The Brilliance of Donkey Kong Country Part 2: The Perfection of Primate Platforming

With the first Donkey Kong Country being such a smash hit, a sequel was pretty much inevitable. So much in fact that Rare began developing a sequel shortly after the first games release, but before the game's commercial performance was known. I guess Rare was just that confident the first games would be a success they thought they’d better strike while the iron was heating up.

And that confidence was not misplaced. With the first game going on to sell over 9 million units it would have been daft not to do a sequel. Donkey Kong 2 Diddy’s Kong Quest, which is one of the greatest names ever for a videogame, came out just a year after the first game. Rare wanted to use the sequel to incorporate ideas they had that never made it into the first game as well as address criticisms the first game had received, which is what every good sequel should.

But they also wanted to take some risks with the sequel to surprise players. How did they do this? By getting rid of the main character. Yes, you don’t play as Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Country, the story being that he was kidnapped by K. Rool. Instead, the focus is put on his side kick Diddy Kong joined by a brand-new character, Dixie Kong. Nowadays this would likely have pissed a lot of people off, but this was back when creators had the talent to pull off such risks.

When the game released it was another commercial and critical success. Sales wise it sold over 5 million copies. Not as good as the originals 9 million units, but still a major success. It would go on to be the sixth best-selling game on the console and the second best-selling game of 1995, coming just behind Mortal Kombat 3.

Critically it was also well received well, with many critics considering it an improvement over the original. And that’s how most fans see it as well. For many people this is the high point of the Donkey Kong Country series. I also thought that for a very long time, but I think Tropical Freeze has since surpassed it in my personal ranking.

It's still my favourite platformer from the 16-bit generation though. And consider the competition, Super Mario World, Sonic 2, Rocket Knight Adventures, Yoshi’s Island, all classics and yet Donkey Kong Country 2 tops them all. But maybe I should stop prattling on and explain why.

Since I started with the graphics last time, I might as well do that here too. Donkey Kong Country 2 keeps the same pre-rendered art-style as the original. A lot of what made the first game such a technical achievement is here and accounted for, though it obviously isn’t going to be as impressive given that’s it’s built on the framework of the original. It's still impressive on a technical level, it just lacks the wow factor the first game had.

All the elements that made the first game a visual marvel also applies to the sequel. The detailed backdrops and animations are still great and equal to what was done in the first game, if not better. The character animations are as expressive and filled with personality as before while also being a little bit smoother. It’s not a massive technical leap from the first game, but it is cleaner and more polished.

In general, Donkey Kong Country 2 is a much better game on a visual level. Mainly due to one element the game excels at, theming. Donkey Kong Country 2 ditches the jungle island theme of the original in favour of a pirate theme. It does seem like an odd transition but considering the end of the first game took place on a pirate ship, it kind of makes sense.

But yes, everything in the game is themed around pirates. All the Kremling enemies are designed around it with various prate regalia: peg legs, eye patches, bandannas, hook-hands, all that fun stuff. I find the enemy designs to be a lot more fun this time around, even the basic animal enemies.

But it’s not only the enemies that are pirate themed, so are the levels, kind of. While you will travel through pirate themed stages like pirate ships and pirate coves, most of the level themes don’t stick with the pirate theme that much. Hell, most of the pirate themed stages are just variations on the pirate ship idea.

There is still some pirate theming in the stages, but they don’t shackle themselves to it too much. There's a good amount of creativity in the stage ideas. Some are a little on the bland side like the swamp levels, but then you have theme parks, giant hives, volcanoes and haunted forests which more than make up for it.

The visual variety is strong here and I find the level themes lead to Donkey Kong Country 2 to be more visually interesting than its predecessor. Even the Kong locations are better with more detailed backgrounds. I love that Cranky Kong still has the Chief Thunder cameo despite him being owned by a different company. Even with Switch Online they still haven’t removed it.

One thing I did notice on replaying this game was that the levels felt darker and more imposing. This makes sense given the world the game takes place in. Whereas the first game took place on Donkey Kong Island, this one is set on the Kremling’s home turf of Crocodile Island. You're in enemy territory now, of course the levels would be more imposing. I wouldn’t say the game is dark though. It's still a colourful platformer at its core and keeps the same strong sense of humour the first game had.

The immersive qualities of the first game are here as well. You still get different weather effects that give the levels strong mood and atmosphere, and the darker levels further enhance both. There's also much stronger sound design here. Depending on the level, certain sound effects and jingles will change to reflect the environment. It adds more immersion to a game that already excelled at it.

And since we’re on sound, let's talk about the music. The music in the original Donkey Kong Country was audible perfection. A master craft of a videogame soundtrack that had a perfect mixture of atmospherics and melody. I repeat this so you know what I say next is not faint praise. Donkey Kong Country 2’s soundtrack isn’t just on par with the original, it surpasses it.

Once again done by David Wise, Donkey Kong Country 2’s music takes everything that worked for the music of the first game and amplifies it. The melodies are catchier while keeping its strong sense of mood and atmosphere.

I will say that it does take a few levels before the music hits its stride. While the opening level tracks are still good, they aren’t as strong as the ones from the first game. The opening level music has the same basic structure as the one from the original Country, but I find the buildup to be nowhere near as good, it relies too heavily on ambient noises in my opinion.

Once you get past the first world however, the soundtrack just keeps knocking it out of the park. There’re so many good tracks here, I don’t think there’s a bad one in the bunch. But some of my favourites include, In a Snow Bound Land, Forest Interlude, Disco Train and Flight of the Zinger. But the absolute best track in the game is Stickerbrush Symphony, a track that takes everything I loved about Aquatic Ambience and does it 10 times better. Best song in the entire series bar none.

It’s a great soundtrack, one of the best from that entire generation. David Wise should be proud of himself. Some composers are lucky to make one great soundtrack, Wise did two masterpieces back-to-back. Ad then he topped himself again with Tropical Freeze years later. Dudes an absolute legend.

The presentation in Donkey Kong Country 2 holds up to and surpasses the high standards set by its predecessor. But what about the gameplay. The core is kept mostly the same. It retains the same game feel and fast paced action of the first game, so if you played that you should be able to jump straight into this one no problem.

The biggest difference here is in the new playable character. While Diddy is as acrobatic as he was before, Dixie isn’t quite as nimble. She can’t do the super jump nearly as well since she falls off a ledge almost immediately and her climbing speed is noticeably slower. Things she makes up for with her glide ability. By holding down the Run Button in the air, Dixie will spin around and slow her descent considerably allowing you to cross large gaps with ease.

This glide makes platforming sequences a lot easier which makes Dixie a good character for less skilled players. I personally like playing as Diddy more, but I like playing as Dixie as well. Plus, like the first game, there are instances where one character is preferred to handle certain challenges. Doubly so here as there are now cannon barrels that only a specific character can use.

Because the characters are in similar weight classes, I don’t find the dynamic to be as interesting as it was in the first game, but it does allow them to perform a new move. By pressing the A button, the Kongs will do a tag team move where one Kong jumps on the other for a piggyback ride. From there you can throw the Kong to reach out of the way areas or use them to take out larger enemies. It’s a great addition and helps to expand the overall move set, which was lacking a bit in the first game.

Diddy and Dixie aren’t the only playable characters. Once again, you’ll find Animal Buddies in certain levels the Kongs can ride on. However, unlike the first game, you can’t keep the Animal Buddy for the whole level. There are signposts they can’t cross, passing them causes them to disappear and turn into an item.

This isn’t so bad though as the levels the Animal Buddies appear in are more designed around their unique abilities. Each Buddy also has a level specifically made for them, with barrels that transform you into them for that level. They also gave each one a super move, which is an enhanced version of their normal ability, except for Squawks because his flight is more than enough.

Speaking of which, Squawks returns from the first game but this time as a playable Buddy. Aside from flying, Squawks can also shoot nuts to deal with enemies. He’s a little awkward to control sometimes, but Squawks is a nice addition to the lineup, and a marked improvement from what he was before.

Rambi and Enguarde are the only other ones that return from the first game, and they play the same as before only with a stronger charge attack. Winky and Expresso have been cut but we have two new Buddies in their place. Rattly the Rattlesnake who can jump high, so basically just Winky in snake form, and Squitter the Spider who can shoot webs and create web platforms he can jump on.

Of the Animal Buddies in this game, my favourite is Squitter, I love the unique platforming with him where you make your own platforms. Unlike the first game where I hated playing as Expresso, I don’t really hate playing as any of the Animal Buddies this time. I like them all. There are some other Animal Buddies but like with Squawks in the first game they’re more like special level gimmicks and not controllable. Still, they help add to the games already impressive variety.

The game is constantly pulling out new concepts and ideas with no two levels feeling the same. Even the mine cart levels, which are now roller coaster themed, are all distinctly unique. One has you being chased by a ghost, one has you hitting the right barrels to open doors, and one is even a race against some Kremlings.

Not every idea work and there were a few levels I didn’t care for. Glimmers Galleon being the worst because it’s an even worse version of Torchlight Trouble, a level I already hated. I also didn’t care for the chase levels, but I have a bias against those types of levels anyway.

Outside of those, the level design is solid. There’s a heavy emphasis on verticality in a lot of them, which becomes more evident in the cavern levels, or any level that feature Squawks. The increased verticality does help make each area feel bigger than before. The levels are slightly longer than they were in the first game, though never to the point where they outstay their welcome. Which is good in some of the vertical stages when you fall all the way down and have to climb all the way back. I hate it when that happens.

There’s also a bigger focus on rope climbing here. It was in the first game, but there’s way more of it in the sequel, you even gain the ability to climb horizontally. The increased emphasis on climbing here reminds Donkey Kong Jr, especially when you climb 2 ropes at the same time. Fitting considering Diddy Kong was supposed to be Donkey Kong Jr originally.

Ropes aren’t all you’ll be interacting with. There are pegs hanging in the air the two monkeys can dangle from, and beehive levels have sticky honey the Kongs can’t walk on, but they can use it to stick to walls. The latter of which makes for a makeshift wall jump. It's not as fun as a traditional wall jump, but it’ss ok for what it is.

Then there are the cannons, can’t have a pirate theme without cannons. In certain stages you’ll find cannon balls that can be picked up and used like a barrel. If you can get it to a cannon, you can enter it and be taken to a Bonus Stage. The Bonus Stages are given a much bigger emphasis in this game as completing them is the only way to get the true ending. But before we get into that, let’s go over the collectables.

The levels in Donkey Kong Country 2 are littered with various goodies to collect. The bananas and KONG letters return and once again give you extra lives and like the first game you’ll be given plenty of opportunities to stock up on a ton of lives. Whether you can hold on to them is another story, but more on that in a bit.

The Animal Tokens have been removed, but we have a new collectable in the form of the Banana Coins. These act as a currency in the various Kong locations. Yes, while in the first game the Kongs offered their services for free, now they charge you for it. The cheap skating bastards.

Cranky and Funky both return and do the same thing they did in the first game, Cranky gives you hints and Funky takes you to previous worlds. Joining them are two new Kongs. Swanky Kong is a game show host and winning his games will reward you with extra lives, and Wrinkly Kong who takes Candy’s role in the first game. She’ll save your game but will also offers tutorials for some of the game mechanics, something Candy didn’t do.

I should mention that any initial save in a world is free with every subsequent save costing you. Unfortunately, they didn’t fix the save issue from last time. Once again, the game saves your progress but not the items you’ve picked up. Every time you load you start with the default number of lives and no Banana Coins. And you can’t just go to earlier levels to grind for them since Funky charges you now. Whatever you do, don’t get a Game Over.

And that’s easier said than done. Donkey Kong Country 2 is a very difficult game. The original Donkey Kong Country was already decently challenging, but the sequel is harder by a considerable degree. By design I should say. Rare wanted the game to be harder to challenge players that had played and beaten the first game. Makes sense I suppose.

Donkey Kong Country 2 can be very frustrating at times, but it never comes from bad design. The game will test your skills and there’s an immense satisfaction when you complete a tricky section. It's difficult, but it’s always a fair challenge.

At least the bosses are an actual challenge this time. The first games bosses were a joke, but the boss line up in the sequel is much better. The designs are far more interesting, and they put up a decent fight this time. They also don’t re-use bosses nearly as much. They only do it once and not only is the way they do it is clever, but the fight is also completely different anyway, so it doesn’t feel like a repeat.

Donkey Kong Country 2 is a difficult game if you're just trying to get to the end, but the real challenge comes from trying to get 102% completion, I don’t know why there's an extra 2%, but it is the second game so maybe that’s why.

So what do you do to get 102% completion? Well, much like the first game it’s all about uncovering all the game’s many secrets. To be more specific, there are two objectives you need to do to see the game through to completion. The first is finding all the Hero Coins.

Hero Coins are these giant gold coins with a DK symbol on them and there’s one hidden in every level. And when I say hidden, I mean hidden. These things are often hidden in the most out of the way places that require vigilance of the level and good platforming skills to get. You’ll need an explorative eye to get these things as they can be in the most unexpected places. Sometimes they’ll even put them in Bonus Rooms and at the end of level target.

Oh yeah, that’s something I haven’t mentioned yet. The ending of every level has a target that needs to be hit with enough force like one of those test your strength things you see at fairgrounds. There's a rotating set of prizes you can get from it like Banana Coins and extra lives so it’s a matter of timing to get what you want. And sometimes the Hero Coin is one of those prizes, so I hope you time it right because if you don’t, you’re doing that level all over again.

The Hero Coins work towards an end game ranking. Collect them all and you’ll be crowned best video game hero. And that’s it, they don’t unlock anything cool, they just exist for bragging rights. I mean if you're going for 102% completion you might as well get them, but I wish the Hero Coins were given a bit more importance.

Far more important are the Bonus Stages. Like the first game, these are hidden in every level, in breakable walls, the cannons, and in special barrels that are now marked with a symbol for easier recognition. The layouts for each Bonus Stage are also unique, though there are 3 types of reoccurring objectives, so there’s a lot more variety with them.

Now, unlike the first game, Bonus Stages don’t reward you with extra lives or bananas. Instead, completing a Bonus Stage rewards you with a special Kremkoin which are mandatory for completion. So now it’s not enough to find the Bonus Stage, you need to beat them too. Fortunately, you can re-enter a Bonus Stage as many times as you need to beat them. Unless you’re in a mine cart stage, then you have to either die and go back or restart the level.

These Kremkoins act as a special currency. In every world, minus the first one, you can visit a buff Kremlin named Klubba who guards an entrance to the game's final world, the Lost World. By paying him 15 Kremkoins you’ll be able to play one of the levels in the Lost World, and it’s only by beating all levels in the Lost World that you’ll be able to face the true final boss and get the best ending.

And the Lost World is easily the most difficult part of the entire game. First, even getting to it requires a lot of effort since you need every Kremkoin in the game to access all the levels, there’s no wiggle room in the number you need to get. Second, the levels are easily the hardest in the game. If you thought the game was too hard before, the Lost World will destroy you. Seriously, I'm pretty sure everyone who’s completed this game gets wartime flashbacks whenever the level Animal Antics is mentioned.

On top of that, the Lost World has its own Bonus Stages you need to beat in order to get the Hero Coin. Trust me, the Lost World is not for the feint hearted. Is it worth even going through all of that? In my opinion, yes. Not only for the satisfaction of doing so but because the ending you get out of it is a lot better than the main one. It’s absolutely worth going out of your way for.

I wouldn’t blame anyone if they didn’t go for it though. As I said, getting it can be extremely difficult, and that’s not getting into the difficulty of the main levels. I do think you should go for 102% as you’ll miss out on some of the games content if you don’t, but the game is still fun to just play through normally.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest is the perfect sequel. It took the solid foundation of the original and simply built on and improved it. The level design is excellent, its presentation and theming are some of the best in its genre, and it offers a ton of replayability and challenge for those looking to uncover all its secrets.

It honestly gets everything right. This is one of the most perfect platformers I’ve ever played. The only flaws I can think of are it’s save system not counting the number of collectables and its extreme difficulty. And even then, the difficulty is a mostly subjective complaint. A lot of you might not take to the game's difficulty, but just as many will enjoy the challenge. I know I enjoy the games challenge. It can be frustrating as hell sometimes, but that just makes beating it all the more satisfying.

And that’s how I feel after I beat Donkey Kong Country 2, satisfied. When I get that final screen and see Crocodile Island sink into the sea, it feels like an accomplishment because of all the hard work it took to get it. It's a feeling I don’t really get from most other platformers, especially not from that generation.

On top of that, Donkey Kong Country 2 is just damn fun to play. The control and game feel are among the most enjoyable in the genre, and the strong variety means that you’ll never get bored. This game is perfection. If you haven’t played Donkey Kong Country 2 yet, I highly recommend you do. Hell, I'd recommend it to people over Super Mario World and Sonic 2. if that’s not high praise, I don’t know what is.

Rare had perfected the formula with Donkey Kong Country 2 and proved the success of the first game was no fluke. But a new console generation was calling, and it could not be denied any longer. A third Donkey Kong Country game would come a year later, but this time it would be developed by an entire new team. Will they be able to recapture the magic the original team did, or will they completely drop the ball? Tune into the third and final part to find out.