Donkey Kong Country 2 for GBA is a great improvement as a game in general as well as a port with respect to the first title. It is one of the best platformers with one of the best soundtracks of the SNES era.
To sum up, the changes it brings with respect to the SNES version are more or less the same of DKC on GBA. The graphics and music have been compressed so the quality of these is a bit lower, but in compensation have been implemented quality of life improvements such as being able to save at any time (which considerably reduces the original difficulty of the game), a screen that shows you the statistics of the levels that are a great addition if you like to complete games at 100% and alters the movement a bit making the gameplay in my opinion is slightly better by making the characters feel more agile and lighter to control. Finally, there are also a lot of new spirtes (like the world map, which was redone and is more detailed) which I won't say look bad, but I think they clash a bit with the original sprites.
Extra content is also implemented, in the addition of 2 mini-games and a new collectible in the levels, which will be necessary to obtain to complete 102% of the game. These are a helicopter mini-game (which is a bit frustrating) and an ostrich racing mini-game. Both minigames are pretty easy to be honest, and feel too simple really, no big deal. As for the new collectible, it's some golden feathers and to my surprise they're very well placed throughout the levels, so they're not always in plain sight, but they don't get to be too hidden either, and to tell you the truth, it's an addition that I liked because of how it made me explore the levels and pay more attention to them in general. And the above also applies to the photo collectible, which returns from the first DKC for GBA.
Speaking of the game itself, it's fantastic. Donkey Kong Country 2 is an improvement over the first one in every way; better level design, better scenery, better music, better everything. Although the first DKC had good levels and good design in general, the levels here are more memorable, bigger and more entertaining, and the bonus sections are also more worthwhile, because compared to how simple and repetitive they were in the first DKC, now they are small segments with small challenges that give us a coin that serves to unlock secret levels. It is, without a doubt, more satisfying to complete 100% and a game that overall feels much more solid and fun than its predecessor.
Conclusion
A game worth playing either in its Super Nintendo version or in this version, which although it has changes that may not be to everyone's liking, they were decent enough to justify a re-release.
One of the best 2D platformers of its time brought the GBA.
To sum up, the changes it brings with respect to the SNES version are more or less the same of DKC on GBA. The graphics and music have been compressed so the quality of these is a bit lower, but in compensation have been implemented quality of life improvements such as being able to save at any time (which considerably reduces the original difficulty of the game), a screen that shows you the statistics of the levels that are a great addition if you like to complete games at 100% and alters the movement a bit making the gameplay in my opinion is slightly better by making the characters feel more agile and lighter to control. Finally, there are also a lot of new spirtes (like the world map, which was redone and is more detailed) which I won't say look bad, but I think they clash a bit with the original sprites.
Extra content is also implemented, in the addition of 2 mini-games and a new collectible in the levels, which will be necessary to obtain to complete 102% of the game. These are a helicopter mini-game (which is a bit frustrating) and an ostrich racing mini-game. Both minigames are pretty easy to be honest, and feel too simple really, no big deal. As for the new collectible, it's some golden feathers and to my surprise they're very well placed throughout the levels, so they're not always in plain sight, but they don't get to be too hidden either, and to tell you the truth, it's an addition that I liked because of how it made me explore the levels and pay more attention to them in general. And the above also applies to the photo collectible, which returns from the first DKC for GBA.
Speaking of the game itself, it's fantastic. Donkey Kong Country 2 is an improvement over the first one in every way; better level design, better scenery, better music, better everything. Although the first DKC had good levels and good design in general, the levels here are more memorable, bigger and more entertaining, and the bonus sections are also more worthwhile, because compared to how simple and repetitive they were in the first DKC, now they are small segments with small challenges that give us a coin that serves to unlock secret levels. It is, without a doubt, more satisfying to complete 100% and a game that overall feels much more solid and fun than its predecessor.
Conclusion
A game worth playing either in its Super Nintendo version or in this version, which although it has changes that may not be to everyone's liking, they were decent enough to justify a re-release.
One of the best 2D platformers of its time brought the GBA.