Donkey Kong Country 2 (Game Boy Advance)

Donkey Kong Country 2 is a 2004 remake of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for the Game Boy Advance. It features several differences, including the addition of photographs and extra Cranky's Video Game Hero Coins.

Story
The story is the same as the original, though an introductory cutscene is added, going over the original manual backstory and adding some new details.

Some time after the events of Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong is relaxing at a beach, sitting on a chair while drinking a banana milkshake. Funky Kong is busy surfing waves among the seagulls. Cranky Kong walks up to Donkey Kong and hits him on the head with his cane. Cranky asks Donkey Kong why he is sitting around if he's a "big star". Donkey Kong replies that even stars need time off. Cranky says that he never took breaks, "whisking off maidens and throwing barrels seven days a week". Donkey Kong asks Cranky to leave him alone and stop pestering him, so Cranky leaves. Donkey Kong then goes to sleep in his chair.

Above the island, Kaptain K. Rool arrives in his flying fortress, the Flying Krock, and instructs his Kremling minions to ambush and capture Donkey Kong. They succeed, and he taunts Donkey Kong by saying he will never see his home or friends again.

At night, Diddy Kong and his little sister, Dixie Kong, are worried because Donkey Kong has not returned. They go to the beach to investigate, and the Kongs find many footprints surrounding Donkey Kong's broken chair. They find a note in the chair which reads:


 * Hah-arrrrh! We have got the big monkey! If you want him back, you scurvy dogs, you'll have to hand over the banana hoard! Kaptain K. Rool

Cranky suggests handing over the banana hoard to K. Rool. Diddy refuses because of how much effort he and Donkey Kong went through to retrieve the bananas, and that he would be very upset if his bananas were stolen again. Cranky asks if they have any better suggestions, and Diddy and Dixie both say that they want to rescue Donkey Kong themselves. The two get in a brief argument with Cranky, who does not believe Diddy qualifies as a video game hero. Thus, it is up to Diddy to save Donkey, and alongside Dixie, who insisted on joining him, starts his journey. The two Kongs travel through Crocodile Isle, the home of the Kremlings. They defeat numerous enemies and collect items on their way. Diddy and Dixie first travel aboard Gangplank Galleon, a large pirate ship docked at the coast. After completing the world, Diddy and Dixie move on to the volcanic world, Crocodile Cauldron, then the swampy Krem Quay, then the abandoned amusement park Krazy Kremland, and a spooky woods, Gloomy Gulch. Diddy and Dixie eventually reach the end of the sixth world, K. Rool's Keep, where they are ambushed by K. Rool's largest minion, Kerozene. After beating him, they chase K. Rool to the Flying Krock.

Aboard the giant airship, Diddy and Dixie find Donkey Kong tied up, and they battle Kaptain K. Rool. Donkey Kong eventually breaks free from his ropes, and he uppercuts K. Rool out of the roof. Kaptain K. Rool falls all the way down Crocodile Isle and into the surrounding water. However, a waterlogged K. Rool escapes to the Lost World, where he awaits the Kongs for a final battle.

During their adventures, Diddy and Dixie can also enter the Lost World by paying a Kremkoin fee to Klubba at his kiosk. The Kongs eventually enter Crocodile Isle's power source, Krocodile Kore, where they re-encounter Kaptain K. Rool. After a short battle, K. Rool's blunderbuss explodes, which propels him into the energy geyser powering Crocodile Isle. This blocks the power flow, which then destroys Crocodile Isle.

From a cliff, Donkey Kong, Diddy, and Dixie watch as Crocodile Isle explodes when sinking into the ocean. Just before the isle sinks, K. Rool escapes on a boat, laughing as he sails into the horizon. In the 102% ending, Funky Kong flies over in the Gyrocopter and drops a bomb on his raft, destroying it. K. Rool vows revenge as he sinks.

Abilities
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is a 2D platformer like its predecessor, Donkey Kong Country. The player controls Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong, whose basic abilities include jumping, climbing, and swimming. The Kongs usually jump to cross gaps and grab airborne items. Either Kong can perform a mid-air jump if they cartwheel or spin off a nearby ledge, often necessary for reaching secret areas or collectibles. Like Donkey Kong Country, Diddy can perform a cartwheel attack and still retains his agility (he can jump, climb, run, and swim a bit faster than Dixie). Dixie's equivalent to the cartwheel attack is the Helicopter Spin, where she spins into an enemy. Dixie has the advantage of also being able to perform the ability in mid-air, where she whirls her ponytail to glide to nearby areas or to cross some large gaps. There are more enemies that Diddy and Dixie can defeat by their respective cartwheel or spin attack, rather than a jump attack.

If both Kongs are on screen, they can perform team up, where either Kong piggybacks on the other in front. While this slows Diddy and Dixie's movement, either Kong can be thrown to reach items or higher areas. When a Kong is thrown to a higher platform, the lead Kong automatically moves up there with them.

Diddy holds a carriable object in front of him, which includes barrels, crates, and treasure chests. This way Diddy can defeat an enemy who walks into the object. Dixie holds an object over her head with her ponytail, which defends against foes above her.

The swimming mechanic is similar to earlier Super Mario platformers. The player must hit, the jump button, to advance upwards into the water. If the player does not press the button, the Kongs slowly sink to the bottom. Pressing enables them to swim quicker, and  and  controls their ascent and descent.

Modes
When starting a new file, the player has the option to choose between one or two player modes.

Bonus Games
The Game Boy Advance version features three minigames (more specifically, Bonus Games), which can be accessed from the "Bonus Games" option of the selection menu. The minigames are also in the Kongs' adventure and are hosted by a supporting character. It also includes a time attack mode, which is somewhat a successor to DK Attack from the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country.

Diddy's Dash
The Game Boy Advance version has a time attack mode titled Diddy's Dash, just as Donkey Kong Country's Game Boy Advance remake had DK Attack. The player only controls Diddy, who must complete each level as quickly as possible while being tracked by an on-screen timer.

Kong Family
Several members of the Kong Family appear in the game.

Animal Buddies
Animal Buddies are animals who help Diddy and Dixie on their adventure. Each Animal Buddy has its own abilities to help the Kongs find Bonus Barrels, Cranky's Video Game Hero Coins, Banana Coin, and other collectible items. There are a total of eight Animal Buddies, with one having two variations; as such, this game features the most of any Donkey Kong Country series game. Diddy and Dixie can only transform into or ride five of the Animal Buddies. Animal Buddies have a larger role than in Donkey Kong Country, because many levels cannot be completed without them, and more Bonus Levels can only be accessed by them. Some Animal Buddies can perform a super move, where they build up energy before unleashing a powerful attack.

Cranky's Video Game Heroes
The Cranky's Video Game Heroes ceremony features three cameos of other game protagonists, each with their own amount of Hero Coins collected.

Enemies
The game features a handful of enemies, many of whom are Kremlings. Most of them first appear in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, though a few of them return from Donkey Kong Country.

Barnacled Bosses
Like Donkey Kong Country, a boss is fought at the end of every world after beating every stage in their respective order. Every boss level has a unique stage, a notable difference from Donkey Kong Country where every boss stage took place between similar piles of Banana Bunches. Every boss's name in the game begins with 'K'.

Items
A variety of items and objects appear throughout the levels, and they each have a unique purpose. Due to the various additional minigames and missions, far more are present than in the original game.

Barrels
Barrels are prominent objects throughout the Donkey Kong franchise. Multiple variants of these objects exist, many which are featured in Donkey Kong Country 2.

Supporting locations
There are five unique locations which are hosted by a supporting character, and these areas appear in most worlds.

Cheats
The Cheats menu can be accessed under Options, where the player instead inputs a cheat from a keypad of capital letters. There are nine cheats that they can enter.

Differences from the original

 * An intro cutscene is played when the player starts a new file, which is an abridged version of the story from the manual. There are some differences, most of it being dialogue:
 * Funky Kong starts off surfing the waves, but accidentally falls into the water.
 * After Cranky Kong talks with Donkey Kong, The Flying Krock hovers above Donkey Kong. Kaptain K. Rool orders his minions (a Krook, a Kannon, and a Kaboing are shown) to kidnap Donkey Kong to ensure that he does not interfere with his plans. Two ropes drop beneath the airship, and eight Klingers (four on each rope) slide down into the trees. Two green Kutlasses ambush Donkey Kong on each side and tie him up. Donkey Kong is pulled up into the airship, where K. Rool tells Donkey Kong that he will never be able to see his friends or DK Island again.
 * Diddy and Dixie ask Cranky to read the note aloud. The note is nearly identical to the one in the manual, except that the "To the yellow-bellied, land-lubbing Kong Family:" salutation was removed.
 * The manual story describes Diddy and Dixie arguing with Cranky over them rescuing Donkey Kong. It also describes Funky and Wrinkly originally not wanting to help rescue Donkey Kong. This does not happen during the cutscene.
 * At the end of the cutscene, Funky suggests that all of them Kongs should go to rescue Donkey Kong tomorrow, but Diddy insists on leaving immediately, and says that Enguarde the Swordfish will take them.
 * In the original game, the last level in K. Rool's Keep, Stronghold Showdown, was a small room where Donkey Kong was found tied up and suspended, and Diddy or Dixie would do their victory dances, only to see Donkey Kong get snatched away. In the Game Boy Advance version, the level is on the castle roof, and the player must fight a new boss, Kerozene.
 * Kudgel's pants change from yellow to red, matching his artwork.
 * The game's graphics are slightly brighter because original Game Boy Advance units do not have a backlit screen. This removes the dark atmosphere of the original version.
 * The background of Cranky's Video Game Heroes is changed to have a beach theme.
 * Target Terror and Rickety Race are set at sunset rather than at night.
 * Arctic Abyss, Clapper's Cavern, Black Ice Battle and Toxic Tower, now have different palettes, rather than being colored the same.
 * The file selection screen at the beginning now has Diddy Kong as a cursor, and in European versions, the title screen itself is the box art of Donkey Kong Land 2 (the American release has a title screen based on the box art from the original Donkey Kong Country 2, while in the Japanese version, it is based on [[Media:Swamp DKC2 group art (alt).jpg|promotional artwork]] of Diddy and Dixie exploring a swamp area).
 * Cranky Kong talks to the Kongs after they have defeated a boss, which also occurs in the Game Boy Advance versions of Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 3.
 * Swanky's Bonus Bonanza is redesigned in the remake and has some new questions. Candy Kong also appears as his assistant.
 * The view from the windows in Kong Kollege is different based on the world's setting.
 * The incorrect math equations on the board were changed, and the heading was changed to "Sums".
 * A new game mode called Diddy's Dash is available from the start. In this mode, the player can only play as Diddy and must get to the end of the level as fast as possible. There are no Star Barrels; instead, multiple checkpoints are scattered throughout the stage. If Diddy gets hit by an enemy or obstacle, he instantly appears back at the last checkpoint.
 * Minigames have been added to the remake, including Bag a Bug, Expresso Racing, and Funky's Flights. Tiny Kong appears in some of these minigames.
 * Funky's Biplane Barrel is replaced with the Gyrocopter, which the Kongs can travel around the world map with for free, after they have completed Aerial Loop.
 * The Monkey Museum has been replaced by Cranky's Hut.
 * There are more color variations for Kaboings and Flotsams than the original.
 * When the Kongs defeat Krow, his spirit, Kreepy Krow, comes out of his corpse and flies away.
 * The boss level Kleever's Kiln now has lightning effects in the background scenery.
 * Instead of just a title screen and file select, a new main menu was added with three options: Start, Diddy's Dash, and Bonus Games.
 * Unlike the original game, all the levels that the player unlocks for the Lost World are accessible from any entrance to it.
 * In Cranky's Video Game Heroes, Link and Yoshi were switched to second and third place each. The "No Hopers" trash can, Sonic's shoes, and Earthworm Jim's ray gun were also removed.
 * 28 more Cranky's Video Game Hero Coins were added, bringing the total number to 68.
 * The Super Nintendo controller does not appear in K. Rool Duel.
 * The song "Disco Train", which plays on Roller Coaster levels, has been altered to remove the screaming sounds during its intermission.
 * Nearly all sound effects were changed, including the Kongs, enemies, bosses, and even effects such as explosions and wind. Some enemy voices were taken from Donkey Kong 64 and Diddy Kong Racing.
 * Dixie's sound effects were reused from Tiny Kong in Donkey Kong 64.
 * The hidden music test provides titles from the Official Soundtrack instead of identifiers over the level scenery. However, a few have slightly different spellings, such as "Snakey Chantey" to "Snakey Shanty" and "Stickerbush Symphony" to "Stickerbrush Symphony."
 * Wrinkly Kong gives a Scrapbook to Diddy and Dixie as their "homework". Wrinkly asks them to fill every page with the photographs that they find.
 * A new menu was added to the world map, allowing the player to save their game at anytime, review Wrinkly's and Cranky's hints, use the Gyrocopter, check the Scrapbook, and check minigame high-scores.
 * Swanky Kong charges ten Banana Coins for rematches against a boss. After Diddy and Dixie defeat the boss, Swanky rewards Blue Balloons to them.
 * In the original game, when Dixie does her Helicopter Spin, Diddy would float behind her, motionless. In the remake, he somersaults behind her.
 * The death and end-of-level music no longer changes depending on the level. It instead changes depending on which character is being used at the time.
 * The music "Run! Rambi, Run!" that plays when King Zing chases the Kongs in the original version of Rambi Rumble was replaced by the music heard when racing against Screech in the remake. Despite this, the original music can still be heard in the Sound Test.
 * The world maps were redesigned to be larger and more zoomed in.
 * Klubba and the Kong Family's residences and visible paths are seen on the world maps, as in the prequel and sequel.
 * Additionally, Donkey Kong Island is no longer shown from the Gangplank Galleon and K. Rool's Keep world maps.
 * The cheat that allows the player to obtain all Kremkoins in the first level is no longer present. However, it can still be done by entering the code "FREEDOM" in the password screen.
 * The player's lives and Banana Coins are now saved, instead of losing them whenever the game is turned off after saving.
 * When Kaptain K. Rool is defeated, Donkey Kong knocks him from the Flying Krock via the cockpit, rather than shooting him through the roof. Another scene shows The Flying Krock about to crash, with Funky Kong bringing the Gyrocopter to evacuate Donkey Kong, Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky Kong from the ship just before it gets destroyed. Also, after K. Rool's fall, he is no longer chomped repeatedly by sharks after falling into the waters around Krem Quay; instead, he is shown daring the Kongs to confront him in Krocodile Kore.
 * The Krocodile Kore ending was also slightly changed. From a distance, Donkey Kong, Diddy, and Dixie witness Crocodile Isle sinking underwater. Celebratory music was added in the background, and K. Rool says that he is not through with the Kongs and that he cannot be stopped. His escape is prevented by Funky Kong, who drops bombs from the Gyrocopter onto K. Rool, who remains adamant on getting revenge on the Kongs.
 * Kaptain K. Rool now utters grunts just before his blunderbuss forcibly expels a cannonball. Originally, he only makes sounds when knocked unconscious after each phase of the final battle, which were reused from Krusha.

Quotes

 * Wrinkly Kong
 * "All those Kremlings want to do is learn how to fight and squash monkeys!"
 * "Those naughty crocodiles! All they want to learn is how to fight and squash monkeys, Tsk!"
 * "When you see Kaptain K. Rool, can you ask him if he has done his homework?"
 * "Hurry along! School is nearly finished! You need to study a little more if you're going to beat the Kremlings!"
 * "You're looking a little weary dear. Would you like to save your game?"
 * "Good luck, children."
 * "Be careful now, Kongs."
 * "Have you been to see my husband Cranky? He complains a little, but he does know everything about this island."
 * "Goodbye, dearies."
 * "Don't be a stranger now."
 * "Well! Just look at all those sums those Kremlings have done. Disgraceful!"
 * "I hope you're better behaved than those reptiles. Why I even caught one sharpening his sword in class yesterday."

References to other games

 * Donkey Kong - Cranky makes a direct reference to this game in the intro by saying, "Whisking off maidens and chucking barrels seven days a week, I was!"
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - The remake references the original, as when the monkeys defeat Kerozene Cranky says "I bet you didn't expect that!", as Kerozene did not appear in the original; also K. Rool says "You didn't think it would be so easy did you?" as Kerozene appears.
 * Donkey Kong 64 - In Funky's Minigames "Kongnapped" and "Kongnapped 2", Tiny Kong appears.

Staff

 * Head Programmer
 * C. Sutherland
 * Assistant Head Programmer
 * M. Wilson
 * Technical Programmer
 * B. Gunn
 * Programmer
 * T. Attwood
 * Characters / Animation
 * S. Mayles
 * Objects and Additional Characters / Backgrounds
 * M. Stevenson
 * Backgrounds
 * C. Gage
 * J. Nash
 * A. Smith