"Bonus Level" redirects here. For other uses, seeBonus Level (disambiguation).

Abonus room^[1][2][3] (also known as aBonus Area,^[4][5][6]Bonus Level,^{[7][8][9][10][11]}bonus stage,^[12][13][14] orBonus Game^[15][16]) is a type of location first appearing inDonkey Kong Country. Bonus rooms are usually revealed either by finding a secret passage or byjumping into aBonus Barrel. Bonus rooms usually have a challenge that has to be completed to earn a prize, typically a key item for100% completion. In the first threeDonkey Kong Country games and theDonkey Kong Land series, any level with all of its bonus rooms completed has an exclamation mark applied to it from the world map.

History[edit]

Donkey Kong Country[edit]

Diddy Kong throwing a tantrum after losing a bonus level. This also happens when thebanana hoard is empty.

Expresso stumbling across aBig Animal Token in his Bonus Level

Donkey Kong in a "Collect the Prizes!" Bonus Level

Bonus Levels are entered by either breaking open certain walls withbarrels orAnimal Friends to reveal secret passages, or by jumping into certainBlast Barrels (changed toBonus Barrels in theGame Boy Advance remake). InOil Drum Alley, there is a Bonus Level entrance hidden within another Bonus Level, which can be entered by using abarrel to smash open its entrance. These rooms can only be entered once. Bonus Levels appear in everylevel except for the underwater stages andMine Cart Carnage.Orang-utan Gang has five Bonus Levels, more than the other levels, which usually have either two or three Bonus Levels. Unlike in subsequent appearances, the main idea of Bonus Levels is to obtain common items, such asbananas,animal tokens, or even aLife Balloon. The Kongs do not have to complete a challenge or collect the items within to add to their completion percentage—this occurs by simply entering the Bonus Level itself. There are 67 Bonus Levels in the game.

TheCandy's Challenges exclusive to theGame Boy Color version are similar to Bonus Levels except aBanana Coin is rewarded for completing one.

There are several types of Bonus Levels. In the Game Boy Advance version, each type received its own distinct title and splash screen:

Image and type (GBA)	Level appearances	Description
Bash the Baddies!	(B)Vulture Culture Temple Tempest (B)Torchlight Trouble (B)Trick Track Trek Manic Mincers	The Kongs must jump on aKlaptrap, sometimes two or three, for it to releasebananas. Each time it is jumped on, the Klaptrap moves faster and releases one more banana (always in the shape ofbanana Bunches) than it did the previous time. They must be jumped on about ten times to be defeated, when they release a whole Banana Bunch. By defeating the Klaptrap(s), the Kongs are usually rewarded with aLife Balloon. If a Klaptrap bites Donkey Kong and Diddy, they are sent back into the main level. InTrick Track Trek's Bonus Level, the Klaptrap is purple.
Collect the Bananas!	Reptile Rumble (2) (B)Bouncy Bonanza Stop & Go Station (B)Tree Top Town Forest Frenzy (B)Snow Barrel Blast (B)Slipslide Ride (B)Ice Age Alley Oil Drum Alley (B)Trick Track Trek Elevator Antics (B)Mine Cart Madness	The Kongs must collect as many bananas as possible, usually by blasting from a series ofBarrel Cannons andBlast Barrels.
Collect the Prizes!	Barrel Cannon Canyon (B)Winky's Walkway Stop & Go Station (B)Millstone Mayhem Orang-utan Gang (3) (B)Blackout Basement	The Kongs are in aBarrel Cannon and have to shoot themselves upward to collect various prizes. There always are three vertical lines of individual bananas. Above the bananas are either an animal token, a Life Balloon, or a Banana Bunch.
Find the Exit!	Jungle Hijinxs (B)Ropey Rampage Reptile Rumble Barrel Cannon Canyon Vulture Culture Temple Tempest Orang-utan Gang (B)Snow Barrel Blast (B)Rope Bridge Rumble (B)Oil Drum Alley Elevator Antics Mine Cart Madness Manic Mincers Misty Mine Loopy Lights	The Kongs must go through the Bonus Level and reach the exit on the other side.
Spell it Out!	(B)Millstone Mayhem (B)Vulture Culture (B)Tree Top Town Orang-utan Gang Slipslide Ride Oil Drum Alley Elevator Antics (B)Necky Nutmare (B)Platform Perils	K-O-N-G Letters either spin in a circle or switch around in barrels. In the case of the latter, "KONG" is always the word in the barrels. Each letter spells out a word, and the Kongs have to jump at the ones in the right order to win a prize.
Stop the Barrel!	Jungle Hijinxs (B)Ropey Rampage Bouncy Bonanza Millstone Mayhem (B)Forest Frenzy (B)Snow Barrel Blast Slipslide Ride (B)Ice Age Alley Torchlight Trouble (B)Rope Bridge Rumble Oil Drum Alley (B)Trick Track Trek (B)Tanked Up Trouble Manic Mincers Misty Mine (B)Mine Cart Madness Blackout Basement (B)Platform Perils	An item (banana, Banana Bunch,animal token, orLife Balloon) rapidly moves through multiple barrels. Once the item stops moving, the Kongs must jump at the consisting barrel to win that prize. Sometimes in this variation, the Kongs have to match three barrels depicting the same prize. They have to respectively jump and hit the same object on all of those barrels.

*Levels with a (B) are accessed via a Bonus Barrel. Levels with a number (e.g. 2) tells how many of that type is in the level.

There is also a specific type of Bonus Level that features anAnimal Friend, eitherRambi,Expresso,Winky, orEnguarde. Each Animal Friend's stage has a unique theme and layout, and some are based on their most common environment. Additionally, just like regular Bonus Levels, each of the Animal Buddy ones also received their own splash screen and title in the Game Boy Advance remake. The Bonus Levels revolving around Animal Friends do not reappear in any of the subsequentDonkey Kong Country orDonkey Kong Land titles.

An Animal Friend's Bonus Level can be accessed by collecting threeanimal tokens of the same Animal Friend. Upon collecting the third token, the Kongs are warped into a Bonus Level, where they play as the corresponding Animal Friend. The goal of these Bonus Levels is for the Animal Friend to collect as manyMini Animal Tokens within the time limit. ABig Animal Token is also hiding in the location, which doubles the Kongs' Mini Animal Token total. When the time runs out, the Mini Animal Tokens are subtracted, and the Kongs receive an extra life for every 100 Mini Animal Tokens they have collected (similar tobananas). Additionally, in the Game Boy Advance version, if an Animal Friend manages to obtain 600 Mini Animal Tokens (400 for Enguarde), aphotograph of that Animal Friend is added into theScrapbook.

Image and name (GBA)	Setting
Enguarde Bonus!	Underwater
Expresso Bonus!	Jungle
Rambi Bonus!	Snowscape
Winky Bonus!	Cavern

Donkey Kong Land[edit]

The new type of Bonus Level fromDonkey Kong Land involving Kong Tokens

Bonus Levels reappear inDonkey Kong Land. Just like withDonkey Kong Country, the Bonus Level variations do not have a name, and every Bonus Level must at least be accessed to add to the 100% completion score. While many of the Bonus Levels are accessed via the same methods, some are accessed through a unique method of falling on a ground patch from a height, causing a verticalrope to fly out. By grabbing on the rope, the Kong is dragged up into a Bonus Level. The game introduces a new Bonus Level variation where the Kongs' collectedKong Tokens are shot out of a revolvingBarrel Cannon. The cannon fires out one Kong Token a time, if DK or Diddy jump on a ground switch. By collecting a Kong Token, the Kongs win an extra life. The only other type, which is also the most common one, involves the active Kong trying to reach the end goal, similarly to a "Find the Exit!" challenge fromDonkey Kong Country.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest /Donkey Kong Land 2[edit]

Dixie in a Collect the Stars! challenge in Hot-Head Hop fromDonkey Kong Country 2

InDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Bonus Levels are entered much like in its predecessors, this time fromBonus Barrels. Every level has between one to three Bonus Levels. The types of Bonus Levels were narrowed down to three, none of which reappeared fromDonkey Kong Country. Each type is atime-based challenge that the Kongs must complete to be rewarded with aKremkoin. In theLost World, every level only has a single Bonus Level, with aVideo Game Hero Coin as a reward (given that Kremkoins' purpose is to unlock a level of the Lost World). Unlike in the first game, Bonus Levels can now be reentered. Bonus Levels were also featured inDonkey Kong Land 2 where their role is unchanged, and the same three types were retained.

The Bonus Level types first received their own title card each inDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, all of which had been retained inDonkey Kong Land 2:

Type	Description
Collect the Stars!	Diddy and Dixie must collect all of thestars in the Bonus Level to make the Kremkoin appear. In a few cases, there are more Stars featured than the amount required; for example, inHaunted Hall.
Destroy Them All!	Diddy and Dixie must defeat all of the enemies to make the Kremkoin appear then collect it. This type is the equivalent of "Bash the Baddies!" fromDonkey Kong Country. In the Game Boy Advance remake, an enemy counter was added at the top-left corner of the screen (next to the head icon of aKremling) to show the number of enemies yet to be defeated.
Find the Token! (SNES) /Find the Kremkoin! (GBA)	Based on "Find the Exit!" fromDonkey Kong Country, Diddy andDixie must go through the Bonus Level and collect the Kremkoin at the other side before the time runs out.

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  Collect the Stars! (Donkey Kong Land II GB)

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  Destroy Them All! (Donkey Kong Land II GB)

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  Find the Token! (Donkey Kong Land II GB)

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  Collect the Stars! (Donkey Kong Country 2 GBA)

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  Destroy Them All! (Donkey Kong Country 2 GBA)

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  Find the Kremkoin! (Donkey Kong Country 2 GBA)

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! /Donkey Kong Land III[edit]

Dixie and Kiddy in a "Collect 50 Stars!" Bonus Level in Lakeside Limbo fromDonkey Kong Country 3.

InDonkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, each Bonus Level is accessed from entering a Bonus Barrel, and none from any breakable wall openings like inDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest andDonkey Kong Land 2. The reward for completing a Bonus Level was changed from a Kremkoin to aBonus Coin. There is always a consistent number of two Bonus Levels per level, except forKrematoa, where the number of Bonus Levels varies from zero to three.Rocket Rush is the only level without any Bonus Levels. All the Bonus Levels from the previous game returned (although with different titles), and a fourth, new type was introduced, "Grab 15 Bananas!". "Collect the Stars!" was renamed to feature the number of stars in the title, for example, "Collect 50 Stars".

Bonus Levels inDonkey Kong Land III have a similar role as inDonkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, from which every Bonus Level type had been retained except Grab 15 Bananas!. Therefore, every Bonus Level type is the same as inDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest andDonkey Kong Land 2, to the point of even retaining the original names (except for "Bash the Baddies!"). An extra exclamation mark was added in each Bonus Level's title, except "Collect the Stars!".

Type	Description
Bash the Baddies!	The successor of "Destroy Them All!" fromDonkey Kong Country 2.
Collect __ Stars! (DKC3) /Collect the Stars! (DKL3)	The successor to "Collect the Stars!" fromDonkey Kong Country 2. The number of stars to collect is displayed from the title card.
Find the Coin! (DKC3) /Find the Token! (DKL3)	The successor of "Find the Kremkoin!" fromDonkey Kong Country 2. Dixie and Kiddy must go to the end of a Bonus Level and obtain its Bonus Coin.
Grab 15 Bananas!	In this Bonus Level, a green Banana spawns at one of few possible locations. After a few seconds, the banana flickers then disappears, and the next banana appears. When the Kongs collect a banana, the next one automatically spawns for them to collect. After collecting all 15 green bananas, a Bonus Coin appears for the Kongs to collect.

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  Bash the Baddies! (Donkey Kong Land III GB)

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  Collect the Stars! (Donkey Kong Land III GB)

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  Find the Token! (Donkey Kong Land III GB)

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  Bash the Baddies! (Donkey Kong Land III GBC)

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  Collect the Stars! (Donkey Kong Land III GBC)

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  Find the Token! (Donkey Kong Land III GBC)

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  Bash the Baddies! (Donkey Kong Country 3 GBA)

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  Collect Bananas! (Donkey Kong Country 3 GBA)

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  Collect Stars! (Donkey Kong Country 3 GBA)

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  Find the Coin! (Donkey Kong Country 3 GBA)

Donkey Kong 64[edit]

“Welcome to bonus stage!”

—Narrator,Donkey Kong 64

Bonus Levels return inDonkey Kong 64, where they were renamed "bonus stages." Most bonus stages are accessible by jumping in aBonus Barrel. Only theMine Cart Ride can be entered by entering a specific area. After the player has cleared a stage, the player is rewarded with aGolden Banana. Some of them can be played inSnide's H.Q. after collecting allblueprints. The following is the list of all bonus stages inDonkey Kong 64:

Type	Snide's H.Q.	Description
Batty Barrel Bandit!		Stop the four reels of the slot machine on four bananas to earn a point. The player must do this a required number of times to win.
Beaver Bother!		The player controls a Klaptrap and tries to chase theGnawties into the hole in the center of the barrel. Klaptrap must be careful not to fall into the hole itself, else it automatically loses at the mini-game.
Big Bug Bash!		The player must use a fly swatter to swat a given number of flies within the time limit.
Busy Barrel Barrage!		Standing the middle of a big barrel, the Kong must fire ammo at incoming Kremlings. The Kong loses if hit by an enemy.
Krazy Kong Klamour!		Lights repeatedly flicker on and off. When they turn on, the player must shoot at Golden Banana while avoiding the Kongs.
Kremling Kosh!		The player uses a watermelon-firing cannon to shoot atKritters who pop out from the barrels. Normal, green Kremlings are worth one point, while red ones are worth two points. The player's objective is to shoot the required number before time runs out.
Mad Maze Maul!		The active Kong must defeat every enemy in a maze and then cross the finish line.
Minecart Mayhem!		The active Kong rides around in aMine Cart and must avoid being hit by movingTNT Barrels by switching lanes until time runs out.
Peril Path Panic!		The objective is to fire watermelons at the Klaptraps to temporarily subdue them, allowing theBanana Fairies to safely cross the path.
Searchlight Seek!		Using a spotlight, the player locate the Klaptraps and then fire at them.
Speedy Swing Sortie!		The active Kong must climb up a tree and swing from vines to collect the coins.
Splish Splash Salvage!		The active Kong must swim all the way down a large barrel and collect all the coins below.
Stash Snatch!		While going around a maze, the player must collect all the coins while avoiding Kremlings and then cross the finish line.
Stealthy Snoop!		The player must go through a maze and find the finish line while avoiding theKremling cops, who shine their flashlight onto the Kong.
Teetering Turtle Trouble!		Turtles are spinning around on the snakes' tails. To keep them spinning, the player must shoot a melon into a snake's mouth.

Hideout Helm additionally has ten unnamed bonus stages (two for each Kong) accessed by entering metal barrels with an image of K. Rool's head on them, all of which must be completed to shut down theBlast-o-Matic.Rambi Arena andEnguarde Arena are unlockable minigames somewhat in the style of a bonus stage that can be played from the main menu. Both games can be unlocked after capturing sixBanana Fairies and entering Rambi and Enguarde's respectiveanimal crates in the main game.

Donkey Kong Country Returns (3D /HD)[edit]

Bonus stages return inDonkey Kong Country Returns and itsNintendo 3DS andNintendo Switch ports, once again accessed by Barrel Cannons or Blast Barrels (as Bonus Barrels do not return in this game) and secret passages. With the game taking place in three-dimensions, some of the Barrel Cannons or Blast Barrels shoot the player into openings in the background. All bonus rooms have one objective: collect allbananas,Banana Bunches, andBanana Coins present in thirty seconds. Some bonus stages haveRed Balloons, which also must be collected. If done, the clock stops and aPuzzle Piece appears. Collecting this Puzzle Piece ends the bonus stage. Regardless of how a bonus stage ends, the Kongs land in a black space with a spotlight, and trackers appear to review the number of non-Puzzle Piece items they collected. If they picked up the Puzzle Piece, it hovers above them as the Kongs cheer. Trying to re-enter a bonus stage does not work unless the level is reloaded, as either the entrance is blocked off by new geometry, a Blast Barrel appears in the entrance to send the player the other way, or the Barrel Cannon or Blast Barrel used has a skull icon and thus broke in the process of sending the player to the bonus stage. Temple levels do not have bonus stages.

Like in previous games of theDonkey Kong Country series, the setting of a bonus stage depends on the world it can be found in, and it is always set in a cavernous or dimly lit room. Despite the aesthetic changes, bonus stages repeat themselves throughout the course of the game, meaning they are not unique to their levels, unlike in previous games.

In Time Attack, bonus stages are skipped entirely, with the transition sending the player to the location where they would exit from the bonus stage. Depending on where the exit is, this can be a shortcut.

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  Jungle Hijinxs

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  King of Cling

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  Tree Top Bop

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  Tree Top Bop

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  Canopy Cannons

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  Crazy Cart

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  Poppin' Planks

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  Sloppy Sands

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  Peaceful Pier

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  Cannon Cluster

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  Cannon Cluster

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  Stormy Shore

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  Blowhole Bound

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  Tidal Terror

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  Wonky Waterway

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  Button Bash

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  Button Bash

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  Mast Blast

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  Damp Dungeon

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  Damp Dungeon

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  Itty Bitty Biters

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  Itty Bitty Biters

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  Temple Topple

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  Rickety Rails

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  Rickety Rails

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  Grip 'n' Trip

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  Bombs Away

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  Mole Patrol

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  Crowded Cavern

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  Vine Valley

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  Vine Valley

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  Clingy Swingy

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  Flutter Flyaway

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  Tippin' Totems

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  Tippin' Totems

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  Longshot Launch

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  Springy Spores

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  Wigglevine Wonders

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  Sticky Situation

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  Prehistoric Path

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  Weighty Way

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  Boulder Roller

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  Precarious Plateau

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  Crumble Canyon

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  Tippy Shippy

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  Tippy Shippy

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  Clifftop Climb

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  Clifftop Climb

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  Slammin' Steel

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  Handy Hazards

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  Gear Getaway

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  Cog Jog

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  Switcheroo

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  Switcheroo

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  Music Madness

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  Furious Fire

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  Hot Rocket

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  Roasting Rails

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  Bobbing Basalt

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  Bobbing Basalt

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  Moving Melters

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  Red Red Rising

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]

A bonus room inDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. This one is fromMangrove Cove, although it reappears in other levels of the game.

Bonus stages appear inDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, having been renamed "bonus rooms" in the American English version. The objective of bonus rooms remains almost the same as in the previous game – the player character has to collect all 100 bananas on-screen within thirty seconds, receiving an additionalBanana Coin and aRed Balloon along with the Puzzle Piece. The setting of a bonus room is not related to the world it appears in anymore; instead, all bonus rooms take place in what appears to be a treasury, with some of them being adorned with large statues in the background, suggesting they are connected to or branched offSecret Seclusion. As in the previous game, bonus rooms repeat themselves.

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  One of ten bonus room configurations

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  One of ten bonus room configurations

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  One of ten bonus room configurations

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  One of ten bonus room configurations

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  One of ten bonus room configurations

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  One of ten bonus room configurations

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  One of ten bonus room configurations

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  One of ten bonus room configurations

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  One of ten bonus room configurations

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  One of ten bonus room configurations

Names in other languages[edit]

References[edit]

• Secret areas
• Donkey Kong locations
• Donkey Kong 64 locations
• Donkey Kong Country Returns
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

• Articles with sections that need more images
• Articles with unsourced foreign names