KONG Letters
Template:Item-infobox KONG Letters[1][2][3][4] (also formatted as K-O-N-G Letters[5][6][7] or K O N G Letters[8][9]), also known as Golden Letters,[10] are recurring collectable items in the Donkey Kong franchise, which first appear in Donkey Kong Country. They are a set of four square-shaped objects, each displaying a letter of Kong, and they appear in every level except boss levels. All four letters can be collected for a reward, usually an extra life; in some games it is mandatory to collect them. KONG Letters also serve as progress indicators, as the letter K usually appears at the start, the letters O and N appear near the halfway point, and the letter G appears near the end.
In the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy, KONG Letters are flat, gold-lined objects with a letter stamped onto them. In Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, the KONG Letters are redesigned with a more simplistic appearance, resembling plain orange panels with yellow letters.
Overview
Donkey Kong Country / Donkey Kong Land trilogy
KONG Letters appear in every level except for boss levels. The letters always appear in a specific location, either in plain sight or hidden. In the first Donkey Kong Country, a KONG Letter sometimes appears in a ground cache, and can be unearthed by landing from above. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2, a KONG Letter is sometimes hidden inside a Treasure Chest, and in the former game, the letter G is sometimes a reward at an End of Level Target, such as in Krockhead Klamber.
In rare cases, there are two of a letter in a level, and by collecting either one, the duplicate letter disappears. For example in Donkey Kong Country's Snow Barrel Blast, there are two letter G's, each appearing in a path which the Kongs can take. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest's Chain Link Chamber, there are two letter O's in the same area. In certain versions of the original Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, the letter G does not appear in Rocket Rush.
In Donkey Kong Country, yellow letters similar to the KONG Letters appear in the "Spell it Out!" Bonus Level challenges. In them, there are letters spinning around in a circle, and the Kongs must jump at the highlighted letters to spell out a word (such as "RARE" in Vulture Culture's first Bonus Level). In the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country, the Kongs are required to collect every letter to add to the 101% completion, and the player can check the statistics for KONG Letters from the overworld map's 
menu. However, in the latter two Game Boy Advance ports, it remains optional to collect every KONG Letter.
In Donkey Kong Land, the KONG Letters' purpose was changed to saving the player's game progress. To do so, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong must collect all four KONG Letters in a level and complete it. The KONG Letters have a unique role in one of the levels, Kong Krazy, which has numerous sets of KONG Letters. Shortly after collecting all letters in a set, the active Kong encounters a button, which they must press to form a bridge from the letters, thus allowing them cross over a gap. Contrarily, in the game's two sequels, Donkey Kong Land 2 and Donkey Kong Land III, the KONG Letters have the same role as in the first three Donkey Kong Country games.
In the original version of Donkey Kong Country, the KONG Letter sprites sparkle and shimmer. In the sequels and Game Boy Advance version, however, they spin instead.
DK: Jungle Climber
KONG Letters reappear in DK: Jungle Climber, where they were renamed KONG Panels.[11] They have a similar purpose as in the Donkey Kong Country games and are required collectibles.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
In Donkey Kong Country Returns and its Nintendo 3DS remake, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, KONG Letters are required collectible items. When Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong obtain every letter in a level, an orange pin with a black star appears under the name of the level. When they collect every KONG Letter in a world, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong unlock a Key Temple featuring one of the Rare Orbs. In Mirror Mode, the letters on the KONG Letters are flipped like the other surroundings. Unlike the normal mode, it is optional for the player to collect the KONG Letters in a level, though doing so changes the orange pin to blue. KONG Letters do not appear in the Golden Temple or in Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D's other Cloud levels.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, KONG Letters retain their appearance and role from the previous game, Donkey Kong Country Returns. The Kongs must collect every KONG Letter in a world to unlock a temple level, which has a Mysterious Relic instead of a Rare Orb. In the Hard Mode, the KONG Letters are colored blue.
Profiles
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
- Wii U Virtual Console manual bio: "Collect the letters to spell KONG and earn an extra life."
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:KONG Letters.
Letter K sprite from Donkey Kong Country
Artwork from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Letter N sprite from DK: Jungle Climber
Trivia
- In Donkey Kong Country, in some bonus games, other letters exist in KONG Letter form. All letters except F, H, J, L, Q, V, and Z are used in game.[12]
References
- ^ Donkey Kong Land instruction booklet, page 10.
- ^ Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest instruction booklet, page 17.
- ^ Donkey Kong Country Returns PAL instruction manual, page 24.
- ^ Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze instruction manual (PDF). Section 17
- ^ Donkey Kong Country instruction booklet, page 9.
- ^ Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! instruction booklet, page 8.
- ^ Donkey Kong Country Returns NTSC instruction manual, page 19.
- ^ Donkey Kong Land 2 PAL Virtual Console digital manual, section 12
- ^ Donkey Kong Land III PAL Virtual Console digital manual, section 12
- ^ Nintendo Power Issue 66, pages 10-17.
- ^ Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber instruction booklet, page 15.
- ^ https://tcrf.net/Donkey_Kong_Country_(SNES)/Unused_Object_Graphics
| DK: Jungle Climber | ||
|---|---|---|
| Characters | Playable | Donkey Kong • Diddy Kong • Dixie Kong • Funky Kong |
| Non-playable | Candy Kong • Cranky Kong • Wrinkly Kong • Xananab | |
| Enemies and obstacles | Bramble • Click-Clack • Flipflap • Flitter • Ghost • Klobber • Kritter • Lockjaw • Mini-Necky • Neek • Puftup • Shuri • Spike • Zinger | |
| Bosses | Banana Ship • Junklomp • Mega Amp • Draglinger • King K. Rool | |
| Items | Banana • Banana Bunch • Banana Coin • Crystal Banana • Crystal Star • DK Coin • Gem • Hammer • KONG Panels • Oil barrel • Torch • Wings | |
| Objects | Booster Barrel • Cannon Barrel • DK Barrel • Exit • Giant flower • Handle Peg • Iron Barrel • Jack Peg • Mine • Peg • Peg Board • Question Barrel • Rock • Spike • Spirowarp • Spinner Barrel • Spinning Peg • Switch Peg • TNT Barrel | |
| Worlds | Sun Sun Island • Lost Island • Ghost Island • Chill 'n' Char Island • High-High Island • Wormhole • Extra Stages | |
| Minigames | Rolling Panic • Banana Grab • Speed Climb • Throw 'n' Crush • Orange Picker • Booster Battle • Banana Bonanza | |
