Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong Country is a side-scrolling platform game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System released in November 1994. It was developed by Rareware and published by Nintendo. The game stars Donkey Kong and his sidekick Diddy Kong, as the two travel across Donkey Kong Island to recover their banana hoard, stolen by the Kremlings and their leader, King K. Rool.

The player controls Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong (each with their own strengths and abilities) as they travel throughout a variety of linear levels in different environements. Gameplay features include the ability to ride a variety of other animal characters after freeing them, the ability to pick up and throw Barrels to defeat enemies and uncover hidden passages, and puzzles involving moving throught gauntlet of moving suspended barrels. Donkey Kong Country also encourages players to find all Bonus Areas hidden in the game's level to get 101% completion, a feature its sequels would greatly expand upon.

The game reintroduced the Donkey Kong series (alongside the 1994 Game Boy game released a few months prior) after a nearly decade-long hiatus, and in doing also introduced Donkey Kong's modern design, his supporting cast and enemies, setting, musical motifs, and the gameplay mechanics that most of the following Donkey Kong games as well as Donkey Kong's appearances in Mario spin-off titles would build upon. The game's success spawned multiple sequels and spin-offs, a 40-episode 3D animated series, a chapter book adaptation, manga adaptations in Mario-related publications such as Kodansha's Super Mario manga and Super Mario-kun, and other merchandise. Donkey Kong Country was notable because of its pre-rendered sprites that were converted from 3D CGI models on workstations, inspiring future video games to do the same. Donkey Kong Country was followed by two sequels: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! in 1995 and 1996.

The game was remade for the Game Boy Color in 2000 and was also remade again for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. Both remakes feature some extra Bonus Games and the ability to save in the overworld. Donkey Kong Country was ported to the Wii's Virtual Console in 2006/2007. On November 25, 2012, for reasons unknown, Donkey Kong Country and its sequels were delisted from the Wii Virtual Console, but on October 30, 2014, the games were relisted in Europe and Australia. Around the same time, the games were released on the Wii U's Virtual Console in Europe and Australia, in Japan on November 26, 2014, and in the United States and Canada on February 26, 2015. For handhelds, Donkey Kong Country was ported exclusively to the New Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console in March 2016. It is one of the 21 games included on the Super NES Classic Edition and was made available on Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online for the Nintendo Switch on July 15, 2020.

In 1995, a specialized competition variant named Donkey Kong Country Competition Cartridge was manufactured for use in various video game tournaments held throughout 1995. After that, the few existing cartridges were sold in a Nintendo Power subscriber catalogue, and the carts have since become a collector's item.

Story
"I'll hunt them down through every part of my island, until I have every banana from my hoard back!!"

- Donkey Kong

During a stormy night on Donkey Kong Island, Donkey Kong orders Diddy to guard his banana hoard for his "hero training" until midnight. While watching for predators beneath the darkness, Diddy hears noises outside. He nervously asks, "W-w-who goes there?!". An ominous voice tells the other to seal Diddy in a barrel, kick it into the bushes, and steal the bananas. Diddy gets ambushed by Kremlings, some of which he manages to defeat with his Cartwheel Attack until being overpowered by Klump. He seals Diddy in a DK Barrel and kicks it across the jungle. The Kremlings load the entire banana hoard onto their vehicles and carry them through the jungle, dropping behind trails of bananas.

The next morning, Donkey Kong wakes up by a loud calling of his name. Realizing that he slept through his watch, Donkey Kong quickly exits his tree house, only to find Cranky Kong outside. Cranky prompts Donkey Kong to check the banana cave for a "big surprise". Inside the cave, Donkey Kong finds out that all of his bananas were stolen, with only a few discarded peels lying around. Cranky mocks Donkey Kong for shirking his responsibility, noting that Diddy is also gone. Meanwhile, Donkey Kong is in disbelief over his stolen bananas and rages that the Kremlings stole all of them. Donkey Kong vows to bring payback upon the Kremlings and recover his banana hoard.

Cranky breaks the fourth wall by questioning why the "game idea" involves finding Diddy and rescuing bananas instead of a damsel in distress. Donkey Kong tells how Diddy wishes to be a video game hero like Donkey Kong. Cranky believes neither of them are suitable for being video game heroes, and he goes on to brag about his popularity during the arcade era. Deeming the adventure "ridiculous", Cranky believes Donkey Kong would be lucky to even sell ten copies of the game. Donkey Kong gets mad at Cranky and insists on going on an adventure to save Diddy and recover the stolen bananas. Donkey Kong leaves and follows a trail of bananas along his way. Cranky briefly hesitates, but then follows after Donkey Kong. Cranky mumbles that Donkey Kong may need his help and further mentions that kids do not have respect for their elders anymore.

In the first level, Donkey Kong releases Diddy Kong, who tags along during the adventure. Together, the Kongs travel through various areas, including jungles, mines, forests, temples, snowy mountains, caves, and factories. With assistance from Cranky, Funky, and Candy Kong, the two Kongs eventually reach a large pirate ship, the Gangplank Galleon, where they are confronted by the Kremling Krew's leader, King K. Rool. After Donkey Kong and Diddy defeat King K. Rool, Cranky congratulates them and tells them to check the banana hoard. They do so, finding that the bananas have been returned.

Gameplay
The game introduces the "tag-team" system, where Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong follow each other throughout the levels. The Kong in front is the one currently in play, while the other Kong follows behind. If the Kong in play is injured, he quickly runs off the screen, and the other takes its place. If this happens, only one Kong is on the screen at a time. If the lone Kong is injured by an enemy, the player loses an extra life and must restart the level either from the start or from the activated Continue Barrel. Any Kong that is missing can be recovered from a DK Barrel. When either the Kongs are freed from a DK Barrel, he goes behind the Kong in play. The player can press to switch characters, in which case Donkey Kong high-fives Diddy to switch places with him, or vice versa.

Abilities
The basic moves that Donkey Kong and Diddy can perform include jumping, rolling/cartwheeling, climbing, and swimming. The most commonly used basic abilities are the jump and roll moves, both of which allow the Kongs to cross gaps and defeat enemies. The roll and cartwheel act as the same move, but can only be used by Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong respectively. The respective Kong can perform their roll or cartwheel from a ledge to do a longer jump in midair, effective for moving across abysses. Ropes are the only object that the Kongs can climb up or down on, allowing them to reach items or higher areas. Some ropes start moving across a gap when the Kongs cling on it while some others remain stationary. The Kongs can only swim during underwater levels.

Aside from the rolling attack, the Kongs also have some different abilities. Diddy is faster and more agile than Donkey Kong, but he is not as strong, which makes it harder for him to defeat Armys, Krushas, and Klumps. Donkey Kong is stronger and slower than Diddy and can perform a unique move, the Hand Slap. The move allows Donkey Kong find hidden items or objects in the ground or on treetops, but it can also be used to defeat enemies.

Another difference between the two Kongs is how they pick up and throw barrels. When Diddy picks up a barrel, he holds in front of him, protecting himself from enemies in the way. Donkey Kong holds a barrel over his head, which leaves him vulnerable to enemies in the front. Donkey Kong can throw barrels slightly farther than Diddy, allowing him to hit an enemy from a distance. When the barrel hits into an enemy, it breaks. If the Kongs throw a steel keg against a wall, they can jump on the barrel and balance on it as it rolls along.

Modes
When selecting a new file, the player can choose either single player or multiplayer; once the player selects a mode, they cannot change it unless they delete it and start a new one. In multiplayer, the first player controls Donkey Kong while the second player controls Diddy Kong. In multiplayer, if either Kong is hit, the other player must press a button to take over with their Kong. The game keeps a score for both players, to keep track of how many levels they have completed.

The Kongs
There are a few Kongs who help Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong along their journey, and they each appear in one of the supporting locations.

The Good Guys
Aside from the supporting Kongs, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are also assisted by Animal Friends during the game. Each Animal Friend is imprisoned within an animal crate depicting a silhouette of their face. The Animal Friends only appear in certain levels, and the Kongs cannot take them to other levels. Every Animal Friend has their own unique abilities.

Enemies
Various types of enemies appear throughout the levels, attempting to get into Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's way. The Kremlings are the main enemies of the game.

The Bosses
At the end of every world, the Kongs must fight a boss, each guarding a portion of the stolen bananas. Most of the bosses are a larger version of an enemy.

Barrels
Barrels are the most common object in the game. There are many different types of barrels in the game, each with its own purpose and use.

Supporting locations
During their adventure, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are assisted by three other members of the Kong Family who operate their own location in every world.

Levels
Like Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country's levels and worlds are accessed from a world map. The main overworld is Donkey Kong Island, where the Kongs can travel between the worlds they have visited. Every world has a progression system where the Kongs must complete a level to unlock the next and so forth until reaching the boss level at the end. Every world has five to six levels. After the Kongs complete the boss level, they unlock the next world. The Kongs can return to the main Donkey Kong Island map by either defeating the world boss or by renting Funky's Jumbo Barrel.

A head of either Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong appear on the location of every world and level that either Kong has completed. A Kritter head appears only on the next level or world that the Kongs have not yet completed. In the Super Nintendo version, there is a glitch in single player mode where if Diddy completes a level and then Donkey Kong completes it afterward, his head does not appear on that level.

Most levels have Bonus Levels in them, two or three on average. They allow the Kongs to collect items and prizes. While it is optional for the Kongs to enter the Bonus Levels, entering every Bonus Level is required for 101% completion. Unlike the Super Mario series, the Kongs are not required to traverse a whole level to reach the end boss.

In addition to saving at a world's Candy's Save Point, the Kongs can also use Funky's Flights to save at a previous world (except in the first world). In each world, they can save after every level once they encounter either of these amenities.
 * In Kongo Jungle, Funky's Flights can be accessed after Coral Capers, and Candy's Save Point can be accessed after Barrel Cannon Canyon. The Kongs can save after five levels.
 * In Monkey Mines, Candy's Save Point can be accessed after Stop & Go Station, and Funky's Flights can be accessed after Millstone Mayhem. The Kongs can save after four levels.
 * In Vine Valley, Funky's Flights can be accessed after Tree Top Town, and Candy's Save Point can be accessed after Orang-utan Gang. The Kongs can save after two levels.
 * In Gorilla Glacier, Candy's Save Point and Funky's Flights can both be accessed after Torchlight Trouble. The Kongs can save after five levels.
 * In Kremkroc Industries, Inc., Candy's Save Point can be accessed after Elevator Antics, and Funky's Flights can be accessed after Mine Cart Madness. The Kongs can save after three levels.
 * In Chimp Caverns, Funky's Flights can be accessed after Misty Mine, and Candy's Save Point can be accessed after Platform Perils. The Kongs can save after three levels.

Differences in other versions
Three different versions are known to exist for the North American release. In Trick Track Trek, the moving platform does not fall instantly once it reaches the end of the line. Otherwise, it is v1.0. In Coral Capers, there is a gap between the Continue Barrel and lower platform. Otherwise, the game is at most v1.1.
 * V1.1
 * V1.2 (Player's Choice)
 * Japanese
 * Rather than only Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong appearing on the title screen, the Japanese version of the screen includes both Kongs, as well as all five animal buddies, and a pair of Zingers.
 * On the World Map, the DK head next to Donkey Kong's Treehouse is not present.
 * Manky Kong takes two hits from Diddy to be defeated, unlike in the American/European versions where either Kong can kill him in a single blow.
 * The Rock Krocs in Stop & Go Station can be defeated in the Japanese version via DK's Hand Slap, whereas they cannot be defeated at all in the other versions.
 * In the Japanese version, Hand Slapping three enemies consecutively would earn DK several bananas.
 * Extra DK Barrels were added to various levels:
 * In Barrel Cannon Canyon, an extra barrel was added near the letter N.
 * In Snow Barrel Blast, two barrels were added to the Barrel Cannon section, and one of the existing ones was moved.
 * In Elevator Antics, an extra barrel is present at the top of the vine leading to the first bonus room.
 * In Mine Cart Madness, an extra barrel was added near the level's Continue Barrel.
 * In Loopy Lights, an extra barrel is present near the first Necky.
 * Certain levels were made easier:
 * In Mine Cart Carnage, some of the crashed Mine Carts were removed.
 * An extra TNT Drum was added to Millstone Mayhem.
 * The Mini-Necky was removed from the end of Vulture Culture.
 * A specific room in Clam City contains only three piranhas instead of four.
 * The first Klaptrap has been removed from Snow Barrel Blast, as well as one of the Neckies, and the green Zinger before the Barrel Cannon.
 * One of the Armies was removed from the stage, alongside the Zinger placed directly above it. Additionally, the fourth blue Kritter and another pair of Zingers were removed.
 * The oil drums in Oil Drum Alley have a longer gap between the times when they release flames, thus making them attack less frequently.
 * The moving platforms in Trick Track Trek do not automatically drop at the end of their cables, giving the player more time to jump off.

Enguarde Warps Colors
First, the player has to go to Croctopus Chase. Then, after the parts where the Kongs are carried from one place to another by the blast barrels, the Kongs will have to find Enguarde and get on him. Then the player has to go back through the level until the Kongs reach the last blast barrel that the apes were shot from. By simply getting in that barrel and getting fired out, the player can perform four different glitches: As this new red Enguarde, the player has to have Diddy follow behind him (if Donkey is behind the player, the player will have to press twice and the Kongs should switch). Then, the player has to press and the player then has to press. This results in Enguarde transforming into an oddly colored Donkey Kong that hovers in the air while the player is left controlling the Kongs once again. The player can redo this with DK following behind the player while the player is controlling Enguarde, and a normally colored Diddy should be hovering in the air instead of the oddly colored Donkey Kong.
 * 1) The first of these is that Diddy will be walking, not swimming, behind Donkey Kong. The player can get off Enguarde and swim to his side. Then the player must press select. If done correctly, the camera will freeze and Diddy alone will be able to walk around as if it were a land level.
 * 2) While still frozen, the player could jump back on Enguarde. Diddy should turn into a greenish-blue color and hover in mid-air. This allows the player to control Enguarde by himself, which results in the Kongs being left behind if the player continues on through the level.
 * 3) While on Enguarde, the player can press and then  once quickly after. Enguarde should turn into another greenish-blue Diddy that the player will be able to control. If the player touches the other floating Diddy it will turn the player back into Enguarde.
 * 4) While using Enguarde once again, the player needs to press the quickly and repeatedly; it will permanently turn him into a reddish color with either DK or Diddy following behind.

Candy Kong

 * "Hi, I'm Candy Kong and this is my Save Point!"
 * "If you want to save your current game, just jump into my spinning save barrel!"
 * "Hello guys, got anything worth saving?"
 * "Wow! You guys really came a long way! Save your game now, while you have the chance!"
 * "Yoo-hoo, Honey Kong! Now's a good time to save where you've gotten to!"
 * "It must have been hard work for you to come all this way! Why not save your game?"
 * "Can I help you monkeys save your game?"
 * "How would you like a quick spin in my save barrel?"

Soundtrack
The game's soundtrack was released in Japan under the title Super Donkey Kong Game Music CD Jungle Fantasy. This album has a total of 28 tracks, including most of the original soundtrack of the game and seven new arrangements by Yoshiyuki Ito. A different album, entitled DK Jamz, was released in the United States, Germany and France. The latter features 23 or 25 tracks depending on the version, including some omitted from the Japanese soundtrack. It also features one of the Yoshiyuki Ito covers, although Ito is not credited.

Development
The lead-up to Donkey Kong Country's creation started in the summer of 1993. While visiting Rare as a part of a globe-travelling journey to find potential quality games in development, Tony Harman of Nintendo of America saw a Tech Demo showing an animated, computer-rendered boxer punching. Rare was experimenting with 3D animation at the time as they found the then-popular technique too restrictive. Impressed by the demo, Harman lobbied for Nintendo to collaborate with Rare, and, with the help of and Shigeru Miyamoto, managed to convince them. Nintendo approached Rare with the mandate to make a game that would have "better graphics than Aladdin" (presumably referring to, which was lauded for its impressive graphics and animation hand-drawn by Disney animators). They recommended that it should star Donkey Kong, as they thought that the character and his universe were less explored than other Nintendo properties and that thus Rare could have greater creative freedom while making the game.

A team of 12 people were assembled for the project, which was the most Rare had assigned for a single game at the time. Gregg Mayles cited Super Mario Bros. 3 as his chief inspiration, saying that he wanted to imitate its structure while also providing smooth and flowing level designs that skilled players could navigate quickly. A team of developers were sent to the nearby Twycross Zoo to observe the movements of real gorillas, but found that it would not suited to the fast-paced platformer that they wanted to make. The team created around fifteen different styles of movement for Donkey Kong, including ones based on rabbits and frogs, before arriving at the current animations, based loosely on the movements of horses. The Kremlings originated from another project Rare was developing at the same time (which, according to Rareware employee Gregg Mayles was from a canceled adventure game named Jonny Blastoff and the Kremling Armada. ), but were transplanted into the game as Rare found that they were a good fit for Donkey Kong Country's aesthetic. The developers also wanted the screen to be as "clutter-free" as possible, which lead to the creation of a "buddy" character so that the player could take more than one hit, inspired by the "big Mario returns to little Mario" system of the Super Mario games. Donkey Kong Jr. was first considered for the role, but he was changed into a separate character as Nintendo felt Rare's redesign looked too different.

Rare demoed an early version of the game at Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto. Reception of the demo was mixed, with Gunpei Yokoi remarking that the game looked "too 3D". However, Shigeru Miyamoto approved of what was done with the project. He and his staff gave advice to Rare on how to improve the game, with one of the results being the implementation of the Hand Slap move a few weeks before completion.

Reception
At the time of its release, Donkey Kong Country received universal acclaim by critics and audiences, with the game being praised for its visuals, controls, and replayability. The massive hype it received due to its innovative use of pre-rendered 3D sprites and subsequent commercial success has been credited with extending the SNES's lifespan and help the system stay relevant in the face of the next-generation and  consoles.

Following Rare's acquisition by Microsoft, Donkey Kong Country experienced a period of backlash. Electronic Gaming Monthly placed the game in their top 10 overrated games list (despite the publication previously awarding it the 1994 Game of the Year award), and, in their review of the GBA version, stated that the game did not hold up. Similarly, GameSpy placed it ninth on their list of the top 25 most overrated games of all time. Regardless, the Game Boy Advance and Virtual Console re-releases were still positively received.

Sales
Donkey Kong Country ended up selling more than expected, since the game was released at the peak of the 16-bit era. The game had an extremely successful first day at the stores, and sold 9.3 million copies worldwide, making it the third best-selling game on the Super Nintendo, following Super Mario World and Super Mario All-Stars. To date, it is the best-selling Donkey Kong game and overall Rare's best-selling game.

References to other games

 * Donkey Kong - Cranky Kong is said to be the Donkey Kong from this game who fought Mario in some of his own games. The oil drums from the first stage of this game were also featured in Donkey Kong Country at Oil Drum Alley. In addition, the intro of the game has Cranky Kong listening to and operating a phonogram that is playing the theme song for the Nintendo Entertainment System version of Donkey Kong in a background resembling the iron bars from the original game before Donkey Kong drowns out the music with his boom box and proceeds to knock Cranky Kong out of the area, revealing that the setting is actually within the jungle, further implying Cranky Kong's connection to the original Donkey Kong.

References in later games

 * Donkey Kong Land: The semi-sequel of Donkey Kong Country for the Game Boy, which contains gameplay elements and music remixes from its SNES counterpart.
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: The direct sequel, which contains many gameplay elements from its predecessor. Also, in the Game Boy Advance remake, Diddy makes a reference to the first game in the intro, stating that he did not want to surrender the banana hoard to Kaptain K. Rool after all that he and Donkey Kong went through to get it last time. Additionally, Winky can be seen in the background of Cranky's Monkey Museum.
 * Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!: As with Donkey Kong Country 2, many gameplay elements are reused (including the return of being able to balance the Kongs on Steel Barrels, which is absent in Donkey Kong Country 2).
 * Super Smash Bros. series: Barrel Cannons seen in Donkey Kong Country appear here. Also, Kongo Jungle stages appear in the three games as Congo Jungle in the first Super Smash Bros. game, and Kongo Jungle in Super Smash Bros. Melee and remade in Melee Stages in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The fanfare that plays when defeating a boss or winning in a bonus room is used as an arrangement for Donkey Kong's and Diddy Kong's victory theme in all the Super Smash Bros. games. In Ultimate, King K. Rool's victory theme is an arrangement of an excerpt from the Gangplank Galleon theme. Diddy Kong's up taunt is based on his victory animation from Donkey Kong Country.
 * Many of Donkey Kong's various animations from this game (like his crouching, jumping, running, and the way he carries barrels) as well as some of his moves like his Hand Slap were used in Super Smash Bros. as part of his moveset. This also happened with Diddy Kong when he was introduced in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
 * Most of Donkey Kong's stages in the Mario Party, Mario Kart, Mario Tennis franchises, and other spin-offs are based on elements from Donkey Kong Country.
 * Donkey Kong 64: Another installment in the series with many similarities to Donkey Kong Country. It features the entire non-playable Kong cast, as well as another Jungle Hijinxs remix.
 * Donkey Kong Country Returns: Many elements from the original version return in this game, including arrangements of the main theme, and characters such as Rambi and Squawks. Some of Cranky Kong's quotes are also reused.
 * Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: In the level Canopy Chaos, Cranky's record player can be found, which plays the original title theme when the player ground pounds in front of it.
 * Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge: Barrel Cannons and Blast Barrels, as well as minecarts, have roles in Mini Donkey Kong and Mini Diddy Kong's stages, respectively. Along with a cover of "DK Island Swing", heard in Mini Donkey Kong's levels, there is also a cover of the Bonus Level theme from Donkey Kong Country, which plays in Mini Diddy Kong's stages.
 * WarioWare Gold: A microgame in 5-Volt's stage based on Donkey Kong Country appears in this game.
 * Super Mario Party: When Diddy Kong gets Donkey Kong as an ally, the latter says, "Diddy! We're on another adventure together!" referencing this game.

Pre-release and unused content
Early previews video show minor differences, such as items in different spots, different level palettes, and the Krusha and Klump enemies being invulnerable to attacks that they are vulnerable to in the final game.

Unused data still present on the cartridge include several sprites (including one enemy featured in the sequel), enemy palettes swaps and an early script which depicts Cranky Kong as a friendlier character.

Staff
Donkey Kong Country was developed by a team of 12 people, the largest development staff of any Rareware game at that point. Rareware co-founder Tim Stamper was the director while Gregg Mayles served as the designer.

The game had a team of three composers working on it. Eveline Fischer composed the tracks "Simian Segue", "Candy's Love Song", "Voices of the Temple", "Forest Frenzy", "Treetop Rock", "Northern Hemispheres", and "Ice Cave Chant". Robin Beanland's sole contribution was the Funky's Flights theme (a holdover from the arcade version of Killer Instinct ). David Wise handled the rest of the soundtrack.

Trivia

 * This game has an adaptation in the Super Mario-kun manga with some changes. Mario and Yoshi land in the Donkey Kong Country by mistake, and Cranky Kong asks to them help Donkey and Diddy in their task to find the bananas and stop King K. Rool.
 * A 13-minute long promotional VHS tape was released in 1994 called Donkey Kong Country: Exposed.