Donkey Kong Country 2 - An excellent platform adventure that greatly surpassed its predecessor
(Edited)
It's difficult to imagine that in older console generations, when a sequel was in development, companies tried to create a new game that kept the essence and style of what they had previously done, but that also showed progress.
A good example of this is Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, which was released for Super Nintendo just a year after the first game. This platform adventure told us the story of how, after defeating King K. Rool and his evil gang, Kong is suddenly taken prisoner to the dangerous Crocodile Isle. Upon learning about this, his little companion, Diddy, sets out to rescue him with his girlfriend, Dixie.
I recommend you to watch my video for a better appreciation of the gameplay.
The first thing that catches the players attention about this sequel is the change of the protagonist duo, starting with the newcomer Dixie, the charming female ape who gives us the ability to overcome many of the adventure’s most challenging dangers, Thanks to her special skills, such as being able to fly for a period of time using her blonde hair as a propeller. She is also very useful for getting rid of any enemy that gets in our way. For his part, Diddy is still the same as in the first game and can perform a spin that hits enemies quite hard.
On the other hand, a new gameplay mechanic was also added to make the characters work together. Sometimes we’ll see certain objects that are out of our reach. To get to them, it’s possible to have one of the apes carry the other and then throw him or her towards the target in question. This is especially usefully to enter the bonus levels.
Now, scattered throughout the levels, there are four letters that form the word Kong. By collecting them, we’ll earn an extra life. But, doing this task is not as easy as you may think, as some of these letters are very well hidden. Luckily, there is another less complicated way to obtain more lives in the game, this is done by collecting 100 bananas; these objects can be found either by one or in a group of five at a time.
Additionally, there are scattered coins with banana images that can be useful for receiving tips from some characters found on the levels selection map. Now, if we want to access the levels that are located in a special zone, we need to collect another type of coin called Kremkoins, which are obtained by completing the bonus stages (this is more difficult to do than what I mentioned before about the letters) or after defeating the final bosses.
Something important is that just like in the first game, in Diddy’s Kong Quest we have the support of several charming allied creatures, such as a rhinoceros, a swordfish, a spider, a seal, a snake, or some parrots that have abilities that vary depending on the level in which they appear. In some stages, these little animals can carry us and lead us to elevated places, while in others they can throw objects at enemies to knock them out.
As for the visual aspect of the game, it’s excellent for its time, as all the characters have charming cartoonish designs and smooth animations. A curious detail is the victory poses that the protagonists make upon completing a level, such as Dixie frenetically playing her electric guitar. In addition, the backgrounds are more diverse, eerie, and imaginative than those that appeared in the first title, ranging from sunken pirate ships, a huge volcanic area, a mine shaft, and a haunted forest.
But without a doubt (at least in my opinion), the most spectacular aspect of the game is its soundtrack by David Wise. This talented composer, who also created the music for the first game, outdid himself by creating wonderful melodies that convey epic, mysterious, or emotional sensations, inviting you to explore more worlds or even to simply stay still for a few minutes to better appreciate each theme.
In conclusion, sometimes developers are capable of creating masterpieces that withstand the test of time. For me, DKC2 is undoubtedly one of them, because of its varied, extremely fun and challenging gameplay.
THANK YOU FOR READING!
The video and all the images in this post were taken from my playthrough.
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The original Donkey Kong Country was the bane of my existence as a kid. Way to hard for me.
Well, this sequel is a bit harder than the first DKC, but the challenge is really addictive and fun!
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STOPI remember beating the GBA version of DKC2- the extra saving features being a lifesaver for that purpose, but still being a real good ride. Years later I tried, struggled and eventually completed the original SNES version of DKC1 on the Wii...and to this day, OG DKC2 is still on my sights to conquer someday...
Definitely a game that gives me quite the nostalgic feel specifically because of owning said GBA port since I have memory for my red GBA SP, even when the music wasn't as high fidelity as the original.
Yeah, the GBA version is easier thanks to that save feature, too bad that the sound quality is inferior, but despite of that I think it is also a good version to try. Thanks for sharing your opinion.
This is my all time favourite game, a combination of the soundtrack used along with really good gameplay, challenges and excellent enemies and stages.
So much about this game was done so well and I got that nostalgia of memories as a kid too.
I have completed it at least 15 - 20 times in the last 5 years and never get sick of it!
Thanks for sharing.