Donkey Kong Country Barrel Maze

Template:Infobox Donkey Kong Country Barrel Maze, or Donkey Kong Barrel Maze, was an isometric platform game developed by Skyworks Interactive (formerly Skyworks Technologies) and published on their website, Candystand.com,^[1] under Nintendo's endorsement. It required Adobe Shockwave to run. The game was based on elements from Donkey Kong Country and had Donkey Kong in a quasi-starring role, with Diddy Kong and Cranky Kong only making cameo appearances on the title and loading screens. The player controlled a barrel loaded with bananas and had to roll it through a series of obstacles to reach DK at the end of every stage in the game.

Gameplay

The beginning of level 1

The game presented 10 levels of progressing difficulty. For each level, a barrel containing bananas had to be safely delivered to Donkey Kong by navigating it through a maze-like layout. The barrel was controlled using the arrow keys or the number pad, and the isometric perspective of the game enforced the player to apply key combinations for proper navigation. The environment of each level was composed of numerous pathways, valleys, river streams, and high ledges filled with items the player could collect. Although levels had a linear path to the finish, items were not always found on the main course, requiring the player to divert from it and explore other corners of the stage.

DK with his bananas

The player was given 5 lives at the beginning of the game. Every level started out on a spot marked by a red cross and with a full energy bar (taking the form of a banana, labelled "DAMAGE"). The player had a set amount of time to reach the finish, which varied from level to level. Caution had to be taken not to drive the barrel into bottomless pits or river streams, which would result in losing a life and respawn the barrel at its starting point. Other means of taking damage included bumping into an enemy or falling from a height onto the ground. Gravity played an important role in the game and would cause movement to be more difficult on slanted paths, or increase the amount of damage taken by the barrel in relation to the drop distance. When the energy bar was completely drained, the barrel would break open and the player would lose a life. Walls and ambiental objects, such as shrubs, had no bearing on the barrel's condition.

The end of a level was signalled by a checkerboarded section, where Donkey Kong awaited the barrel. Once there, the barrel would turn upright and reveal its bananas in front of DK, who would rejoice by beating his chest. This led to a screen which prepared the player for the next level.

If all lives were lost before completing all 10 levels, the player would have to start the game over.

Score and items

The game presented a score that increased with the items collected along the way. The amount of time remaining after a level was completed was also added to the score. For every 25000 points, the player earned an extra life.

Most of the time, items were optional to collect. However, bananas were sometimes needed to replenish the energy bar after taking damage in an unavoidable situation, such as rolling off the cliffs in the second level.

Image	Name	Description
	Silver Barrel	Awarded the player 1000 points.
	Gold Barrel	Awarded the player 2000 points.
	Hourglass	Added 30 seconds to the timer. Awarded the player 250 points.
	Bananas	Restored part of the energy bar. Awarded the player 250 points.

Enemies and obstacles

Name	Description	Level appearances
Boulder	Initially stationary objects that started rolling slowly in the direction of the barrel once it drew near. They broke if they ran into a wall or the barrel, in which case they would damage it.	Level 3 Level 4 Level 6 Level 7 Level 8 Level 10
Coconut tree	Bonking into this tree caused it to shake off a coconut, which might have damaged the barrel.	Level 5
Buzzard	A soaring bird that attempted to damage the barrel by dropping coconuts on it.	Level 3 Level 8 Level 9
Enemy Barrel	An automated object that tried to attack the controlled barrel by chasing it.	Level 2 Level 5 Level 9
Hippos	Pairs of hippos formed bridges over streams, helping the barrel pass them. However, they regularly came in and out of water and the barrel would have had to be timed so as not to fall in the stream.	Level 2 Level 8
Mud	A surface on the ground that damaged the barrel upon contact, apart from slowing it down.	Level 1 Level 4 Level 6 Level 7 Level 9
Venus Fly Trap	An enemy that waited in one place to bite the barrel and take away a small wedge of its energy bar. Once it bit, the plant shrunk down and became invisible for a short period of time. After a while, it grew back and regained the ability to bite.	Level 5 Level 8

References to other games

Donkey Kong Country: One artwork render of Cranky Kong for this game is used; it appears on the title screen.
Donkey Kong 64: Two of Diddy Kong's artwork renders for this game are used; the first one appears on the "Out Of Time" screen, while the other appears on the title screen and also pops up when the player reaches the goal in a level.