Donkey Kong Country

This article is about the game Donkey Kong Country. For other uses of the name "Donkey Kong Country", see Donkey Kong Country (disambiguation).

"DKC" redirects here. For information about Donkey Kong Classics, see Donkey Kong Classics.

Template:Infobox Donkey Kong Country is a sidescrolling platform game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System released in 1994. The game stars Donkey Kong, along with his buddy Diddy Kong, as the two travel across Donkey Kong Island to recover their Banana Hoard, stolen by an evil crocodile named King K. Rool and his Kremlings. The game was notable for its innovative use of pre-rendered 3D CGI models converted into sprites, a property which garnered the game much hype and acclaim.

Donkey Kong Country was a massive success, selling over 9 million copies on the SNES alone and single-handedly driving the adoption of pre-rendered sprites in video games. The game was a turning point for the Donkey Kong series, reintroducing it (alongside the 1994 Game Boy game released a few months prior) after a nearly decade-long hiatus and cementing Donkey Kong as a franchise in its own right by introducing Donkey Kong's modern design as well as his supporting cast and enemies, musical cues, and gameplay mechanics that would form the basis of most following Donkey Kong games as well as Donkey Kong's appearances in Mario spinoff titles. The game's success spawned multiple sequels and spinoffs, 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 many toys and other merchandise.

The game was remade for the Game Boy Color in 2000 and was also remade again for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The two remakes feature some new Bonus Games, the ability to save in the overworld, and several other new elements. Donkey Kong Country was also released on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2006 and 2007, the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2014, and the New Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console in 2016. The trilogy was delisted from the Wii Virtual Console in November 2012 for unknown reasons until it was re-released again in Europe and Oceania on October 30, 2014.

Storyline

During a stormy night on Donkey Kong Island, Diddy Kong is told by Donkey Kong to guard his Banana Hoard for his "hero training" until midnight, when Donkey Kong will take over. While watching for predators beneath the darkness, that young monkey becomes attacked by Klump the Kremling (Krusha in the GBA version). The villain traps the monkey inside a DK Barrel, kicks him across the jungle, then steals the Banana Hoard along with the other Kremlings, dropping a fruit trail on the way. Next morning, a loud calling of his name wakes Donkey Kong. Realizing that he has slept through his watch, the big ape quickly exits his tree house, only to find Cranky Kong, who tells him hints about the Kremlings stealing the hoard. Donkey Kong soon realizes that both his Banana Hoard and Diddy Kong are missing and sets out to find them. After finding Diddy in a barrel, both Donkey and Diddy head out to find the stolen Banana Hoard.

File:G0bananas65.png

Donkey Kong celebrating the recovery of his Banana Hoard.

On their travels, the two heroes tread through deep jungles, mines, forests, temples, snowy mountains, caves, and several other regions of the island, fighting many enemies and bosses on the way. With assistance from Cranky, Funky, and Candy Kong, the primates eventually reach a large ship known as the Gangplank Galleon, where they meet the Kremling Krew's leader, King K. Rool. The Kongs soon "defeat" the foe, only to find the king to get back up and fight with a new set of attacks. However, the duo manages to bring him down a second time, this time defeating the crocodile once and for all. After King K. Rool's defeat, Cranky Kong congratulates the heroes, who then tells them to check the Banana Hoard. They do so, finding that the bananas have been returned.

In the Game Boy Advance remake of the game, a short cutscene is seen at the beginning of the game when DK's bananas are stolen and after King K. Rool's defeat, where Cranky, Funky, and Candy Kong congratulate the apes on their victory. King K. Rool soon recovers and forces them off the ship, sailing away.

Gameplay

The game introduces the "tag-team" system, where Diddy and Donkey Kong follow each other throughout each level. However, the member in the front of the group is the Kong in play, so the other Kong simply follows behind the other. If the hero in play is injured, he quickly runs off the screen, and the Kong behind him takes his place as the character in play. In cases like this, only one Kong is on the screen at the time, as the other is defeated. If the lone Kong is injured by an enemy, the player loses an extra life and must restart the level from the beginning or by the Star Barrel. Fortunately, any Kong that is missing can be recovered by breaking open a DK Barrel; however, these special barrels do not appear many times in most levels. When a hero is freed from a DK Barrel, he heads to the back of the group behind the Kong in play and is not able to be controlled until the Kong in the lead is injured, or if the player hits to switch characters, in which case Donkey Kong high-fives Diddy and switches places with him, or vice versa.

Only one Kong appears on the screen at a time in the Game Boy Color version of the game, and a DK Barrel appears at the corner of the screen instead when there is more than one Kong in the group. Also, the Kongs do not run off the screen in the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance remakes as they rather fall off the screen.

Kong Abilities

Donkey Kong swings on a rope in the level, Ice Age Alley.

While both Kongs have different abilities, they have the same basic moves. Both Donkey and Diddy are able to jump, roll (or cartwheel), climb, and swim to pass through levels. The most commonly used basic abilities are the jump and roll moves, which help the heroes cross gaps and defeat enemies. While rolling is often used to pummel into weaker foes, it can also be used as part of the super-jump technique. Both characters can use this move by simply rolling or cartwheeling off a cliff and jumping in mid-air. This gives them both a longer jump to cross wider abysses.

Other than jumping and rolling, the Kongs can also use their climbing and swimming abilities to traverse levels. Climbing can only be done on ropes, which can swing the primates over gaps if they cling onto them. Some ropes are stationary, which means that the Kongs can take advantage of their climbing abilities on them to head up the rope to a higher area. Another move both Kongs can perform is their swimming ability which can only be done inside of the water in the underwater levels.

Diddy rides on a Steel Keg.

Both Kongs also have some different abilities, as well as different stats. Diddy is faster and more agile than Donkey Kong; however, he is not as strong as him and has difficulty defeating stronger enemies such as Krushas and Klumps. Donkey Kong is stronger and slower than him, and he also has his own unique move called Hand Slap. The Hand Slap move allows him to defeat enemies and find hidden objects in the ground or on treetops.

Another difference between the two Kongs is how they pick up and throw barrels. When Diddy Kong picks up barrels, he holds them in front of his body, protecting him from any enemies in his way. However, Donkey Kong holds barrels above his head, leaving his whole body vulnerable to enemy attacks. Additionally, Donkey Kong throws his barrels slightly further than Diddy, making Donkey Kong more likely to hit enemies from another distance. If the primates throw a Steel Keg against a wall, they are able to jump on the barrel as it rolls back and balance on it.

Special Areas

The Cranky's Cabin special area.

The other members of the Kong Family clan in these special areas which assist Donkey and Diddy while they are adventuring.

• Cranky's Cabin: This area is ran by Cranky Kong, who the heroes meet here to hear him talking about some random hints and random rambling about how the 8-bit era was better than the 16-bit era. There is one cabin in every world.
• Candy's Save Point: This area is ran by Candy Kong. The Kongs can travel here in any world to save their game for free. In the Game Boy Color remake, this area is replaced by Candy's Challenge where the monkeys have to go through a Bonus Level and collect a golden coin. In the Game Boy Advance remake of the game, the area is replaced by Candy's Dance Studio, where Candy hosts a dance mini-game, which can be won to earn collectibles.
• Funky's Flights: In this special area, the Kongs can meet Funky Kong and use his Jumbo Barrel to travel to any unlocked world. In the Game Boy Advance remakes, the area is replaced by Funky's Fishing, where Funky hosts a fishing mini-game along with having the Jumbo Barrel. In the game, the Kongs must catch fish while riding on Enguarde to win prizes.

Items and objects

Collectibles and mechanisms

During their adventure, Diddy and Donkey run in a variety of collectibles and objects, some helpful, and some harmful. Many of these objects are listed below.

Image	Name	Description
	Bananas	These are the most common items in the game, and appear almost everywhere in every level (excluding boss levels). They are very similar to coins from the Mario series, as collecting 100 of them gives the Kongs an extra life.
	Banana Bunches	These items grant ten bananas when collected. They are less common than normal bananas and can sometimes be hidden in hard-to-reach places.
File:Rambi Token Sprite SNES.PNG	Animal Tokens	These items are special tokens in the shape of the game's various Animal Friends (excluding Squawks). If three of one kind is collected, the Kongs are taken to a bonus area where they must collect many smaller Animal Tokens with the animal carved in the collected tokens (e.g. If three Expresso tokens are collected, the player plays as Expresso in the bonus minigame).
	Extra Life Balloons	Similar to 1-Up Mushrooms from the Mario series, these balloons give the Kongs extra lives when collected. The balloons come in three different colors: Red, blue, and green. The red Extra Life Balloons grant the primates with one extra life, green Extra Life Balloons give them two lives, and the rare blue Extra Life Balloons give them three lives.
	K-O-N-G Letters	Four of these special objects are hidden in every level (excluding boss levels), and each letter put together spells the word "KONG." If the Kongs collect all four letters in a level, they are awarded with an extra life. Each letter is found in order, meaning that the letter K is found first in the levels, then the O, then the N, and the letter G is found last. Additionally, letters much like the K-O-N-G Letters appear in certain Bonus Levels, where they must be hit in order to spell out a word.
	Animal Crates	These semi-common crates contain Animal Friends, and are placed in both normal levels and Bonus Levels. The type of Animal Friend freed from the crate depends on the picture on the object. In the Game Boy Color remake, the crates transform the monkeys into a certain Animal Friend depending on the marking on the crate.
	Tires	Tires appear in many levels throughout the game, and they bounce the heroes to high areas. Half tires are stationary, while the other tires that are full can be pushed into different areas.
	Ropes	These common objects appear in many levels, and the Kongs can climb up and down on them to progress. Most ropes in the game swing over wide abysses, so the primates can use them to cross the gaps. In Slipslide Ride, blue and purple ropes appear that pull the heroes up and down automatically.
	Mine Carts	These rather uncommon objects are seen only in mine levels, and automatically begin to move on the track when entered. The Kongs are able to jump while on them so they can head over broken part of the track. Sometimes, broken mine carts appear on the track as an obstacle.
	Platforms	Many platforms appear throughout the game. Although most of them are stationary, some move back and fourth over gaps. Later in the game, platforms with arrows appear, and they move in the direction depending on the arrow point's direction symbol when stepped on. Other moving platforms appear near the end of the game, including one that must constantly be refueled to keep it moving.

Barrels

The most common objects in Donkey Kong Country and its series are barrels. Many different barrels appear throughout this game, each having a different purpose and use. Below shows these uses on the barrels.

Image	Name	Description
	Regular Barrels	These ordinary barrels are very common. Steel-ringed regular barrels can be thrown at enemies, rolling along the ground if need be, to defeat an enemy or to open a secret passage.
	Vine Barrels	Vine barrels act as regular barrels, except they break instantly when making contact with the ground, rather than rolling.
File:BarrelCannonPlainDKC.png File:BarrelCannonAutoDKC.png	Barrel Cannons	Another common type of barrel. They appear in almost every level, and are able to shoot the Kongs over gaps or to other Barrel Cannons. Some Barrel Cannons automatically fire the Kongs when entered, while others must be activated first. Some may also move in a specific direction as first seen in Barrel Cannon Canyon.
	Star Barrels	One of these common barrels appear in the middle of every level, excluding boss levels. They serve as the checkpoint for the levels. If the two heroes are both defeated anytime after breaking the barrel, they appear back in the area the Star Barrel last was when retrying the level.
	DK Barrels	DK Barrels are the most common barrels in the game, as several of them appear in every level. If one of the Kongs are missing from the group, the surviving Kong can break one of these barrels to bring their partner back. However, DK Barrels only appear in certain parts of the level. They can also be used just like normal barrels, except that they cannot roll on the ground.
	TNT Barrels	These common barrels are much like normal barrels, however, they explode when making contact with anything after being thrown. They are often used to destroy powerful foes and break through sensitive walls.
	Steel Kegs	Another type of barrel. They can be used much like normal barrels, but are harder to break and are silver colored. They can roll into an unlimited amount of enemies and even bounce off walls without breaking. Because of this, the Kongs are able to ride on them.
	Stop and Go Barrels	These barrels appear only in Stop & Go Station, where they are used to control the lights. Go Barrels make the lights illuminating the level green, while Stop Barrels make them red. Hitting the Stop Barrels also makes the Rock Krocs in the level stop moving when on STOP and begin to move again when the Stop & Go Barrel changes to GO.
	On and Off Barrels	These barrels only appear in Loopy Lights and act almost like Stop and Go Barrels, except the barrels affect the lighting of the stage, making it harder to see.
	Fuel Barrels	These barrels only appear in the level, Tanked Up Trouble, but are vital for the Kongs' survival. They are needed to provide fuel for the platforms used in the said level, or otherwise they will fall off the stage if not fueled up enough. Because they are so important, they are often placed in hard to reach places.
	Jumbo Barrel	The Jumbo Barrel (aka the Funky Barrel) can be entered in Funky's Flights, where it flies the duo to any place in the island they have journeyed to. The heroes do not have to pay any fee to use it.

Levels

The overworld map.

Donkey Kong Country features many levels in which the Kongs must successfully complete in order to reach the final boss, including boss levels. The levels are separated into worlds, such as the Kongo Jungle, and each world features five to six levels and one boss stage. Every non-boss level is home to possibly up to five Bonus Levels, which can optionally be found to finish the game 100%, or to simply collect extra goodies such as Banana Bunches. Unlike in the Mario series, the player does not have to traverse a whole level to reach the boss. Every level also has its own theme, or "environment." For example, levels such as Barrel Cannon Canyon are marked as "Jungle" levels, as they take place in a jungle.

Note that the following table lists the levels in the original order on the SNES version of the game.

Template:DK levels table section

Levels and Bonus Areas
1			Jungle Hijinxs	2	Jungle	DK Island Swing
2			Ropey Rampage	2	Jungle	DK Island Swing
3			Reptile Rumble	3	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
4			Coral Capers	0	Underwater	Aquatic Ambiance
5			Barrel Cannon Canyon	2	Jungle	DK Island Swing
6			BOSS LEVEL: Very Gnawty's Lair	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
7			Winky's Walkway	1	Walkway	Life in the Mines
8			Mine Cart Carnage	0	Minecart	Mine Cart Madness
9			Bouncy Bonanza	3	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
10			Stop & Go Station	2	Mineshaft	Misty Menace
11			Millstone Mayhem	3	Ruins	Voices of the Temple
12			BOSS LEVEL: Necky's Nuts	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
13			Vulture Culture	3	Forest	Forest Frenzy
14			Tree Top Town	2	Treetops	Treetop Rock
15			Forest Frenzy	2	Forest	Forest Frenzy
16		18	Temple Tempest	2	Ruins	Voices of the Temple
17		16	Orang-utan Gang	5	Jungle	DK Island Swing
18		17	Clam City	0	Underwater	Aquatic Ambiance
19			BOSS LEVEL: Bumble B. Rumble	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
20			Snow Barrel Blast	3	Snow	Northern Hemispheres
21			Slipslide Ride	3	Ice cave	Ice Cave Chant
22		23	Ice Age Alley	2	Snow	Northern Hemispheres
23		22	Croctopus Chase	0	Underwater	Aquatic Ambiance
24		25	Torchlight Trouble	2	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
25		24	Rope Bridge Rumble	2	Treetops	Treetop Rock
26			BOSS LEVEL: Really Gnawty Rampage	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
27			Oil Drum Alley	4	Factory	Fear Factory
28			Trick Track Trek	3	Walkway	Life in the Mines
29		30	Elevator Antics	3	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
30		29	Poison Pond	0	Underwater	Aquatic Ambiance
31		32	Mine Cart Madness	3	Minecart	Mine Cart Madness
32		31	Blackout Basement	2	Factory	Fear Factory
33			BOSS LEVEL: Boss Dumb Drum	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
34			Tanked Up Trouble	1	Walkway	Life in the Mines
35			Manic Mincers	3	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
36			Misty Mine	2	Mineshaft	Misty Menace
N/A	37	N/A	Necky Nutmare	1	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
37	38	37	Loopy Lights	2	Mineshaft	Misty Menace
38	39	38	Platform Perils	2	Walkway	Life in the Mines
39	40	39	BOSS LEVEL: Necky's Revenge	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
40	41	40	BOSS LEVEL: Gang-Plank Galleon	0	Ship	Gang-Plank Galleon

Characters

Playable characters

The game features two playable characters who try to return the Banana Hoard. Below are these two characters and a description on them.

Image	Name	Description
	Donkey Kong	The main hero of the game, who has a hoard of bananas under his tree house. Donkey Kong is much stronger and heavier than his partner, Diddy Kong, and can therefore defeat more powerful enemies. He also has his own move, the Hand Slap which can defeat certain enemies and reveal hidden objects.
	Diddy Kong	This young ape is the best friend of Donkey Kong and a hero in training who sets out with Donkey Kong to recover the Banana Hoard during the events of the game. Although he is not as strong as his partner, he is a bit faster. However, his light weight keeps him from being able to defeat more powerful enemies in a single jump.

Supporting characters

Besides the two playable Kongs, there are also some non-playable apes who help them out in the game's special areas. The table below describes these helpers and names them.

Image	Name	Description
	Candy Kong	Candy runs Candy's Save Point (or Candy's Challenge in the Game Boy Color version, or Candy's Dance Studio in the Game Boy Advance version). She allows the Kongs to save their game in the SNES version, play a bonus mini-game in the Game Boy Color version, or performs in a dance contest with them in the Game Boy Advance remake. She is Donkey Kong's romantic interest.
	Cranky Kong	This old ape resides in Cranky's Cabin, where he gives the heroes random hints on how to complete the game. He is convinced that he is the best video game hero, and does not believe the apes can complete their adventure without his assistance.
	Funky Kong	Funky Kong runs Funky's Flights in the game's Super Nintendo and Game Boy Color version where he lends the Kongs his Jumbo Barrel to travel throughout areas of Donkey Kong Island or Funky's Fishing in the Game Boy Advance version where he still has the same place as he did in the previous versions just with an additional fishing challenge. He can be seen holding a green surfboard, while wearing a bandanna and a pair of sunglasses.

Animal Friends

The supporting Kongs are not the only ones to aid Donkey and Diddy in their quest; the wildlife also help. Each Animal Friend is prisoner in a crate with their likeness on it. The Kongs can only use the Animal Friends in certain levels, meaning that the Kongs leave their helpers once they exit a level. Each buddy has different abilities, as shown below.

Image	Name	Description	First level appearance	Last level appearance
File:RambiDKC.PNG	Rambi the Rhino	Rambi is first found halfway through the first level. He is able to ram into most enemies to defeat them, and he can also break entrances to hidden Bonus Levels along with sensitive walls.	Jungle Hijinxs	Manic Mincers
	Enguarde the Swordfish	Enguarde is an Animal Friend that is exclusively found in underwater levels. The Kongs have better control underwater while riding him, and his sharp bill is able to defeat many enemies on the way.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
File:WinkyDKC.PNG	Winky the Frog	Winky can defeat most enemies by jumping on them, some being ones that the monkeys cannot defeat by themselves, such as Zingers. Winky also jumps very high, providing access to certain Bonus Levels and hidden areas. He is replaced by Rattly the Rattlesnake in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.	Winky's Walkway	Rope Bridge Rumble
File:SquawksDKC.PNG	Squawks the Parrot	Squawks is the only non-rideable Animal Friend in the game along with the only one not having his own face on an Animal Token. He assists the Kongs by carrying a lamp through the level, Torchlight Trouble, which helps them see in the dark cave. He can not be hurt by enemies.	Torchlight Trouble	Torchlight Trouble
File:ExpressoDKC.PNG	Expresso the Ostrich	Expresso has the ability to dash through areas at a fast pace because of his sneakers. He can also glide through the air temporarily, much like Dixie Kong can in later Donkey Kong Country installments. Enemies smaller than Expresso (such as Klaptraps) can pass under his legs as well without injuring him.	Temple Tempest	Misty Mine

Enemies

Normal enemies

As with all other Donkey Kong platformers, Donkey Kong Country features many different kinds of enemies, who try to defeat the Kongs throughout every level. Below shows the enemies' names, descriptions, and first and last level appearances.

The Bad Guys
Image	Name	Description	First level appearance	Last level appearance
	Army	An armadillo enemy who rolls up into a ball and charges at the Kongs to attack. Unlike Donkey, Diddy cannot defeat them in one jump if they are rolled up in a ball, and instead must jump on them once to release them from their attacking state. This leaves them vulnerable to jump attacks.	Ropey Rampage	Platform Perils
	Gnawty	A generic beaver enemy. Like Kritters, they are very common, but are weaker than most enemies. They simply walk around in ground levels and try to hit the Kongs. All signs of attacks can defeat the gray variants, along with all Animal Friend attacks. However, the brown Gnawties are immune to all attacks, as they're fully protected by the Millstones.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
	Manky Kong	A strange ape enemy and a villainous Kong Family member that throws barrels at the Kongs to attack. They have an unlimited supply of barrels, and do not stop throwing the obstacles until defeated. Jumping and roll attacks defeat them.	Orang-utan Gang	Loopy Lights
	Mini-Necky	A little vulture enemy that is, as its name states, a baby Necky. These enemies spit nuts at the Kongs to attack. Sometimes, they fly up and down to shoot nuts to different areas. They can be defeated by any attack.	Vulture Culture (SNES and GBA versions) Winky's Walkway (GBC version)	Elevator Antics (SNES and GBA versions) Necky Nutmare (GBC version)
	Necky	A normal vulture enemy that throws nuts at the Kongs from high platforms or fly in place over large gaps, where they can be used as platforms to bounce on. Any attack can defeat these bird foes.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
	Slippa	A common snake enemy that slithers through cave levels and other ground areas. Like some other enemies, they hurt the heroes when touched, but can be defeated by any attack.	Reptile Rumble	Misty Mine
	Zinger	A very common wasp enemy that appears in almost every level. These foes must be maneuvered around at all costs, as they fly all around certain areas of the game's levels. Their flight path often depends on the color of the Zinger; yellow moves vertically; orange moves horizontally; pink moves in a circular path; green moves in a u-shaped path. The only way to defeat them is by hitting them with barrels or Animal Friends.	Ropey Rampage	Platform Perils
The Aquatic Bad Guys
Image	Name	Description	First level appearance	Last level appearance
	Bitesize	A piranha enemy that lives in water. They attack by simply swimming around in the water and into the monkey. These enemies can only be defeated by Enguarde the Swordfish.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
	Chomps Jr.	A small, blue shark enemy that, like Bitesizes, swims around the underwater areas of the game. However, they are a little bigger than these fish foes, so they are slightly harder to avoid and too can only be defeated by Enguarde.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
	Chomps	A large, green shark enemy. They, as their name suggests, are the bigger versions of the Chomps Jr. enemies, and take up slightly more space than them in the water. Like other underwater foes, only Enguarde can beat them.	Coral Capers	Croctopus Chase
	Clambo	A clam enemy that throws pearls across the area. They usually hide on the outskirts of levels to throw these objects. They can throw multiple pearls at a time. These enemies cannot be defeated in any way, even with Enguarde.	Coral Capers	Clam City
	Croctopus	An octopus enemy that quickly treads through water to hit the Kongs. The purple variants tend to move in fixed patterns around blocks of coral reef. The blue variants, however, will follow a set path in an attempt to hurt the Kongs. These enemies, like Clambos, cannot be defeated either.	Coral Capers	Croctopus Chase
	Squidge	A jellyfish type enemy that swims up and down through underwater areas in zigzag lines. They hurt the Kongs when touched, and cannot be defeated by any attack except those used by Enguarde.	Croctopus Chase	Poison Pond
The Kremlings
Image	Name	Description	First level appearance	Last level appearance
File:KlaptrapDKC.PNG	Klaptrap	A small crocodile enemy that acts much like Gnawties. They simply walk back and fourth through ground levels except for the fact that these enemies try to bite the Kongs with their sharp teeth. Because of this, the primates are not able to attack them with a roll from the front, and must instead jump on them. They can roll to defeat them in the back however. Purple Klaptraps will jump at the same time as the Kongs, making them more dangerous than the normal variants.	Stop & Go Station	Loopy Lights
	Klump	A strong crocodile enemy that patrols some ground levels. Because of their helmets, Diddy Kong is unable to defeat them with a jump attack, unlike Donkey Kong, and must instead defeat them with a cartwheel attack.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
	Krash	A Kritter that rides mine carts. They ride on the Kongs' track and race toward them to attack. The heroes have no choice but to jump with the carts to avoid them. Sometimes, the Krashes wait in stationary mine carts, which the Kongs can take as their own if they defeat the foes and hijack the carts.	Mine Cart Carnage	Mine Cart Madness
	Kritter	The normal species of Kremlings that simply walk around ground levels to defeat the Kongs. Like Gnawties, they can be defeated by any attack. The color of the Kritter determines its movement behavior; green simply walks forward; blue jumps while moving forward; brown jumps vertically, but doesn't move forward; yellow jumps left and right; gray hops forward a few times before making a long jump.	Jungle Hijinxs	Loopy Lights
	Krusha	A muscular crocodile enemy that cannot be defeated by any of Diddy Kong's normal attacks. While Donkey Kong can defeat the blue Krushas, he can only do so with a jump. Rolls and the Hand Slap move result in Krusha laughing at the gorilla. However, if DK does Hand Slap a blue Krusha, he gets one banana per slap. Gray Krushas are resistant to even Donkey Kong's normal attacks, and won't leave behind any bananas when Hand Slapped, but they can still be defeated by barrels.	Millstone Mayhem	Platform Perils
	Rock Kroc	A zombie-like Kremling that, when exposed to a red light, crouches into a ball, making itself look like a rock. When under a green light, they dash across areas and try to hit the Kongs. Because of their speed, they are considerably difficult to avoid when not under a red light, which can be triggered by hitting a Stop Barrel. These enemies cannot be defeated except in the Game Boy Advance remake, where Donkey Kong can hand slap them while they are inactive.	Stop & Go Station	Stop & Go Station
Other
Image	Name	Description	First level appearance	Last level appearance
	Black Drum	A drum obstacle that fires out an indefinite supply of a certain enemy, which varies between the drums. Examples include Slippas and Gnawties. They can only be destroyed from a TNT Barrel. They are a smaller variant of Dumb Drum.	Winky's Walkway	Misty Mine
File:Mincer.PNG	Mincer	A spiked tire obstacle. They are able to move about the areas in levels, and take up much space. They cannot be defeated by any attack, and must simply be avoided at all costs.	Torchlight Trouble	Manic Mincers
	Oil Drum	Oil Drums resemble Black Drums except for their thicker appearance and ability to emit fire. The word "OIL" is embedded on their drum.	Winky's Walkway	Elevator Antics (SNES and GBA versions) Necky Nutmare (GBC version)

Bosses

A boss is found at the end of every world and guards a portion of Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard. Each boss (excluding King K. Rool) is a bigger version of a generic enemy and requires more work to defeat. Below lists these bosses in order of appearance and gives a brief description on them.

Image	Name	Description	Level appearance
	Very Gnawty	A giant Gnawty that jumps around, trying to hit the Kongs. It must be jumped on five times to defeat. Each time the foe is hit, it becomes angrier and faster than the next, making the battle progressively harder.	Very Gnawty's Lair
	Master Necky	A giant Necky that creeps its head out of the four corners of the screen, spitting out nuts. The creature spits nuts faster when jumped on, but becomes defeated once Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong jumps on its head five times.	Necky's Nuts Necky's Revenge (GBA only)
	Queen B.	A giant Zinger that flies around the room. When hit by a barrel, Queen B. turns red and goes around the stage rampaging up and down, and is temporarily invincible until returning to normal. In the Game Boy Advance remake, she is often accompanied by several smaller Zingers while red, who protect her from all attacks until they are defeated. Queen B. must be hit with barrels five times to collapse.	Bumble B. Rumble
	Really Gnawty	A foe that is very similar to Very Gnawty. However, it is much faster and has the ability to jump much higher when angry. In the Game Boy Advance remake, Really Gnawty performs one large jump after it is attacked, causing fragile stalagmites to fall from the ceiling and hurt the Kongs. When this boss is jumped on five times, it collapses.	Really Gnawty Rampage
	Dumb Drum	A giant Oil Drum that spawns enemies after it hits the floor, attempting to crush the Kongs. If the primates manage to defeat all the enemies it throws at them, the drum explodes and is defeated. In the Game Boy Advance remake of the game, a TNT Barrel appears every time one of the five enemy groups thrown from the boss are defeated. The barrels must be thrown at Dumb Drum five times to defeat it. In all versions, enemies that Dumb Drum releases include Kritters, Slippas, Klaptraps, Klumps, and Armys.	Boss Dumb Drum
	Master Necky Snr.	A similar foe to Master Necky. This enemy, however, is much stronger, and sticks his head out of the corners of the screen. He also spits nuts much faster than the latter. Additionally, whenever Master Necky Snr. takes damages, he spits out more nuts in one session, requiring the Kongs to avoid them all before they can jump on him again. The more times he's jumped on, the more aggressive he gets. Five jumps on the head defeats this enemy. In the Game Boy Advance remake, Snr. is accompanied with Master Necky in the battle.	Necky's Revenge
	King K. Rool	The Kremling King that is responsible for stealing Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard, and the final boss. He has a variety of attacks, including throwing his crown, jumping on the apes, and causing cannonballs to rain from the sky. The Kongs can defeat King K. Rool by jumping on his head, but they can only do this while he's not wearing his crown.	Gang-Plank Galleon

Differences in other versions

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

See also: tcrf:Donkey Kong Country (SNES)#Version Differences

Three different versions are known to exist for the North American release. Here is the quickest way to know which version of the game a player might own, starting with v1.1:

V1.1

In Trick Track Trek, the moving platform doesn't fall instantly once it reaches the end of the line. Otherwise, it is v1.0.

V1.2 (Player's Choice)

In Coral Capers, there is a gap between the Star Barrel and lower platform. Othewise, the game is at most v1.1.

Game Boy Color

Diddy Kong in the new level, Necky Nutmare.

Donkey Kong Country was ported to the Game Boy Color in 2000. It was released in Japan under the title, Donkey Kong 2001 (ドンキーコング2001), and was released there in 2001. There are still several differences, some of which are because of the Game Boy Color's limited hardware capabilities. Differences include:

• The GBC version prompts the player to select a language before going to the title screen, in the SNES version the language select menu is found in the file select. Also unlike the SNES version, all of the text will be in the selected language instead of having menus still in English.
• There are three different title screens.
• Much like Donkey Kong Land, only one Kong appears at time. The only difference is there is an additional DK Barrel if there are two Kongs, unlike DK Land, which only has one Kong appearing without notice.
• In the German version, many levels' names were changed to ones that more closely resemble their English names.
• Sticker Pads are newly collectible photographs hidden in a level of each world. They are viewable from the Sticker Book, and can even be printed from the Game Boy Printer.
• Due to the graphical limitations, the stormy weather effects in the levels Ropey Rampage and Snow Barrel Blast are not present in this version. Also, perhaps ironically, the misty effect in Misty Mine is not present here.
• Also due to the graphical limitations, the light in Torchlight Trouble does not have a beam of light, but rather lights up the whole screen.
• The level Winky's Walkway has been extended with some more enemies and a different layout.
• In the level Millstone Mayhem, the Gnawties sit on top of the millstones rather than in the middle.
• A new level called Necky Nutmare has been added in Chimp Caverns.
• The Kongs do not ride the Animal Friends; rather, they become them when jumping on the Animal Crates containing the friends. When touched by an enemy, the animal will revert to Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong, and cannot transform again unless another crate is found.
• The Kongs do not travel between levels on the world map along dots in a straight line, but rather following paths in a similar fashion to Donkey Kong Country 2.
• Two mini-games have been added: Funky hosts a fishing game known as Funky's Fishing (which would be later reprised in the GBA port) and Cranky hosts a shooting game called Crosshair Cranky.
• Two additional difficulties have been added: the first one removes DK Barrels and the other removes Star Barrels. After beating the game in the normal difficulty, the player has to replay the game with each new difficulty in the same file to get the 101%.
• Due to the limited capabilities of the Game Boy Color, most of the music and sound effects from the Super NES version were either severely downgraded or replaced with that of Donkey Kong Land. Its Forest Frenzy track was even entirely newly composed.
• The Warp Barrel in Mine Cart Carnage was removed.
• A new file select screen resembling the one from Donkey Kong 64 was implemented.
• The game saves automatically after completing a level. With this, Candy's Save Point has been replaced by Candy's Challenge where Donkey and Diddy have to collect a golden Banana coin in each challenge of a world.
• The credits roll while showing various screenshots instead of DK's Tree House.

Game Boy Advance

The new area, Candy's Dance Studio.

Another port of the game was made for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. It is a faithful conversion, even more so than the Game Boy Color version, since the Game Boy Advance's technical capabilities surpass that of the Super NES. Even so, the game features many changes from the original. Some changes in this game include:

• An intro cutscene is played when the player starts a new file, which is an abridged version of the story from the manual.
• A "Time Attack" mode has been added, called DK Attack, where Donkey and Diddy Kong must collect objects and complete the level in a certain amount of time.
• Rock Krocs can now be defeated by Donkey Kong's hand slap move when they are curled up in a ball when the Stop and Go Barrels turn to the sign "STOP".
• Some enemies come in more varieties of colors (normal Gnawties are blue, normal Kritters are purple, etc.) The original colors of some of said enemies are briefly featured in the credits.
• The Warp Barrel in Millstone Mayhem has a different location, while the Warp Barrels in Vulture Culture, Tree Top Town and Slipslide Ride were removed. In contrast, more Warp Barrels where added in the early levels so all levels in Kongo Jungle and Monkey Mines have one. This is a carryover from the sequels, which only have Warp Barrels in all levels from their first two worlds.
  • When the heroes enter a Warp Barrel, they are sent into a short area that contains a group of bananas that spell out the word "WARP." In the original version of the game, as well as in the Game Boy Color version, they are simply sent to the end of the level, and not into this short area.
• From Vine Valley to Chimp Caverns, the bosses are fought a little differently: Queen B. now has several Zingers surrounding her when she gets hit and turns red, Really Gnawty makes stalactites fall from the ceiling when he jumps really high and far after being hit, Dumb Drum must have TNT Barrels thrown at it after the enemies are defeated, and the battle against Master Necky Snr. is against both him and Master Necky simultaneously.
• Very Gnawty and Really Gnawty swapped colors, but in accordance to the normal Gnawties' color change, Really Gnawty is now blue instead of grayish-green.
• Some unused elements from the original that were still kept in its data were used in this port. Examples include Necky's falling feathers when defeated, Cranky Kong's walking sprites and most of his unused dialogues.
• After each boss, Cranky Kong comes out and compliments the Kongs on beating the boss while criticizing the bosses.
• The game can be saved at any time or place, including halfway points in levels. With this, Candy's save areas are replaced with a dance studio, with different theme music. Here, a dancing minigame can be played.
• After meeting Funky (who also has different music) once, he can be summoned anytime on the world map.
• From Monkey Mines onward, the maps have been redesigned. The world maps are also zoomed in more.
  • On the world map, the Kongs follow curved pathways between each level rather than in straight lines. The banana peels marking them are also clearer.
• Starting from Vine Valley onwards, a few of the levels have been placed in a different order; for instance, Temple Tempest has become the sixth level in Vine Valley, rather than the fourth.
• Some of the level backgrounds are edited:
  • At the end of Jungle Hijinxs, the time of day doesn't change to night, unlike in the original.
  • Likewise, at the end of Ropey Rampage, the tropical storm doesn't end.
  • The walls behind the mine levels' ground areas are hollowed out slightly, as the background can be seen through them.
    • Loopy Lights's background is changed to that of Mine Cart Carnage and Misty Mine.
  • Slipslide Ride's farthest background is now gem-filled, rather than plain purple.
• Various foreground objects were added to some level environments that lacked them (ex: temple levels with trees in front, beams in mine levels).
• The credits takes place on Gangplank Galleon instead of DK's Tree House.
• A new mode called "Hero Mode" has been added. In this mode, the player controls a yellow Diddy, who must complete every level without the help of Star Barrels or DK.
• The game keeps track of the number of lives and bananas the Kongs have when saved, unlike in the original, which puts them back at five lives (six including the zero) and zero bananas every time the game is reset.
• The Barrel Cannons that send the Kongs to Bonus Areas are replaced by the Bonus Barrels used in the sequels.
  • Bonus Areas now have title cards ("Find the Exit", "Stop the Barrel", etc); this is another carryover from the sequels.
• The game has more sound effects and character voices, particularly from Donkey Kong 64.
• K-O-N-G Letters spin around as in later Donkey Kong Country games, instead of always facing the screen; they also no longer sparkle or shimmer. This makes them consistent in the series as opposed to the original where they were different to the ones in the sequels.
• A scrapbook, similar to the one in the Game Boy Color version, was added; the Kongs have to collect photographs throughout the game in order to add pictures to it.
• To get 101% Completion, the player now also has to collect all of the K-O-N-G Letters and fill up the scrapbook. In the "Hero Mode", however, the player can get the 101% the same way as in the original.
• The Two Player Contest option (while starting a new file) was removed. This option was removed in the remakes of its two sequels as well.
• Very Gnawty appears in DK's Tree House after defeating Really Gnawty. When it realizes Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong has entered the tree house, the beaver runs past them and out of the front door. This can be performed only once per file, however.

Development

The leadup 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 digitization technique too restrictive. Impressed by the demo, Harman lobbied for Nintendo to collaborate with Rare, and, with the help of Genyo Takeda 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 the popular 1993 Sega Genesis game, 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 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.

Competition Cartridge

Main article: Donkey Kong Country Competition Cartridge

A specialized competition variant featuring an assortment of random levels and a point counter 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. Due to its rarity, this version is a valuable collector's item.

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 Sega Saturn and Playstation consoles. The Game Boy Color port was similarly praised for taking a graphically-impressive title and porting it to the platform in a complete and technically competent form, in contrast to other unsuccessful attempts at directly porting home console games to handhelds. The game was placed 39th in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997 and it was rated the 90th best game on a Nintendo system in their top 200 games list in 2006.

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.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
SNES	George Wood, Flight of Fantasies	n.d	"Donkey Kong Country is truly perfect. If you do not get this amazing new generation of Donkey Kong Country madness, you are stupid. Yes, I know it's insulting, but that's also the truth. If you're a true video game fan, you will not hesitate in the slightest bit to buy this piece of gaming history."
SNES	Mr. Goo, Die Hard Game Fan	100/100	"When you see Donkey Kong Country for the first time, you'll do what I did ... turn into a blabbering, drooling idiot! This is the most amazing 16-bit game yet, and that's a fact. Simply everything about DKC is kick-butt rocking magnificent ... you'd swear it was 32-bit. If you possess a SNES, you have no excuse not to buy this game NOW."
SNES	Nintendo Power	4.4/5	"The ultimate graphics in the best action adventure game ever for the Super NES or any other video games system. It's simply the best. Battery backed-up memory. 100 bonus areas. MINUS: Players may miss many of the bonus areas and think the game is shorter than it really is. (You must try everything to get the full impact!"
Game Boy Advance	Electronic Gaming Monthly	60/100	"Besides the graphics, which still look good, the game has not held up well."
Game Boy Color	Frank Provo, Gamespot	9.1/10	"Donkey Kong Country is one of the most playable and replayable Game Boy Color games ever created. Despite being a little rough around the edges, Donkey Kong Country once again proves that stereotypes and misconceptions can be broken. The quality of a game doesn't rest with what system it's on, but with those who make it. As such, Donkey Kong Country may be on the Game Boy Color, but it's still as impressive and pertinent as it was in 1994 on the Super Nintendo."
Wii Virtual Console	Lucas M. Thomas, IGN	8.5/10	"A sacrifice may be offered of some of your nostalgic feelings for this title, as its revolutionary-in-1994 visuals aren't as spectacular any more, now in 2007. But DKC's gameplay is still a lot of fun, and it's still easy to see why this was the game that saved the Super."
Wii Virtual Console	Damien McFerran, Nintendo Life (formerly VC Reviews)	9/10	"Over a decade has passed since this game's original release and although some of the shine has dulled it still manages to impress. Although it's not in the same league as the sublime Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country still ranks as one of the better SNES platformers and is a worthy download on the Virtual Console."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
GameRankings		SNES - 88.94%, GBC - 90.38% GBA - 78.61%
Metacritic		GBA - 78

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.

Remakes and ports

Game Boy Advance port

The Game Boy Advance port of the game was coded from scratch. The developers extensively playtested the port to make sure the physics and controls were true to the original version, though some deviations were made to improve some mechanics and the level design.

Some of the floppies containing the original graphic assets were lost, while the surviving ones were disorganized and mostly unusable. To remedy this problem, team members ripped the sprites using an emulator. Most of the backgrounds were redone from the ground up to fit the Game Boy Advance's screen resolution, scale, and color palette.

SNES Classic Edition

Donkey Kong Country is one of the 21 titles included on the Super NES Classic Edition.

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's playing the theme song for the original Donkey Kong arcade game in a background resembling the iron bars from the original arcade 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

The barrel roll move is reused in Donkey Kong Country 3.

• 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.
  • 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 series, Mario Kart series, Mario Tennis series and other spin offs are based on elements from this game.
• 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. In the Game Boy Color version, the Select Screen resembles the Donkey Kong 64 one.
• Donkey Kong Country Returns: Many elements from the original 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 Auto-Fire 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.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Donkey Kong Country.

• 

  The SNES PAL box art for Donkey Kong Country.

• 

  Donkey Kong & Cranky Kong

• DiddySwordfish DKC.png

  Diddy Kong on Enguarde

• 

  Rambi the Rhino

• Krool19.jpg

  King K. Rool

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Donkey Kong Country media.

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country 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 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

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country 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 3 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.

Glitches

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country glitches

Bonus Level Early Exit

This glitch can only be done in the Game Boy Advance version. The Kongs must go to the first Bonus Level found in Platform Perils and stand underneath the fourth barrel and a little to the right of it. Now, the Kongs have to hit this barrel when the G is not showing up. If they do it right, they will lose the bonus level as usual, but they will end up walking out early, not showing their Mini-Game defeat animation. This can be done with either Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong.

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:

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.

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.

Quotes

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country quotes

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?"
• "I don't think he is, sugar. Let's get off this manky ship."

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	スーパードンキーコング Sūpā Donkī Kongu	Super Donkey Kong
German	Donkey Kong Country	-

Trivia

• Although the Gnawties seen in-game are gray, the Gnawty on the game's boxart is blue. The species eventually became blue in Donkey Kong 64 and in the Game Boy Advance port of Donkey Kong Country.
• 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.
• The Game Boy Advance remake of the game is the only one of the three Donkey Kong Country remakes that does not feature any new bosses.
• The Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance remakes use some images as originally seen in Donkey Kong 64.

External links

• Nintendo UK Game Boy Color site
• Japanese Game Boy Color site
• Nintendo UK Game Boy Advance site
• Japanese Game Boy Advance site