Cliff

The Cliff is the sixth world of Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. Located on Donkey Kong Island, it, as its name suggests, is full of rocky mountains. During the events of the game, it is infested by members of the Tiki Tak Tribe, who have stolen Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard. Thugly is the boss of this world.

Cliff is a very barren, prehistoric-looking area that appears to have very dark, cloudy skies in the earlier levels and more calm weather in the later levels (in the opposite fashion of the Beach). It features many new elements not seen in the game's previous worlds such as animal fossils in the backgrounds, and also has new cactus plants that can be opened to reveal hidden collectibles. Other mechanisms and items in this world include falling boulders, which roll down areas in the background and down slanted platforms. Another very common obstacle is a tar-like substance that the Kongs can easily get stuck in. Dinosaur skeletons that can be used as platforms are also in this substance, causing them to tilt when any weight is put on them. Additionally, the world features many platforms that fall moments after the Kongs' weight is put on them, as well as Auto Fire Barrels that help the primates reach higher parts of the mountains. Ships appear in the Cliff world as well, and they have platforms that only appear when the ships' cannons stick out of them to shoot bombs.

The enemies in this world mainly consist of Skellirexes, but there are also Snaps and Squidlies enemies in the Tippy Shippy level.

Unlike the previous worlds, the World Map for the Cliff changes after Crumble Canyon is cleared. The way to the boss level collapses, forcing the Kongs to take an alternate path consisting of two more levels.

The level Cliffside Slide from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze takes place in the Cliff, during a powerful snow avalanche.

Music gallery

 * "Boulder Roller" – plays in Weighty Way and Precarious Plateau. Does not play in Boulder Roller, despite sharing its name with the level. An arrangement of the second half of "Northern Hemispheres" from the original Donkey Kong Country.
 * "Prehistoric Path" – plays in Prehistoric Path. A rearrangement of "Mine Cart Cruise".
 * "Clifftop Concert" – plays in Prehistoric Path, Boulder Roller, Crumble Canyon, and Tippy Shippy. An arrangement of the first half of "Northern Hemispheres" from the original Donkey Kong Country.
 * "Sticky Situation" – plays in Sticky Situation and Clifftop Climb. It also plays in Tar Ball Fall, a level in the Cloud world. A rearrangement plays in Boulder Roller.

Trivia

 * Because of the ships and the ammonite fossils it is possible that the cliff was once underwater.
 * Normally, the first level of a given world starts in the environment of the world preceding it, but the beginning of 6-1 simply has the forest seen in the backdrop view for the first third of the level.