Instead of just reclaiming your banana hoard like in the original game, the main goal here is to save Donkey Kong himself, who's been captured by King K. Rool, who has apparently developed a pirate fixation and is now calling himself Kaptain K. Rool (this alias theme would continue into the next game). Diddy Kong is now the lead character, trying to rescue his buddy (this is when I actually started to like him after finding him annoying in the first game), and he's joined by his own sidekick: his pony-tailed girlfriend, Dixie Kong. The two of them must journey across Crocodile Isle, the home of the Kremlings, to eventually confront and defeat K. Rool and free Donkey Kong. Like before, the gameplay is that of a side-scroller and the basic
principles of switching between your two characters and finding one of them in a DK barrel after he or she takes a hit applied as well; however, fully completing the game is much more complicated than simply going from level to level and trying to make it to the end. This is the first game in the series to introduce the idea of a lost world, a new area of levels in addition to the main ones that you can only reach by doing something specific. In this case, you have to collect these Kremkoins from the bonus levels and the areas' individual bosses in order to pay them to a Kremling named Klubba, who appears in each of the main areas from the second one on, to get into each level of the lost world (only lost world level is accessible per area). This is a great example of how the sequel builds upon the original. In the first game, the bonus levels' main purpose was to help you get valuable items and extra lives, as well as make it possible for you to get the maximum 102% completion score of the game, but you didn't need to do them in order to actually beat it, whereas here, the bonus levels have much more of an immediate purpose. The bonus levels themselves are also more structured, falling into three distinct categories: "Find the Token," where you have to navigate the level to find the Kremkoin, "Destroy Them All," where you have to beat a certain number of enemies (touch or run into one and you automatically lose), and, "Collect the Stars," where you have to grab a number of little stars, all before the timer runs out. And speaking of the 102%, getting it this time around also isn't as simple. You not only need to find the bonus levels and the lost world but you also have to get these DK coins, called "Hero Coins," that you could find in each level and give them all to Cranky Kong at the end, where he judges you on your status as a video game hero from how many you've found. You never know where these things are going to be hidden, so it adds even more challenge to the game.
The individual controls and attacks for Diddy Kong and Dixie are a little more varied than those between Diddy and Donkey Kong in the first game. Like before, they can both jump on enemies and throw barrels and Diddy also retains all of his familiar moves from the original game (his cartwheel attack and holding barrels out in front of him), but Dixie comes with a new bag of tricks all her own, such as being able to hold barrels above her head with her ponytail and throw them farther than Diddy, much like how Donkey Kong could before, smack enemies with it, and, most useful of all, a helicopter-spin that she does with her hair that allows her to glide across long distances. Diddy is more agile and can run faster but that helicopter spin and the fact that can she can jump higher gives Dixie quite an edge over her boyfriend and enables her to absolutely break certain levels. There's a new move that either one of them can do called the team throw, where one picks the other up on their shoulders and throws them, which can be useful for both taking out enemies and getting to hard-to-reach items and bonuses. However, you have to watch where you throw the other because if they hit the ground, they'll be stunned until you touch them and are vulnerable to taking a hit from enemies. As in the original game, both Kongs have their own unique animations given what's going on. When you just let them stand around doing nothing, Diddy starts juggling with some marbles while Dixie first blows some gum bubbles and then sits down and starts sipping on a juice box (when I was a kid, I thought she was sucking on her toes!); when you hit the target at the end of each level and get an item, Diddy pulls out a boom-box, turns his cap, puts on some dark sunglasses, and starts rocking out to the music, while Dixie jams on a guitar with her ponytail; and when you lose a life, Diddy again rubs the side of his face, which now has a black eye, while Dixie sits up and cries.
Most of the items from the original game are brought back here, like the bananas (not only do you eventually get an extra life when you collect a hundred of them but, in many of the levels, an arrow of them lets you know that you're near the exit), the extra life balloons (except for now being shaped like Diddy's head, the same rule applies: red for one life, green for two, and blue for three), and the "KONG" letters, in addition to some new ones. The most valuable of these are the three different types of coins. Aside from the Kremkoins, which allow passage to the lost world that you get when you complete a bonus level or defeat a boss, and Cranky Kong's Hero Coins, which are necessary in getting the 102% and can be found anywhere in the levels (they're the prizes in the lost world's bonus levels), there are also banana coins that you have to collect in order to pay for the services of the other Kong family members. Yeah, they don't help you purely out of kindness this time! Treasure chests and crates can both be used as weapons and often contain items, especially in the case of the former, and cannons, once you find and put cannonballs, which can be used as weapons indefinitely, inside, will shoot you into bonus levels when you climb in. And as I mentioned up above, each level has an exit target at the end that you have to jump onto and you also get a scrolling choice of items that you get when you do to choose from, some of which are very valuable. However, you have to hit the target hard enough or you don't get anything.
As you might expect, the different types of barrels from the first game return here, such as the regular throwing barrels (only the steel-rimmed ones, rather than the weak, vine-wrapped ones), the DK barrels, the TNT barrels, the Continue Barrels, and the barrel cannons, but there are also a number of different new ones as well. Besides the normal and automatic barrel cannons, you have "arrow" ones that fire you in the direction of said arrow, "rotate" barrels that you can spin around yourself, "steerable" barrels that you can move in any direction (these latter two tend to have timers on them), bonus barrels that automatically launch you to bonus levels, and Diddy and Dixie barrels that are only activated by the character whose face is painted on the side (in other words, if you have both, you have to have the one who's pictured in the lead or team-throw him or her into it so they can both use it). On several rollercoaster stages in the game, you come across Check and X barrels that either close or open gates on the tracks, and Plus and Minus barrels that add and subtract from the timer in one particular level. Exclamation Point barrels are this series' equivalent to the Invincibility Stars in the Mario games in how they make temporarily invulnerable to enemies, and Animal barrels allow you to become the pictured animal friend, with your buddy acting as an extra hit. And finally, the first couple of areas of the game have invisible Warp barrels in their levels that send you straight to the exit; other barrel cannons like regulars and Bonuses are often also invisible.
In addition to the barrels, there are a couple of other objects that help you get along through the levels. Many levels have hooks hanging in midair that you can grab onto and hang from or jump across, depending on the situation. One of the most unique items in this game are miniature hot air balloons that you can use to ride through one lava level, using jet streams of hot air to boost yourself upwards. Some of the swamp and lava levels have crocodile heads that act as makeshift stepping stones or springboards, depending upon their color (green for the former, brown for the latter), which you can also sometimes activate by hitting special barrels with their faces on the side; although, you have to be careful with them because of their tendency to sink down and you have to really control where you land when using the springboard ones. And finally, in addition to the usual ropes (as well as horizontal ropes and nets that you can crawl and climb across), some areas have ghost ropes that fade in and out of existence with mournful moans at various speeds, forcing you to watch how long you stay on them.
Besides Dixie Kong, a whole plethora of new characters, both good and bad, is introduced here. In regards to the Kong family, you have two returning characters and two new ones. Of course, you have Cranky Kong once again, who now runs a museum and, like before, actually gives helpful advice when he's not delivering insults. This time, you have your pick of information on any of the levels in a given area, although you now have to pay with banana coins for certain pieces of info (no more than three coins, though). Funky Kong also returns with his barrel planes that allow you to return to areas and levels you've already completed and he only charges two Banana Coins (repeat trips from a given area are free). One of the new Kong characters is the aptly-named Swanky Kong, a game show host who offers you three different quizzes about the game. The quizzes become progressively harder as you go on and you have to pay in order to play the two latter ones but, if you correctly all of the questions in each one, you earn extra life balloons that increase in value with each quiz. Needless to say, he's a great person to go to if you're running low on lives (once you've completed a trivia game, though, you can't go back and play it again). The other new Kong is Wrinkly Kong, who happens to be Cranky's wife and, unlike her grumpy beau, is a kind old ape who not only serves Candy Kong's function in the original by allowing you to save your game (the first save in each area is free) but also, like Cranky, gives you tips about different aspects of the game, like controls, animal friends, certain enemies, and so on for very cheap prices.
Among the animal friends, Rambi, Enguarde, and Squawks are the ones who return from the first game and would go on to become fixtures of the franchise (Winky and Expresso never appeared in another game after the original, for some reason). While Rambi and Enguarde's functions remain pretty much the same, except for some new, charged up attacks you can use to ram through enemies and break open the entrances to bonus levels, Squawks has a lot more to do this time around. Instead of holding a flashlight, he now carries you through various levels and is able to kill most enemies with eggs he spits of out his mouth. Unfortunately, they also introduce a purple relative of Squawks who's a pretty useless friend in that he can't fly upwards or spit eggs while he's carrying you. (I've heard some call him Flappy to distinguish him but I don't think he ever really had a name.) Some new friends are also introduced, the best of which is Squitter, a big spider who can kill enemies with web shots that you can angle with the control pad and create web platform in order to cross gaps (he also wears tennis shoes on each of his eight feet, which is really interesting). Rattly is a spring-shaped rattlesnake who can not only jump up and down but can also do a super jump to help you reach high places, as well as a mid-air jump that can save you from falling to your, and, like Winky before him, he can kill Zingers by jumping on them. Unlike the original game, this one puts limits on how far you can take the animal friends you can ride or control with the use of no animal signs that make them disappear when you pass them, often dropping items in their wake. One of two who you can't ride is Glimmer, an anglerfish who serves the same function that Squawks did in the original: he appears in one very murky, underwater level and lights your way (unlike Squawks, he never appeared in another game). And finally, Clapper is this seal who can either turn lava into water for a limited time or freeze water into solid ice when you jump on his back.
There's a slew of new enemies in this game, some of whom act as little more than stand-ins for enemies from the first one, as well as some holdovers from the first one that are inanely renamed for some reason. An example of the former are Neeks, big, fat mice who are the lowest type of enemy in the game just like the Gnawty beavers in the original and who you have to be really careless in order to get killed by. Click-Clacks are big, blue beetles that, when you jump on them, get flipped upside down and you can then carry them around as weapons. After a few seconds, though, they flip back up and crawl much faster than they did before, so you have to work fast. Flitters are dragonflies who basically take the place of the Neckies and often just fly in place or in big swarms. Mini-Neckies (which are referred to as simply Neckies in the player's guide) are also back, sporting red bandanas on their heads while they swoop down at you. Cat-O'-9 Tails is a very curious new type of enemy: he's literally a bipedal cat with nine tails who spins around, trying to whip you with them, but you can jump into his tails while he's spinning and allow him fling you up to high, hard to reach places. He also makes a weird, "Bow!" sound whenever you take him out. Spinies are porcupines that you can only kill by cartwheel attacks from the front, for obvious reasons. The most significant returning enemies are those damn Zingers (who I think look and sound even more like real bees than they did before). While all of the animal friends that you ride on can easily take them out, they also introduce a red type of Zinger that you can't kill with anything. And finally, you have Screech (no, not Dustin Diamond), an evil version of Squawks whom you have to race in one tricky level in order to get a Kremkoin; if you lose the race, you also lose a life.
Underwater bad guys include Flotsams, stingrays that basically just swim back and forth and whose only menace is that they're sometimes hard to avoid (taking the place of Chomps and Chomps Jr. in that instance) and come in two different types that can be differentiated, for the most part, by their colors and movement patterns: blue ones typically swim from left to right, while green ones swim back and forth while heading upwards; Shuris, starfish that would go flying around in crazy, patterns much ninja stars (hence the name), and are color-coded, with orange ones constantly spinning while pinkish-purple ones wait for you to swim by before spinning at you; Lockjaws, big, orange piranhas that snap their jaws and then try to bite you, and Snapjaws, purple piranhas that patrol the water in a few levels and, if you fall in, will immediately bite you (they're much more threatening versions of the Bite-Sizes from the first game); and Puftups, blowfish that inflate whenever you get near them, sometimes just blocking your path and other times actually exploding and sending spines flying in different directions. Those exploding Puftups (gray ones send spines flying in a cross pattern while green ones do it in an X-shaped one), along with Shuris, tend to be the most difficult underwater baddies but the good thing is that, except for the Snapjaws, all of them can be taken out with a stab from Enguarde.
The Kremlings are where the notion of old enemies being renamed is strongest, as many are basically redesigned forms of old favorites. For example, Klomps and Kaboings are little more than new versions of the Kritters, with Klomp being a peg-legged, walking one, while Kaboing is the jumping type who now has springs for legs. The gray one who either continuously jump across the screen or jump in place are tricky enough but the green ones who actually wait for you to come by before springing at you are even worse. Krunchas are little more than Krushas, only they now turn red with fury and can kill you in one hit if you jump on them, forcing you to use projectiles and the team throw on them (there are reddish, purple-colored ones that start showing up in later levels but there's nothing different about them otherwise). The Klap-Traps are also back, this time in much bigger sizes, especially when it comes to their mouths, and also come with an embarrassing new name: Klampons (no comment). And Kannons are basically Klumps who sport miniature cannons and shoot various projectiles like cannonballs and barrels at you (they also served as the model for the character of Captain Scurvy on the Donkey Kong Country TV show). Getting to some newer Kremlings, Klobbers are a type that hides in barrels and attacks when you get close by pushing around. There are several different types of Klobbers: normal green ones just smack you around, while yellow ones steal bananas when they hit you, black ones steal lives (thankfully, they're the rarest type), and the red ones, called Kabooms, hide in TNT barrels and to blow you up. Klingers are orange, skinny Kremlings who climb on ropes and chains and you have to jump on them or hit them with projectiles in order to get them out of the way. Kackle and Kloak are two types of ghostly Kremlings, with Kloak basically being a floating coat who throws stuff at you, while Kackle is a gigantic ghost with a very sinister laugh who chases you through one particular cart level. Kutlasses are little crocs with big swords that try to slice you to ribbons but end up getting their oversized swords stuck in the ground when they miss, giving you time to knock them out (the green-colored ones get loose quicker on the first attempt, though). They also appear on the rollercoaster levels (they're called Klanks here but they're basically just Kutlasses riding on rollercoaster cars) to race and throw stuff at you. And Krooks are particularly annoying, hook-handed Kremlings who often appear in stages involving Squawks and attack by throwing their hooks at you.
The music is composed by David Wise, who was the main composer on the first game but, this time, he does it all himself. While I still prefer the music to the original, I'd be an idiot if I said that this wasn't really good music in its own right, because it is. As you might expect, the music is a big reason why the game has a fairly darker tone than its predecessor. The opening fanfare when the Rare logo comes up, the wondrous, mysterious tinkling music on the title screen, and the upbeat music for the main menu are a deceivingly friendly collection of tunes that give no hint to the more unsettling music you hear later on. Take the music for the overworld map as an example, which is the polar opposite of the mellow traveling type of music from before; now, you've got this tense, pounding, rhythmic type of background sound accompanied by a synthesizer theme out in front. As far as the levels go, the first two themes you come across are pretty innocuous, with the ship deck levels having a nice, upbeat, pipe piece, accompanied by the creaking sounds of the ship and the rolling of the ocean, that goes well with the pirate motif (in a level in the third area, this piece is re-orchestrated into a very energetic, jazzy piano theme that's a joy to listen to), and the theme for the levels where you're climbing along the ship's masts being a very high, relaxing sort of piece that goes well with the notion of being up high in the air. And then, you have the music for the ship hold and underwater levels, which is a very epic-sounding, suspenseful theme that makes it feel like you're going to have to swim for your life here. One of my favorite themes here is for the lava levels, which has this low, really cool-sounding, quick-paced, menacing beat that transitions into a piano bit that eventually leads into a much more relaxing and friendly sound (although, that's the last thing you'll be thinking in those particular levels). The mineshaft levels have a surprisingly mellow piece that's mainly made up by the sounds of tools clanging, with a very low-key but fairly energetic main piece. One of the eeriest themes is for the swamp levels, which is a very subtle, unusual-sounding melody that's accompanied by the bubbling sounds of the swamp that give the place a feeling of being alive. A similarly unnerving theme is the one for the beehive levels, which has this constant, mechanical-sounding rhythm to go along with some distant pounding sounds and a piano-esque bit in the middle that make for a very urgent piece. The music for the bramble levels is a very bizarre, almost otherworldly theme that I don't know quite how to describe but, at the same time, fits well with the levels' motif, especially since it reminds me of the music I heard in an odd nature documentary about man-eating plants I saw in school around the time I had this game. Another favorite of mine is the theme for the rollercoaster levels, which has this great, disco-like beat (the theme is titled, "Disco Train") that, when you hear it, you just can't help but jam to it, even if you're supposed to be concentrating on avoid hazards. Akin to the theme for the bramble levels, the music for the haunted woods is a very unusual, otherworldly bit of music with a surprisingly relaxing sound to it and a feeling that the environment you're playing is supernatural (to be honest, it feels like music that would accompany somebody who's taken too many hallucinogenic drugs). Relaxing is the last thing you can say about the music for the rollercoaster level where you're chased by Kackle, which is a very tense and unnerving, fast-paced that makes this particular level even more frantic than it already is.
The music for the ice levels is reminiscent of the theme for the Slipslide Ride level in the first Donkey Kong Country: a nicely relaxing, tinkling, wondrous theme that goes along well with its wintery feel (too bad the levels themselves are so challenging). The dungeon levels have a steady, rhythmic theme that's really nothing to write home about, as it's not really tense or scary but, at the same time, does fit well with the levels it's set to and does give a feeling that you're approaching the end of the game. A theme that is tense, though, is the one for the level where you have to race Screech through a maze of brambles: a quickly-paced, synthesizer piece that grows faster and more urgent as the race goes on, hinting on the fate that'll befall you if Screech wins. The lost world mapscreen has a very mysterious, rhythm-heavy theme that gets across the idea that this level is of major importance and is also going to be quite challenging. Case in point, the theme for the jungle levels, which are only found in the lost world, is another rhythmic piece, this time sounding like constantly beating drums, accompanied by distant primal chants, jungle sounds, and a bit in the middle that gets much quieter and gets across the idea of this being a mysterious place. As in the first game, the boss battles have their own particular theme, which is this catchy, menacing-sounding beat that spurs you on to defeat your opponent (the lead-up to one boss battle, where you're chased by the boss in question, has probably the most urgent, sweat-inducing piece of music in any of these games), whereas the final battles with K. Rool (both of them) have a different tune, this one being very menacing and driving, with lots of synthesizer and percussive bits to it. In fact, the build-up to that final confrontation, with the arrival of the Flying Krock, has an eerie, unsettling piece that offsets the seemingly triumphant bit before where it looked you'd actually saved Donkey Kong. As for the other characters, Cranky Kong has this memorable, old-sounding beat to his museum that's accompanied in spots by the echoing hoots of monkeys; Wrinkly Kong's schoolhouse has a very innocent, old-fashioned theme that goes well with it; Funky Kong, as you might expect, has a really cool, surfer-dude theme that just accentuates the idea that he is the "main monkey," as the tune's title calls him; Swanky Kong has a swinging, glossy-sounding theme that goes with the notion of a game show; and finally, Klubba has a very big, menacing theme that makes it clear he's not one to trifle with at all. The bonus levels have a faster, more electronic-sounding version of the jungle theme from the first game, each level has its own, individual "lose a life" theme that goes along with the sound of its individual, main theme, a short, high-pitched, melancholy piece for when you game over, and a fairly triumphant-sounding, driving, if still sometimes unnerving, theme for the ending credits.
Navigating the game's map screens is a little more complicated here, as you often have several different directions you can walk in at any given point, rather than just going in a straight line. There are also more levels in an area (sometimes up to seven when you count the lost world levels, as opposed to the first game, where there was typically five or six), and, as in the first game, the helpful spots are in different sections on each map and you have to fight your way through any number of levels in order to finally activate, which can be trying given how difficult this game does get.
Lava Lagoon: Here's the deadlier take on Lockjaw's Locker that I mentioned earlier: once again, you have to navigate your way through a flooded ship's hold but, this time, it's flooded by lava, the level of which is constantly rising and sinking. This is where Clapper the seal comes in, as he can turn the lava into water when you jump on him. The trick, though, is that it doesn't last very long, so you have to swim through the sections as quickly as you can while avoiding underwater baddies (how is it fair that they can swim through the lava but you can't?) and grabbing whatever items you can. It's best not to get greedy when it comes to the bananas and coins because if you take too much time, you can end up getting boiled. There is a spot before the Continue Barrel where you can jump up to grab an Exclamation Point barrel, which is a little tricky due to the way the crates you jump on are angled, and use the temporary invincibility to your advantage but there's not much easy about this level overall. The one bonus is before the final stretch, is simple to get into as all you have to do is smash through the side of a crate, which is marked with a sole banana, with a conveniently placed barrel, and the bonus itself is a "Destroy Them All" where you use Enguarde to take out a number of Flotsams and Puftups in a winding, underwater path. The Hero Coin, on the other hand, can be hard to grab, as it's hidden in a secret spot below the last Clapper and you have to grab another Exclamation Point barrel in order to swim up through the lava to get it.
Red-Hot Ride: The difficulty cranks up even more with this nerve-wracking level, as you have to use a series of small, hot-air balloons to navigate through the cauldron, steering them with the Control Pad while using the columns of hot air to keep your altitude. And, as they often like to do, the game designers throw a lot of Zingers in your way. While you get Rambi early on, who's able to knock them out easily, you lose him before the Continue Barrel and the last stretch has the trickiest obstacles, with stacks of Zingers, lines of Flitters that fly straight across the screen at you, Zingers placed above steam columns, forcing you to go down real low so you're not lifted up into them, and lines of balloons you have to jump across. The platforms that you can stop on aren't much safer, as they're often occupied by Krunchas and Klobbers. Like Lava Lagoon, there's only one bonus level and it's easy to get into, as you have to direct a balloon underneath the platform containing the Continue Barrel (you have to collect stars while using two hot air balloons on steam columns on opposite sides of the room; Dixie's Helicopter Spin and the Team-Throw make this very easy). The Hero Coin, which can be found right after it, is much harder to get, as you have to take a barrel with you and use it to take out a Zinger hovering above a balloon underneath the coin, then jump on said balloon and use the Team-Throw to grab the coin.
Squawks's Shaft: Another vertical mineshaft level, this one is longer and much more difficult than Kannon's Klaim, full of more Barrel Cannon challenges with Zingers, items and sections that can only be reached by the Diddy and Dixie Barrel, and hook-throwing Krooks, including a tricky part where you have to take out one underneath a platform with another to get a chest containing a 1-Up. The second half of the level has Squawks carrying you upwards, as you use his egg-spitting attack to take out Zingers, Krooks (getting up past several rows of them as they throw their hooks at you, with two sometimes right across from each other, is a pain), and Neckies but, despite having a more effective way to defend yourself, it's still not easy. There are three bonuses here, two before you get to Squawks and one after. To get into the first one, you have to use Barrel Cannons to get around three Zingers and shoot yourself into the Bonus Barrel (it's the top image here; you have to throw a series of treasure chests at a red Zinger until you find the one that has the Kremcoin); the second has you either Cartwheel or Helicopter spin from a higher platform to the right or Team-Throw into a barrel cannon that blasts you into the Bonus Barrel (you have to blast yourself up through a series of Barrel Cannons to reach the platform where the Kremcoin sits; incidentally, the Bonus Barrel to this is underneath where you find Squawks but once you get up there and get him, you can't go back down); and the third is off to the right from two Krooks who stand across from each, with the Hero Coin floating right next to it (you use Squawks to take out a bunch of Zingers).
Barrel Bayou: The main innovation here is the introduction of the Rotate Barrels, which you can spin around yourself in order to shoot yourself from one to the other but, on the flip side, they're often equipped with timers with very small countdowns before they shoot you automatically (many of the ones here begin at two). Fortunately, the countdowns are slow enough to give you just enough time to orient yourself properly. There are also Arrow Barrels that are put right next to each other and you have to aim yourself from one to the other and section before the end where you have to use one to get across a stretch of swamp, manipulating yourself back towards it as it blasts you upwards. As you might expect, the main enemies here are Zingers, along with Neeks, Flitters, Klobbers, and Klomps, but, in addition to that, you first encounter the ghostly Kloaks, who hover and float in the air while throwing junk like crates, barrels, and even enemies like Click-Clacks and Zingers at you. That said, though, they can be unintentionally useful, as they sometimes throw helpful items, like treasure chests and the like; there's even one spot before the letter "N" where a couple of them, after throwing out a few Click-Clacks, continuously throw out chests with 1-Ups inside. There's also a Kloak after the Continue Barrel who you need to follow back to the left after he throws his first projectiles as he then throws out a treasure chest containing a cannonball necessary to get into the first bonus level: a simple "Destroy Them All" where you throw another cannonball upwards to take out two Flitters and a Zinger. The other bonus is before the exit and requires a simple Team-Throw, although you have to do it before the Kloak there throws a Zinger in the way (it's a "Find the Token" where you have to navigate through a line of Rotate Barrels). And as for the Hero Coin, you come across Rambi early on, his crate sitting on a small platform that it's best to use Dixie to reach, and you have to keep him in play, blasting through line of Rotate Barrels and get around Zingers, Kloaks, and other enemies, up to the "No Rambi" sign because he turns into the coin when you walk past it.
Glimmer's Galleon: God, I hate this level. It's basically an underwater version of Torchlight Trouble from the first game, right down to the gimmick of an animal friend who appears in this sole level in order to light your way, however the difference is that it's much longer and more confusing. It's a twisting, murky maze that's easy to get turned around in and is filled with both hidden passages leading to bananas and banana coins and enemies like Flotsams, Lockjaws, the now exploding Puftups, and Shuris that wait for you to get close before spinning towards you (as well as some random, underwater Klomps at the start). Where the hell is Enguarde when you need him? As for the bonuses and the Hero Coin, two of them can be found in a hidden section above the starting point. You just swim into the bonus level, which has you swimming through a dark, underwater path to find the Kremcoin (fortunately, it's straightforward in regards to where you should go), and if you search the walls above and to the right of the bonus' entrance, you'll find hidden rooms full of bananas and coins, one of which contains the Hero Coin. The other bonus level is much farther into the level and is easy to miss as it's tucked in a small section off the main path that you're likely to swim right past. This bonus is a tricky, underwater maze that you have to navigate in the dark because Glimmer doesn't follow you in and has small lines of bananas that lead you into dead-ends. And just for one last insult, you're blasted up to a ship deck to finish the level but you have to be careful of a pacing Spiny up there when you go to jump on the target.
Krochead Klamber: As tricky as Barrel Bayou was, it's got nothing on this level. As you can deduce from the name, a lot of this level involves using the Krocheads, both types of them, to get across stretches of the swamp and you also have to hit Krochead barrels in order to make them briefly emerge in some sections. There are more Zingers and Flitters to contend with, including stretches where you have to jump your way across lines of the latter and others where you have to use them to get from one Krochead to another, and there are also giant cattails you have to climb onto and jump across while contending with Klingers. As for the bonuses, there's only one and it's right after the Continue Barrel; you just have to Team-Throw up through an arrow made up of bananas to reach it. There, you use Squitter to take out four hovering Zingers. The sad thing is that there's a "No Squitter" sign to the right of the bonus, so you can't use him through the rest of the level, which sucks. The Hero Coin is to the left of the starting point but you have to really work for it: you have to get past a couple of hovering Zingers, reach another platform, use the Team-Throw to get around two pairs of stacked Zingers, grab the treasure chest on the edge of the platform, and use it to take out the Zingers before it finally reveals the coin.
Rattle Battle: This level introduces the idea of becoming an animal friend rather than simply riding one: in this case, you become Rattly and battle your way through a smashed up ship deck that's crawling with Kaboings (the green kind that lies in wait is introduced here), Kannons, Flitters, and Zingers. Besides dealing with the enemies, this level requires precise timing and jumping skills to get across sections where you have to use the enemies or their projectiles as stepping stones and to grab difficultly-placed items, in particular the Hero Coin, which is located inside the wreckage where the Continue Barrel is. Trust me, you'll find yourself using Rattly's super and mid-air jumps a lot throughout this level. In any case, at least the music's cool, so it balances out. There are three bonus levels here and the first is located above the cabin at the start where you change into Rattly and can be reached via an invisible Barrel Cannon: you have to make your way across a line of increasingly taller stacks of barrels to eventually get to the Kremcoin. The first of the other two can be easy to miss, as it's hidden in the left side of a big gap in the ship's deck (you jump across a line of Zingers to reach the coin), but the third's location is obvious, as there's an arrow of bananas pointing up towards it (you have to collect stars using the Super Jump).
Slime Climb: In this mast level, the water level is constantly rising and that wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that there's a deadly Snapjaw patrolling around, waiting to chomp on you as soon as you fall in (he's too fast to outswim). So, that's the gimmick here: you're having to run, climb, and jump like the wind to stay ahead of the water, while also avoiding a plethora of enemies like Klomps, Krunchas, Kannons, Click-Clacks, Flitters, and Zingers (you may ask, "Are there any levels that don't have Zingers?" and the answer is, "Yes, but there aren't many,") that get in the way. The two bonuses and the Hero Coin are far along in the level and you need careful timing and special items in order to reach them. The first bonus, which is located below a mast with a Kannon, requires you to use the Exclamation Point barrel he's guarding to reach it (you climb up a couple of nets to grab stars), while the second, which is below the exit, is simpler as you find a cannonball and have to make it to the nearby cannon without dropping it (you hop up a row of platforms while using cannonballs there to take out some Flitters and Zingers). As for the Hero Coin, it's located directly under the exit and you have to use another Exclamation Point barrel found across from said exit to grab the coin without getting chomped on.
Bramble Blast: The first bramble level isn't as tense and unnerving as the ones to follow but that doesn't mean it's easy. You navigate your way through a gigantic maze of the thorns using Barrel Cannons, some of which are assembled in big groups in large spots that you have to find your way out of and others that you use to blast your way through narrow, winding paths or through horizontal lines. It sounds simple enough but in the former scenarios, the barrels' rotations are very static, only pointing in a few directions at a time (sometimes as few as two), and it's possible to get stuck in a constant loop without making much progress. It's a long level, too, and the main enemies are Zingers that you have maneuver around, as well as random enemies on the short walkways like Click-Clacks and Klampons that can be difficult to contend with due to how close the brambles are. There are two bonus levels, one of which is tucked in the lower left corner of a section not too far from the start (you have to navigate another crowded section of Barrel Cannons to eventually reach the Kremcoin), and the other in a hidden section above the exit. To get to that second bonus, you have to let yourself fall through a gap in the brambles before the exit that leads to an Arrow Barrel that blasts you upwards right into Squawks' talons. You then use him to navigate through a twisting path of brambles full of Zingers (the Hero Coin can be found in a far left corner here, guarded by a Zinger) before finally reach the bonus, the challenge of which is basically what you just did: use Squawks to fly through a twisting path of brambles.
Black Ice Battle: This icy lost world level can be pretty freaking difficult and frustrating due to the slippery conditions and all of the enemies you have to deal with. It's a constantly descending cavern that you have to find your way through and what makes it so difficult is that you often find yourself slipping down slopes towards enemies that are hard to kill, Zingers and Spinies (this is the first level where they're really out in full force) among them. There are a lot of Klobbers here too, including the infamous black ones that take a life from you every time they smack into you. Those guys can be found guarding spots where you can find 1-Ups but, considering the risk, it's almost not worth it. There are also spots where you have to choose a path to drop down and they can either provide you with a shortcut or get you into more trouble. The bonus level is tricky to get into, as the cannonball you need to blast up into it is hidden in a treasure chest in a side passage that you can very easily fall past and once you do, you can't get another shot at it unless you lose a life. Once you've gotten the cannonball out, you have to carry it to another side passage further down, using it whack the Zingers there out of your way until you reach the cannon. The bonus itself is also a bit tricky, as you have to avoid Zingers while making your way down another sloping, icy passage.
Kudgel's Kontest: This boss is basically a gray pallet swap of Klubba, right down to the big, spiked club. He's one of the more difficult bosses in the game due to his attack pattern. In the first phase, he jumps up into the trees and then comes crashing back down three times, each time in a different spot, forcing you to run around to avoid be stomped on. Also, you have to jump each time he hits the ground because the impact will temporarily stun you otherwise, leaving you open to attack, and be sure not to get to close to him when he lands or he'll whack you with his club. After each third stomp, he knocks a TNT barrel out of the trees, which you can use against him, but you'd best throw it from a considerable distance or he'll smash it out of your hands with his club (because of this, Dixie is the best Kong to use here). After you hit him three times, he begins his second phase of attack, where he leaps across the ground, forcing you to run underneath him to avoid getting squashed and wait until his third stomp knocks loose another TNT barrel. You have to hit him another three times, all the while avoiding his increased speed and shorter jumping distances each time, and then, you send him flying off into the swamp in the background.
Hornet Hole: I can remember giving this name to a hornet's nest that appeared in the woods behind my house one summer. In any case, this level introduces the challenge of patches of sticky honey on the floors and walls. While you can use the latter to climb up said walls (watch Dixie eating the honey when you're sitting there, holding on) and find hidden items, the former stops you dead in your tracks when you touch it, which can make it difficult to contend with enemies and jump over the Zingers that tend to be placed in these spots. However, if you activate the Team-Throw position, you can walk across the honey no problem. Speaking of the Team-Throw, the first two of the three bonus levels here are above the start and require it to reach the hook necessary to jump to the honey patches on the wall. Both bonuses are conveniently stacked on top of each other, with the entrances to both already open, and they're both simple "Find the Token" games (one has you quickly jumping up a vertical, honey-covered shaft and the other has you smashing a tough treasure chest against Zingers until it reveals the Kremcoin). The other bonus and the Hero Coin are much later into the stage and if you don't find Squitter, whose crate is sitting atop a lone patch of wall on the stage's second level, you can't get everything. You can use his web-attack to get rid of the Zinger blocking the hole to the section where the coin can be found (there are two more Zingers guarding it down there) and you absolutely need his web platforms to reach the last bonus in the final stretch and to actually get the token in said by bonus in order to make it up a vertical shaft. On top of that, Squitter makes this level a lot easier, as you can easily make it across gaps without having to use the hooks or honey, he can walk across the honey without getting stuck, and he can easily take out enemies like Zingers, Spinies, Kutlasses, and Krooks from a safe distance. Without Squitter, this level is still simple enough with Dixie Kong, whose Helicopter Spin and long throwing range comes in handy. Incidentally, I love the details in the design of these levels, with the larvae and young bees in the honeycombs directly behind you and the mountains of them in the far background. It gives this hive a major sense of scale.
Target Terror: The first of two roller-coaster levels in this area, this one is not as intense as the one to come but it can still get to you if you don't know what you're doing. Here, as you ride across the rails, jumping to avoid gaps in the tracks (much like the mine-cart levels in the original Donkey Kong Country), you have to hit the Check Barrels in order to open up gates along the tracks while avoiding the X Barrels that close them. This level gets fairly fast at points and there are moments where you have to really time your jumps, as in a spot before the exit where the Check Barrel is sitting between two tracks and if you're not careful, you'll either fall to your doom or miss the barrel and crash into the gate. As for enemies, in addition to Zingers that you need to jump over, you also have Klanks, which are basically Kutlasses riding coaster cars who don't pose much of a threat but will throw barrels at you when you get close. The two bonuses and the Hero Coin are tricky to get due to the level's fast pace and unexpected obstacles. The first Bonus Barrel comes up on the screen when you least expect it and you have to quickly jump before it's too late (you use Squawks to take out some Zingers in a big batch of brambles; consider it a taste of the next level); the Hero Coin is hidden inside a broken structure that you pass through and you have to jump quickly to get it; and the other bonus level is on a hidden bit of track after the Hero Coin, which can be reached by simply following the Klank who shows up there (it's a fast-paced "Find the Token" where you have to ride across a series of broken tracks, some of which are very small, without falling in order to reach the Kremcoin).
Bramble Scramble: Yeah, Bramble Blast was a cakewalk compared to this, where you have to navigate a long, twisting path of thorns, often with the help of Squawks. The good thing about that is, not only can you use his eggs to take out enemies from safe distances and at a moment's notice but you can also touch the thorny bottoms of the screen without taking a hit. But, even with that advantage, this level is very tense, as you have avoid touching thorns while taking out Zingers, Flitters (sometimes they hover in place, while other times they fly right at you), Kannons, and Kloaks. As if that weren't enough, there are also a number of the invincible red Zingers to be found here, spots where you have to maneuver through rotating wheels made up of them, and have to fly around a batch of thorns that are being circled. There's a section where you have to go without Squawks for a little bit (you get him back in the final stretch) and climb and jump over brambles, so you'd best keep your steely resolve as long as you can. Thankfully, there's only one bonus to worry about and it's immediately after the start, as you have to use an Exclamation Point barrel to travel down a thorny path leading to the Bonus Barrel (you have to use Squawks to take out Zingers guarding the stars you need to collect). As for the Hero Coin, it's hidden in a spot where you can jump through a wall of thorns without being hurt and then find Squitter, whose web platforms allow you to reach it.
Rambi Rumble: This stage isn't that difficult when compared to some of the previous ones and, until you reach the halfway point where the title comes into play, feels rather like a repeat of Hornet Hole. There is a lot of wall jumping and clinging to be done in the first part of this stage but it's not too hard and neither are the enemies, which include Klampons and Kutlasses in addition to the Zingers. The first bonus level, which is right before the Continue Barrel, can be a little hard to reach since you have to jump up some small patches of honey on the wall and you have to get around a bit of wall that juts out a little bit to finally get to it (it's a very simple "Find the Token" where you have to climb up a vertical shaft using the honey on the walls). After the Continue Barrel is a room where you go in and turn into Rambi for the remainder of the level but, before you do that, you might want to climb over the room and grab the Hero Coin that's floating in the air on the other side; as Rambi, you can't jump high enough to get it and you can't go back out once you've entered that room. Once you've become Rambi, you can go through the rest of the level and knock away Zingers and other enemies with ease... that is, until you drop down a shaft and come face-to-face with King Zing, this area's boss. He chases you through the rest of the level and, while it's not necessary to run like the wind, you best keep a good pace in order to keep ahead of him and avoid being killed instantly (there are red Zingers along the path that you can get hung up on when you jump on, so you have to watch your jumping). Right before the "No Rambi" sign, you can Super Charge through the wall to reach the second bonus, which involves taking out some Krunchas and Zingers.
Klobber Karnage: This level is nothing less than a major pain in the ass! As you can tell from the title, all of the different types of Klobbers, including the newly introduced Kaboom, come out in full force but that's not the real bitch of it; rather, it's all of the precisely-timed, tricky barrel-blasting you have to do cross over big pits of thorns and lots of Zingers. There are a number of sections where you're faced with Diddy and Dixie Barrels that take you onto different paths, forcing you to choose a direction, although neither of them are ever easy. And while the first section before the Continue Barrel is pretty annoying, it gets absolutely brutal afterward, as you have to ride in a Rotate Barrel with no timer on it over a long stretch of thorn-covered ground, constantly shooting yourself into other Barrel Cannons and back into the main one to keep from running into Zingers. It's a nightmare, to say the least, as you have to blast yourself just in the nick of time to both avoid the Zingers and keep from hitting the thorns and some of these are Rotate Barrels that do have timers on them, as well as sometimes blast yourself straight up in the air over stacks of Zingers to fall back into the barrel on the other side, and this goes on a very long time during the final stretch. Even when that section is over, you're still not done, as have to jump over patches of thorns and deal with some Klobbers on the hillside leading up to the exit target. And for one final kick in the balls, there's a Diddy Barrel there that allows you to reach the invisible Bonus Barrel behind the target but, if you don't have Diddy with you, you have to use one of the Klobbers as a springboard to reach it. Fortunately, the bonus itself is somewhat therapeutic as you use Exclamation Point barrels to run across a thorny patch of ground and take out a bunch of Zingers.
Ghostly Grove: As difficult as this area gets, the first level isn't that hard. The gimmick here are the Ghost Ropes, which fade in and out in a pattern (while making annoying moaning sounds, I might add) that you need to memorize in order to safely jump across or up lines of them in order to journey on. Other than that, though, there's nothing that challenging here, as the enemies, which consist of Kloaks (the first of whom will throw a treasure chest with a 1-Up if you wait long enough), Klomps, Klampons, Klobbers, Spinies, and Flitters, are very easy to deal with and Dixie Kong's Helicopter Spin totally breaks the level, as you can easily glide over the pits without having to worry about the ropes. The first of the bonus levels simply involves breaking down a wall with a barrel to find it (you have to repeatedly throw a treasure chest up at a red Zinger until it breaks open to reveal the Kremcoin) and not too long before it, the Hero Coin can be found floating underneath the patch of land where the letter "O" is. The second bonus can be a bit tricky to reach as you have to climb across two Ghost Ropes that fade very quickly but, when you get to the top of the first one, you can Helicopter Spin in order to wait for the second to come back and use it to reach the Bonus Barrel (you simply jump across some more ropes to reach the coin).
Haunted Hall: Here's the creepier take on the previous level's rollercoaster levels that I mentioned earlier. As you ride through it, there are spots, indicated by the creepy gates you sometimes pass in and out of, where you're chased by the ghostly Kremling, Kackle (he wears a different-colored bandana each time, too, suggesting that there might be different ones). To keep him at bay, you have to pass through his sections before the timer runs out and to do that, you have to grab as many of the "Plus Barrels" that you come across as you can in order to add to the timer; grabbing one of the "Minus Barrels" subtracts time. That and jumping over the gaps in the tracks are the main challenges here, as there are no other enemies aside from Kackle. The three bonus levels, however, can be tough to find if you don't know where to look. The first two are right after the first section with Kackle and to get into one of them, you have to quickly jump on another set of tracks that comes up and then jump onto the wooden part, after which you roll right into it (this bonus has you ride up to a slope in the tracks, hit a Plus Barrel at the top that gives you a burst of speed, and then ride backwards while hopping across a series of small pieces of track to reach the coin; precise timing is key and if you fall, you can't go back up). The other bonus here inside the aforementioned wooden tunnel you jump up on (you have to collect 120 stars as you quickly ride through another track, which is actually quite easy as there are plenty of stars here). The third bonus is very tricky to get into, as you have to just barely jump in order to reach the lower set of tracks below the main one that leads to it (it's another "Collect the Stars" and this time, you have to get all of them). Really, the only special item to get is the Hero Coin, which is hidden in a small space to the left of the exit target (it's easy to end the level in a haste without grabbing it, though).
Gusty Glade: When you enter this forest level, you notice little pieces of leaves and bark floating across the screen, which is a prelude to the gimmick here: strong gusts of wind that constantly shift in direction. There are many spots here where you have to time your jumps according to the direction of the wind and the given situation. If you jump against the wind, it'll push back against you and you won't be able to make it over certain gaps; if you jump with it, you'll travel quite a distance at a very high speed but that can also be a detriment, as it's hard to control yourself and you can end up getting flung down a pit or right into an enemy. It gets especially hard after the Continue Barrel as there are spots where you have to time jumps across lines of hooks and blasts across lines of Barrel Cannons in order to wait for the wind to die down. And, unfortunately, this isn't the only level with this gimmick. What's nice, though, is that if you Team-Throw to the left of the start, you'll find Rattly, who's much better about jumping into the wind, although you'll still have some trouble fighting against. It's also great to take him not only because his jumping, especially the Super and Mid-Air jumps, comes in handy in clearing the gaps and he can easily take out enemies (he really comes in handy in a section where you have to jump across a number of narrow bits of ground occupied by enemies like Neeks and Klampons) but also because you can very easily reach the first Bonus Barrel (you can still get it with a Team-Throw if you don't have him) and when you take him past the "No Rattly" sign, he'll turn into a blue, 3-Up balloon. The bonus in question is simple, in that you use the wind to get across a chasm full of hovering Flitters; if you use Dixie, you can get across it without having to take any of them out. The other bonus comes not too long afterward and it requires a cannonball, which you can get from two Kutlasses guarding a couple of treasure chests (you have to blast yourself repeatedly out of a Barrel Cannon to grab a bunch of stars, which is easy since there's no wind here and there's ground underneath the barrel). As for the Hero Coin, you can find it floating to the far right of a big hill in the final stretch and it simply requires Dixie's Helicopter Spin to get. In fact, if you do it while the wind is blowing with you, you can zip all the way to the end of the level.
Parrot Chute Panic: Like I said in the introduction to this area, in this beehive level, you're virtually defenseless as you have to use Squawks' purple cousin, who can't spit eggs or even fly up, to descend down a long, vertical hive full of Zingers. Really, all you can do is slow your descent in order to keep from colliding with the often awkwardly-placed and moving bees, and when you come to the end of a parrot's given section, you often have to quickly fly to the left or right before he drops you because there tend to be more Zingers below. Basically, all you can do is take your time and try not to lose your cool. Both of the level's bonuses and the Hero Coin can be found before the Continue Barrel; in fact, the latter is directly beneath the start and simply requires Helicopter Spinning to the left when you drop down to reach it. The first bonus, however, is difficult to get, as you have to quickly maneuver the parrot to the left when you drop down one shaft in order to reach a ledge containing the entrance to it (here, you get to use the real Squawks to fly up a twisting shaft to reach the coin). To get to the other bonus, you have to get to a sticky wall to the left of one spot and use it to jump up to the bonus' entrances, wherein you again use Squawks to take out a hive full of Zingers. In addition to these, there's a short cut you can find early on by smashing a barrel through a wall at the bottom of the first shaft with the purple parrot. It doesn't allow you to bypass much of the level but, hey, as they say, every little bit helps.
Web Woods: As the Nintendo Player's Guide for the game describes it, this is by far Squitter's shining moment. The first part of this level feels like a repeat of Ghostly Grove, except with a lot of brown-colored mist and without the Ghost Ropes, but very early in, you go into a room where you turn into Squitter for the duration. That's where it becomes more difficult, as you have to make it across very long chasms with the use of the web platforms while killing Zingers and Neckies, as well as getting around a lot of red Zingers, and to the top of high hilltops occupied by Kannons, Krooks, and other enemies. This is a pretty long level, too, so you have to buckle down and be patient. There are two bonuses and they both have to be opened in the same, unusual manner: you have to reach a Kannon, wait for him to fire a cannonball, and then follow it back to a wall where it'll break open the entrance to the bonus. The first time, you have to do this while making web platforms but, fortunately, the cannonball travels very slowly (the bonus has you using web platforms to make it through a narrow bramble passage with a stack of Zingers in the middle); the second time is near the exit and you're on solid ground (you use web platforms to collect stars in the shape of the Rare logo). The Hero Coin is a bitch to get here because, like in Mudhole Marsh, it's one of the prizes on the exit target but it flashes onscreen for maybe a thirtieth of a second, so you have to fire when previous prize is about to flash off.
Windy Well: I often hear people say that a better name for this level would be, "Windy Hell," and I have to agree with them, as this is a very hellish stage that takes a lot of patience. Vertical gusts of wind allow you to travel up through this mineshaft but you constantly find yourself having to get around masses of Zingers as well. It's not so bad in the spots where you're slowly floating upward, as you can use the "up" or "down" controls to slow or speed yourself up, but when the screen becomes horizontal and you're floating up to the top before falling back a bit, you have to carefully time when you attempt to float underneath the Zingers. You're also having to dodge hooks being thrown at you by Krooks in certain vertical spots, as well float under Zingers that move back and forth, and there's even one point where, if you jump up to grab an easy 1-Up balloon, you end up floating and have to maneuver under Zingers when you could've simply walked under them before. The first bonus level has you quickly drop underneath a Zinger to reach the small bit of walkway where the Bonus Barrel sits (if you jump while standing here you end up another walkway with a Kruncha) in order to play a "Destroy Them All!" where you have to kill a bunch of Flitters floating at the top of the screen. You have to pull this same maneuver, this time floating under three Zingers in a row, to reach the Hero Coin at the end of the level's middle section. The second bonus is directly underneath the exit target and you have to use a Klobber down there to take out a Kutlass before you can safely get to the barrel (it's a bramble stage where you use Squawks to collect a big batch of stars; pretty easy, actually).
Castle Crush: Like the Nintendo Player's Guide says, this entire level is one big booby trap, as you ride on a constantly ascending floor and try to avoid getting crushed in spots while avoiding enemies. It's a very long level and you get all sorts of baddies like Neeks, Spinies, Klampons, Kutlasses, Krooks, Krunchas, and Zingers thrown at you as you try to navigate the level, either having to contend with them when they fall on the floor with you from above or, in the case of the Krooks, having to dodge their attacks as they ride up with you in sections where you can't get at them. Fortunately, there are two Animal Barrels that you can find to make the level easier and, what's more, becoming these animal friends is essential in getting into the two bonuses. The first one is Rambi, whose barrel can be found at the beginning being guarded by a Kutlass and who makes taking out the enemies in this first bit a lot easier. A little bit before the "No Rambi" sign, you come across an arrow of bananas pointing at the wall, which is where you need to Super Charge to find the first bonus (you take out some Zingers as the floor rises). After you turn back into Diddy and/or Dixie, you have to endure some tight squeezes involving both Klampons and Spinies before you come to a section where a Krook is waiting off to the left. The wall underneath him is fake and beyond is a Squawks Barrel, which makes taking out said Krook and the myriad of Zingers up ahead easier. Getting the Hero Coin in this part requires you to run or fly as fast and as precisely as you can down to the spot where it's hidden before it's covered up by the floor. When you reach the "No Squawks" sign, he turns into a TNT Barrel that you can use to blast open the wall (which, again, has an arrow of bananas pointing at it) to the second bonus, which is a little more difficult than the first as you have to run back and forth down long passages as fast as you can to avoid getting crushed until you reach the Kremcoin at the top of the chamber.
Clapper's Cavern: Yep, Clapper the seal makes his second and final appearance in the game, this time helping you by freezing the water in this ice cavern so you can get across it without falling prey to the patrolling Snapjaw below. Like the other level with Clapper, though, the effect doesn't last forever, so it's best to forget about the items like the bananas and KONG letters (as you can see, they're often placed in very difficult spots) and focus on getting across before the ice melts, which also involves jumping over and sliding under enemies. While not exactly hard, it can be annoying if you don't know what you're doing. Fortunately, the two bonus levels can be found without having to deal with Snapjaw. The first one is right at the start and simply requires a Team-Throw to reach (you jump up a series of icy platforms to reach the Kremcoin; it sounds simple but the platforms slope upwards and become steeper as you go on, which, combined with the already slippery nature of the ice, can make it tricky). When you come of the first bonus, if you Team Throw up to where the letter "K" is, you find the Hero Coin. The other bonus is in a section of the stage where you find Enguarde and Snapjaw falls back. You use his Super Charge to burst open an upper-right section of wall indicated by a lone banana, which leads to a bonus where you have to use Enguarde's Super Charge several times to get through a cavern where the water is quickly draining. It's not difficult at all.
Chain Link Chamber: This has to be the longest level in the entire game, as it just feels like goes on and on and on. It's definitely one of the most difficult, as it really puts your climbing skills to the test while you climb your way up through this chamber in every conceivable direction, dealing with Klingers that often share the chains with you, Zingers and Neckies buzzing and hovering around said chains, and enemies waiting on the ground and in nooks and crannies like Krooks and Klobbers(there's one spot where you have to get across a chain-net full of Zingers and there's a Kutlass on the floor waiting to skewer you if you get too close). There are so many different challenges here, like jumping up series of chains past Zingers, climbing lone chains while avoiding get snagged by the hooks that some Krooks throw at you and Neckies that swoop down at you, a couple of spots where you have to choose between two different paths (either one of them is difficult, as it's either jumping up chains while avoiding Zingers or blasting from one Rotate Barrel to another while avoiding Zingers; later, it's a choice between dodging Zingers or Neckies as you climb up), several parts where you have to both climb up and jump down a series of chains with a pair of Zingers following you, and avoiding the cannonballs that two Kannons fire down at you from above. It's endless and will really get to you if you let it. They even hide the Continue Barrel in a left corner just to turn the screws even harder. As long as this level is, there are only two bonuses. One is near the beginning, in the section where the Krooks wait for you in the nooks in the wall. The lower nook holds a cannon and the open up above has the cannonball, which is guarded by a banana-stealing Klobber as well as a Krook. The bonus involves you climbing across three ascending sets of chains with Zingers hovering over them, which can be tricky if you don't have Dixie Kong. The Hero Coin and second bonus are further in the level and are in the same general area. In the spot where the Kannons fire down at you, there's a fake patch of wall indicated by a lone banana that contains the Hero Coin and the entrance to the bonus is to the left of said Kannons, whom you can reach by walking through another fake wall (you use Rotate Barrels to shoot up a vertical chamber to reach the Kremcoin).
Animal Antics: The use of multiple animal friends in many of these latter levels is a prelude to this, the last lost world level. Here, you become each of the animal friends that you can ride on and use them to make your way through a series of different environments. You start with Rambi in a jungle setting and use him to battle your way through Neeks, Kaboings, and Zingers to enter an ice cave where you become Enguarde. That isn't too difficult and neither is this bit, although the underwater enemies are now faster than ever, especially the Lockjaws and Shuris, and you also have to deal with exploding Puftups. Following that, you enter another jungle level, this time becoming Squitter and, after smashing the Continue Barrel, using his web attacks to take out more Kaboings and Zingers and using the web platforms to make your way up and over a bit of ground covered with thorns while continuing to take out Zingers (there are some invincible red Zingers here as well). The bonus level can be found to the right of the Arrow Barrel that takes you into the next section and is a simple "Destroy Them All!" where you make your way up a vertical passage of brambles while taking out Zingers and, during the second half, turn into Squawks to take out the rest before you turn back into Squitter. This is a prelude to what's to come and now, for all you who fancy yourself an expert of the game, welcome to your hell! The next section is a bramble section where, after making your way up with web platforms and shooting Neckies, you turn into Squawks and now have to deal with wind and Zingers in addition to the brambles! Whoever came up with this section is a complete sadist, as this is definitely the hardest part of the entire game. While it's possible to get a little bit of control by tapping the Control Pad when the wind is blowing, that doesn't change the fact that this is so frustrating, as you have to contend with the constantly changing wind and avoid getting blown into either thorns, Zingers, or a line of Flitters that show up at one point. The DK Barrels here are placed right next to thorns, meaning you're likely to lose a hit right after you get one back, as I often do, and during the last stretch, you have to make your way through Zingers that either fly in place or in a circular pattern and many of them are the invincible red ones! Even if you make it to the end of this section, you're not out of the woods yet, as you turn into Rattly to get across a stretch of jungle floor with patches of thorns, sometimes using patrolling red Zingers as stepping stones and timing your jumps to do so. And, remember, the Continue Barrel is back in the Squitter section, meaning that if you die, you have to do the Squawks part all over again (as I did when replaying the level and almost had a conniption). There's one last pair of Zingers hovering above the Arrow Barrel that blasts you to the exit target, just as one last middle finger.
Screech's Sprint: Yeah, the penultimate level before the battle with K. Rool takes place in the brambles again but it's unlike any of the levels that have come before. It starts out in a way similar to Bramble Scramble, as you try not to run into or fall onto the thorns while jumping and climbing over them and dealing with enemies like the Cat-O'-9 Tails (this is probably where they're at their deadliest because they can fling you into the brambles if you jump into them), Kloaks, Kabooms, Klingers, Flitters, Neckies, and the usual Zingers. The one bonus level, the last one in the entire game, can be found by Team-Throwing up to a bit of a walkway on an upper section of brambles where you find a cannonball and the cannon shortly past it. It's a "Find the Token" where Dixie Kong is required to get through, as you have to Helicopter Spin down a path of brambles and spin jump across small bits of walkway to eventually reach the Kremcoin. After that, you find a Squawks Barrel underneath the Continue Barrel and thus begins the race with Screech, an evil clone of Squawks. You have to race him through the tight, twisting, turning, and, in some spots, branching off path through the brambles and come out in first place to complete the level; if he crosses the finish line first, you lose a life and have to do it again. The trick to win is to use some hidden Barrel Cannons that can be found along the bottom and upper left paths to get far enough ahead of Screech to where you can more carefully navigate around the brambles and, more significantly, find the Hero Coin, which is tucked away in a spot off the main path. There's also a way to glitch out the race entirely by flying up and over Screech at the starting point. Do it right and you won't have to worry about it.
K. Rool Duel: Like everything else in this game, the battle with Kaptain K. Rool is much harder and more complicated than it was in the original Donkey Kong Country. Here, his main weapon is his big rifle, which also doubles as a powerful vacuum but it's also his one weak spot. His attack pattern is very erratic and it's not surprising if you get killed a number of times on your first attempt because of it. After he finishes beating up on Donkey Kong when you first enter the Flying Krock, K. Rool shoots a single cannonball onto the floor and then slides across it at you, forcing you to jump over him. When he activates the vacuum on his gun, that's when you throw the cannonball back into the barrel, causing it to explode in his face, although you have to jump to avoid the cannonball when it comes flying back out. Once he shrugs that off, he fires a spiked cannonball onto the floor and then slides back and forth across it twice. When he stops, the spikes on the ball retract and you can then throw it into the barrel of his gun ahead. Next, K. Rool fires two spiked balls onto the floor and slides back and forth across it three times. When he stops, only one of the balls retracts its spikes, allowing you to use it as a weapon (usually, it's the one in front of K. Rool but sometimes, it's the one behind you). After this explosion, K. Rool tries to fake you out like in the first game, only to jump back up and attack again. Now, he shoots a series of floating, spiked cannonballs at various heights at you, forcing you to dodge them until he shoots a barrel containing a normal one. After it blows up and he slides to the other side of the room, he shoots bouncing, spiked cannonballs that bounce at various heights (you have to be careful of the ones that bounce very high into the air) before shooting a bouncing barrel with a normal cannonball. Following that explosion and his sliding across the floor, he shoots spiked cannonballs that float through the air in a spiraling pattern, each one having much larger sizes of the spirals. First, he shoots singles and then he shoots pairs that spin together and farther apart each time, forcing you to really watch where you jump, before shooting the barrel containing the cannonball. He faints again, only to get right back up for a second time. After he slides across the floor again, he begins shooting different-colored clouds at you. The first ones he shoots are blue and freeze you if they touch you. He then slides back and forth, gradually becoming invisible as he moves, until you can't see him at all and have to watch the puffs of smoke he makes as signs as to where he is in order to jump over him. A cannonball just pops up and by this point, you should know what to do. After taking this hit and sliding across the floor, K. Rool fires bouncing, red clouds at you that drastically slow down your movements when they touch you and then a series of slow-moving, spiked balls before another cannonball pops up. His last attack after sliding across the floor again consists of swirling, purple clouds that reverse your controls if they touch you, followed by him randomly teleporting around the room and trying to suck you in with his vacuum until a cannonball finally pops up. Once you throw this one in, K. Rool collapses again and you get the last Kremcoin of the game, only for him to begin to rise again. But, fortunately, that's when Donkey Kong breaks free of his ropes and punches K. Rool straight up through the roof, which is followed by an animation of him bouncing down the front of Crocodile Isle and landing in Krem Quay, where he's chomped on by sharks.
Krocodile Kore: After you win the battle, the credits and characters' call list roll (I don't find it as funny or as memorable as the original's, though) and you wouldn't be wrong in thinking you've completed the game. However, once you complete all of the lost world levels and find all of the game's Kremcoins, the big, stone crocodile head in the center of the lost world mapscreen opens its mouth to reveal the true final battle. Open arriving here, you're faced with a waterlogged, seaweed-covered Kaptain K. Rool who, despite his gun initially being filled with fish, is ready for another round. The good news here is that you only have to hit K. Rool once; the bad news is that you have to wade through a long line of attacks to get the opportunity. He shoots one of those purple clouds and follows that up with a line of spiked cannonballs at various heights before shooting two more purple clouds at different heights and another line of spiked balls. He then shoots three purple clouds in a row, followed by a long of spiked balls that are spaced together so tightly that jumping in-between each one is very difficult and requires precise timing and button-pushing. K. Rool shoots a slow-moving purple cloud accompanied by a fast-moving one and then does the same with spiked balls three times, each time adding to the number of fast-moving balls by one. He then shoots an ascending row of purple clouds, followed by an ascending row of spiked balls, and then switches it up drastically, shooting a descending row of spiked balls that are followed by several more rows of various patterns and heights. At this point, you're probably desperate for the battle to be over and, mercifully, he finally shoots a barrel containing a cannonball that you can throw into his rifle's barrel. With that, you receive the game's final Hero Coin as the ensuing explosion blows K. Rool into the beam of light in the background, setting off a chain reaction that shakes the entire island. After Cranky Kong finally proclaims you a true video game hero, you're greeted with a cinematic of Donkey Kong, Diddy, and Dixie watching as Crocodile Isle is completely destroyed and sinks beneath the waves as the sun sets. Unfortunately, it's not a total victory, as you see K. Rool sailing off on a small boat while cackling evilly, a clear statement that he'll be back for more games.
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