Mole Patrol

Mole Patrol is the twenty-sixth level in Donkey Kong Country Returns and its Nintendo 3DS remake,Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and the fourth level of the Cave world. The Kongs can only access the level by buying a Map Key from Cranky Kong's Shop.

Mole Patrol takes place in a cave, where Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong must ride in a Rocket Barrel to move over abysses, rocks, and an expansive body of water. There are 23 Mole Miners in the level, as the main and only enemies. Mole Miners attack by swinging their axes and breaking crystals, attempting to hit the Kongs with both. There is a train that follows the Kongs through the level, releasing more Mole Miners along Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's path. The Kongs can defeat Mole Miners by riding into their balloon, and there is one case where it is required to acquire a Puzzle Piece. There are banana trails throughout the level to guide the Kongs.

In the Time Attack mode of the game, a time of 1:31:00 is needed to get a gold medal, a time of 1:33:00 for silver, and a time of 1:39:00 for bronze.

Overview
The level begins with a straight pathway in the mines leading to a Rocket Barrel. When the barrel is fired up, it begins to fly towards some trails of bananas that lead above and under a few walls. Mole enemies are on the rock ground below the Kongs and on the solid ceiling above them, jumping into their hiding places. After the primates ride over some water in a wide area, they come up to the letter K of the K-O-N-G Letters and another trail of bananas. Eventually, the heroes are attacked by the moles, who begin to wave their axes at them from higher areas and from on the rocky ceiling. After the Kongs pass a group of four consecutive mole foes, a train shoots out of a tunnel in the background. As the train catches up to the Kongs, a mole attached to balloons attacks them. It floats in the center of the screen while waving its axe. Crystals hanging on the ceiling ahead also begin to fall on the Kongs, due to moles hitting them with their tools. When the group passes four of these fallen crystals through a narrow passage, two more moles suspended by balloons get in their way. After them is a trail of bananas leading above a few stone, tower-like structures. The letter O is above on of these rock towers. The Tutorial Pig follows this area on a raised piece of land, marking the checkpoint.

The train from the background is in view again at this point. Two moles floating with balloons on their back attack the Kongs in a wide area. In the area after this, the train track begins to move into the foreground and loops around the Kongs. As the train rides over this, it drops moles suspended by balloons, who wave their axes at the primates. Eventually, the train track stops looping and then drills through a large rock wall. Right before this slightly above water is the letter N. The train grinds through the rock wall, creating a narrow path for it and the heroes to travel through. When the Kongs finish following the train through the passage, it crashes and is destroyed. Crystals that fall by themselves are ahead. The Kongs must ride between the crystal parts, coming up to the letter G on the way. After passing four crystals that are placed close to each other, the Rocket Barrel explodes, while safely dropping the Kongs on a platform with the Slot Machine Barrel on it. If they hit this barrel, the level is complete.

Items and objects

 * Banana Coin: 3
 * DK Barrel: 1
 * Red Balloon: 1

K-O-N-G Letters

 * K: In the middle of a banana trail under one of the first Mole Miners is the letter K.
 * O: At the end of a banana trail and above some jagged rocks just before the checkpoint is the letter O.
 * N: The letter N is immediately after the fourth Puzzle Piece at the bottom of the area where the corkscrew track ends.
 * G: At the end of the level when the crystals begin to fall, the letter G can be found in a higher part of the area.

Puzzle Pieces

 * 1) At the start of the level, the Kongs walk backwards into a tunnel leading into a Bonus Level. There are seven platforms that the Kongs must use to collect eighty bananas and two Banana Coins within thirty seconds. After obtaining every item, the Puzzle Piece appears for the Kongs to collect.
 * 2) If the Kongs collect all of the bananas in a wavy trail surrounding the letter K, they can obtain the second Puzzle Piece.
 * 3) Right after the checkpoint, the Kongs must collect six bananas in a wavy line to reveal a Puzzle Piece, much like the second one.
 * 4) During the part where the train loops around the Kongs, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong must pop every Mole Miner's balloon to find the fourth Puzzle Piece.
 * 5) At the end of the level, the Kongs must go past the Slot Machine Barrel and Ground Pound a cactus to reveal a Puzzle Piece.