Rocket Barrel
- This article is about a type of barrel in Donkey Kong Country Returns. For Diddy Kong's jetpack, see Rocketbarrel Boost.
- “Rocket what? In my day, we had to walk uphill both ways to get around the island!”
- —Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong Country Returns instruction booklet
The Rocket Barrel is a special barrel that allows the Kongs to fly through the air.
History
Donkey Kong Country series
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! a Rocket Barrel is used throughout the final level, Rocket Rush. Here, Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong must use the Rocket Barrel to slowly descend the cliffside. The Rocket Barrel runs on limited fuel, and a meter is displayed on the right side of the screen show the amount of fuel remaining. The fuel supply can only be replenished by Fuel Barrels. In the Game Boy Advance version, the fuel meter was expanded and made more visible: the red represents how much fuel was used while green represents the amount remaining.
The Rocket Barrel slowly descends in the level, and the Kongs can move the Rocket Barrel either left or right, and the player can press 
to release exhaust fuel from the Rocket Barrel, though doing so causes it to run out of fuel faster. At the end of the level, the Kongs hit into an Ignition Barrel, causing the Rocket Barrel to rapidly blast upward. During this part, the player must control the Rocket Barrel through the small gaps of the cliffside. If the Rocket Barrel hits into any of the walls, it runs out of fuel much faster. Dixie and Kiddy eventually reach the landing platform, where they get out of the Rocket Barrel and finish the level.
In the Super Nintendo Entertainment System version, the Rocket Barrel can defeat both green and red Buzzes. In the Game Boy Advance version, the player can only defeat green Buzzes by pressing left or right on the 
or 
to use exhaust near them. The red Buzzes are unaffected by the Rocket Barrel entirely and must only be avoided by the Kongs. If the Rocket Barrel hits into either type of Buzz, the player loses a Kong.
A similar type of barrel, the Booster Barrels, appear in the level Rocket Barrel Ride.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
The Rocket Barrel reappears in Donkey Kong Country Returns where it is entirely redesigned with red-colored hoops and fins, and it no longer runs on Fuel Barrels. Initially, the Rocket Barrel takes the shape of a Barrel Cannon, waiting in place for the Kongs to drop inside it. The player has to repeatedly press the 
button to power it up, after which it launches and brings the Kongs outward, gaining a rocket-like pointy top.
The Kongs can hold the button to rise up, and let go of to let the Rocket Barrel descend. Doing so is necessary to avoid obstacles and collect items. If the Kongs crash into something, the Rocket Barrel explodes, and the Kongs lose an Extra Life Balloon. When using the Wii Remote alone, the 
button is used to ascend.
The Rocket Barrel only appears in side-scrolling levels except for Lift-off Launch. The are two themes associated with the Rocket Barrel, titled "Mine Menace" and "Mole Patrol", which play in different levels. The latter has a variation, titled "Red Rockin'", which only plays in Tiki Tong Terror.
Levels
- Peaceful Pier
- Mole Patrol
- Crowded Cavern
- Gear Getaway
- Lift-off Launch
- Hot Rocket
- Tiki Tong Terror (first part)
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
The Rocket Barrel also appears in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. It is mostly the same as in Donkey Kong Country Returns but can take up to two hits before exploding. Likewise, the player can collect Hearts on the way to restore part of the vehicle's hit points. In Hard Mode, the Rocket Barrel explodes from taking one hit just like in Donkey Kong Country Returns.
Levels
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
In Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, a fleet of Rocket Barrels appear in the background in Cosmic Highway, where they attempt to fire homing missiles at the racers and slow them. The Rocket Barrels cannot be destroyed. During a part of the course, the racers enter inside a giant Rocket Barrel and exit out the other since.
Other appearances
The Donkey Kong Country television series also features a rocket-like barrel referred to as the Barrel Rocket. In the episode "Barrel, Barrel... Who's Got the Barrel", it is used by Bluster Barrelworks to deliver barrels. In the later episode "To the Moon Baboon", the Rocket Barrel is used to transport several items to the moon as a time capsule.
Gallery
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! sprite
Donkey Kong Country 3 (Game Boy Advance) sprite
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ロケットバレル Rokettobareru |
Rocket Barrel |
| Spanish | Barril cohete |
Rocket barrel |
