Krematoa

Krematoa (also known as the Lost World) is a large, hidden area in the game Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!.

Set inside a mountain or possibly dormant volcano, much of Krematoa's terrain consists of cliffs and caverns. However, Krematoa's overall climate is fairly warm, as a forest and a jungle can both be found at different ends of the area. There is also a lake in the center of the island, though there is nothing of interest there until the Kongs explore the rest of the island first.

At first, Krematoa was just a legend, believed to exist only by Blunder. However, as the Kongs progress through the game, Blunder slowly leaks clues as to how they might be able to find it. Krematoa indeed does exist, as it had once stood to the east of Mekanos, but at some point it had sunken to the bottom of a lake. All that was left of the island were four rocks, each pointing in a compass direction.

Once the Kongs got their hands on the Turbo Ski, they were able to raise Krematoa by driving circles around the four rocks. Once it had risen, the Kongs ventured inside, only to discover that Boomer had already found his way inside and set up a bomb shelter near the entrance. Because large boulders blocked the Kongs' path, Boomer offered to blow them up in exchange for Bonus Coins. As Boomer blew up more and more boulders, the Kongs were able to venture deeper into Krematoa.

Each completed level of Krematoa yields a gear cog which, when used along with the other cogs obtained from the other world levels, starts a machine in Boomer's shack that seems to 'summon' the Knautilus, Baron K. Roolenstein's massive submarine, from deep within the central lake, granting the Kongs access to the final boss fight. When this happens, the water of the lake turns red-hot and the surrounding area glows a faint red (which also expands to the levels), although the Kongs can endure swimming across it to reach Knautilus in the Game Boy Advance version. In the Super Nintendo version, a bridge will rise out the lake that the Kongs can use to reach the submarine.

Krematoa is the only area in Donkey Kong Country 3 where Kuff 'n' Klouts can be found, appearing in the first three levels.

Trivia

 * Krematoa's name is a pun of the volcanic island Krakatoa.
 * After clearing Rocket Rush in the Super Nintendo version, the Kongs can continue down a one-way path back to Boomer's Bomb Shelter. This feature is not present in the Game Boy Advance version, forcing the Kongs to backtrack through Krematoa to reach the entrance.
 * Krematoa is somewhat similar to the Lost World of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. In both of them, the Kongs must pay for entry to each level using an exclusive currency (Kremkoins or Bonus Coins). Also, a lake is found in the center of both worlds, where the final fights of the two games takes place.