it the 1994 Game of the Year award), and, in their review of the GBA version, stated that the game did not hold up. Similarly, GameSpy placed it ninth on their list of the top 25 most overrated games of all time. Regardless, the Game Boy Advance and Virtual Console re-releases were still positively received.

Sales
Donkey Kong Country ended up selling more than expected, since the game was released at the peak of the 16-bit era. The game had an extremely successful first day at the stores, and sold 9.3 million copies worldwide, making it the third best-selling game on the Super Nintendo, following Super Mario World and Super Mario All-Stars. To date, it is the best-selling Donkey Kong game and overall Rare's best-selling game.

References to other games
GBA version exclusive:
 * Donkey Kong - Cranky Kong is said to be the Donkey Kong from this game who fought Mario in some of his own games. The oil drums from the first stage of this game were also featured in Donkey Kong Country at Oil Drum Alley. In addition, the intro of the game has Cranky Kong listening to and operating a phonogram that's playing the theme song for the original Donkey Kong arcade game in a background resembling the iron bars from the original arcade game before Donkey Kong drowns out the music with his boom box and proceeds to knock Cranky Kong out of the area, revealing that the setting is actually within the jungle, further implying Cranky Kong's connection to the original Donkey Kong.
 *  - In Cranky's cabin, the head of the game's titular wulf is seen mounted on the wall, with the game's official character art hung beside it. Also, the hat belonging to the game's protagonist, Sabreman, can be seen on a barrel in the cabin.
 *  - In Cranky's cabin, in the foreground can be seen a skull-shaped object with three red feathers, resembling the head of the game's supporting character, Mumbo Jumbo.

References in later games

 * Donkey Kong Land: The semi-sequel of Donkey Kong Country for the Game Boy, which contains gameplay elements and music remixes from its SNES counterpart.
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: The direct sequel, which contains many gameplay elements from its predecessor. Also, in the Game Boy Advance remake, Diddy makes a reference to the first game in the intro, stating that he did not want to surrender the banana hoard to Kaptain K. Rool after all that he and Donkey Kong went through to get it last time. Additionally, Winky can be seen in the background of Cranky's Monkey Museum.
 * Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!: As with Donkey Kong Country 2, many gameplay elements are reused (including the return of being able to balance the Kongs on Steel Barrels, which is absent in Donkey Kong Country 2).
 * Super Smash Bros. series: Barrel Cannons seen in Donkey Kong Country appear here. Also, Kongo Jungle stages appear in the three games as Congo Jungle in the first Super Smash Bros. game, and Kongo Jungle in Super Smash Bros. Melee and remade in Melee Stages in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The "boss defeated" fanfare is used as Donkey Kong's victory theme in all the Super Smash Bros. games.
 * Many of Donkey Kong's various animations from this game (like his crouching, jumping, running, and the way he carries barrels) as well as some of his moves like his Hand Slap were used in Super Smash Bros. as part of his moveset. This also happened with Diddy Kong when he was introduced in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
 * Most of Donkey Kong's stages in the Mario Party, Mario Kart, Mario Tennis franchises, and other spin-offs are based on elements from Donkey Kong Country.
 * Donkey Kong 64: Another installment in the series with many similarities to Donkey Kong Country. It features the entire non-playable Kong cast, as well as another Jungle Hijinxs remix. In the Game Boy Color version, the Select Screen resembles the Donkey Kong 64 one.
 * Donkey Kong Country Returns: Many elements from the original version return in this game, including arrangements of the main theme, and characters such as Rambi and Squawks. Some of Cranky Kong's quotes are also reused.
 * Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: In the level Canopy Chaos, Cranky's record player can be found, which plays the original title theme when the player ground pounds in front of it.
 * Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge: Barrel Cannons and Blast Barrels, as well as minecarts, have roles in Mini Donkey Kong and Mini Diddy Kong's stages, respectively. Along with a cover of "DK Island Swing", heard in Mini Donkey Kong's levels, there is also a cover of the Bonus Level theme from Donkey Kong Country, which plays in Mini Diddy Kong's stages.
 * WarioWare Gold: A microgame in 5-Volt's stage based on Donkey Kong Country appears in this game.

Pre-release and unused content
Early previews video show minor differences, such as items in different spots, different level palettes, and the Krusha and Klump enemies being invulnerable to attacks that they are vulnerable to in the final game.

Unused data still present on the cartridge include several sprites (including one enemy featured in the sequel), enemy palettes swaps and an early script which depicts Cranky Kong as a friendlier character.

Staff
Donkey Kong Country was developed by a team of 12 people, the largest development staff of any Rareware game at that point. Rareware co-founder Tim Stamper was the director while Gregg Mayles served as the designer.

The game had a team of 3 composers working on it. Eveline Fischer composed the tracks "Simian Segue", "Candy's Love Song", "Voices of the Temple", "Forest Frenzy", "Treetop Rock", "Northern Hemispheres", and "Ice Cave Chant". Robin Beanland's sole contribution was the Funky's Flights theme (a holdover from the arcade version of Killer Instinct ). David Wise handled the rest of the soundtrack.

Trivia

 * This game has an adaptation in the Super Mario-Kun manga with some changes. Mario and Yoshi land in the Donkey Kong Country by mistake, and Cranky Kong asks to them help Donkey and Diddy in their task to find the bananas and stop King K. Rool.
 * The Game Boy Advance remake of the game is the only one of the three GBA remakes of the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy that does not feature any new bosses.
 * A 13-minute long promotional VHS tape was released in 1994 called Donkey Kong Country: Exposed.