Donkey Kong Barrel Blast

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, known as Donkey Kong Jet Race in Europe, is a Donkey Kong racing game for the Nintendo Wii. Instead of cars, players utilize rocket-powered bongos (but they are just called rocket barrels). It is controlled with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk Attachment. The game incorporates Miis. It was released on June 28, 2007 in Japan, October 8, 2007 in the United States and is scheduled for release in Europe on January 25, 2008. An Australian release date has not been revealed yet.

Gameplay
In order to accelerate the player's racing bongos, the Wii Remote and Nunchuk Attachment must be shook together, and while to jump, players need to raise the Wii Remote and Nunchuk Attachment upwards. Characters are able to attack each other by punching. Characters not only use rocket powered bongos, but are also able to utilize vehicles such as Tobbagans and Minecarts.

Jungle Grand Prix
The main mode in the game. It works just like the Mario Kart series, but some cups have more or less than the usual amount of tracks. Also, like Mario Kart Arcade GP, more than one track will take place in a certain area. Three are from the DK Jungle course, three are from the Seaside course, three are from the Mt. Dynamite course, two are from the Desert course, two are from the Snowy Mountain course, and two are from the Sky Temple course. Ony one racetrack is in a course of it's own, which is in outer space. Difficulty selection ranges from Novice, to Pro, to Expert.

Topaz Cup

 * DK Jungle (DK Jungle course)
 * Salty Sea (Seaside course)
 * Mt. Dynamite (Mt. Dynamite course)

Sapphire Cup

 * Scorching Canyon (Desert course)
 * DK Jungle Falls (DK Jungle course)
 * Shimmering Sea (Seaside course)
 * Mammoth Glacier (Snowy Mountain course)

Diamond Cup

 * Open Ocean (Seaside course)
 * Mt. Dynamite Remix (Mt. Dynamite course)
 * Parched Palace (Desert course)
 * Cranky's Temple (Sky Temple course)

Platinum Cup

 * Dynamite Run (Mt. Dynamite course)
 * DK Jungle Sunset (DK Jungle course)
 * Alpine Peak (Snowy Mountain course)
 * Temple Heights (Sky Temple course)
 * Cosmic Highway

Selection Cup
The player selects 2 to 5 of any of the races.

Random Cup
The computer randomly picks out 5 tracks for the player to race on.

Take note that the names of the cups have nothing to do with their color. It will still be gold, silver, or bronze for each. The difference is how they look-the harder the cup, the bigger and better-looking the trophy (however, the Selection and Random Cup trophies look like the one in the Topaz Cup. Also, these two cups are just for fun, for their trophies are never shown in the cup selection menu, no matter how many times players won them).

Other Modes

 * Single Race: Players can choose one racetrack to play on.
 * Time Trial: Like the Mario Kart series and Diddy Kong Racing, players can choose this to race on a single track for the best time, and save ghost data.
 * Free Run: There is no goal in free run. Its just for players to get the hang of the game some more.
 * Cranky's Flight School: The informative part of the game where Cranky gives eight lessons on how to do play the game, from accelerating, to using items and wild moves.
 * Candy's Challenges: In this mode, Candy Kong gives out four sets of eight challenges (a similarity to other games like Mario Kart DS, Mario Strikers Charged, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. These challenges ranges from collecting a certain amount of bananas, to winning a race without getting hurt, to completing a race against the clock. Completing all of the challenges will unlock a special reward.
 * Records: This is where players can look at records and status in the courses.
 * Options: This is where players can turn the items in the game on or off in Single Race and Jungle Grand Prix, change the button settings, the dominant hand to play on (left or right), and check the controls.



Kongs

 * Donkey Kong
 * Diddy Kong
 * Dixie Kong
 * Lanky Kong (secret)
 * Tiny Kong (secret)
 * Funky Kong (secret)
 * Wrinkly Kong (secret)
 * Cranky Kong (secret)
 * Ultra Barrel Donkey Kong (secret)

Kremlings

 * Kritter
 * Kip (new character)
 * Kass (new character)
 * Kopter (secret)
 * Kalypso (new character) (secret)
 * Kludge (new character) (secret)
 * Klump (secret)
 * King K. Rool (secret)

Helpers

 * Rambi the Rhinoceros: Rambi will bash everything in his path, and players will collect bananas for it.
 * Enguarde the Swordfish: Like Rambi, Enguarde plows through all sorts of obstcals, and the player collects bananas from them.

In order to hitch a ride on either of them, the player must run into the box on the track with their picture.

Enemies

 * Flip Flap: a bat that flies around the Mt. Dynamite course tracks.
 * Necky: a vulture that rams into anyone that gets to close to it.
 * Zinger: a basic enemy that flies around the tracks. Unlike most Donkey Kong games, one hit will get rid of it.
 * Chomps: a big shark in underwater parts of racetracks. They look intimidating, but one hit will defeat them.
 * Hurley: a weird-looking monkey that likes to throw bananas and barrels at the racers. However, they are mostly seen as cameos in the races.
 * Electric Fish: an electric fish that shocks racers whether they attacked it or not.
 * Big Frog: a big frog that is usually in groups. In the DK Jungle courses, they use a strange breath attack to slow players down. In the Mt. Dynamite courses, red ones breathe fire.
 * Cyber Kong: A robotic DK look-alike that shoots lasers. One hit will defeat it. There is also a giant version of this that shoots multiple lasers and missiles, and cannot be defeated.

Bananas
The key to winning is collecting bananas to fill the gauge. It takes 50 to fill it and perform a Wild Move. Thankfully, they are practically all over the racetracks, as well as other ways of getting them, so its not much of a problem.


 * Single Banana: worth one banana.
 * Five Bananas: worth five bananas.
 * Golden Banana: worth 50 bananas. They are not hard to get, just hard to notice.

Items
The items are found in two kinds of balloons: red and blue. Anybody can get items from either type, but Kong characters that got an item from a red balloon will get something extra out of it when used. The same goes for the Kremlings and blue balloons.

Red Balloon Items

 * Prop Monkey: a toy version of Hurley. It flies to the opponent in front of the user and tosses out some of their bananas. If used by a Kong, the effect will last longer.
 * Squawks: the green parrot from the Donkey Kong series. He flies to the opponent in front of the user and hovers around them, preventing them from doing Wild Moves (he'll attack if they try). If used by a Kong, the effect will last longer.
 * Quawks: the purple parrot from the Donkey Kong series, now at long last with a name. He'll fly all the way to the player in first place and attack him/her (however, this can be avoided by jumping before he attacks). If used by a Kong, the player that got hit will also lose some bananas.
 * Banana Fairy: a glowing banana fairy. When used, it lets the player get more bananas from a wider range (like a magnet). If used by a Kong, the effect will last longer.
 * Blazing Banana: a banana on fire. When used, the player will put some of the flaming fruit on the track for opponents to run into. If used by a Kong, they will leave more of them behind.
 * Tasty Melon: the Starman of this game, where players become invincible for a while. If used by a Kong, the effect lasts a little longer.
 * Crystal Coconut: the best Kong power-up, where using it makes players invincible, and have unlimited Wild Moves. Because it's effect is so great, there is no need for it to have an added effect.

Blue Balloon Items

 * Mini-Necky: a miniature version of Necky. It will fly to the opponent behind the user and rams them. If used by a Kremling, the victim will also lose one Wild Move.
 * Whirlwind: a small twister. It takes away bananas from all the racers and gives them to the user. If used by a Kremling, more bananas will be taken.
 * Backward Barrel: a barrel that is thrown backwards by the user. It then turns into three barrels for more chances of hitting someone from behind. If used by a Kremling, they will turn into TNT barrels.
 * Mini-Zinger: a swarm of small Zingers that, when used, stays on a part of the track. Players that run into the swarm will be attacked, with their speed slowed down. The victim must accelerate to get rid of them. If used by a Kremling, the effect will last longer.
 * Pineapple Launcher: a wooden bazooka that shoots pineapples. It was originally Chunky Kong's weapon in Donkey Kong 64. Players who use it will shoot a pineapple at the opponent in front of them (but they can dodge it by jumping before it hits them). If used by a Kremling, two pineapples will be shot instead of one.
 * Wild Elixer: a strange drink that gives the user an extra Wild Move. If used by a Kremling, it will be two extra Wild Moves.
 * Mega TNT Barrel: the best Kremling weapon, where using it will have TNT Barrels dropped on all opponents, making them lose all Wild Moves, get their controls reversed, and not be able to use their items. Because its effect is so great, there is no need for it to have an added effect.

Both

 * Banana Bunch: a big bunch of bananas that, when used, gives the player 30 bananas. This is the most common item, so there is no need for it to have an added effect.

Barrels
It wouldn't be called "Barrel Blast" if it wasn't for the variety of barrels in the game.


 * Launcher Barrel: a type of Barrel Cannon. Racers that run into this will gets sucked in and shot out at high speed. This is commonly found in all racetracks.
 * Spinning Launcher Barrel: a Launcher Barrel that spins around when a racer is in it, then shoots them out at some angle, usually pointing to the next Spinning Launcher Barrel, if there is one.
 * Barrel: The most common obstacle of them all. Players can avoid them or jump over them if they wanted. They are easily broken when attacked by a racer (which they will earn five bananas for each crushed), or ran into (which they will earn nothing but a brief drop in speed). Destroyed barrels will regenerate after a while. They are essential for Wild Move combos.
 * Iron Barrel: The second-most common obstacle in the game. Players that run into one will lose speed indefinitely. They can only be destroyed if the player is invincible, or is using an animal buddy. Destroyed Iron Barrels will regenerate after a while.
 * TNT Barrel: the least-common barrel on racetracks, but the most dangerous. Players that run into one will get blown up, as well as anything close to it. They can only be destroyed safely if the player is invincible. Destroyed TNT Barrels will regenerate after a while.
 * Barrel Cannon: like the giant Barrel Cannons from Mario Superstar Baseball, these barrels shoot out smaller, cream-colored barrels that spin around and disappear when they reach the other side of the track. The small barrels can be destroyed like normal barrels. These types of barrels are found in the DK Jungle course and the Sky Temple course.
 * Style Barrel: a special red Launcher Barrel. Players that are shot out from one of these start a small game, where they must point the Wii remote a certain direction to have their racer perform stylish moves. Each correct move will earn them 10 bananas, but getting all four commands right will earn them a grand total of 80 bananas! This type of barrel is rarely seen, and is found on few tracks.

Trivia

 * Donkey Kong Barrel Blast has gone through many working titles, such as DK Bongo Blast (when it was going to be a GameCube title), Donkey Jet, and Donkey Kong Jet.


 * King K. Rool does not use barrel jets, but uses the same controls as all of the other characters.