Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Long ago, I remember jumping for joy when I saw the commercial for this game as a little kid. I couldn't wait to play it. And it turned out to be my all-time favorite game for the SNES.

This was the darkest game in the series, and it shows. Right off the bat, Diddy and Dixie are dropped off on the Kremlings home world, Crocodile Isle. Its entire dangerous landscape is a stark contrast to DK Island, like the active volcano Crocodile Cauldron, the broken-down theme park Krazy Kremland, to K. Rools ominous looking Keep at the peak of the island.

There were some great new characters introduced, most prominently Diddy's girlfriend Dixie Kong, who makes a splash with her always helpful hover ability. We also got new animal buddies with unique abilities, like Squitter the spiders web shooting to attack enemies and create steppingstones and Rattley's the rattlesnakes charged jumping.

There is a more exotic and wide range of level themes, like pirate ship decks, volcanoes, swamps, ice caverns, and castle interiors. Plus, there were new items introduced, like the invincibility barrel, crates, plus and minus barrels in roller coaster levels. The difficulty was increased by the necessity of collecting every bonus Kremcoin to access the final battle against Kaptain K. Rool in the Lost World and truly beat the game. Plus, there's a hidden DK coin on every level needed to achieve a full 102% success. It's challenging, but that's what made it more fun and appealing than the original for me.

There were more difficult gimmicky levels, like Windy Well with its wind currents, Slime Climb involving the relentless and invincible piranha Snapjaw pursuing you. The bosses were a lot tougher, like King Zing with his stinger being his only weak point, Kudgel with his ground shaking jumps, and rounding them out is Kaptain K. Rool himself with his projectile dodging focused battle.

But best of all was the amazing soundtrack that marked David Wise's peak. From Welcome to Crocodile Isle with its deep and ominous organ chimes and drumbeats that hammers home you're on K. Rools turf now, to the intense and dark techno final boss theme Crocodile Cacophony, and the ever popular Stickerbush Symphony, which was arguably Wise's greatest work with the soft, peaceful, and soothing piano notes and violin strokes that will put your mind at ease.

Even today, the game is an absolute blast to play, especially for retrogamers looking to take a nice trip down memory lane. So, try it out on the Nintendo Switch if you like.

Many people have said this game rocks but falls a little short of the first. I disagree on the latter part. Original DKC was far better than most games, yet it gave me the impression of an old-style game updated and showing off the capabilities. This time they put extra effort into improving from there. No more Candy Kong kisses while you gather giant plantains.

You might miss working with the big guy, but that sure doesn't ruin the fun. Dixie Kong is cool in her own regard, making a swell teammate for Diddy. The enemies' pirate theme lends organization while keeping the game cracked enough for amusement. The scenery is easy on the eyes and the music is simply superb. And yes, the gameplay advanced as well.

If DKC is salt, then DKC 2 is sugar. Both delicious, but I know which I prefer.

I loved the first Donkey Kong Country and I was hoping for more excitement in this sequel. You can do more things in this game such as the helicopter twirl and buddy animal special abilities. The graphics and music are equally awesome as the first. So why do I give this an 8? The first thing that turned me off a bit was the coin system, in the first you could save your game free of charge, but here you need two to do that and if you are broke you're in big trouble. The same thing if you need to go back to previous levels. The second is the challenge can really rack your nerves till you go crazy. The commercial for this game said "even tougher than the original" and sure enough they weren't lying. I do like this game just not as much as the first.

The original "Donkey Kong Country" game was such a success that it pretty much usurped Mario on the SNES console for the title of "best side-scrolling adventure". This sequel, "Diddy's Kong Quest", however, manages to even improve upon the gameplay of its predecessor and make for an even better gaming experience.

There are two main reasons why this game is better than the original:

1. The level designs manage to be even more interesting. Not that the levels in "DK1" were bad, by any means, but they are just more interesting in this effort. When I think back to the iconic levels in this series, I'm usually thinking of ones from this game.

2. Dixie Kong is a better playable character than Donkey Kong. The main trouble with the DK/Diddy combo of part one is that DK is such a sluggish character. He "gets the job done", but only passably for a game that requires so much jumping. In that game, Diddy is the much better character. In part two, though, the Diddy/Dixie combination are pretty much equals. Diddy is still a bit more agile and nimble to work with, but the hair of Dixie (used for flying and throwing) makes her very valuable as well.

The only reason I can't give this game the full five stars? It doesn't let you save after every level. I know, I know...gamers weren't used to that feature like they are now. But it still doesn't make it any better (at least for me). After about the second stage, the levels in this game get quite difficult. Difficult to the point of the gamer feeling a real accomplishment after completing a level (which of course is the point!). Yet, there is a clunky system of gathering coins in order to save (and even then it is only after you reach the "save point" in each stage). You may have to beat 3- 4 VERY difficult stages (often with only a few lives to work with) in order to save your progress. I don't care what the "times" were like...that makes for more frustration and less fun.

Overall, though, "Diddy's Kong Quest" manages to slide in slightly ahead of its predecessor (no easy feat). I always had a bit more fun playing this game than the first one.

"Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong-Quest" is one of those exciting games that keeps you tapping buttons from childhood to adulthood. This game is even slightly better than its fantastic predecessor.

The plot goes far beyond banana theft this time. Now, it's Donkey Kong who has been stolen by K. Rool (now reinvented as a pirate, Kaptain K. Rool), meaning that Diddy Kong has to go rescue him. Along for the ride is Dixie Kong, Diddy's blond girlfriend who has a unique ability: she can hover like a helicopter in the air by twirling her ponytail around very fast.

DKC2 is filled with fun challenges, amazing and well-realized characters, and a more in-depth adventure than the first game had. Travel through a pirate ship, a volcano, a bayou, an evil amusement park, a haunted forest, a creepy castle, and K. Rool's wicked flying fortress (The Flying Krock). My personal favorite is the forest (Gloomy Gulch), while my favorite level is in the amusement park, the breakneck-paced Rickety Race. Meet new animal friends like Squitter the Spider.

Above all, rescue Donkey from K. Rool's sinister clutches in this dazzlingly fun adventure for the ages.