Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble

"The DKC series ends on a positive note."

One of the most successful SNES series was the Donkey Kong Country series. Selling millions of copies, gamers were eating these games up, and for good reason, too. Donkey Kong's run and jump platformers were some of the greatest games available at the time. Nearing the end of the SNES' lifespan, Rare ended the DKC series with Donkey Kong Country 3, which failed to become as critically acclaimed as the first two DKC titles. Well, DKC3 didn't deserve some of the hate it received. It was a worthy entry into the Country series, and is still enjoyable today.

Months after their victory against K. Rool, the Kong family is still celebrating about it. Donkey and Diddy relax, bathing in the hot sun. Sometimes Dixie would join them if she became bored. Early in the morning, she noticed that Diddy's room was deserted, and a note was there that said that he and DK went to explore the islands and that they'd be back tomorrow. Dixie decided to go looking for them. On the way to the beach, she noticed that it was far too quiet for them to be anywhere near, so she settled down and went to sleep.

Upon awakening, a search by Dixie confirmed that they were still on their little expedition. With nothing else to do, Dixie had no choice but to go home and sleep again.

The next day, Dixie decided she had to do something since they still were not back. She went to the southern part of DK Island, where she stumbled upon Wrinkly's house. Wrinkly said she saw them pass by and that they might be at Funky's. Funky said that he hasn't seen them, and introduces Dixie to Kiddy Kong, and asks if she'd like to take him along. She agrees, and sets out to find Donkey and Diddy.

So Dixie Kong returns for another round, along with a Kiddy Kong, a toddler with the strength of a pro wrestler. Dixie remains unchanged from DKC2. She still has her exclusive helicopter spin, a handy maneuver which allows you great horizontal mobility in the air.

Her younger cousin Kiddy can use his immense girth to bring down stronger enemies that prove too much for Dixie, and his forward roll attack may be used on water to make a water skipping move that allows one to launch themselves great distances.

One defining characteristic that the DKC series has is that the two monkeys form a team. As you can tell from the descriptions above, there are definite times where one should be Dixie and times where it would be advantageous to take control of Kiddy. Switching Kongs is done with a mere press of a button, and that's provided both Kongs are intact. Whenever one gets knocked out by an enemy, the other Kong will take over. The KO'd Kong can then be found in one of the DK barrels scattered throughout the land, waiting for you to let him/her out. You can also have one Kong throw the other to access high spots and Bonus Barrels that are hidden far up. Once a Kong is thrown, the game automatically moves the other to the same location.

DKC3 uses a differently styled overworld than the first two DKCs. Rather than putting you on a linear path, you get to explore a free-roaming overworld. Other Kongs populate the overworld, along with several bears. You can save your game by visiting Wrinkly Kong, Swanky Kong runs a game that you can play for a prize, and Funky supplies you with the means of transportation, for much of the overworld is water. Those bears I mentioned all serve a purpose too, but there's too many to bother listing here. By using those means of transportation that Funky gives, one can eventually access all seven worlds, along with a secret, hidden world if certain conditions are met. As expected, each world is made up of several different levels and tends to follow a specific theme.

The levels themselves are consistently well-designed and entertaining to play. Each has its own gimmick to differentiate itself from the others, allowing for much variation between the levels. You'll be running, jumping, and making use of Dixie and Kiddy's talents on your way to the flagpole that concludes the level, eager to see where the game will take you next.

There are numerous goodies to be collected throughout the levels. Bananas are available everywhere and will award the player with an extra life once a hundred of them are found. K-O-N-G letters will give an extra life as well, once all four are collected. Bear Coins, which are used to play Swanky's game, are strewn throughout the levels, and Bonus Coins are found by completing bonus games, which are accessed by jumping into a Bonus Barrel. They serve a secret purpose. Another collectible is the DK Hero Coin. In every level, there is an enemy named Koin who will leave behind one once defeated. Lastly, we have animal crates, which will release the animal featured on the crate.

Animal buddies are one of the greatest aspects of the DKC series. Once you break open an animal crate, the animal on the front of the crate will be available for you to ride. There's also animal barrels, which completely transform the Kongs into the animal. Either way, there are five animal buddies. Ellie the elephant is a newcomer to the posse. She can run quickly, and use her trunk to suck in water to use as projectiles, or suck in a nearby barrel to throw. Enguarde the swordfish is a DKC veteran, and will lend his services in the undersea levels. His pointy proboscis takes care of all your aquatic troubles. Squawks the parrot can attack with egg projectiles, and is a great asset with his ability to fly around. There is also a purple parrot with the ability to fly and drop barrels like an air bomber. Apparently he received a name a few years ago, called Quawks. Finally we have Squitter the spider. He can use webs for a long-range attack, or create makeshift platforms with them. Animal buddies are usually essential in the levels they are in, and are lots of fun to use.

After you beat all the levels in a world, you'll run into the boss battle. The final boss fight is good fun, but the rest of the bunch are rather boring and uninspired. DKC3 makes up for that with the enemies though, which are wonderfully varied, colorful, and sometimes a challenge to cope with.

The graphics in DKC3 look the same as in DKC2, which is a great thing, since DKC2 is one of the SNES' best-looking games. The rendered character and enemy models all look great, and so do the levels. DKC3 most certainly excels in terms of graphics.

The music is another highly enjoyable aspect of this game. Each level theme has its own musical theme. Some are especially well-done, and will undoubtedly have you humming along. As a whole, the music in DKC3 isn't quite as wonderful as in the first two DKCs, but it is still really good. It's just that a select few of the compositions aren't anything to write home about.

DKC3 offers a reasonable challenge. It never once becomes frustrating, but still remains to provide a challenge. A few game-over screens are inevitable. As far as replayability goes, it shouldn't take you more than a few hours to beat the game, but you might spend some time finding all of the Bonus Barrels and DK Hero Coins to get that gleaming 103% on your game file.

Donkey Kong Country 3 is a worthy closure for the Donkey Kong Country series. It isn't mindblowing, but it's combination of rock-solid gameplay, flashy graphics, and pleasant music makes for a game that is definitely worth your time. If you own a SNES (or a Wii for the Virtual Console version), then buying Donkey Kong Country 3 is a must. It's required platforming.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/09, Updated 08/10/09

Game Release: Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (US, 1996)