Weighty Way

Weighty Way is the fortieth level in Donkey Kong Country Returns, as well as the third level in the Cliff world.

This level takes place high in the mountains, where Donkey and Diddy Kong must rely on weights to progress. Most of these weights have another weight attached to them by a rope, similar to the weights from Super Mario Bros., so if the Kongs stand on one side of the weight, causing it to move down a bit, the other moves up. Sometimes the weights have giant rocks or enemies on them, so the primates have to destroy them first if they want to use the weights to help themselves reach a high area. However, if the Kongs stand on one side of the weights too long, it may break, causing them to fall and lose an Extra Life Balloon. Another common obstacle in this level is Auto Fire Barrels, which blast the Kongs higher up the mountains. Enemies in this level include Tiki Buzzes, Flaming Tiki Buzzes, and Skellyrexes.

Overview
The level begins under a giant dinosaur skull next to a cactus, which holds a Puzzle Piece. After a bridge with the first DK Barrel reaching over a large gap are some weights. The first set of weights have a Tiki Buzz between them, and the Kongs must make the weight on the right move up by standing on the weight to the left to be able to reach the next pair of weights. A Skellyrex on the weight on the right is weighing it down, making it harder to reach the green, grassy turf hanging off of the ceiling nearby. If they defeat the foe, they can weight down the left side to let the right side lift them to the turf, which has the letter K of the K-O-N-G Letters on it. Under the turf are some delicate platforms surrounding a single Tiki Buzz that fall with any of the Kongs' mass put on them. There is an additional set of weights after this that hold a Skellyrex that weighs down the right weight. They can defeat this and then bounce on the Tiki Buzz between the two weights to land on the left weight. When this is weighed down, the right side moves up and helps the Kongs reach a fragile platform that they can use to reach a solid platform placed after a Tiki Buzz. Ahead of a few blue plants growing here is a Barrel Cannon that shoots the primates farther up the mountain with the aid of some other Barrel Cannons. The last barrel blasts them onto solid ground in front of a cactus, where the Tutorial Pig and the first checkpoint wait.

A spring platform near here bounces the Kongs to the left side of a pair of weights, which have a Tiki Buzz between them. They can weigh down the left side to make the right platform rise, allowing the heroes to reach another weight platform that pulls up a giant boulder in the background. The Kongs must lower it to reach a brittle platform under a wall of spikes, but if they stand on it too long, the giant rock may break and cause them to fall into the large abyss below. The brittle platform can only hold their weight for a few seconds, so they must quickly hop to the spring next to it that helps them bounce over a Flaming Tiki Buzz and land on another weight that pulls up a boulder in the background when stood on. If they remain on the platform too long, the rock breaks and drops the said platform, which is followed by two more brittle platforms under a spiky wall. After them is another spring that can be used to bounce over a Flaming Tiki Buzz and onto the left side of a set of weights. They can weigh it down to make the platform to the right rise, enabling them to reach two small, fragile platforms with Tiki Buzzes flying around them. These platforms fall when landed on. Another weight is after them that can be lowered to make a platform with climbable turf on it move towards the heroes. They can grab onto the turf and ride along it as it automatically forces them to the right near more grassy turf that hangs off of a rocky ceiling. If they climb across this banana-covered obstacle, they can access a Barrel Cannon that shoots them farther up the mountain with the aid of other Barrel Cannons. Eventually, they are fired to a solid area of land with the Tutorial Pig and the second checkpoint.

Following a nearby Flaming Tiki Buzz is a platform connected to a slanted bar. When stood on, it slides down the long bar, taking the heroes past some Banana Bunches and to a spring. Next to the spring is a solid, wooden platform with a Skellyrex, a cactus, and the second DK Barrel in the level on it. Breaking the cactus open reveals a Barrel Cannon that shoots the Kongs into the background, where there are two sets of weights above the wooden platform that they land on. Around this platform is a stone area with a cactus and a Skellyrex and a spring. The spring can bounce them to a high platform with another cactus on it. If the cactus is broken open, a Barrel Cannon appears. It is too high for the primates to reach, so they must rely on the nearby weights to reach it. Using a Tiki Buzz and the first set of weights, which appear to be much smaller than the second set, the Kongs can reach the left end of the area, where the letter N can be seen on a tall, thin platform. The weight next to the letter makes the weight at the other end of the area near the Barrel Cannon rise when it is stood on. Once they make the platform rise enough, they can climb back over to to the right side of the area and reach the Barrel Cannon found earlier with the help of the weight that is now higher. The Barrel Cannon shoots them onto a solid platform in the foreground, which a blue plant thrives on.