Rare’s reinvention of Donkey Kong was a hit with its memorable design and skilled platforming. A sequel was inevitable but I don’t think anyone expected it to go the route it did… well not going down a Zelda 2 change don’t worry they built on what worked rather than try and constantly reinventing the wheel like many sequels did back in the day.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest was released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo. The basic controls from the original return however Diddy is now the lead character since Donkey Kong himself has been captured and with the aid of Dixie Kong. The two have slightly different abilities Diddy having a longer cartwheel (which comes into play a lot less than the other) while Dixie has the far more useful ability to do a helicopter jump with her pony tail. This means she can slow her fall allowing you to jump longer distances.

I’m happy to say my issues with the original have been fixed. Levels are much more diverse now (well ok they were somewhat diverse before) starting out with being on a pirate ship before making landfall, going through volcanic areas, swamps, theme parks, ghostly forests and castles. Each world having a boss that is I’m happy to say not just a big version of the regular enemies.

The game also features collectables other than just completing the levels. These are the DK coins and the Kremcoins. The DK coins are hidden in each level and are primarily for completions while the Kremcoins are found by completing bonus challenges accessed by bonus barrels. It’s these you want to collect most of all to get the true ending.

The animal buddies also return in this game though the lineup has changed as gone are the frog and ostrich and in comes a rattlesnake, a spider and a parrot meaning some levels get very diverse.

Also happy to say the music has only gotten better. Though some people may harp on about Gangplank Galleon from the first game I much more prefer Crocodile Cacophony for my DK final boss music. Other tracks may end up being burned into your brains especially when used on particularly tricky levels that cause you to have to try multiple times.

While the original was a great game. This its sequel has refined that to a masterpiece of gaming and a must play for anyone interested in retro gaming.

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Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest