Nintendo Super Famicom Super Donkey Kong 2 SKUSFM7

Nintendo Super Famicom Super Donkey Kong 2 SKUSFM7 : Dixie & Diddy aka Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest  is a 1995 adventure platform video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo.

The game begins soon after Donkey Kong has been kidnapped by the prime antagonist Kaptain K. Rool, leaving Diddy and his girlfriend Dixie to rescue him. Together, the two travel to various and distinct parts of Crocodile Isle where the game is set on which there are varying worlds totalling in eight unique environments.  Improved over its predecessor, DKC2 was praised for having excellent graphics, plot and characterisation and as a result DKC2 received much critical and commercial praise. Selling millions of copies worldwide on the SNES, it was the second best selling game of 1995 and the sixth best-selling game on the platform overall.

In comparison with the original Donkey Kong Country gameplay, the game includes many hidden bonus stages with collectible tokens (Kremkoins) which are rewarded for completing each stage. It also abandoned a few from the original game. For example, steel barrels were removed, eliminating the ability to roll on top of them. The ability to find hidden items in the ground was also removed. Some of these removed features were brought back in the third game in the series, Donkey Kong Country 3.

The hidden bonus levels can be found by finding barrels with the letter “B” on the front, although some of these bonus levels are hidden behind weak sections of wall which can be broken down with a barrel or a supercharge attack, as per the first game. Once collected at the end of each hidden stage these can be used to unlock the “Lost World” and eventually the final ending.  There also exist rare “DK coins” in every standard level that are hidden by Cranky Kong which are extremely difficult to locate. The placement of these coins gets progressively more cryptic, subsequently providing an extra challenge beyond reaching the end of each level. Lastly the settings are more diverse, although the staple ice, cave, and jungle settings remain from the first game. As well as collectible tokens the player can also collect other items such as bananas, Kong letters and “life balloons”. Collecting 100 bananas can gain the player an extra life, and collecting all the Kong letters will similarly give the player another life. Finding objects in (hidden) treasure chests is another feature common to the game, and these can contain Kong letters, banana bunches, coins, life balloons, or a DK coin in some instances. However, sometimes these treasure chests can contain nothing at all. Additionally chests can also be used to defeat enemies, such as wasps, in an effort to pass certain passages, as wasps cannot be defeated by jumping on them.

The ability to “piggyback” or use various animal companions, called “Animal Buddies”, returns from its predecessor, such as Squitter the Spider, Glimmer the Anglerfish, Rambi the Rhino, Rattly the Rattlesnake, Clapper the Seal, Enguarde the Swordfish, and Squawks the Parrot, which can boost the gameplay experience, proving advantageous at certain points in a level or the whole level overall. These animals have certain unique abilities that the player can use such as Rambi’s ability to charge at enemies and Rattly’s ability to jump higher than with the two main characters.  There is also a greater difference between the two protagonists abilities. Diddy Kong has the ability to run faster than his counterpart and perform an extended jump by cartwheeling off ledges. Dixie Kong can use her hair to glide in the air over long distances, which also proves to be advantageous to the player in some levels. In addition, there are some barrels that can only be activated by a specific character. Donkey Kong Country 2 also focuses more on the seaside and pirate-themed apparel of the enemies whereas in the first game the apparel was themed like the jungle. Many of the Kremlings resemble pirates, have wooden legs and eye patches, and are seen with sailor-like tattoos. These Kremlings are not specific to one level but are scattered throughout the game’s levels. However, the method of defeating enemies remains the same between both characters. Both can jump on an enemy to defeat them or throw one another to hit enemies, or throw objects to defeat them. As a promotion for the game after its release, Nintendo Power ran a contest for the fastest time to achieve 102% game completion.

Characters

The main characters of Donkey Kong Country 2 are Dixie Kong and Diddy Kong, both of whom are trying to defeat Kaptain K. Rool and rescue Donkey Kong from him. Many other non-playable characters can be found throughout the game including Kaptain K. Rool who only appears at the final level of the game. K. Rool appears suited in pirate clothing with a large hand-held blunderbuss. Dixie Kong makes her first appearance in this game in the succession of the Donkey Kong franchise.

The majority of the enemies are the Kremling Krew, who patrol many areas of the island in hopes of capturing Diddy and Dixie (the game over screen shows this outcome). The protagonists are supported by their Animal Buddies (some returning from the original Donkey Kong Country), and various other family members belonging to the Kongs. These include Funky Kong who makes his return from the original Donkey Kong Country, as well as Cranky Kong, situated in “Monkey Museum”, who is back due to “popular demand” to divulge secrets of the game world, provide comic relief as well as offering paid for advice.  Wrinkly Kong, wife of Cranky Kong and grandmother of Donkey Kong, makes her first appearance in this game. She runs an educational facility called “Kong Kollege” where she gives guidance to the player.  Swanky Kong is another character who is common to the game. He runs a gameshow quiz where the player can complete quizzes and earn lives.  Funky Kong is the last character the player can view after the first battle with the first boss. Funky Kong services a flying machine that can connect the player to the next world.

Other minor characters include ghosts, wasps and insects which are scattered all over the island. Additionally, the player can meet a large Kremling called “Klubba”, at “Klubba’s Kiosk”, who demands fifteen Kremkoins from the characters if they want to pass onto the “Lost World” and complete a secret level.

Story

The game opens with Diddy Kong standing on the deck of a pirate ship. In the ship’s cabin, he finds a note stating that Donkey Kong has been kidnapped by Kaptain K. Rool, a pirate Kremling, who had demanded the entire Banana Hoard that he stole in the previous game for a ransom from the Kongs. Diddy Kong subsequently attempts to rescue Donkey Kong from the Kaptain, and accompanying him is his girlfriend, Dixie Kong. Together, they travel through Crocodile Isle and are helped on their way by an assortment of animals (called Animal Buddies) in a bid to defeat K. Rool and rescue Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong Country 2 starts where the first game’s final boss was located. The original game’s island can be seen in the background, and the ship that Diddy Kong is on has run ashore. The first world, Gangplank Galleon, involves leaving the ship and moving to Crocodile Isle, where the rest of the game takes place.

To progress through the game, players must pass each stage and beat an assortment of bosses, with either or both the characters. Each stage is made up of several levels, which gets more difficult as the player succeeds completing them. There are over forty different levels which make up the several stages. In the final level of each stage, Diddy and Dixie battle a boss. The stages hold a particular theme. In, for example, the Lost World a jungle theme is omnipresent. The bosses of each of the stages relate to the stage’s theme design. The player can only move onto the next world if the bosses are defeated, with the player battling K. Rool at the very end, rescuing Donkey Kong and completing the game. Additionally, the player can pay 15 Kremkoins at various “Klubba’s Kiosk” locations to access different areas of a secret area known as the “Lost World”. Completing every level there unlocks a hidden rematch against K. Rool in “Krocodile Kore”, a geyser at the heart of Crocodile Island.  Upon being defeated, K. Rool is hurled into the geyser, causing it to clog up and explode. The explosion causes all of Crocodile Island to sink, as the Kongs watch K. Rool escape on a small sailboat.

Actual item pictured.