Backlog Game Reviews 33: Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)

 

           Hey there, and welcome to Backlog Game Reviews.

      

    For today's review, let's take a look at Donkey Kong Country 2 on the SNES. It hit stores in Japan and Europe in November 1995 and then came to North America in December of the same year. Donkey Kong Country 2 received nothing but praise from critics. Many fans consider it to be the best in the Donkey Kong Country series, and in 1997 Nintendo Power released a list of the best 100 Nintendo games of all time with Donkey Kong Country 2 ranking in at number 33. Let’s take a look and see what made this game so special.

 

The first stage in the game.

   

 After the events of the first Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong and the rest of the Kong family lived out their days in peace on Donkey Kong Island. But one-night Donkey Kong never came back from the beach that he often goes to. Worried about his friend, Diddy and his girlfriend Dixie decide to go looking for him. 

Dixie uses her hair to hold items.

 

   They're unable to find Donkey Kong, but they do find a large number of footprints on the beach and a note. It's from the Kremlings and says that they've captured Donkey Kong, and if the Kongs want him back then they need to hand over all of the bananas from the banana hoard. Diddy not wanting to lose the bananas that he and Donkey Kong worked so hard to get back decides to go save Donkey Kong himself. And so together with Dixie, Diddy goes to the Kremlings homeland, Crocodile Isle, starting a new adventure.

 

K.Rool's ransom note.

There isn't much of a story, but what is here is pretty good. The Kremlings still want the Kong's bananas, but instead of just stealing them again, they kidnap Donkey Kong and hold him for ransom. By not reusing the plot of the last game the story feels fresh. You can even read the ransom note in-game, so even if you don't have the instruction manual you still get an idea of what's going on.

 

Welcome to Crocodile Isle.

 

   Just like the first Donkey Country, this game is a platformer with a big focus on exploration, even more so than the last game. Every stage is packed with hidden bonus games. And unlike the first game, the bonus games are pretty important. Instead of being rewarded with extra lives, completing a bonus game will nab you a Kremkoin.

 

The objective for this bonus game is to find the Kremkoin before time runs out.

 

   Kremkoins are needed to access the lost world. Every section of Crocodile Isle has a toll bridge leading to the lost world, and if you want to pass, then you're going to have to pay 15 Kremkoins at each toll bridge. In the lost world, you'll find some of the hardest levels in the game, and if you want to see the true ending, you're going to have to find all of the Kremkoins and beat these stages.

 

15 Kremkoins to cross over into the lost world.

 

Kremkoins aren't the only thing that you need to keep an eye out for, as every stage also has a DK coin hidden in it. These coins don't really do anything besides give you a better completion percentage, but they're fun to look for if you're a completionist.

 

There's a DK coin hidden in every stage.

 

   If you thought the first Donkey Kong Country was too easy and wanted more of a challenge, then you're in for a treat with this game. Donkey Kong Country 2 is way, way, more difficult then it's predecessor. It starts out easy, but once you make it to the late game levels or try to challenge the lost world, the game really cranks up the difficulty. But it never feels unfair, with enough practice you'll be able to beat the game. Just don't expect to breeze through it.

 

Bramble levels are some of the hardest in the game. This one requires you to fly through it with Squaks the parrot.

 

   The bosses have also been upgraded. Donkey Kong Country’s bosses were really easy, all you had to do was dodge their attacks and jump on them a couple of times. The boss battles this time around are much more complicated. You can't jump on them for starters. You have to throw some kind of object at them, and to get your hands on this object, you have to first survive a chain of attacks from the boss. Bosses also have multiple phases, after getting hit enough times, they'll switch up their attack pattern, usually becoming more aggressive.

 

Dixie and Diddy come face to face with the first boss.

 

   Looking at the animal buddies, they are much more involved in this game. In the first game, you would occasionally get to ride the animal buddies and their only purpose was to make the level easier or to help you find secrets. They do sometimes serve the same purpose in this game, but there is also a good amount of stages that require the use of an animal buddy. These levels are built with that animal buddy's ability in mind, which makes for some unique and challenging levels.

 

This stage is pretty much one big death pit. It requires you to use Squitter the spiders webs to create platforms and make it across.

All things considered, Donkey Kong Country 2's gameplay is super solid. Because the animal buddies are used way more often and are needed to clear some of the levels there is a huge increase in level types. It ramps up the difficulty but doesn't make things too hard, which results in a more enjoyable experience. There are a lot of secrets and collectible items that are fun to look for thanks to this game not being as cryptic as the last one. The Kremkoins and DK coins are well hidden, but you should be able to find them all without using a guide.

 

Dixie is able to glide through the air with her hair, but she can't run as fast or jump as high as Diddy can.

 

  If you liked the first Donkey Kong Country, then I heavily recommend giving this game a try. If you've never played a Donkey Country game before and like difficult 2D platformers, then this is a game that's definitely worth your time. My only complaint about the gameplay is how you have to pay to save your game. If you want to save then you'll have to pay 2 banana coins. Banana coins are easy to come by, but it's annoying to have to collect them to just save your game.

 

You save your game at the Kong College. If you're playing the Japanese version you only need one Banana coin to save your game.

 

    Moving on to the graphics, they are pretty much the same as the first games, the sprites look good and are very expressive and the backgrounds look great. There is a large amount of variety in the environments and every one of them are very pleasing to the eye.

 

It's amazing how good the backgrounds look.

 

   While the music in the first game was awesome the music this time around takes it to a whole another level. All of the songs fit the setting perfectly. Levels that take place on pirate ships have upbeat pirate chanties. Dark underwater levels have more intimidating themes, while bright water levels have a more peaceful theme. The music also helps you from getting frustrated as some of the most difficult stages have some of the most relaxing music.

 

Some stages even have an echo added to the sound effects. It's a really nice detail.

 

   That's all I have to say about Donkey Kong Country 2. Well, there's a lot more I could say about this game but, I don't want to make this review longer than it already is. It's a great 2D platformer that you should check out if you've never played it.

  

Thank you for reading! Next time we’ll be taking a look at the Sega Saturn and kick off Sega Saturn month. I held a poll on Twitter last month asking what game system you guys would like to hear more about and the Sega Saturn won, so September will be nothing but Sega Saturn reviews. There'll be another poll soon, so if you would like to participate, then come follow me on Twitter. I hope to see you again here at Backlog Game Reviews.