Poison Pond

Poison Pond is the twenty-sixth level of the popular Donkey Kong game, Donkey Kong Country, and twenty-fifth level in the Game Boy Advance remake of the same game. It is also the fourth level of the Kremkroc Industries, Inc. area in the Super Nintendo and Game Boy Color versions of the game, and the third level in the Game Boy Advance remake (having switched positions with Elevator Antics).

This is the fourth and final underwater level in the game. In the level, Donkey and Diddy have to swim through a large polluted pond. As they travel, they have to fight through several Bitesizes, Chomps Jrs., Chomps, and Squidges. The main hazard here, however, is the numerous Mincers, scattered all over the stage, moving all around. One touch of these spiky hazards can damage a Kong, who can only be recovered with a DK Barrel. Luckily, Enguarde the Swordfish appears in this level, though his attacks are found useless against the rock-hard and invincible Mincers. Although the water in this level appears to be green and toxic, the Kongs are not hurt by it at all, nor does it affect gameplay. Like all other underwater levels in Donkey Kong Country, Bonus Levels are not present in Poison Pond.

Level Layout
At the beginning of the level, the heroes must swim through the misty, green pond. They will exit a wide area to travel upwards, followed by going east. They will have to avoid some Mincers as they go. After passing the third Mincer, the monkeys must swim north again and dodge a few more Mincers until they begin to follow the path west. Several other Mincers will be found on this path, moving left and right all around the area. In the first set of Mincers, the monkeys will have to face a bigger Mincer-avoiding challenge than usual. They will need to quickly head between two stationary Mincer as the Mincer above them moves back and fourth. When this foe moves to the right, they should swim over the Mincer to the left before it comes back to attack them. Once this is done, the monkeys will have to avoid another group of Mincers, swerving in opposite directions. After they dodge all those foes, the Kongs will need to swim upwards a third time and grab the letter O. On the way up, they will have to turn east and sneak over a Mincer to hit the Star Barrel.

Halfway through the level, the monkeys will swim up to an area where they will find a couple of Mincers shooting out of small alcoves. They should head east after the second Mincer and be greeted by another one of the giant tires. This Mincer will move left and right, trying to knock out the monkeys. Upon heading east from there, the Kongs will enter a large, open area. There, they should swim to the north and maneuver around three Mincers circling the area. Traveling west at this point, the animals will need to hide in a few small alcoves to avoid a lone Mincer. One of these alcoves contain the letter N. When they go through this area, the monkeys will find another area filled with three Mincers, all circling it. They should watch out for the spiky foes and drop south, where they will notice two Mincers heading strait towards them. They must quickly move to the left to avoid the enemies, and then travel through two small areas. In these areas, they will find two Mincers, one circling the other, creating a harder obstacle to avoid. Heading north, the group of two will be chased upwards by another Mincer. At some point there, they will see a tiny alcove. They should hide in it, until the next Mincer goes near them, then shoot up to find a large, open space. In this space, they will be greeted by unfriendly Bitesizes. Farther on, the heroes will have to swim between two Mincers and journey on to the exit nearby.

K-O-N-G Letters

 * K: If the Kongs head north immediately after they begin the level, they enter a large alcove with the letter K in it.
 * O: As the Kongs head up a passage to the north just before the Star Barrel, they come up to the letter O.
 * N: Shortly after the Kongs pass the area where Enguarde can be found, they can find a group of Mincers moving in a circle. The letter N is in an alcove to the left of this area near another Mincer that moves in a horizontal path.
 * G: The letter G is placed just before the level's exit behind the last two Mincers in the stage, found near a wide area full of Bitesizes.