Misty Mine

Misty Mine is the thirty-first level in Donkey Kong Country and the third level of Chimp Caverns. Its theme "Misty Menace" is named after the level.

Summary
Misty Mine takes place in a mine with a light fog, although it does not affect the gameplay. There are several black drums along the way, which spawn various enemies including Gnawties, Slippas, Klaptraps, and Armies. There are also long vertical ropes which Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong can grab onto for the rope to start moving them across a gap. Misty Mine is unique in that all of its K-O-N-G Letters are collected in the first Bonus Level if the Kongs swing from a rope. An animal crate of Expresso the Ostrich is at the end of the first Bonus Level, and the Kongs can break it open to ride Expresso for the rest of the main level. The level has the same theme as Stop & Go Station.

In the Game Boy Color remake, the "fog" is just a transparent white layer over the screen which slightly darkens as the Kongs progress.

Layout
The Kongs begin the level next to a TNT Drum with a Slippa-producing black drum ahead of it. After they pass the obstacle and the snakes it shoots at them, they can find a DK Barrel on a higher piece of ground with another Slippa-shooting black drum at the end of it near a second raised piece of land. An alcove with a rope dangling above it is nearby. The primates must use the rope to swing over the alcove, which contains a TNT Drum and a black drum that spawns Gnawties. Two more black drums that release Slippas are ahead, and a wide alcove and a TNT Drum are located between them. Another TNT Drum stands on the edge of a ledge just before a black drum that creates more Slippas. If the primates progress down a small ledge, they can find a black drum above a small gap containing a Rambi Token. Another black drum stands nearby on the edge of a cliff that can be crossed with a straight rope that begins to move to the right when touched. On the opposite side of this abyss, they can find a black drum that shoots Slippas and then a DK Barrel and a TNT Drum next to each other on the edge of a ledge. Two more black drums releasing Slippas stand ahead on the end of long strips of land. The Kongs can find a large pit immediately after the second black drum. After using two ropes to cross the abyss, they duo reaches a long pathway holding a Slippa-shooting black drum and the level's Continue Barrel.

After the primates pass two Slippa-releasing black drums, they encounter a wide abyss containing a long, straight rope that begins to pull them over it once it is grabbed onto. As the primates glide over the pit, they are brought towards a group of bananas in a V shape and a DK Barrel. A block drum sits on the other side of the abyss, shooting more Slippa enemies. Several Gnawties march along a long pathway ahead of here, being spawned by a black drum. After climbing up two stair-like structures, the two friends approach a black drum located next to a small abyss with another black drum, which releases Klaptraps, following it. An Expresso Token floats above the enemies. The next black drum, shooting more Klaptraps, can be discovered in a large alcove that also contains a bouncy tire sticking out of the ground. A TNT Drum stands on the edge of the alcove that can be used to destroy a Klaptrap-shooting black drum placed farther ahead. Once the duo passes over a small, empty alcove near here, they encounter another two black drums that spawn Klaptraps.

A DK Barrel wobbles above another Klaptrap-shooting black drum found ahead, which is followed by an abyss containing a floating black drum releasing the same enemies. With the use of this black drum, the two friends can cross the pit and access a higher area supporting another black drum that releases Armies. After passing a wide alcove, the primates reach another black drum that shoots Klaptraps. They can find another alcove next to this that is followed by a black drum that spawns Armies. An abyss is immediately after this obstacle, and once they cross it, they can discover four more Slippa-shooting black drums, each being placed in the ground. Once the Kongs continue past the drums, they approach a trail of bananas and then an Exit sign with the level's outlet beyond it. After completing the level, the Kongs can access Funky's Flights and the next level.

Enemies
An indefinite number of every enemy is spawned from the black drums throughout the level.

K-O-N-G Letters
All of the K-O-N-G Letters are found in the first Bonus Level.


 * The letter K can be collected if the Kongs stay at the top of the rope.
 * The letter O by sliding to the bottom of the rope.
 * The letter N can then be collected by climbing back to the top of the rope.
 * The letter G can be collected by sliding to the bottom of the rope.

Trivia

 * In the original Super Nintendo version, there is a glitch where the Kongs can lose a life. If Diddy does a cartwheel jump at the rope when it goes offscreen, he falls through the floor and loses a life.
 * In the Game Boy Color version, the Exit sign is farther away from the actual exit than in the two other versions.