List of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! pre-release and unused content

This is a list of pre-release and unused content for the game Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!.

Early ideas

 * Other names voted for Kiddy Kong include Dinky Kong, Baby Kong, Tiny Kong, DJ Kong and Bibby Kong. Out of those names, "Dinky" was reused from a suggestion for the name of Dixie Kong during the development of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, additionally becoming Kiddy's Japanese name, and Tiny Kong was later used for a different character debuting in Donkey Kong 64.
 * Karbine originally was not intended to be an owl; instead, the original design for the enemy depicted a robotic ape with a propeller on the tailbone area. Artwork for this design can be see on page 33 of the 89th volume of Nintendo Power, while screenshots of this design in-game can be seen on page 24 of the 90th volume of Nintendo Power and page 84 of the 50th issue of the United Kingdom's Nintendo Magazine System.
 * Pages 82 and 83 of the 50th issue of the United Kingdom's Nintendo Magazine System show an early render of the game's main image. It appears to be the primary reference for the game's title screen over the final box art image since most details align with it, including background details such as the absence of Funky Kong and the presence of Kuff 'n' Klout. The box art image changes the position of Dixie Kong on the Hover Craft and adds a banana to Kiddy Kong's hand, which the title screen uses but neglects to edit Dixie's hair and the mild touch-up to Kiddy's model.

Back cover
Screenshots shown in Nintendo Power and the original back cover of North American and PAL versions show that Bazzas had proportions closer to a real-life, and had a blue-colored sprite instead of green.

E3 1996 trailer
The game's E3 1996 trailer (whose footage was later featured in a Brazilian commercial) features a few differences from the final build.
 * The game is subtitled "Dixie's Double Trouble" instead of "Dixie Kong's Double Trouble".
 * Graphics (presumably placeholder) from Donkey Kong Country 2. These include Neeks instead of the similar Sneek enemy and Funky Kong's surfboard animation.
 * Different sprites and background palettes for the Brothers Bear.
 * Kiddy Kong has a different idling animation.
 * Kiddy is riding Ellie in a snowscape level, something that cannot be done in the retail version.

Nintendo Player's Guide

 * In the Nintendo Player's Guide for Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, there is a photograph of KAOS's first head flying around Kastle Kaos while his body is hovering with no flames. This does not occur in the retail version.

Early level placement
The November 1996 volume of Nintendo Power swaps Squeals on Wheels and Murky Mill, which the following volume acknowledged as a late change in development.

Unused data
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 of which were eventually used in Donkey Kong Land III).

Game Boy Advance prototype
On January 5, 2022, a prototype of Donkey Kong Country 3 for the Game Boy Advance was released online. Its build date is May 6, 2005, and it is listed as version 0.6. The final North American release is based on this prototype.

Differences

 * There is no health and safety notice upon start-up, and the title screen opened with an iris rather than a fade-in like in the retail version.
 * The copyright year on the title screen is separated by a comma rather than an en dash.
 * The pause menu uses a different, skinnier font. This is also used for the "BEST SCORE" text displayed at Cranky's Dojo and Swanky's Dash.
 * The sound effect that plays when pressing on the mode select menu has not yet been implemented.
 * In the mode select the "Two-Player Team" option does not have a dash in-between.
 * The player is unable to use cheats in this build.
 * The padding in the speech bubbles was slightly widened.
 * Pressing on a selection that is within a speech buble causes the speech bubble to disappear.
 * The sound for when Dixie or Kiddy hit the ground upon losing an extra life does not play. Kiddy's crying sound has not been added yet.
 * Even if Kiddy completes a level, the Level Flag is still shown as pink, which is Dixie's color, on the world map.
 * The Extras menu is available from the start, and its also lists "Funky's Rentals" as "Funky's Challenge." However, the splash screen for the Funky's Rentals minigame still lists the title as "Funky's Rentals."
 * In the Funky's Rentals minigame, the bullets shot from the boat are white rather than black, making them a lot less visible.
 * The music used in the Funky's Rentals minigame has not yet been implemented, nor do any of the sound effects. The minigames instead play a continuation of the Brothers Bear theme.
 * In Funky's Rentals, "Challenge 2 - Disarm" is also available from the start, although selecting it causes "Challenge 3 - Protect" to be played instead.
 * "Challenge 3 - Protect" becomes available at Funky's Rentals once the Kongs give Funky the patch, though selecting it causes "Challenge 2 - Disarm" to be played instead.
 * "Challenge 4 - Race" is unlocked after Funky builds the Turbo Ski. The game crashes whenever the player tries to load it, either from Funky's Rentals or the Extras menu. This also means that it is not possible to obtain Funky's Banana Birds.
 * If Dixie and Kiddy fail to complete a challenge, Funky simply says, "Challenge failed." If the Kongs complete a challenge, he says, "Challenge complete."
 * Even if Dixie and Kiddy quit the "Disarm" and "Protect" challenges prematurely, Funky still mentions the challenge as being completed.
 * In Funky's Rentals, an X mark or a check mark is not shown next to the challenges in the menu.
 * In Funky's Rentals, once all minigames are unlocked, the "Hire vehicle" option extends slightly above the speech bubble.
 * Dixie moves a lot faster in the Swanky's Dash minigame. Additionally, after the player finishes a Swanky's Dash challenge from the Extras menu, the game prompts them if they would like to save while showing a scene of Cranky at his dojo.
 * In the Cranky's Dojo minigame, the number indicating how many Bristles are remaining is displayed below the Bristles icon at the top-right corner rather than to the right of it.
 * In the main game, if Dixie and Kiddy complete Cranky's Dojo, they receive more valuable rewards, including two Banana Bunches, a Red Balloon, a Green Balloon, a Blue Balloon, and a bear coin.
 * The sound effect for when Dixie begins to carry Kiddy using team up is the same as when Diddy and Dixie use team up in Donkey Kong Country 2's Game Boy Advance release.
 * During team up, Kiddy still has the ability to move around while Dixie is being thrown in midair.
 * An additional sound effect plays for each item that Dixie and Kiddy are rewarded for completing a minigame.
 * Whenever Dixie and Kiddy collect a Bonus Coin, the total number of Bonus Coins (98) is shown alongside the number of Bonus Coins that Dixie and Kiddy have collected. Contrarily, the DK Coin total is still shown in the final release whenever Dixie and Kiddy obtain a DK Coin.
 * If a Kong takes damage in an underwater area, their sprite, and therefore palette, overlaps the water.
 * Whenever Dixie and Kiddy are in a Brothers Bear location, four black square icons are shown to the bottom-left instead of six. This also occurs if it is displayed at the top-right whereas the retail version shows only five small black square icons.
 * When Dixie and Kiddy are at a No Animal Sign, part of their sprite is overlapped by the No Animal Sign.
 * Barrels and Steel Barrels make a thud sound whenever they appear on screen or spawn.
 * No sound effect plays if a Steel Barrel is thrown against a wall.
 * Even if Dixie and Kiddy rescue a Banana Bird from a secret cave, a completed Level Flag is not shown.
 * In the world maps, Swanky's Dash is a lot smaller and flat.
 * Kiddy can throw Knockas a lot higher if done so at a diagonal angle.
 * In Murky Mill, Ellie does not make a noise when she gets scared of a Sneek.
 * Ellie cannot use her trunk to pick up a rolling Steel Barrel.
 * The sound of Ellie spitting out a water projectile is different and more static-like. If the game is paused right as Ellie spits one out, an endless loop of the sound effect plays.
 * Belcha's Barn does not have a Level Flag on the world map.
 * In Belcha's Barn, when Belcha is defeated, he lands slightly farther away from the edge than in the retail version.
 * Barrel Shield Bust-Up and Springin' Spiders do not have their level order reversed.
 * Brash's Stadium is still titled "Brash's Cabin" on the world map like in the Super Nintendo version.
 * When the Kongs visit Brash after clearing his record in Riverside Race, his animation where he shakes his fists in anger is not shown.
 * The secret cave of Kremwood Forest, Arich's Hoard, does not open on the world map when the Kongs approach it.
 * Even if Arich's Ambush has been completed, its Krem Flag does not change to a completed Level Flag.
 * On the Northern Kremisphere map, the Krem Flag of Krematoa is obscured by the volcano, whereas in the retail version it is placed on top of the volcano.
 * In the Cotton Top Cove map, the opening of the secret cave Bounty Bay is smaller.
 * When exiting a Bonus Level in an underwater level, such as Bazza's Blockade, a dark red and black coloration of the reef background is shown for a few frames.
 * In Rocket Barrel Ride and Tracker Barrel Trek, the waterfall graphic sometimes glitches, which is mostly noticeable when the Kongs exit a Bonus Level or continue from a Star Barrel.
 * In the waterfall levels, whenever a banana is collected, parts of the waterfall briefly become transparent.
 * Parry does not make a shrieking sound when defeated.
 * In Tracker Barrel Trek, there is less collision detection for the letter N, making it harder to acquire.
 * In Mekanos, the Sky-High Secret secret cave is not shown on the map unless Dixie and Kiddy take the vertical path leading to Swanky's Dash.
 * The name for Sky-High Secret is not shown if Dixie and Kiddy access it via Big Bessie.
 * In Fire-Ball Frenzy, on the vertically-moving platform right after the Star Barrel, the Karbines flying with their cannon slightly below the platform, making it not possible for them to hit Dixie or Kiddy.
 * In Ripsaw Rage, if the Kongs exit the first Bonus Level, the Barrel that is used to defeat the green Buzz and therefore reach it spawns atop the giant ripsaw, and it does not break.
 * In Blazing Bazukas, the threshold effect of the first No Animal Sign begins slightly before the sign itself.
 * The barrels in Low-G Labyrinth do not respawn after being used.
 * In Kaos Karnage, after defeating KAOS, Cranky appears as usual, although his first two sentences are combined into one quote.
 * The background may sometimes glitch at the end of Barrel Drop Bounce.
 * At the end of Krack Shot Kroc, there is a bug where Kroc continues to follow after Squitter even after he passes the No Kroc Sign. This begins when Squitter drops down to the Koin and continues all the way up to when the Kongs reach the Level Flag.
 * When the Kongs exit the first Bonus Level of Lemguin Lunge, a square-shaped fade-out is shown.
 * At Bleak's House, if both Kongs take damage, the level ends as usual, although a life is not deducted from the life counter, so they do not lose an extra life.
 * Benny has brown fur, although his brother Björn still has white fur like in the retail version.
 * When the Kongs decide to use Benny's Chairlift, they are sent back to its exact location on the world map. The Kongs can only move slightly right, underneath Benny's Charlift, which is the only way that the chairlift can carry them over to the other side. The Kongs can even do this without having to access Benny's Chairlift. Similarly, the Kongs can move slightly left underneath Björn's Chairlift to use the chairlift, but this is only doable once it has been fixed.
 * Even if a Kong uses a chairlift, the partner Kong walks in midair behind them until they reach the other side.
 * The Pause menu can be activated while using Benny's Chairlift, although this returns the Kongs to the starting point of where they are traveling from on Benny's Chairlift.
 * After using Benny's Chairlift, the Kongs cannot return back on it unless they have completed Kong-Fused Cliffs.
 * In Kong-Fused Cliffs, if Dixie and Kiddy resume from the Star Barrel, they start holding on the rope, even before the Star Barrel breaks.
 * In Kong-Fused Cliffs, the Kongs lose a life slightly sooner if they even start going down off-screen.
 * The background at the end of Kong-Fused Cliffs is garbled. Even as the rope reaches its end, its flame sometimes drops below more than once.
 * In Björn's Chairlift, when Björn ask for his No.6 wrench back, the following menu highlights "Finders keepers, man!" by default instead of "It's yours anyway!". Similarly, when Björn has received his No.6 wrench back and offers the Kongs to ride the chairlift, the following menu higlights "Naaah – not today." instead of "Yeah! You betcha!" by default.
 * In Floodlit Fish, the Gleamin' Breams are always illuminated, and they shine significantly more bright than in the retail version. If Enguarde tries to stab a Gleamin' Bream, it has no effect, as this does not light up the level even further. Gleamin' Breams also have less collision detection, so it is harder for them to damage the Kongs or Enguarde.
 * In Floodlit Fish, the threshold effect of the No Enguarde Sign is slightly higher, on top of the coral reef surface above the sign, underneath all of the Lurchins.
 * In Kroctopus Krush, a TNT Barrel drops instead of a purple bomb, and these TNT Barrels cannot be picked up.
 * In Dingy Drain-Pipe, Enguarde can move slightly beyond the No Animal Sign.
 * In Stormy Seas, the Re-Koil directly after the letter O appears below the cracked floorboard. When the Re-Koil appears on-screen, it first does a very high jump up to the cracked floorboard before jumping from the ocean floor, only briefly appearing above the water surface with each jump.
 * If the Kongs throw a Kracka at another one or a Knocka, it rolls right past. Throwing a Knocka at a Kracka has no effect either.
 * The Lurchins in Ripcurl Reef use a different color palette, and are essentially a darker counterpart than regular Lurchins, although they still behave the same. In the retail version, these Lurchins are green and have a golden shell.
 * Barbos's Barrier is instead named "Barbos' Barrier", and is marked with a banana peel instead of a Krem Flag, even if it has been completed. This is also the case for Kroctopus Krush, which is also accessed from a body of water on the world map.
 * In Konveyor Rope Clash, if the Koin touches the Kongs upon being defeated, the game crashes.
 * The second Bonus Level of Lightning Lookout has a static lightning sprite surrounded by a red background. It is non-functional, and does not have any effect on the Kongs. Once they exit the Bonus Level, the stage's graphics become glitched.
 * Trying to access Poisonous Pipeline crashes the game.
 * The Kongs cannot swim down the waterfall in the center of Kaos Kore as another way to exit the world.
 * In Stampede Sprint, the Chase theme begins playing right when the level begins, and the Chase theme does not loop, so the level becomes silent when the theme ends.
 * In Stampede Sprint, the Ellie Barrel is placed slightly higher above the ground, making it possible for Dixie to use her Helicopter Spin underneath the Ellie Barrel so that the Kongs can continue the level as themselves.
 * In Stampede Sprint, the three Sneeks who scare Ellie do not appear, but Ellie still reacts as if they were there.
 * In Tyrant Twin Tussle, an Arrow Barrel depicting a southeast-pointing arrow is non-functional.

In-game text
Most of the text changes involve fixing grammatical errors.