Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Advance)

Donkey Kong Country
Developer	Rareware
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance
Release date	June 6, 2003 June 9, 2003 June 20, 2003 December 12, 2003
Genre	Platformer
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages
Mode(s)	1–2 players
Media	Game Boy Advance: Game Pak
Input	Game Boy Advance: Gamepad

Donkey Kong Country is a 2003 Game Boy Advance remake of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game of the same name. It is less downsized than the game's previous remake, though it still loses some graphical and sound clarity due to the smaller screen and differing hardware capabilities. Nevertheless, it trades them for new content, such as greater boss diversity and in-game cutscenes.

Story

“What? This old chestnut again? Even I'm fed up of hearing it by now!”

—Cranky Kong

Diddy guards the banana hoard at the start of the game

Cranky wakes up Donkey Kong to tell him about the stolen bananas

The manual features the same abridged version of the original story that the Game Boy Color remake uses (to Cranky Kong's chagrin). In game, another version is shown as an opening cutscene. An in-training Diddy Kong is overpowered by a group of Kremlings led by Krusha (rather than Klump like in the original manual), who proceed to dispose of him and steal Donkey Kong's banana hoard. Cranky Kong alerts him of this the next morning, and he vows to find Diddy and his bananas.

An ending cutscene is also added: after King K. Rool's defeat, Cranky, Funky, and Candy congratulate Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong on their victory. King K. Rool soon recovers, forces them off the ship and sails away, vowing to return.

Modes

The Game Boy Advance version has two mode select screens: player selection (left) and a gameplay selection between the main game and two exclusive modes (right).

When selecting a new file, the player can choose either single player or multiplayer; once the player selects a mode, they cannot change it unless they delete it and start a new one. In multiplayer, the first player controls Donkey Kong while the second player controls Diddy Kong. In multiplayer, if either Kong is hit, the other player must press , as instructed on the screen, to take over with their Kong. The game keeps a score for both players, to keep track of how many levels they have completed.

Icon	Title	Description
	1 Player	A single player controls both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.
	2 Player Team	Two players cooperatively take turns playing through the levels. The first player controls Donkey Kong, while the second player controls Diddy. Players can change turns by switching the Kongs or by losing their Kong.

Characters

The Kong Krew

There are a few Kongs who help Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong along their journey, and they each appear in one of the supporting locations.

Playable
Image	Name	Description
	Donkey Kong	The main character of the game, Donkey Kong is stronger and heavier than his partner, Diddy Kong, and can defeat stronger enemies. He also has his own move, the Hand Slap which can defeat certain enemies and reveal hidden objects.
	Diddy Kong	Diddy is the best friend and sidekick of Donkey Kong. While he is not as strong as his partner, Diddy is faster, but his light weight prevents him from being able to defeat more powerful enemies in a single jump.
Supporting
Image	Name	Description
	Candy Kong	Candy is the love interest of Donkey Kong. She operates Candy's Dance Studio, where the Kongs can participate in a dancing minigame.
	Cranky Kong	Cranky Kong was the original Donkey Kong from the Donkey Kong arcade game. He resides at Cranky's Hut, where he provides various pieces of advice to Donkey Kong and Diddy along their adventure. Cranky regards himself as the greatest video game hero, and does not believe the Kongs can complete their adventure without his assistance.
	Funky Kong	Funky Kong operates a flight service and fishing minigame at Funky's Fishing.

Amiable Animals

Aside from the supporting Kongs, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are also assisted by Animal Friends during the game. Each Animal Friend is imprisoned within an animal crate depicting a silhouette of their face. The Animal Friends only appear in certain levels, and the Kongs cannot take them to other levels. Every Animal Friend has their own unique abilities.

Image	Name	Description	First level appearance	Last level appearance
	Rambi	Rambi is first found halfway through the first level. He can defeat most enemies by running into them, as well as break entrances to hidden Bonus Levels.	Jungle Hijinxs	Manic Mincers
	Enguarde	Enguarde appears in most of the underwater levels. With his sharp bill, Enguarde can defeat most aquatic enemies in his path.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
	Winky	Winky has a high jumping ability that allows him to reach higher areas, namely Bonus Levels. Winky can defeat most enemies by jumping on them, including Zingers.	Winky's Walkway	Rope Bridge Rumble
	Expresso	Expresso has the ability to run fast and to glide across the air, although he cannot attack enemies. Due to his long legs, Expresso is unaffected by Klap Traps moving under his legs.	Temple Tempest	Misty Mine
	Squawks	Squawks only appears in the level Torchlight Trouble, where he holds a lamp to light the path forward for the Kongs. Squawks is the only Animal Friend that the Kongs cannot ride and the only one without an animal token. Squawks cannot be defeated by any enemy.	Torchlight Trouble

The Bad Guys

“Look at the state of this lot-and I bet they'll still bash you to a pulp!”

—King K. Rool

Various types of enemies appear throughout the levels, attempting to get into Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's way. The Kremlings are the main enemies of the game.

Image	Name	Description	First level appearance	Last level appearance
	Army	An armadillo enemy that rolls up into a ball and charges at the Kongs to attack. Donkey Kong can defeat them from either a jump or roll attack. If Diddy either jumps or cartwheels into a curled up Army, the enemy is forced out of its curled posture. Diddy can defeat Army if it is not curled up.	Ropey Rampage	Platform Perils
	Bitesize	A small piranha enemy that like other underwater enemies, cannot be defeated by the Kongs. Enguarde can defeat Bitesizes and most other underwater enemies.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
	Chomps	A large, green shark enemy that are larger than Bitesizes, but otherwise act the same, and they can also be defeated by Enguarde.	Coral Capers	Croctopus Chase
	Chomps Jr.	A small, blue shark enemy and a smaller variant of Chomps. They act similar to Chomps except they are smaller and slightly faster.	Coral Capers	Poison Pond
	Clambo	A clam enemy that attacks by spitting out pearls at the Kongs. They do not move around and are usually in a corner outside of the main path. They cannot be defeated by Enguarde.	Coral Capers	Clam City
	Croctopus	An octopus enemy that quickly treads through water to hit the Kongs. The purple variants move in fixed patterns around blocks of coral reef, while the blue variants go in a set path after the Kongs once they pass them. Like Clambos, they cannot be defeated.	Coral Capers	Croctopus Chase
	Gnawty	A beaver enemy that is common, but is one of the weakest enemies. They simply walk around back and forth and can be defeated from any attack. Gnawties have a rare variant that ride on a Millstone, and contrarily they are invulnerable to any form of attack.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
	Klap Trap	Klap Traps are small, four-legged crocodiles who repeatedly open and close their jaws while moving in the Kongs' direction. Because of this, the Kongs cannot attack Klap Trap by rolling into it from the front. Klap Traps can either be defeated from behind or if jumped over. Klap Traps have a rare, red variant that jump at the same time as the Kongs do.	Stop & Go Station	Loopy Lights
	Klump	Klump is a strong, burly enemy that wears military gear. Klump's helmet defends itself from Diddy's jump attack, although Donkey Kong can defeat a Klump by jumping on it. Both Kongs can use a roll attack to defeat a Klump.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
	Krash	A Kritter who rides in a mine cart. Krashes ride in the opposite direction of the Kongs, attempting to crash into them. Donkey Kong and Diddy must avoid Krashes by jumping over them. In Mine Cart Madness, some Krashes are in a stationary mine carts, and the Kongs can jump on them to defeat them and take over the mine cart.	Mine Cart Carnage	Mine Cart Madness
	Kritter	Kritters are the grunt soldiers of the Kremling Krew. They are one of the weakest enemies along with Gnawty. The color of a Kritter determines its movement behavior: the standard, purple ones walk forward, the blue ones jump while moving forward, the yellow ones jump vertically without moving forward, gray ones jump left and right, and red Kritters hop forward a few times before doing a long jump. A green one appears in the cast roll alongside the other colors.	Jungle Hijinxs	Loopy Lights
	Krusha	Krushas are strong, muscular Kremlings, and there are blue Krushas and the uncommon gray variant. Diddy cannot defeat Krushas without using a barrel. Donkey Kong can defeat blue Krushas by jumping on them, but performing a roll or a Hand Slap attack are ineffective. Gray Krushas are stronger than the blue ones and can only be defeated from a barrel.	Millstone Mayhem	Platform Perils
	Manky Kong	Manky Kongs are orangutans who were exiled from the Kong Family. They attack by throwing an unlimited number of barrels at Donkey Kong and Diddy. Both Kongs can defeat them by their jump and roll attack.	Orang-utan Gang	Loopy Lights
	Mini-Necky	A small vulture that attacks by spitting nuts at the Kongs. Some Mini-Neckys move up and down while spitting nuts. They can be defeated by either a roll or a jump attack.	Vulture Culture	Elevator Antics
	Necky	A vulture enemy who either throws nuts at the Kongs from high platforms or flies across the level. The flying Neckys can be bounced on to reach higher areas.	Jungle Hijinxs	Platform Perils
	Rock Kroc	Rock Krocs dash back and forth rapidly while the Stop & Go Barrels are set to "Go", and the Kongs get injured when they come in contact with a Rock Kroc. Donkey Kong and Diddy cannot pass the Rock Krocs safely unless the Stop & Go Barrels are set to "Stop", causing the Rock Krocs to briefly curl into a ball until the Stop & Go Barrels return to "Go". Rock Krocs can only be defeated by Donkey Kong Hand Slapping one while it is inactive.	Stop & Go Station
	Slippa	A red coral snake that slithers along the ground in caves and other subterranean areas. They are one of the weaker enemies and can be defeated by any attack.	Reptile Rumble	Misty Mine
	Squidge	A jellyfish type enemy that swims up and down through underwater areas in zigzag lines. They can be defeated by Enguarde.	Croctopus Chase	Poison Pond
	Zinger	Zingers are wasps and very common enemies who appear in almost every level. The Kongs cannot defeat Zingers themselves and must use either a barrel or an Animal Friend to defeat them. The Kongs must usually avoid the Zingers along the way. Zingers have a few different color variations, each with their own flight pattern: yellow moves vertically, orange moves horizontally or flies in place, silver moves in a circular path or flies in place, and green moves in a u-shaped path. Magenta and purple ones appear in the cast roll alongside the other colors.	Ropey Rampage	Platform Perils
Obstacles
Image	Name	Description	First level appearance	Last level appearance
	Black drum	A drum obstacle that fires out an indefinite supply of a specific enemy, such as Slippas and Gnawties. They can only be destroyed from a TNT Drum. They are a smaller variant of Dumb Drum.	Winky's Walkway	Misty Mine
	Cannonball	Giant iron balls that fall across the screen sequentially when K. Rool performs his floor-slam attack.	Gang-Plank Galleon
	Coconut	The favored projectiles of the Necky family, they may be launched straight horizontally or in bouncing arcs.	Jungle Hijinxs	Necky's Revenge
	Crownerang	K. Rool's primary weapon, his own crown. When he throws it, however, he renders himself vulnerable to stomp attacks.	Gang-Plank Galleon
	Falling spike	A series of these stalactites fall whenever Really Gnawty performs his large jump attack.	Really Gnawty Rampage
	Millstone	Millstones are enormous invulnerable stone wheels ridden in by Gnawties.	Millstone Mayhem	Temple Tempest
	Mincer	Mincers are spiked tire obstacles who either move in a pattern or remain in a single spot. They are invincible and must be avoided by the Kongs.	Torchlight Trouble	Manic Mincers
	Oil drum	Oil drums resemble black drums except for their taller appearance and ability to emit fire. The word "OIL" is embedded on them.	Torchlight Trouble	Oil Drum Alley
	Pearl	Projectiles shot in numbers from one to five at once in straight lines by Clambos.	Coral Capers	Clam City

The Bosses

At the end of every world, the Kongs must fight a boss, each guarding a portion of the stolen bananas. Most of the bosses are a larger version of an enemy.

Image	Name	Description	Level appearance
	Very Gnawty	A giant Gnawty that jumps around, trying to hit the Kongs. Donkey Kong and Diddy must jump on it five times to defeat it. For each hit, Very Gnawty leaps high, then bounces and moves around faster.	Very Gnawty's Lair
	Master Necky	A giant Necky that creeps his head out from one of four corners of the screen, spitting large nuts at the Kongs. Master Necky spit nuts faster each time he is jumped on. Donkey Kong or Diddy can defeat the boss by jumping on his head five times.	Necky's Nuts
	Queen B.	A giant Zinger who flies in a wavy pattern around the arena. The Kongs can attack her with a barrel. When hit, Queen B. temporarily turns red, becomes surrounded by several regular Zingers, which must be defeated so she can return to normal. She must be hit five times to be defeated.	Bumble B. Rumble
	Really Gnawty	A boss who looks and acts similar to Very Gnawty. Really Gnawty can move faster and jump a lot higher than Very Gnawty. The Kongs must jump on Really Gnawty five times to defeat it. Really Gnawty performs a large jump after being hit, and the impact causes stalactites to fall from above.	Really Gnawty Rampage
	Dumb Drum	A giant black drum that attempts to crush the Kongs. After that, Dumb Drum sends out a pair of a specific enemy before continuing its attempt to crush the Kongs. The order in which Dumb Drum releases the enemies are: Kritters, Slippas, Klap Traps, Klumps, and Armys. After Donkey Kong and Diddy defeat a pair of enemies, a TNT Drum appears, and the Kongs must use it to attack Dumb Drum.	Boss Dumb Drum
	Master Necky and Master Necky Snr.	Two giant Neckys that fight together. Both take five hits each to defeat, but once one is defeated, the other begins spitting nuts much faster and more frequently.	Necky's Revenge
	King K. Rool	The final boss and main antagonist, King K. Rool has stolen Donkey Kong's banana hoard. He has a variety of attacks, including throwing his crown, jumping at the Kongs, and causing cannonballs to rain from above. After King K. Rool throws his crown, the Kongs can jump on his head to attack him, before K. Rool puts his crown back on.	Gang-Plank Galleon

Items

Image	Name	Description
	Bananas	Bananas are the equivalent to coins from the Super Mario series, as collecting 100 of them gives the Kongs an extra life. They are the most common item of the game.
	Banana Bunches	Banana Bunches grant ten bananas when collected. They are less common than normal bananas and often appear in Bonus Levels and hidden areas.
	Giant bananas	A giant banana is held by each boss. Claiming one marks the completion of one of the game's worlds.
	Animal tokens	Animal tokens are small tokens that depict one of the Animal Friends (excluding Squawks). If three animal tokens depicting the same Animal Friend are collected, the game redirects the player to a bonus area where they control the corresponding Animal Friend. In the area, the Animal Friend must collect as many Mini Animal Tokens depicting them within a time limit in exchange for extra lives.
	Mini Animal Tokens	Hundreds of Mini Animal Tokens fill the Animal Friend-themed bonus stages. For every hundred collected, an extra life is earned.
	Big Animal Tokens	A single Big Animal Token is hidden in each of the Animal Friend-themed bonus stages. Collecting it doubles the held amount of Mini Animal Tokens.
	Donkey Kong Balloons	Similar to 1-Up Mushrooms from the Super Mario series, these balloons give the Kongs extra lives when collected. The balloons come in three different colors: red, green, and blue. Red Life Balloons are the most common and give one extra life, the less common green 2-Up Balloons give two lives, and the rare Blue Balloons give three lives.
	Letters	Four of these special objects are hidden in every level, and each of them are a letter of the word "KONG". If the Kongs collect all four letters in a level, they are rewarded 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 lastly the letter G. In the "Spell it Out!" Bonus Level challenges, there are circling letters that the Kongs must jump in a certain order to spell out a word.
	Camera	Items that add a photograph to the Scrapbook and can be obtained in many ways.

Objects

Mechanisms

Image	Name	Description
	Animal crates	These crates contain a certain Animal Friend, which is indicated by a silhouette of their face on the side.
	Arrow Signs	These signs indicate the Kongs are approaching the end of a stage.
	Elevators	Many lifts appear throughout the game with many different designs and behaviors. Although a few of them are stationary, some move back and forth over gaps, and some move vertically. In later levels, there are platforms with an arrow on them, and when the Kongs step on the platform, it moves in the direction that the arrow is pointing. There are other moving platforms in later levels such as Tanked Up Trouble, which has a platform that runs on fuel drums.
	Exits	These signs indicate the Kongs have reached the end of a stage.
	Mine Carts	Mine Carts only appear in two levels, and when the Kongs enter one, it automatically starts moving along the track. While riding a Mine Cart, the Kongs can jump with the Mine Cart to go over broken parts of the track. Sometimes there are tipped over mine carts that appear as obstacles along the tracks.
	Ropes	Ropes are objects that appear in many levels, and the Kongs can climb up and down them. Many of them swing over wide abysses, so the Kongs can use them to cross the gaps. In Slipslide Ride, there are blue and purple ropes that automatically send the Kongs up and down respectively.
	Tires	Tires bounce the Kongs to higher areas. There are half tires, which are stuck in the ground, and full tires that can be pushed and rolled around.

Barrels

Barrels are the most common object in the game. There are many different types of barrels in the game, each with its own purpose and use.

Throwable barrels
Image	Name	Description
	Wooden Barrels	Wooden Barrels are the most common type of barrel or cask, and the Kongs can pick it up and throw it. If the barrel hits the ground, it starts rolling, useful for defeating an enemy or opening a secret passage.
	Vine Barrels	Vine Barrels act like regular barrels, except they are so flimsy that they break instantly when hitting with the ground instead of rolling.
	Buddy Barrels	Buddy Barrels are the most common barrels in the game, as a few of them appear in certain areas of every level. If either Donkey Kong or Diddy are missing from the group, the active Kong can break a Buddy Barrel to release the other Kong. DK Barrels can also be picked up and used like Vine Barrels.
	TNT Barrels	TNT Drums are a type of barrel that explode after being thrown into an enemy or surface. They are often used to destroy powerful enemies or break a fragile wall leading into a Bonus Level.
	Steel kegs	Steel kegs are stainless-steel barrels that act like normal barrels, but are more durable. Steel kegs can roll into an unlimited number of enemies and bounce off walls. The Kongs can jump on a rolling steel keg to ride it.
Enterable barrels
Image	Name	Description
	Barrel Cannons	These barrels are common and appear in nearly every level. They can shoot the Kongs over gaps or to other Barrel Cannons. Some may also move in a specific direction as first seen in Barrel Cannon Canyon.
	Blast Barrels	This is a type of Barrel Cannon that automatically fires the Kong when entered.
	Jumbo Barrel	The Jumbo Barrel can be entered in Funky's Fishing, where it flies the Kongs to any place in Donkey Kong Island that they have visited.
	Bonus Barrels	Send the Kongs to a bonus room when jumped inside.
	Warp Barrels	Send the Kongs to the end of the stage when jumped inside.
	Fishing Barrels	The Fishing Barrel can be entered in Funky's Fishing, where it sends the Kongs to a fishing minigame.
	Dance Barrels	The Dance Barrel can be entered in Candy's Dance Studio, where it sends the Kongs to a dancing minigame.
Triggerable barrels
Image	Name	Description
	Continue Barrels	A Continue Barrel is a checkpoint in the middle of every level, except boss levels. If both Kongs are defeated anytime after breaking the Continue Barrel and restart the level, they continue from where it was activated.
	Roulette Barrels	Appearing in certain Bonus Levels, Roulette Barrels float in the air in groups. Depending on the challenge, they may switch between displaying different items which stop when touched, and as such need matched (or in some cases spell the word "KONG"), or they may switch an Extra Life Balloon around in a shell game-type manner where the final location must be guessed.
	Stop & Go Barrels	These barrels appear only in Stop & Go Station, where they are used to control the Rock Krocs' movements. By default the barrels are on the "Go", and the level has a green lighting. The Rock Krocs are active while the barrels have the "Go" setting. If the Kongs jump at a Stop & Go Barrel, every barrel changes to the "Stop" setting for a few seconds, causing the Rock Krocs to stop moving temporarily and the lighting to turn red.
	On & Off Barrels	On & Off Barrels only appear in Loopy Lights and act almost like Stop & Go Barrels, except they affect the lights in the level. While the barrels are set to "OFF", the lights in the level are off. The Kongs must jump at an On & Off Barrel to change the setting to "ON", allowing them to see ahead.
	Fuel drums	Fuel drums only appear in the level, Tanked Up Trouble, as a fuel supply for the platforms that the Kongs ride. Donkey Kong and Diddy are required to jump at every fuel drum along the way because the platform quickly runs out of fuel. If the platform runs out of fuel, if falls off the tracks, and the Kongs lose a life.

Supporting locations

During their adventure, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are assisted by three other members of the Kong Family who operate their own location in every world.

Name	Description
Cranky's Hut	This area is ran by Cranky Kong, who gives random level hints.
Funky's Fishing	Funky's location acts a flight service as in the original, though its main purpose is to host a series of fishing challenges.
Candy's Dance Studio	Candy hosts a dancing mini-game challenge in each world.

Levels

Compared to the original, a few levels have swapped positions with nearby levels.

Levels and Bonus Areas
Kongo Jungle
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
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
Monkey Mines
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
7	Winky's Walkway	1	Walkway	Life in the Mines
8	Mine Cart Carnage	0	Minecart/Mineshaft	Mine Cart Madness
9	Bouncy Bonanza	2	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
Vine Valley
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
13	Vulture Culture	3	Forest	Forest Frenzy
14	Tree Top Town	2	Treetops	Treetop Rock
15	Forest Frenzy	2	Forest	Forest Frenzy
16	Orang-utan Gang1	5	Jungle	DK Island Swing
17	Clam City1	0	Underwater	Aquatic Ambiance
18	Temple Tempest1	2	Ruins	Voices of the Temple
19	BOSS LEVEL: Bumble B. Rumble	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
Gorilla Glacier
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
20	Snow Barrel Blast	3	Snow	Northern Hemispheres
21	Slipslide Ride	3	Ice cave	Ice Cave Chant
22	Croctopus Chase2	0	Underwater	Aquatic Ambiance
23	Ice Age Alley2	2	Snow	Northern Hemispheres
24	Rope Bridge Rumble3	2	Treetops	Treetop Rock
25	Torchlight Trouble3	2	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
26	BOSS LEVEL: Really Gnawty Rampage	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
Kremkroc Industries Inc.
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
27	Oil Drum Alley	4	Factory	Fear Factory
28	Trick Track Trek	3	Walkway	Life in the Mines
29	Poison Pond4	0	Underwater	Aquatic Ambiance
30	Elevator Antics4	3	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
31	Blackout Basement5	2	Factory	Fear Factory
32	Mine Cart Madness5	3	Minecart/Walkway	Mine Cart Madness
33	BOSS LEVEL: Boss Dumb Drum	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
Chimp Caverns
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
34	Tanked Up Trouble	1	Walkway	Life in the Mines
35	Manic Mincers	2	Cave	Cave Dweller Concert
36	Misty Mine	2	Mineshaft	Misty Menace
37	Loopy Lights	2	Mineshaft	Misty Menace
38	Platform Perils	2	Walkway	Life in the Mines
39	BOSS LEVEL: Necky's Revenge	0	Boss arena	Bad Boss Boogie
Gang-Plank Galleon
#	Level	Bonus Areas	Type of level	Music theme
40	BOSS LEVEL: Gang-Plank Galleon	0	Ship	Gang-Plank Galleon

• ¹²³⁴⁵ - Indicates swapped from original.
  

Differences from original

Gameplay of the Candy's Dance Studio minigame

• An intro cutscene is played when the player starts a new file, which is an abridged version of the story from the manual.
  • Regarding the cutscene, a difference between the cutscene and the manual was who ended up being responsible for subduing Diddy. In the cutscene, it was Krusha. In the manual, it was Klump.
• 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 when they are stopped by Stop & Go Barrels in every region.
• Some enemies come in different 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 millstones now spin through in-engine sprite rotation to make the animation more fluid than the separate sprite frames of the original. The same effect is applied to K. Rool's cannonballs.
• The Blast Barrels that send the Kongs to bonus rooms are replaced by the Bonus Barrels used in Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Country 3.
  • Bonus rooms now have title cards ("Find the Exit", "Stop the Barrel", etc); this is another carryover from the sequels.
  • Also, as in the sequels, bonus rooms can now be reentered.
• The Blast Barrels that send the Kongs near the end of the level are replaced by Warp Barrels.
  • 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 were added in the early levels, so all the levels in Kongo Jungle and Monkey Mines have one. This is a carryover from the sequels, which only have Warp Barrels in all the levels from their first two worlds. Despite this, the one in Trick Track Trek remains.
  • 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, the original barrel simply sends them to the end of the level and not into this short area.
• Squawks is automatically active in Torchlight Trouble instead of needing to be released from a crate.
• From Vine Valley onwards, the bosses are fought a little differently and some of the levels are reordered:
  • Bosses:
    • Queen B. now has several Zingers surrounding her when she gets hit and turns red, which all must be taken out with barrels before she can be damaged again. The Zingers' placement changes after each hit. Her red color is now a tinting of the base sprite rather than a palette change.
    • Really Gnawty, rather than making high leaps after being hit, leaps over to the side of the stage, and causes stalactites to fall from the ceiling, before leaping around again.
    • After defeating the enemies that Dumb Drum drops, as it attempts to crush the player, the player must throw TNT Drums at it to damage it.
    • The player battles both Master Necky Snr. and Master Necky simultaneously. Rather than tossing an increasing number of nuts, Master Necky Snr. and Master Necky each toss a single nut at the same time, before either can be hit. After one is defeated, the other will toss four nuts before being vulnerable.
  • Levels:
    • Temple Tempest is the sixth level in Vine Valley, rather than the fourth. This makes Orang-utan Gang and Clam City the fourth and fifth levels, respectively.
    • In Gorilla Glacier, Ice Age Alley and Croctopus Chase swapped placements, and so too have Rope Bridge Rumble and Torchlight Trouble.
    • In Kremkroc Industries Inc., Poison Pond and Elevator Antics are swapped, as are Blackout Basement and Mine Cart Madness.
• 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 remake. 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, rather than in straight lines, the Kongs follow curved pathways between each level, similar to the sequels. The flashing ovals that mark the path are replaced with banana peels.
• Some of the level backgrounds are edited:
  • At the end of Jungle Hijinxs, the time of day does not change to night, unlike in the original.
    • Likewise, Ropey Rampage remains overcast and stormy throughout. These changes were likely made to make the levels easier to see on the original, unlit Game Boy Advance screen.
  • 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).
  • Several small animals not present in the original also appear for aesthetic purposes, like birds, lizard, frogs, bats, spiders, and rats.
• To get 101% Completion, the player now also has to collect all of the K-O-N-G Letters and fill up the Scrapbook.
  • The game exclusively features the "Hero Mode", unlocked for getting at least 90% completion on a save file. In this mode, the player controls a yellow-clothed Diddy, who must complete every level without the help of Continue Barrels or DK. However, the player can get the 101% the same way as in the original.
• When the player saves the game, it also saves the number of lives and bananas the Kongs have, unlike in the original, which resets the count to five extra lives and no bananas every time that the game is reset.
• The game has more sound effects and character voices, particularly from Donkey Kong 64, and enemies have different sound effects when beaten.
  • Donkey, Diddy, and King K. Rool now reuse their voice clips from Donkey Kong 64.
• K-O-N-G Letters spin around as in the sequels, instead of always facing the screen; they also no longer sparkle or shimmer. This makes their animations more consistent in the series.
• 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.
• 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 that the Kongs have arrived, Very Gnawty hops past them and out of the front door. This can be performed only once per file, however.
• Queen B is now dizzy upon defeat in addition to moving constantly. In the original, she just occasionally moved.
• The cast of characters take place on Gangplank Galleon instead of DK's Tree House.
  • Only the enemies, world bosses, and animal buddies are shown with their names during the cast scene; the Kongs and King K. Rool are not listed.
  • After the cast of characters finishes, the Kongs are all shown on the Gangplank Galleon contemplating their adventure, when King K. Rool forces them off with the threat of using the ship's onboard cannons to blow up Donkey Kong Island. As the Kongs swim back to shore, K. Rool promises to return as his ship sails away. Cranky then criticizes the ending as a cheap attempt at setting up for a sequel.

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.

Quotes

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country quotes

Candy Kong

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

Development

The Game Boy Advance remake 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.

Reception

Following Rare's acquisition by Microsoft, Donkey Kong Country experienced a period of backlash. Electronic Gaming Monthly stated that the game did not hold up compared to when the original was released. Regardless, the Game Boy Advance version was still positively received.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Game Boy Advance	Electronic Gaming Monthly	60/100	"Besides the graphics, which still look good, the game has not held up well."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		78
GameRankings		78.61%

References to other games

• Sabre Wulf: In Cranky's Hut, the head of the game's titular wulf is seen mounted on the wall, with the game's official character art hung beside it. Also, the hat belonging to the game's protagonist, Sabreman, can be seen on a barrel in the cabin.
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: At the end of the game, Cranky complains that the new detail of K. Rool escaping and vowing to return is a cheap way to promise a sequel.
• Banjo-Kazooie: In Cranky's Hut, in the foreground can be seen a skull-shaped object with three red feathers, resembling the head of the supporting character Mumbo Jumbo from Banjo-Kazooie.
• Donkey Kong 64: During the ending scene, K. Rool promises to destroy the island, which is his plan in this game.

Staff

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country staff#Game Boy Advance version

Gallery

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

• 

  Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong

• 

  Cranky Kong

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  Candy Kong

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  Funky Kong

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  Rambi

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  Kritter

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  King K. Rool

Media

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

Theme

File infoMedia:DKC GBA Theme.oga ​

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

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

• This is the only one of the three Game Boy Advance remakes of the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy that does not feature any new bosses. However, it is also the only one to make significant changes to the existing bosses.

External links

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