A Kong-quest to find a barrel of fun! 🛢️

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is an absolute BANGER of a platformer that supersedes the first Donkey Kong Country in every way. One year after DKC the visuals to its challenging gameplay are amped up and lets not forget the LEGENDARY memorable soundtrack from David Wise, it's Rareware Magnum Opus on the Super Nintendo!

Moving from DK Island to Crocodile Isle was a bold move and even switching the tone to mysterious and dark I think was the right choice in making the sequel stand out. Every location from Krazy Kremland to Gangplank Ganlleon; every location feels alive and full of personality suiting both our protagonists as they maneuver through obstacles to save Donkey Kong.

That's right! Donkey Kong is nowhere to be seen almost 98% of the game. Introducing the newest addition to the Kongs is Dixie. Her ability to glide through the air adds a new dimension to the platforming, allowing for even more creative level design and traversal options. With this in mind there never felt a dull moment from beginning to end as each level and world felt expertly crafted.

One flaw that DKC had is immediately addressed here. The World bosses now offer a challenge and actually require some thinking instead of the typical jump on their head and move on. Some require you to play as animal buddies. This adds another layer of gameplay to what is already a well built system. I never felt like I was cheated at all besides 1-2 levels.

Now to my favorite part, no review of Diddy's Kong Quest would be complete without mentioning its incredible soundtrack. Composed by David Wise once again, the music is simply phenomenal, that I think is better than DKC. From the upbeat rhythms of Stickerbush Symphony to the dark melodies of Welcome to Crocodile Isle and who can forget the BANGER bonus stage music Token Tango easily top 10 for me.

Overall, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is a masterpiece of 2D platforming that stands as one of the greatest games ever made for the Super Nintendo. Replay value is insane as there is a secret world and motivation to continue on and collect everything from all the levels. I absolutely recommend this game!

so i finally beat a 2d platformer....

ill get this out of the way first. i have dexterity problems that significantly hinder my ability to play 2d games well. how it affects 2d games but not high intensity movement shooters is beyond me, but the fact is 2d platformers take a lot out of me, i dont have exact numbers but id wager beating this took me anywhere from 25-30 hours. there's also the consideration this genre has never really appealed to me, the whole "jump a lot on platforms" just never really scratched the same itches as other genres i love.

that being said, i have a lot to say about this game. there were times i was in a blind rage, calling the game dogshit and wanting to slam my controller against the wall. there were times i beat those levels and felt a triumphant victory, knowing how much i struggled with them. i think its best if i give an anecdote.

there’s this absolute fucking ass of a level called slime climb, it was incredibly hard and probably took me 2 or 3 hours to get down, the fucking bullshit piranha as well as the time trial aspect of it with the water flooding the screen constantly. complete bull, fucking awful. i finally beat it, triumphant, i hummed the little diddy dance song as he brought out his boom box as i finally did it after so fucking long. the level select screen pops back up... the level afterwards was called bramble blast. i’ve heard this name before, of course it wasn’t stickerbrush symphony, because well, it’s not named that. but i’ve definitely heard this name before. maybe it was another super famous song i heard from smash or something. curious, i click in.

my mouth literally was hung agape, i wasn't expecting the song or level that's most associated with the game, it was such a pleasant surprise. the fact that after such an intensive level there was this, a level comprised of barely any movement or platforming, more like a puzzle. that combined with the song thats super relaxing and already associated with relief because of the internet checkpoint stuff that went on a few years ago. it just felt like such a huge reward for beating that insanely difficult level before it. a friend thinks the song is in the top 3 vgm ever, and i can certainly see why. but either way, the game is littered with moments like these, insane challenges that make you question the point of this suffering, only to give you such a triumphant feeling of victory. throughout my time playing it, learning patterns and stuff, i even feel like my dexterity improved a bit, judging from the ease and elegance i could beat these levels with. there were multiple times throughout this playthrough i considered a 10, i was just having so much fun.

but the game isnt only comprised of the feedback loop of tough level/triumph. this game is exhausting. this game is frustrating. on many occassions, the game is complete bullshit. for instance, the honeycomb levels. idk if it was my controller, or snes9x, or the game itself, but i felt as though my movement was slowed considerably. the jumps i was supposed to do on the honey didnt even register at points, even though i did the correct input of "jump away, quickly return". my momentum literally returned to zero and i just fell down. i dont know what it was about those levels, but i never had any other problem like that in the game. it was so infuriating doing these levels that i caved and save stated the one with the bee chase. at the end of the day, it doesnt really matter how triumphant it feels to finally beat some of these levels. it's so tiring to do the same jumps over and over again, practicing over and over again, reloading save states just so that i can do it in one go with enough practice.

i kept asking myself, is that really worth it? the levels just keep getting harder and harder, the length and time it takes keeps getting longer and longer. the more i played this game, the more the honeymoon phase of it wore off, the more frustrated i became. by the time i got to the levels with forest interlude, i just wanted to be done. sure, there was a satisfaction i got in doing the fortress levels, especially the last one, but just as equally so there was a frustration i got with the k rool fight, or god forbid the race level before it. i did the trick where the race doesnt even start for that level, because i was just so done at that point. all the joy was sapped from this playthrough, the more i played the more i just wanted to get the review out and see the looks on my friends faces when they realized i did another secret game. it became a chore. i bullshitted the k rool fight because for the life of me i just wanted to play turbo overkill, or metal gear 1 and 2, or finish metroid 2 months late... anything but this.

and so, im kinda at an impasse. i love this game, i love the soundtrack, i love how silly (and also ugly) everything looks, i love the triumph i feel after hours of doing a stage. but i hate this game, i hate those hours in between beating the levels, i hate how long it takes me, i hate the repetitions i need to do, i hate feeling like i could play anything else, i hate that i feel like im bound to this game, forever trying to achieve the next high i get off beating a level.

i dont know what i think about this game. i dont even know if i can rate it. i mean, i like it, and ill probably think back to the triumphs rather than the frustrations. but i dont know, man. im so mixed. i could give it a 1 , i could give it a 6, a 10. i had fun p-ranking ultrakill, i had fun getting the aces on neon white. i have fun with the immense challenge turbo overkill has. sure, i get frustrated, but it's different. i might have to redo some sections for hours, like in dkc2. but i was having a blast through the process. i didnt care that ornstein and smough took me 2 weeks, it was awesome learning that. but here, there's something disgusting i feel, loading the save state, trying again and again, it's different here, and i cant explain why.

will i ever beat another 2d platformer? probably, at the very least the other 4 in this series. but i dont know, i could also just never touch this genre again. i dont know, and that really fucking sucks.

can you believe it guys? p3r, less than a week away! im so happy with this information.

Basically the original, but better


Donkey Kong Country 2 is a marvelous game, the first game I’d already said got pretty close to perfect, and this one also almost reached it, it’s a phenomenal game.
It’s a tiny bit longer than the last game which made it even better, the graphics obviously look about the same but there’s very subtle changes and, I mean, it still is gorgeous no matter what.
The gameplay is also better here, it’s much faster thanks to the obviously more light weightedness of Diddy and Dixie compared to Donkey Kong, aside from the speed it’s still the same good ass platforming, but this time with better level design.
Of course, the best thing here again is the soundtrack, HUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, shit man it’s so good, it flows with the last game beautifully, it’s incredible man.
Also I will say, the original was already pretty difficult, but, GOD DAMN, this game is fucking tough.


Overall it’s another incredible DK platformer, nothin much else to say beyond that.
Now onto DKC 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble.

DKC2 is one of the all time greatest 2D platformers, a cornerstone of the SNES library and a must play for anyone who likes the genre.

It is also a step down in every way possible from the first game.

Both of these things can be true, and they are.

It's so bizzarre how DKC2 is able to remain one of the best 2D platformers to this day.

It's so good that it was alone able to turn what was for all intent and purposes a "DK OC made by Rare" into one of Nintendo's biggest icons, stnaidng out to this day (despite his mixed representations in future titles),

It presents immaculate movement, letting you keep your momentum and enjoy the really creative levels on different paces. And this is even without considering the amount of secrets each level has in terms of collectibles and side modes where you get to play as the Animal Buddies.

In terms of the vibes of the game, I love that Rare made a Rayman 2 approach before Rayman 2: the island you known from the first game has now been taken over by pirates, leading to darker and more menacing environments.
But the game doesn't stop at that: it's still able to present a charm like no other nintendo platformer is able to, with its sharp and humorous writing, the incredible visual characterization of any character and enemy, and an atmosphere that sometimes can feel.... oniric or magical.

The fact that an emotional piece of music like Stickerbush Symphony originates from a 1995 game about silly monkeys and crocodiles is incredible.

My only nitpick with this game is that I feel like the addition of Dixie as the "easier" playable character kind of leave diddy to feel a bit off.

Diddy still controls amazingly, don't get me wrong, but the fact that he is standing next to a character with the ability to hover makes him shine a bit less in my opinion: I kinda wish they added something to his gameplay to compensate for this lack of peculiar ability.

But aside from this weird rant.... yeah DKC2 is a masterpiece: easily the best game in the DK franchise.

Needed to take a break from the other games I'm playing so I figured I'd just play my favorite game of all time again.

Played it on NSO for the first time and the game is still amazing, but it doesn't feel the same as playing it on the actual SNES (also why is the button mapping normal for the dkc games on NSO, but weird for the 2D mario games??). Not the worst way to experience the game if you haven't played it before, but I'm probably gonna stick to playing the actual cart in the future.

If you haven't played DKC 2 before, you should (as well as the entire trilogy) as soon as possible. I always recommend going for 102% (or at least going for all the bonus rooms) since you unlock the secret world and secret final boss. Just a heads up though, if you're new to the game, don't save all the secret world levels for after the non-secret final boss. You gotta reload your save after that fight and you start with 5 lives vs however many you would normally accumulate throughout a normal playthrough and you don't want to try those levels with so few lives on your first time.

Perfected the Donkey Kong Country formula. Felt like the level themes were too samey or few in DKC1? This game has a ton more variety on Crocodile Isle. Bosses are more than "Jump on it" and more numerous. Diddy and Dixie are both light and have a quicker pace than Donkey. Dixie's hover will feel like a nice breeze to get to difficult jumps when you're struggling. The graphics are still beautiful and go nicer with the more varied stage themes. The music... I'd buy it on vinyl if I could. 102% completion is very possible without a guide, as the levels do much better at throwing you little clues around, and far less cryptic than DKC1. Game just feels satisfying to play. One of my favorite games of all time and deserves every little bit of praise I can give.

This is my favorite game of all time!

Improves on DKC 1 in every way! The music is better, the levels are better, the bosses are actually good, going for 100% actually has a purpose and is fun and rewarding and both the characters are actually fun to play as.

The game is super fast paced and fun. It's harder than the first game and is super rewarding to play through!

(This is the 113th game in my challenge to go through many known games in chronological order starting in 1990. The spreadsheet/blog is in my bio.)

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest came out pretty much exactly a year after the original set the SNES world on fire. Because of that, it's actually impressive how creatively designed the levels are, how beautifully composed the soundtrack is and how well the game flows at many times.

Even still, I caught myself not quite enjoying this as much as it felt like I should at every second. I truly found myself controlling Diddy Kong and wondering "Do I not like platformers that much?". I can't say I grew up with platformers, though I did play many hours playing Super Mario Bros. 3 and both World games as a child. So maybe there is some truth to that. But then again, replaying Super Mario World about a year ago was a lot of fun.

Then I thought about Mega Man. About Sonic. About Kirby. About Wario. I enjoyed their platformer games for what they were (besides Mega Man, me and that series just isn't going to work out unfortunately) but didn't fall in love with any of them despite the praise most of the games have gotten. And it's a similar story with Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2. I love their visual style and their soundtracks. I can appreciate the gameplay and level design for what they are. But the loop just isn't all that fun to me relative to how it probably should be.

So I'm leaving these thoughts here just to catalogue the game as part of the challenge I'm doing, and if you're someone like me who is on the fence about the platforming genre, maybe you just find someone who shares your gaming tastes.

If I had to guess what the issue is, it's probably the fact that platformers are based on quick reaction times and the patience to learn patterns and repeat them for success. As a 26 year old, I feel like that's not the kind of stuff I can let myself be lured into anymore. With that comes the lack of patience for failure that I perceive comes cheaply, which is kind of what I felt in this game, more so than in the original Donkey Kong Country, though only by a little bit. Your character is pretty large compared to the overall screen, and your field of view is small as a result. Which means a lot of the time, I'd get hit by a character just appearing at the edge of the screen, leaving me with a small window to react. Another example are the jumps, which you have to execute within a small window because your characters can't jump all that far, even while running, leading me to fall to my death all too often by an inch.

Overall, it's a game I probably would love, similar to early Super Mario platformers, if I had played it as a kid and learned a lot of the patterns and secrets over dozens of hours of dying easy deaths, but Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest did not have that same appeal to today's me unfortunately.

I'll leave the review with this. If you're looking for retro platformers, Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2 are undoubtedly among the best gaming had to offer at the time. The way I play games these days just doesn't seem to work with these platformers all that well.

Look, I've been wrangling with this review for a while, knowing that I tend to put way more of a wordcount on games I'm mixed/negative on, compared to games that I love with all my heart. It seemed like a weird balance in my head, knowing I don't have as much to say about what I think is the pinnacle of 2D platforming. Maybe it goes to show I like talking about negative things more? Does that mean there's something wrong with me? Well, maybe I'm not obligated to dedicate 30 paragraphs on why I love Donkey Kong Country 2. I just simply do. It just feels good. It's hard to describe all the little things this game improves over its predecessor that make for a strikingly different, and more fluid experience. Nonetheless, I will try.

They got rid of Donkey Kong, and somehow it made for a way better sequel. Not that DKC1 was bad by any means, but I did always feel like there were awkward things about it. The combination of one big playable kong, and one small playable kong was part of that. My preference would've always been to play as Diddy, he's smaller, nimbler, just overall more fun to play as than Donkey Kong, who took up more screen estate than I was comfortable with. How does DKC2 address this? Fuck it, just introduce a 2nd Diddy Kong, call her Dixie, and give her the ability to hover.

Dixie isn't just your partner character, or your 2nd hitpoint, she is your powerup. In the same way you obtain a raccoon tail or a super cape in Mario, obtaining Dixie is that additional bit of help to breeze through tough platforming challenges, as long as you're able to keep her around. Dixie is the superior character compared to Diddy, but unlike DKC1, where losing the agile character strands you with the somewhat clunkier one, DKC2's only punishment for losing Dixie is the loss of the hover. You still have Diddy, and Diddy's agility and size is overall equal to Dixie's, ensuring that each character feels just as good to play as.

Another significant improvement has been the retuning of the level design, and more specifically, how it handles secrets and bonus stages. Some of Rare's collect-a-thon trademarks started to come through here, allowing you to access additional optional stages by completing enough Bonus Rooms (thus, obtaining enough Bonus Coins) to unlock each one. Collecting every coin gives you access to the true final boss, and a secret ending to match.

The thing is, I didn't consider hunting down the bonus rooms in DKC1 very fun, due to the lack of reward for actually doing all of them, not to mention that they often relied on repetitive minigame gimmicks that made them less interesting to discover anyway. What I love about each bonus room in DKC2 is how they all feel like their own contained mini-stages. They're quick and to the point platforming challenges that take advantage of each stage's unique mechanic as a little bit of "Let's see if you've learned how this works," or "Let's teach you something that you can then bring into the main level." They're hidden, but intuitive to find if you're paying attention, and clearing 15 Bonus Stages each unlocks one more extra level as your reward, giving you constant positive reinforcement that going out of your way to do this is worth it, if only to discover more of the game's content.

The soundtrack's another high point for me. Though I'd be amiss to gloss over DKC1's Aquatic Ambience, or its final boss theme, I do think that DKC2's change of priorities away from ambience resulted in David Wise's best work. Equal parts energetic, and dramatic in their efforts to capture the theme of a pirate adventure, not to mention the use of more melancholy melodies for Bramble Blast, or the Forest theme. Sometimes cheery, sometimes sad, either way, a soundtrack that encourages you to push onward and save the day at any cost! Like the cost of 1 Banana Coin required to save your game. Okay, so maybe this game has at least one flaw.

But I don't care!! Though it may not be everyone's cup of tea due to its challenging difficulty, DKC2 is so expertly refined and so much fun to play, that I'd gladly lose as many extra lifes as it takes to conquer each stage, and achieve that satisfying 100% completion. This is not something I can say for even something as good as Super Mario World 2, which speaks to how much of a difference it makes, when the requirements to 100% your game are fast-paced. No time is wasted, new mechanics are constantly introduced, and rewards for exploration are everywhere. Did I mention that when you find that one Bonus Room you've missed in a stage, you can quit out of the stage and it'll retain what you've found? Yeah, it's so nice! Play it!!!

Well, I didn't commit any crimes to play this one, but it's pretty good!

Not that Diddy's Kong Quest isn't worth breaking into any homes for, but I didn't play this one back in the day, so I don't quite have the same level of freakish reverence for it. In fact, I don't think I knew anyone who had a copy. This released in late 1995, and while it sold quite well, everyone on my block was a bit pre-occupied with the PlayStation, which released only a few months prior. We were all piling into one kid's house to play Destruction Derby and suck down secondhand smoke, we didn't have to time for any Kong's quest.

It's a shame, though, because I'm sure I would've loved this just as much as the original had I played it in 95. After all, it is largely the same game with a few tweaks and refinements. I did not bother at all in my review for Donkey Kong Country to talk about how these games play, and that's mostly because I assume everyone here has touched one at least once. And if you haven't... the hell are you doing? Reach out and touch Kong.

Diddy Kong is the best 2D platformer character to control from a base level. While other characters like Zero or Alucard have multiple extension options that mingle with their enemies in fascinating ways, Diddy is just pure fundamental controls, looking to perfectly preserve momentum. And if you charge forward with him, every single level in DKC2 not focused on swimming or an animal buddy can be adeptly handled with him weaving through stages in a beautiful, seamless chimpy charge. The way that DKC2 organizes its levels to play with this, placing enemies that Diddy juuust has time to either avoid or use to extend a cartwheel, is absolutely immaculate. On that merit alone, the game is superb and deserves play.

But DKC2 isn't satisfied with this. If Diddy's technical ceiling is too high, Dixie exists to help ease you in and find new ways to abuse levels. Every high ground now becomes a new vantage point to blaze through levels from, and her obvious strengths are well taken into consideration. Teaming up is required to plunder every secret, making maintaining both kongs paramount in a way that DKC1 simply never achieved, and DKC3 perhaps was a bit too overzealous to toy with. Animal Buddies are given their own unique sections, and each one combines a level of absolute freedom with a new level of trepedation, having either very obvious horizontal or vertical strengths with great weakness in the other deparment in the case of Rambi, Enguarde, and Rattly, or having incredible versatility but being terribly pressured up close in the case of Squawks and Squitter. AND there's the incredible amount of character work and writing and world design to make everything feel so vibrant and lived in and funny and the bosses don't suck anymore!

DKC2 is the golden standard I judge all other 2D platformers on. It's scary at first, it rewards you for mastery pretty quickly, it makes you feel in control of your own destiny at all times, only challenging you to maintain it in the roughest of circumstances. Is it flawless? Nah, Glimmer's Galleon ain't the best and camera tracking on Squitter specifically wasn't given the most elegant solution. But it's a lot damn closer than anything else in its genre has gotten, and also I really like it!

MASTERPIECE

Não tem muito o que falar, só pegaram tudo o que tinha no primeiro jogo (de bom e ruim) e melhoraram de uma forma que beira a perfeição. Fases criativas e desafiadoras, que te prendem no jogo, por não serem repetitivas, além da utilização dos "mascotes" (novos e antigos) foram ampliados e aprimorados, o "conteúdo extra" que incluem os bônus e as moedas DK te trazem uma recompensa muito maior por você fazer os 102%, os chefes que pra mim eram um ponto baixo no primeiro jogo ficaram sensacionais, com um balanceamento entre qual personagem você irá usar junto com a utilização do cenário a seu favor e, é claro, a trilha sonora que é perfeita. A remoção do Donkey Kong com a adição da Dixie pode ser a única coisa criticável do jogo a meu ver, mas gosto muito da forma como ela foi utilizada não só como balanceamento mas também pra acessar áreas extras ou então chegar em barris bônus com mais facilidade.

Enfim, jogo sensacional , muito divertido, extremamente rejogável e com certeza marcou muito quem jogou isso na infância.

I sure love this game, but have to admit getting 102% isn't the most fun thing to do. Many of the collectables are hidden in a way that it feels impossible to find without a guide. Other than that the game is a great joy and always will forever be my childhood game.

My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
++ Gameplay;
Tight controls and great levels. I like all levels aside from toxic tower. idk who came up with that level, but he surely was having a bad day while designing it.

++ Music;
Perfect.

++ Graphics;
Pre-render 3D is still my favourite artstyle.

++ Story/Characters;
Shout out to my by cranky kong. He's so silly.

Recommend?
Yes, play all dkc games!

Если в двух словах, то это как первая игра только лучше!

Теперь в центре внимание Дидди Конг, т.к Донки Конга похитили. И теперь у нас в качестве второго персонажа новая обезьянка Дикси. Но в отличий от первой части, в которой разница между персонажами была только в хитбоксе и прыжке, то тут отличия между персонажами есть прям геймплейные. Шутка в том, что если в первой части я играл за Дидди практически всю игру (из-за хитбокса и мувмента опять же) то тут я всю игру предпочитал играть за Дикси, потому что она умеет парить, из-за чего можно слать половину платформинга.

По атмосфере игра стала куда мрачнее: Вся игра проходит на каких-то болотах, туманных локах как в каком-то Сайлент Хилле, есть уровни в которые абсолютно ничего не видно кроме персонажа и бананов, да и даже светлые локации выглядят серыми.

Боссы стали более интересными и разнообразными, со своей тактикой и несколькими паттернами, у каждого по две фазы. (да и нету повторных боссов как в первой части, уважаемо)

В целом вся игра стала разнообразной и интересной. В итоге получился отличный сиквел.

Pros: Tighter design, more beautiful graphics, jaw-dropping soundtrack, this is one of those rare sequels that's bigger, and in many ways, better than its predecessor. This adventure is huge, and you're in enemy territory, danger is around every corner, every single mind blowingly magnificent corner. Just like in DKC1, immersion is a major factor to this title, you'll want to explore every little nook and cranny of each stage, as there are goodies abound, bonus rooms, and in this game, DK coins, which are well hidden and only super players can find them! I would say, what really separates this game from the first, is the sense of exploration, it's heightened ever so much, where each area has collectibles that count towards percentage. Bonus Rooms are more goal oriented, where each of them feels like a uniquely designed challenge reflecting the gimmick of the stage you're in. And this extra focus on collecting and exploration, really does fit well with the theme of the game, pirates!! I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but choosing the pirate theme absolutely fit this more adventure style of gameplay, where not only is exploration a bigger focus, but level design changed drastically as a result. Where DKC1 stages were more about speedily and rhythmically moving in one direction (often to the right), this game's stages and mechanics have you moving this way and that, to the right, upwards, downwards, to the left, ziggin' and zaggin, which makes more sense to hide secrets and collectibles abound in them. These are big sprawling stages, still with their own unique gimmicks to set them apart from one another, and always providing a spirit of adventuring in a dangerous world.

And just as DKC 1's animal buddies had mechanics pushing its theme of momentous forward movement, a lot of the animal buddies in this game, push the theme of adventure and exploration moreso. Newcomer Squitter the spider lets you create platforms in mid-air, which begs the player to create plaforms upwards to the side and everywhere, helping you explore your surrounding. Squawks the Parrot returns, but this time, you play as them, as you can fly, well, anywhere you'd like! Even old animal buddies have new moves that encourage experimentation and exploration, like Enguarde or Rambi's charge move to break through walls, or newcomer Rattly (Winky replacement) who has a greater focus on vertical movement. They all play great, and have top notch design!

Speaking of new characters, newcomer Dixie Kong is a standout in this game! She has so much style and personality, wearing a pink beret, with a long banana-shaped blonde ponytail. She uses her ponytail to slowly float across the stage or for safe landings. A very helpful ability considering how tricky the platforming can sometimes be. And it makes her a great character for beginner players, and in general, I prefer her over Diddy, as she's hardly slower than him, and provides the same weight class abilities. She's excellent, and it's always a fun time beating a stage with her as she jams out on the electric guitar. Certainly one of my favorite Kongs in the series. And the tag-team system is back in this game, but with a new ability where you can put your partner on your back, and toss them as a projectile, or to gain access to higher ground. It's the perfect ability for the stronger theme of exploration this game has.

The new archetypes for each area you explore ooze atmosphere, most of which express danger, such as pirate ship wrecks, lava rivers, mineshafts, swamps, killer beehives, haunted forests, trap ridden jungles, broken up amusement parks, damp dungeons, icebergs, and most memorable of all, thorny bramble bushes that climb towards the sky. Each of which look beautiful, and carry a tinge of sadness to them, they're all on enemy territory, Crocodile Isle, after all. And the music accompanying them, by David Wise, is mesmerizing, haunting, beautiful, and once again, spiritual. With the most popular new song being Stickerbush Symphony, to accompany the bramble stages. It's unbelievably good, like, best song in any game ever type of good. All of this is to say, you'll be sucked into this world, and it's not a lighthearted hoppy boppy jont, it's somewhat introspective, moody, and serious... Strangely enough.

Cons: For me personally, I do prefer the more nature oriented vibes of DKC1 (and later games in the series as well) as this game's world and atmosphere does have a more fantastical element to it. Just a preference thing, but eh... Y'know, I'm not a fan of gloomy, or... and I always get flak for this, I'm not into pirates, just not a fan. It's not my aesthetic. And given that this game carries one major theme throughout the adventure, if I'm not in that particular mood to experience those vibes, I'm not gonna want to replay this game as much. Whereas DKC1, in my opinion, has more variety in terms of tone, lighthearted, bright, dark, dangerous, that has me coming back to it more and more, and picking whichever stage fits my mood more easily. I feel like the nature vs. industry theme in that game fits more what I like as a person in general too. But objectively, DKC2 hits the mark it's aiming for perfectly, and I understand why it's so beloved. And again, I do love it, just not as much as the others. But in trying to be objective, this game is mostly amazing, but... for what cons I can try and muster up, one that really bothered me upon finding out about this sequel was...

... you can't play as Donkey Kong...

Yeah yeah, that's no big issue for most, but to me, we FINALLY got DK in a playable role with the prior game, and immediately he's cast aside. I wanted more DK!! But no, he's captured, oh well. You can't even play as him after you save him again. This one really did bug me as a kid, and even now, I wish DK played more of a role in this game. As cool as Diddy is... But also, now that both partner Kongs are lightweights in this game, the tag-team mechanics aren't as balanced. And I feel that makes less incentive to switch characters, as either you'll be playing as Dixie, the easier mode, or Diddy, the slightly faster more difficult mode. The game has you switch characters for Kong specific barrels, but it just feels so artificial to get you to switch, when otherwise I'd have no reason to. They'd later fix this issue in the sequel though, so that's good. But here... Eh, it's an awkward middle stage.

What it means to me: This was the most hype I had ever been for a video game up to that point. Donkey Kong Country 1 changed my world, blew my mind, and when I found out they were making a sequel, I scrounged every magazine article I could get my hands on, speculated about what new there could be with friends, and drew fanart during class, haha! I was beyond hyped, and when it came out, I was again, blown away by just how epic this game was! Sure, I was disappointed by some things, but overall, I was in love with Donkey Kong Country 2, and I still play it yearly, and listen to its OST religiously. It may be my least favorite DKC game of the five in the series, but it's still an amazing game in my favorite series, that I love. Sorry I gotta mark half a star, because it doesn't click with me in every facet, but this one means a heck of a lot to me.