Arctic Abyss (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest)

Arctic Abyss is the twenty-eighth level of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. It is also the first area of K. Rool's Keep.

The first area in K. Rool's Keep is also the first icy level (outside the Lost World) in the game. Much of this level is flooded, although thanks to an Animal Barrel, Enguarde is around to get through the bulk of it. Even though the water is cold, the Animal Buddy is able to swim through and hurry about the area, before the water level decreases. If he is unable to get somewhere by the time the water goes down though, Enguarde will not have to ability to get it back up and collect special items. Enemies here include Kabooms, Flotsams, Shuries, Lockjaws and even Zingers, who will try to attack the Kongs and their swordfish friend.

Level layout
When they begin the level, the Kongs must plunge into the water and start swimming. They need to watch out for a few enemies as they go, and also have to squeeze through a tight space with some Puftups around. Soon, they will reach and Animal Barrel, and turn into Enguarde the Swordfish. Enguarde must then continue along the path and defeat several foes, including the sneaky Shuries that can come shooting at the fish at any second. Later, the swordfish will have to swim north and avoid a few Puftups, then travel west. The water will go down here, so the fish must go quickly if he wants to find any special prizes. Once he goes the whole way west, he needs to go north and beat some Shuries. Then, he should swim west again and break the Star Barrel.

From there, Enguarde must swim in a U shape and avoid four Puftups, as well as three Shuries. Then, he should quickly dash east before the water rises, so he can obtain a few more special prizes on the way. After the fish makes it the whole way east, he needs to swim around another U shaped path, and avoid enemies. Eventually, he will have to make his way west and swim fast, before the water level decreases too much. Then, Enguarde must continue east between the cold ice, and defeat four Shuris swimming around him. Then, he needs to move on and beat some Puftups, until the water decreases again. He must trudge over the land if he is stuck, and travel south, where he'll meet some Lockjaws. When they are defeated, the swordfish should cross the No Animal Sign, and finally turn back into the Kongs. The no longer transformed monkeys need to then jump down to the End of Level Target when the water goes down, to exit the stage.

Bonus Level(s)

 * After the water rises a little and Enguarde meets the first Lockjaw of the level, he should swim upwards. He should see a wall with two bananas next to it. Using his special ability, the swordfish must blast into the wall and create a small opening, which he should swim into. It will take him to a Bonus Level, where he must swim down the path and collect 100 stars. The water level will decrease, so he must collect the stars fast, or it will pull him away from them. If he obtained enough of the objects by the end, he can grab the Kremkoin.
 * Once Enguarde passes the last two Puftups in the level, he should swim through the small gap nearby and travel to the right. He will go through the wall and cross a No Animal Sign, which will turn him back into the Kongs. Then, they must enter the entryway farther on, and enter the Bonus Level. Here, they have to run down the path and simply throw a treasure chest at a few Zingers. When the chest finally breaks, a Kremkoin will pop out to obtain.

DK Coin
A little while after the Star Barrel, Enguarde will have to begin traveling east. The water will decrease here, so he must use his special ability to shoot at a fast speed, and slide to a large platform. Unless the water sank too much for him to get up here, the swordfish should find the DK Coin right up ahead.

Golden Feather (Game Boy Advance version only)
Near the end off the level, Enguarde must avoid a few Shuries and then begin to travel west. As he goes, the water level will decrease, and he will see the Golden Feather above the water. To get it, the fish needs to swim along the path for a while until the water rises again. When ti does this, he should go back, and grab the feather.

Photograph (Game Boy Advance version only)
To find the photograph, exclusively found in the Game Boy Advance remake of the game, the heroes will need to turn into Enguarde and head down through the area, where the water will recede. At that point, the swordfish should swim to the bottom left part of the area, going through the wall. Inside a small, hidden area, he will find the photograph and two Banana Coins. The photograph will give the heroes a picture of Enguarde for their scrapbook.