Gloomy Gulch

Gloomy Gulch
Game	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Donkey Kong Land 2
Level(s)	5
<< List of worlds >>

“You're not out of the woods yet! In fact, you're just entering it when you get to Gloomy Gulch. This spooky area is also haunted by the evil Kremling spirits known as Kloak and Kackle. Even the ropes that once provided a safe way to climb over obstacles are now ghostly and insubstantial.”

—Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest instruction booklet, page 22

Gloomy Gulch, rarely named Haunted Forest, is the fifth world in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2. It is a haunted area set in a dilapidated ghost town set between dark, spooky woods, with ghostly inhabitants such as Kloaks. The world takes place between Krazy Kremland and K. Rool's Keep, but in Donkey Kong Land 2, the standalone Klubba's Kiosk appears to the left of it on the Crocodile Isle map.

Compared to its two preceding worlds, Krem Quay and Krazy Kremland, Gloomy Gulch's world map is smaller, with a size around that of the first world, Gangplank Galleon. In the Game Boy Advance remake, every world map was redesigned and extended, including Gloomy Gulch's, whose size rounds out that of previously-larger worlds.

A majority of Gloomy Gulch takes place in spooky woods, but it also features a haunted house with Kackles, nestled in a clearing near the start, and a nearby Zinger hive. One of the wood levels has strong wind gusts, while another is covered in heavy fog. The world boss is Krow's undead spirit, Kreepy Krow, who is located and battled from the top-left corner of the area. In the ending of both games, the entirety of Crocodile Isle, including Gloomy Gulch, sinks in the sea. In Donkey Kong 64, the rebuilt Crocodile Isle has a similar location, Creepy Castle.

Levels

Like the other worlds, the level names for Donkey Kong Land 2 are the same as in Donkey Kong Country 2. The only level to not retain its name is Haunted Hall, which was replaced with a generic rollercoaster stage, Krazy Koaster. Despite its outdoors setting, the world map shows Krazy Koaster on the same location as Haunted Hall (a haunted house).

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Level	Description	Enemies	Animal Friends
Ghostly Grove	In this level, Diddy and Dixie need to get to the other side of a dense forest. Kloaks appear at various points and throw items at the duo. Ropes occasionally appear to help the Kongs transverse long gaps. These gaps mainly have Zingers patrolling around the gaps.	Kloak Klomp Spiny Klampon Klobber Flitter Kruncha	None
Haunted Hall	Haunted Hall is the second level of Gloomy Gulch. It is set in an abandoned library, where the heroes must ride a Roller Coaster to the end. Haunted Hall is home to Kackles, ghosts of the hall who chase after intruders, including the Kongs. There is a timer in the level during the time when a Kackle pursues Diddy and Dixie. The timer can be adjusted with the use of Plus and Minus Barrels; the Plus Barrel adding time, and the Minus Barrel decreasing time. When the timer runs out, the Kackle injures the lead Kong. The Kongs must try to avoid each Kackle, and reach gates that the Kackles cannot bypass. After a gate, there is usually another gate where a dormant Kackle waits for the Kongs.	Kackle Zinger	None
Gusty Glade	Gusty Glade is a dense forest level much like Ghostly Grove, but with a twist; heavy gusts and winds interfere with the Kong's way of getting to the end of the level. The wind blows normally at the start of the level, and strongly blows left or right later in the level. The wind has some advantages and disadvantages; the wind allows the Kongs to perform large jumps, but also may blow them into pits or at enemies in the direction it gusts. Rattly can be found at the start of the level if the Kongs use their Team-up move to reach a hidden area with an Animal Crate of Rattly.	Klampon Click-Clack Spiny Kutlass Neek Flitter (bonus game) Kannon Zinger	Rattly
Parrot Chute Panic	The level takes place inside a beehive. The Kongs must carefully glide the level by grabbing onto Quawks' talons. This Animal Friend cannot fly upwards, hence the pun, "parachute panic". There are many Zingers throughout the level.	Zinger Klampon Spiny	Quawks Squawks
Web Woods	The final level of the area is another dense forest but with a mist in the foreground. Diddy and Dixie are played as in the start of the level, but Squitter's Animal Barrel can be found in a small room shortly after the level's start. Squitter is now the playable character in the rest of the level, utilizing the ability to defeat enemies with webs, and create web platforms that are temporary.	Neek Kutlass Kruncha Klobber Zinger Kaboing Krook Mini-Necky Kannon	Squitter
Boss level: Kreepy Krow	The Kongs fight the world boss, Kreepy Krow, on a three-floored crow's nest.	Mini-Necky	None

Donkey Kong Land 2

Level	Description
Ghostly Grove	Similar to its DKC2 namesake, Diddy and Dixie will cross a forest, and have to utilize ropes to get across abysses. Zinger enemies will be obstacles mid-air.
Krazy Koaster	Krazy Koaster replaces Haunted Hall as the second level of Gloomy Gulch in Donkey Kong Land 2. It serves as a more generic, non-paranormal rollercoaster stage, and is set at an amusement park.
Gusty Glade	This stage's distinguishing feature are its strong wind gusts that alternate in blowing left or right every few seconds. Diddy and Dixie must navigate this stage by taking advantage of the direction that wind is blowing. Rattly the Rattlesnake can be transformed into for the first half of the level, and the Kongs will be on their own beyond the Star Barrel.
Parrot Chute Panic	In this beehive-themed stage, Quawks the Parrot must descend to the bottom of the beehive and avoid Zingers. There are brief moments in the level where Quawks will revert back into Diddy/Dixie, who can freely fight or dodge enemies and access bonus levels, but for the most part Quawks will be used.
Web Woods	As the level's title would imply, Squitter the Spider is prominently featured in this stage, as he will construct webs to get to the other side of the forest. He can also use his webs as an attack, defeating enemies from afar.
Boss level: Kreepy Krow	This is where the Kongs fight the world boss, Kreepy Krow.

Profiles

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Instruction booklet:

• "You're not out of the woods yet! In fact, you're just entering it when you get to Gloomy Gulch. This spooky area is also haunted by the evil Kremling spirits known as Kloak and Kackle. Even the ropes that once provided a safe way to climb over obstacles are now ghostly and insubstantial."

Player's Guide:

• "Don't count on meeting another living soul in this dilapidated ghost town, where even the ropes fade in and out of existence like phantoms. Not even the town of Tombstone was terrifying!"

Nintendo Power:

• "Avast! We're in for it now, me hearties! The last stretch of road leading to K. Rool's Keep passes though the ghost town of Gloomy Gulch, and you'll be up to your hips in ghosties, beasties and bogles. Evem the ropes seen to be fickle phantoms, fading in and out of existence as you swing across vast chasms. Don't exepct any help from the sheriff as you wander through town, since he's been put six feet under like everyone else! Aye! Ahr! Argh-gug-gh!"

Gallery

• 

  Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

• 

  Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

• 

  Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

• 

  Haunted Hall

• 

  Donkey Kong Land 2

• 

  Donkey Kong Country 2 (Game Boy Advance)

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	あやしの森「ダークレム」 Ayashi no Mori "Dākuremu"	Forest of Doubt "Darkrem"
German	Düsterschlucht	Gloomy Canyon
Italian	Radura Oscura	Dark Glade
Spanish	Barranco Tenebroso	Dark Ravine

See also

• Haunted Woods
• Creepy Castle
• Banshee Swamp