Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, known in Japanese as Super Donkey Kong 3: Nazo no Kremis Tō, is the third installment of the Donkey Kong Country series. It was developed by Rareware and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the direct follow-up to Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. The game stars Dixie Kong and her toddler cousin, Kiddy Kong, as they travel through Northern Kremisphere on an adventure to rescue Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong from the Kremling Krew and their new leader, KAOS.

In 2005, a remake of the game was released for Game Boy Advance. It features a new world and new soundtrack composed by David Wise. The Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! subtitle was omitted from the remake, thus simplifying the title to Donkey Kong Country 3.

In 2007/2008, the original version was ported to the Wii's Virtual Console. On November 25, 2012, for reasons unknown, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! and the previous two Donkey Kong Country games were delisted from the Wii Virtual Console; on October 30, 2014, the games were relisted in Europe and Australia. Around the same time, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! was released for the Wii U's Virtual Console in Europe and Australia, in Japan in November 2014, and in the United States and Canada in February 2015. For handhelds, the game was ported exclusively to the New Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console in May/June 2016. It was made available on Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online for the Nintendo Switch on December 18, 2020.

A similar game was released for the Game Boy in 1997, Donkey Kong Land III, and it has the same characters and settings.

Story
Months after the events of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, the Kongs were back at DK Island, still celebrating their victory over the K. Rool and the Kremlings. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong often slung up a hammock, played some music, and drank banana milkshakes while soaking up the sun. Dixie often joined alongside them.

One morning, Dixie found that Diddy was not in his room. This surprised her as it was unusual for Diddy to be up so early. She found a note on a table that read:


 * Dear Dixie, Gone exploring the islands with DK, Back tomorrow! --Diddy

Dixie recalled a few other times where Donkey Kong and Diddy had the same plan, and every time the two Kongs would never travel farther than the beach. Dixie went to look for them at the beach, soon realizing that it was too quiet for them to be nearby. As the sun set, Dixie went to bed. The next morning, Dixie checked Diddy's place and found that he had still not returned. She began worrying over what trouble that Donkey Kong and Diddy got into. The entire day passed and the Kongs still did not return. The third morning, Donkey Kong and Diddy had still not returned, so Dixie went to the southern shores of DK Island and swam to the nearest mainland at the Northern Kremisphere, looking for them.

Dixie briefly visited Wrinkly Kong confirmed that she saw Donkey Kong and Diddy pass, but Wrinkly did not know where they went. She suggested that Donkey Kong and Diddy visited Funky's beach shop. As Dixie left, Wrinkly asked her to search for Banana Birds along the way.

When Dixie visited Funky, he was busy working on an invention, making use of the various unusual items in the shop. Funky explained to Dixie that Kiddy was the only visitor that he had all week. He pointed across to Kiddy, who was chewing on an old spare tire. Dixie agreed to take Kiddy along with her, and they left. Funky told them to look out for any random items which he can make use of, and he also told them to visit the Brothers Bears for help.

As they traveled through the worlds, Dixie and Kiddy encounter different Kremlings than before. At the end of Mekanos, the Kongs first encounter KAOS, who was believed to be the new leader of the Kremling Krew at the time. Later during their adventure, Dixie and Kiddy encounter KAOS again at Kastle Kaos, which is at the end of Kaos Kore. During the battle, it is revealed that KAOS was a puppet of Baron K. Roolenstein all along. After defeating Baron K. Roolenstein, KAOS breaks down and releases Donkey Kong and Diddy. It is revealed that they were trapped to be used as a power source.

The Kongs eventually discover the lost world, Krematoa, where they meet the local Brothers Bear, Boomer. Dixie and Kiddy must recover the five cogs found in each level of Krematoa and return them to Boomer's Bomb Shelter. Boomer inserts them on a machine, which causes the Knautilus to rise from the center lake. Dixie and Kiddy enter it and engage in a second boss fight against Baron K. Roolenstein. The Kongs defeat him again, but Baron K. Roolenstein manages to escape again.

After acquiring every DK Coin, the Kongs return to Funky's Rentals, and he builds the Gyrocopter for them. With the Gyrocopter, the Kongs can access the remaining few secret caves to the last of the Banana Birds. After freeing every Banana Bird, they carry the Kongs up in the sky to the Banana Queen. All of the Banana Birds sing to destroy the evil barrier that imprisoned the Banana Queen. Dixie and Kiddy's adventure ends with the Banana Queen chasing after Baron K. Roolenstein and dropping a large eggshell on him.

Unlike the first two Donkey Kong Country games, the Game Boy Advance remake has no opening sequence, a distinction of which is shared with Super Mario Advance. The whole backstory is described from the manual in both versions. The Game Boy Advance version's start-up sequence might show how Donkey Kong and Diddy were kidnapped, because it starts underwater from the perspective of a diving mask; the Knautilus suddenly charges into the Nintendo logo, then the Rare logo, and closes in and "swallows" the camera. The next shot shows the title screen and the Knautilus partially submerged in the waters of the Northern Kremisphere.

Gameplay
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! combines elements from both Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. As a platformer, the objective is for the two playable characters, Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong, to reach the end of every level. Each world has either five or six levels and a boss level at the end. The boss level must be completed to unlock the next world.

The game retains the tag-team system, where two Kongs appear on-screen and follow each other through a level at the same time. Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong are the playable characters, and the Kong in front is the one controlled by the player. If the lead Kong is hit by an enemy or a hazard, they run away, and the player takes control of the other Kong. If the only Kong in play is also hit, they lose an extra life and are returned to the world map, where they can re-enter the level. If a Kong is missing, they can be recovered from a DK Barrel, a few of which appear in every level. The player can press the button to switch between Kongs.

Some basic moves shared between Dixie and Kiddy include swimming, jumping, and climbing. The Kongs can jump to defeat enemies or to go over small gaps. Both vertical and horizontal ropes are the objects that the Kongs can climb. Dixie and Kiddy cannot perform either move while swimming. Most enemies can also be defeated if the Kongs roll into them. The Kongs can perform a slightly longer jump by rolling off a ledge and jumping in the air.

Both Dixie and Kiddy have unique abilities which only they can use. Dixie can use her Helicopter Spin to glide in midair until hitting the ground. She can also use the move on the ground to spin into enemies. Kiddy is slower, stronger, and heavier than Dixie. Kiddy can perform a roll instead of spin. Kiddy holds a barrel in front unlike Dixie, who carries a barrel over her head. By doing so, Kiddy can protect himself from an enemy, which gets defeat upon hitting into the barrel. Kiddy can throw barrels farther than Dixie. In some of the levels, Kiddy can perform a Water Skip to bounce on the water surface, often needed for reaching higher areas.

A few of the moves involve both Kongs. The team up move involves Dixie or Kiddy carrying the other Kong on their shoulders, whom they can throw at another enemy or area. The team up works differently depending on which Kong is held. Dixie cannot move fast by carrying Kiddy due to his weight. She can throw Kiddy at a crack in the ground to break it open, allowing them to enter a small area. Dixie can throw Kiddy to a wall and ride onto him to perform a Roll Attack involving both Kongs. Kiddy can carry Dixie around with ease. He can throw Dixie farther, although she is not heavy enough to break parts of the ground. If Kiddy throws Dixie to a higher platform, both Kongs can move up to there.

Characters
Most of the characters and enemies in the game are shown under Dixie Kong's Photo Album, which appears in the end credits after the Kongs complete Kastle Kaos.

Animal Friends
The Animal Friends return to help the Kongs along their journey. There are a few returning Animal Friends, such as Enguarde, Squawks, and Squitter, but a few others, such as Ellie and Parry, make their debut. Every Animal Friend has their own set of abilities.

Brothers Bears
Throughout their adventure, Dixie and Kiddy come across several cabins, each having a Brothers Bear. Each world has a Brothers Bear, usually no more than one. Most Brothers Bears either are facing an issue, and ask the Kongs for their help, or they help them access a Banana Bird Cave. In the Game Boy Advance remake, every Brothers Bear and their locations have been redesigned entirely.

Bosses
A boss is encountered at the end of each world. Like bosses in the other games, they are much stronger than normal enemies and take longer to defeat. The bosses in Donkey Kong Country 3 all have different weaknesses. The table below shows a list of the game's bosses and a brief description on them.

Items and objects
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is filled with many different collectibles and objects for the Kongs to use. Below is a list of the main objects, as well as a brief description on them.

Brothers Bear items
The game features several items that must be traded between the Brothers Bears in order for the Kongs to collect all of the Banana Birds. They are required to trade if the Kongs want to complete their adventure completely. Note that some items are earned from defeating bosses and do not need to be traded with the bears. Some items must also be traded differently in the Game Boy Advance version. Below shows the items and descriptions on them, as well as what the Kongs should do with the objects.

Barrels
Various barrels appear throughout the game. They are the main objects in the Donkey Kong Country series, and they have many different purposes. Below is a list of each barrel and a brief description on them.

Supporting locations
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is filled with various special areas, where the Kongs can meet the other Kongs and Brothers Bears around the island to help out.


 * Secret caves: Each of these caves contain a Banana Bird. However, the only way to get the bird is to hit a series of crystals in the right order.
 * Brothers Bear cabins: There are several cabins in the game, one for each of the Brothers Bears. In them, the Kongs can talk to the bears and help them complete a trade to earn Banana Birds.
 * Funky's Rentals: This is where the Kongs can rent vehicles made by Funky Kong to travel through the Northern Kremisphere. He allows them to use his Motor Boat at the beginning of the game, but after the Kongs gather up special items for him, he is able to make a Hover Craft, a Turbo Ski, and a Gyrocopter for them to ride in. In the Game Boy Advance remake of the game, Funky hosts Bonus Games with some of those vehicles. If they are all completed, a Banana Bird is earned.
 * Swanky's Sideshow: This is where the Kongs can play another special Bonus Game, exclusively found in the Super Nintendo version of the game. For a few bear coins, the Kongs can face Cranky here in a ball tossing Bonus Game.
 * Wrinkly's Save Cave: This area, only found in the original version of the game, is where the Kongs' game can be saved. One appears in each world, as well as in the overworld. Wrinkly is always found here, and she is either exercising, playing her Nintendo 64, or sleeping.

Every Kong (except Funky) has a different location in the Game Boy Advance version:
 * Cranky's Dojo: Exclusive to the Game Boy Advance remake, Cranky's Dojo replaces Wrinkly's Save Cave from the original version of the game. The Kongs can meet Cranky Kong here and play a special Bonus Game for a Banana Bird at the price of two bear coins. The game involves moving Cranky Kong so that he can block the incoming Bristles.
 * Swanky's Dash: Another area exclusive to the Game Boy Advance remake replaces Swanky's Sideshow from the original game. At Swanky's Dash, Dixie Kong can play a Bonus Game for a few bear coins, where she must run through a pipeline, avoiding obstacles and trying to collect a certain number of stars. If the Bonus Game is completed, the Kongs earn some special collectibles.
 * Wrinkly's Retreat: This area is located just before Funky's Rentals, where Wrinkly resides throughout the game. The Kongs' Banana Birds are kept here.

Levels
The game features many levels in which the Kongs must travel through to complete the game. The Kongs have to get to the end of each level, excluding the secret levels in Krematoa, in order to meet Baron K. Roolenstein at Kastle Kaos and rescue Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. Every level, excluding boss stages and Rocket Rush, have at least two or three Bonus Levels in them, which are hidden throughout the levels. Note that the following table lists the levels in the original order on the SNES version of the game.

Codes
Players can enter codes in both the Super Nintendo and Game Boy Advance version of the game, resulting in gameplay changes.

Super Nintendo version
Players can initiate the code-entering screen by pressing the following sequence at the file selection screen:. Some codes are permanently attached to a file if entered before starting a new game.


 * LIVES – Players are given 50 lives. Entering it before starting a new profile will result in players being ranked "Cheatin' Chump" after beating the final boss.
 * ASAVE – The game automatically saves after each level. Entering it before starting a new profile will result in players being ranked "Cheatin' Chump" after beating the final boss.
 * MERRY – All the bonus levels will have a Christmas theme, turning stars into ornaments and green bananas into presents. Additionally, different bonus level music will play. If entered before starting a new file, the effects will be permanent to that file; if entered before starting an existing file, the effect only lasts until the game is reset.
 * COLOR – Dixie and Kiddy Kong's clothing will turn purple and green, respectively. This also affects the Level Flag. Dixie's gum (seen during her idle animation) will turn from pink to purple. Some enemy artwork seen after entering a Bonus Barrel is changed, and the Mirror is now green. Dixie Kong's Photo Album and the credits remain unaltered. If entered before starting a new file, the effects will be permanent to that file; if entered before starting an existing file, the effect only lasts until the game is reset.
 * MUSIC – Enters Dixie Kong's Music Test, where players can choose any in-game music to listen to.
 * WATER – Allows the player to enter the waterfall left of Bazaar's General Store, where there is a secret cave. If the player wins the game, all 85 Bonus Coins will be earned. If entered before starting a new file, the player will always be allowed to enter the waterfall; if entered after starting an existing file, the player can only enter the waterfall until the game is reset.
 * ERASE – The record time for Riverside Race will be deleted on all the files.
 * HARDR – 29 of the 139 DK Barrels will be removed. This code must be entered before starting a new file to work. If the game is fully beaten with this code activated from the start, the player will have a score of 104% instead of the standard 103%.
 * TUFST – All the Star Barrels are removed. If entered before starting a new file, almost all the DK Barrels will additionally be removed; the effects will be permanent to that file. If entered before starting an existing file, the effect only lasts until the game is reset. If the game is fully beaten with this code activated from the start, the player will have a score of 105% instead of the standard 103%.

Game Boy Advance version
Players can enter codes by pressing "Enter Cheat" in the "Options" menu.


 * EXTRAS – Players can play all of the minigames included in the game from the main menu.
 * AQUA – Players get all the 98 Bonus Coins for any new game file.
 * MUSIC – The game opens the music test, where players can choose any in-game music to listen to.
 * MONKEY – Players get 50 additional lives when used.
 * HARDER – Star Barrels are removed.
 * TUFFER – DK Barrels and Star Barrels are removed if the player starts a new game.
 * KREDITS – The credits play.

Differences in the Game Boy Advance version
There are many differences between the Super Nintendo version and the Game Boy Advance version.

Gameplay changes

 * Players are now able to save at any time.
 * The game introduces the new area, Pacifica, which is the seventh world of the game, located between Razor Ridge and Kaos Kore. The world carries six new levels, as well as all new Bonus Level locations. The boss of this area is Barbos, who was the boss of Razor Ridge in the original game and has been replaced with a new boss, Kroctopus, in this version.
 * The Brothers Bear Barnacle has also been relocated to the new Pacifica world, with the replacement Lake Orangatanga bear being a new Brothers Bear named Bachelor. As such, new objects, such as the box of chocolates, have been added to trade amongst the Brothers Bears. Some items must also be traded differently.
 * Wrinkly Kong is now only located in Wrinkly's Retreat, which replaces the first Wrinkly's Save Cave from the original, between Funky's Rentals and Bazaar's General Store. Banana Birds are kept in this area.
 * Dixie's Photo Album was entirely scrapped.
 * Like in the first two Game Boy Advance remakes for the series, the supporting Kongs have Bonus Games for the Kongs to complete, this time for Banana Birds. Funky Kong has four new Bonus Games, all of which must be cleared to get his Banana Bird (although the types of games available depends on how many vehicles the Kongs can rent), while Cranky (whose Dojo replaces all the other Wrinkly's Save Caves from the original Donkey Kong Country 3) and Swanky (whose Bonus Game and locale are replaced) both have a single Bonus Game.
 * After beating Mekanos and Cotton Top Cove, the player has the option of playing through either K3, Razor Ridge, or Pacifica to progress, although they all must be completed to beat the game.
 * There are now five extra Banana Birds to collect, increasing the total to twenty, and five more DK Coins to collect, making that total forty-six.
 * Anytime after completing Mekanos, the player can visit Bramble to earn his Banana Bird. Originally, he would only give it to the Kongs if they gave him the Flupperius Petallus Pongus.
 * Similar to Donkey Kong Land III, when a Koin is defeated, their DK Coin is automatically collected. In addition, when a DK Coin is collected, it tells the player how many out of the total amount they have.
 * In the original version, after defeating each boss (except in Kaos Kore and Krematoa, where this applies after beating Rocket Rush instead), the player can take a one-way trip from those levels back to the world's entrance or the main world map. This is only true in Cotton Top Cove in the GBA version.
 * Squirt has more attacks and has been made harder to defeat.
 * Baron K. Roolenstein's final battle only gives bear coins.
 * The final level, Rocket Rush, has an increased difficulty, as red Buzzes damage the Rocket Barrel when touched, and the Star Barrel is removed.
 * A new enemy, Kracka, appears in this game, exclusively in the Pacifica stage Stormy Seas.

Graphical changes

 * As with Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, in the original, when Dixie does her Helicopter Spin, Kiddy would float behind her, motionless. In the remake, he somersaults behind her.
 * The last level in Lake Orangatanga, Belcha's Barn, which takes place inside of a mill, had a factory background in the original SNES version for some reason. The background was changed in the Game Boy Advance version to a mill background to match with where the battle takes place.
 * Swanky Kong wears the same attire that he wears in Donkey Kong Country 2, unlike in the original, where his outfit is different.
 * The world maps have been redrawn, and they are zoomed in more than in the original.
 * When Knautilus is unlocked in the Super Nintendo version, the background of areas in Krematoa turns red. However, this does not happen in the Game Boy Advance version.
 * The outside of Kastle Kaos is redesigned, and it no longer has a pink glow emitting from its highest tower.
 * The houses that the Brothers Bears live in, as well as the bears themselves, have been redesigned; the most notable change is Blizzard, who in this version of the game is a grizzly bear as opposed to a polar bear.

Sound changes

 * The original soundtrack of the game, which is notably darker in tone in most of the levels, has been replaced by a completely new, lighter-toned soundtrack composed by David Wise, who composed the soundtrack of the first two Donkey Kong Country games, but only had a limited involvement with the soundtrack of the third on the Super Nintendo, which was in majority composed by Eveline Fischer.
 * Arich now has a different battle theme than the other bosses. He shares this theme with Kroctopus. Both K. Rool battles use the same battle theme as the other bosses.
 * The same track now plays for all of the Brothers Bear houses, meaning that Blue no longer has a unique theme. This same track plays in Funky's Rentals, Wrinkly's Retreat, Swanky's Dash, and when meeting the Banana Queen.
 * The death and end-of-level music are removed. Music which is heard when the player loses a life only plays in the original SNES version, depending on the level.
 * As in other GBA remakes, the Kong noises are different. Notably, Kiddy Kong makes a much louder, higher-pitched sounding cry when defeated as opposed to a low-pitched cry in the original.
 * Sneeks now make the same sound as Neeks from Donkey Kong Country 2 as opposed to their own sound in the original SNES version.
 * Most enemies have reused sound effects from the two previous Game Boy Advance remakes, such as Kobbles having the same voice as Kritters from Donkey Kong Country.

Other changes

 * A completely new intro sequence and title screen have been created for this game.
 * In the original, the Bonus Barrels either shoot the Kongs upward or make a warp sound and the "B" shrinks. In the GBA version, similar to the other two game ports, only the latter happens.

Lose a Life and Continue
The Kongs should go to Koindozer Klamber. They need to stay at the right of the Bazuka near the Koin. Kiddy must throw Dixie above the Bazuka's cannon, making her hop and fall in the abyss. The player can move Dixie and after this, Kiddy will appear.

Rickety Koin
In many levels, it is possible to attack Koin even with the DK Coin in front it. The player must grab a Steel Barrel and take it to a place where Koin is not visible in the screen and throw it in Koin's direction. The player needs to move after the Steel Barrel as soon as it rolls offscreen. The Steel Barrel will be seen defeating Koin.

Baron K. Roolenstein

 * "NOOO! What have you done? My wife's going to kill me! I used all of her best pots and pans to make him... And then you just cast him aside as if he were a stack of empty tins!"
 * "WHAT!? How dare you! KAOS was my ticket to world domination... And I'd have gotten away with it, if it weren't for you meddling kids!"
 * "Well, you may have roasted my robot, but I'M the master chef around here, and I reckon it's about time your goose was cooked!"
 * "What the blazes!? So, YOU'RE the one who's been scuttling my super secret submarine! This is the LAST time you'll spoil my plans! I'm gonna bash you good!"
 * "Right!!! Look out, you cheeky monkeys!"

Blue

 * ''"H-h-hello there, Dixie/Kiddy/Kongs, how are you? My name's Blue, p-p-pleased to meet you.
 * ''"You wouldn't have brought... Oh, I can see you haven't. Never mind.
 * "I-I'm afraid you're a little early for the party, Dixie/Kiddy/Kongs. That's if anybody bothers to come at all."
 * "I get lots of post you know, but it's all bills - not a single card."
 * "What's that red circle on the calendar? Oh - sigh - It's nothing of importance."

References to other games

 * Donkey Kong Country: This is one of the games to which Donkey Kong Country 3 is a sequel. It has many similar gameplay elements and items. Enguarde and Squawks are the only Animal Friends reappearing from this game. Steel Barrels and hidden item caches also return.
 * Also, the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country 3s underwater theme is an arrangement of the one from this game, the Game Over theme is an arrangement of this game's main theme, and the SNES version of Donkey Kong Country 3s theme music is an arrangement of this game's bonus stage theme.
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: This game is a sequel to Donkey Kong Country and the other game to which Donkey Kong Country 3 is a sequel. Many items and moves from this game are featured in its sequel.
 * The "Chase" theme in the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country 3 is a rearrangement of the bonus stage theme from this game.
 * The GBA version of Donkey Kong Country 3's "Cavern Caprice" theme briefly riffs "Stickerbush Symphony".
 * Super Mario 64: Wrinkly Kong can sometimes be seen playing this game, as a rearrangement of Inside the Castle Walls is heard when entering her save cave.
 * Donkey Kong 64: Some Kongs first appearing in this game, such as Lanky Kong and Tiny Kong, are seen in Funky's Bonus Games in the Game Boy Advance version.

References in later games

 * Donkey Kong Land III: A semi-sequel to Donkey Kong Country 3. It features the same music, level themes, and bosses from Donkey Kong Country 3.
 * Donkey Kong Country: In the Game Boy Advance version, if the player chooses the "One Player Hero" mode when creating a new file, Cranky makes a reference to Donkey Kong Country 3's Banana Birds when he says, "Oh yes, next time you swap costumes, have a look in the mirror before leaving the shop. You look like a banana bird."
 * Donkey Kong 64: The alarm sound effect from Krack-Shot Kroc is reused for Crocodile Isle, the conveyor belts in the Jungle Japes mine when they are set to "low," and in the minigame Krazy Kong Klamor when the light is on. Kroc from that level also reappears in certain situations. Mill areas are also a part of Fungi Forest. Green bananas also return.
 * Donkey Kong Barrel Blast: Kopter, an enemy from Donkey Kong Country 3, appears as a playable character in this game. A fleet of Rocket Barrels are seen on Cosmic Highway.
 * Donkey Kong Country Returns: Rocket Barrels return.
 * Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: Water skipping and lightning from Lightning Lookout return.
 * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: King K. Rool uses his helicopter pack from Donkey Kong Country 3 in this game as one of his attacks. Baron K. Roolenstein, Ellie the Elephant, and Kiddy Kong and Dixie Kong in a Hover Craft are spirits.

Development
For Donkey Kong Country 3, Rareware's management decided to hand the game to a new set of developers. The game's graphics benefited from new compression techniques and advancements done to the ACM process.

Game Boy Advance version
As with the other Donkey Kong Country remakes on the Game Boy Advance, the Donkey Kong Country 3 remake was coded from scratch. Though the developers tried to be as true to the original version as possible, some changes were made to improve some mechanics and the level design. Ellie the Elephant's and the toboggan controls were specifically cited by Rare employee Paul Rahme as elements the team tried to improve.

At one point, Eveline Fischer's original soundtrack was meant to be included alongside David Wise's score. However, time and space limitations prevented it from being included.

An online, -powered game, Barrel-Blastapalooza, was released on the Nintendo-hosted donkeykongcountry.com website to promote the Game Boy Advance release of Donkey Kong Country 3. The website's servers were eventually shut down along with the Flash game.

Pre-release and unused content
There are unused sprites in the game. They are sprites of Kracka (which were eventually used in the Game Boy Advance version) and unused sprites of Kopter (some similar sprites are used in Donkey Kong Land III).

Sales
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! had fewer sales than the previous Donkey Kong Country games because it was released at the end of the Super Nintendo's lifespan, and the Nintendo 64 released the same year. The game was positively received although the soundtrack received a mixed reception.

Staff
For the SNES version, David Wise composed the tracks "Dixie Beat", "Crazy Calypso", "Wrinkly's Save Cave", "Get Fit A-Go-Go", "Wrinkly 64", "Brothers Bear", "Bonus Time", "Bonus Win", and "Bonus Lose", while Eveline Novakovic did the rest. David Wise composed the whole GBA soundtrack.

Trivia

 * The game was placed 23rd in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997.
 * This is the only Donkey Kong Country game not to have a Time Attack mode in any version, despite Riverside Race being the only time attack level of the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy.
 * After defeating KAOS for the first time, Dixie and Kiddy use pipes as a short-cut to leave Mekanos, similar to the way pipes are used in the Super Mario Bros. series.
 * Even though the lives counter stops at 99, players can collect more than 99 lives. The counter remains at 99 until the player has fewer than 99 lives. This carries over from the previous game.
 * By pressing while in a Motorboat, Hover Craft, or Turbo Ski, the Kongs will honk the vehicle's horn. By holding  and then pressing  and, the vehicle's honk will honk out a different tune. The motorboat honks out "La Cucaracha", the hover craft honks out "Gangplank Galleon", and the turbo ski honks out the theme of "".