Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

"Improves upon the stunning graphics, fun and replay of the original"

The entire Donkey Kong Country series features some of the most enhanced graphics on the Super Nintendo. Created on powerful workstations and then compressed down in quality and size to work on a SNES, the graphics are so high in quality that it makes many other platform games look poor in comparison. And yet graphics should not be considered the most vital ingredient to a successful game. Finding the balance between good graphics and good gameplay is something that very few games manage to have. DKC 2 is definitely one of these games, and it proves that Rare was not just trying to create a quick and easy follow-up to the original by throwing in a few new levels, enemies and items. Instead, Rare have made an incredibly interesting and well-designed game, considered by many players to be the best of the series.

As with the first game, it is immediately obvious that the levels have been very well planned and designed. The first few levels take place aboard pirate ships, and here the differences between the two games start to occur. To start with, there is much more vertically moving action. While the first game had players running left to right through the levels, DKC 2 sees players climbing up or down as well. Levels have also dramatically increased in size, although initial levels in the game tend to be very short and easy to complete. The level format is generally the same in that players have to navigate the two Kongs from one side of the level to the other.

There are no set goals in the levels, but there are optional items to collect for maximum completion. These include letters which spell out the word KONG for 1UPs, bonus levels which are hidden in secret places throughout main levels, and new to DKC 2: Banana coins and hero coins. In the first game there were no rewards for maximum completion besides a few extra lines of text from Cranky, but here there are many rewards: Including a special lost world which consists of another, far more difficult five levels on top of the standard thirty-four. This makes completing the levels feel a lot more rewarding and fun than in the original.

The difficulty has also been increased significantly. In the original, levels were extremely simple to complete; most of which involved jumping gaps, swimming through swamps and riding mine carts along ancient tracks. In DKC 2 the level design and difficulty has improved, which levels based inside a giant beehive where the sticky walls can be climbed; a speedy roller coaster ride through a dark fairground as fireworks explode in the background, and a windy ride through a bramble maze while players must simultaneously struggle against getting blown against the thorny edge of the maze, and avoid the numerous enemies which are stationed throughout. The highly inventive and stunning creations of the level designers are a joy to play through.

The new cast of characters in this game include Diddy Kong from the original and Dixie Kong, a new character to DKC. Also returning from the first game are a variety of animals which help the two kongs cross difficult parts of the levels. This includes Squawks, a green parrot which can be controlled in the air; Squitter, a large spider that can build webs and use them as temporary platforms, and Rattly, a snake which can bounce up to astonishing heights in the levels. A lot of enemies have also returned from the original game, although most have new names and designs.

Zingers now look a lot thinner; Neeks are now known as Sneeks and are considerably bigger; and of course the Mini-Necky also makes a welcome return here. A host of new enemies are included like the Cat O' 9 Tails which whirls towards both Kongs and throws them up in a random direction, the Kackle which is a massive ghost which chases the Kongs through a large roller coaster level, and the Klobber: An extremely fast Kremling that hides in a barrel and zooms towards the Kongs when they get near. Every enemy seems to have been well thought out and designed.

The game is still graphically stunning, even more so than the original. Some of the early levels where the Kongs runs through a pirate ship with water glistening and moving in the background are superbly done. Other examples are the underwater levels like Lockjaw's Locker, where the water effects combined with the murky, dull lights in the background provide a great atmosphere. The two Kongs themselves have a variety of different animations, from Diddy's familiar cartwheel to Dixie's new helicopter where she uses her hair to hover to different places. The graphics are some of the best on the SNES.

The music is similar in style to the original, for the most part takes on a very slow and relaxed theme that really suite the levels well. Out of all three DKC games, DKC 2 definitely contains some of the best music in my opinion. One level in particular: Barrel Blast, stands out as an excellent, peaceful and soothing piece of music. Sound effects are again to a high standard, ranging from the loud blasts of the barrels to the huge range of different noises of the enemies. Overall, DKC 2 is a fantastic sequel, and an improvement on the great original.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/22/03, Updated 01/13/04