This article is about the video game originally published for the Super Famicom and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. For theGame Boy Advance remake, seeDonkey Kong Country 2 (Game Boy Advance).

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
For alternate box art, see therelated gallery.
Developer	Rareware
Publisher	Nintendo
Platforms	Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System,Virtual Console (Wii,Wii U,New Nintendo 3DS),Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Classics
Release date	Super Famicom: November 21, 1995[1] Super Nintendo Entertainment System: December 4, 1995[2] December 14, 1995[3][better source needed] 1995[4] Virtual Console (Wii): May 16, 2007[?] May 16, 2007[?] May 21, 2007[?] October 23, 2007[?] November 25, 2008[?] Virtual Console (Wii U): October 23, 2014[5] October 24, 2014[?] November 26, 2014[?] February 26, 2015[?] Virtual Console (New 3DS): March 24, 2016[5] March 25, 2016[?] April 6, 2016[6] April 14, 2016[?] Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Classics: September 23, 2020[7] September 23, 2020[8] September 23, 2020[9] September 23, 2020[10] September 23, 2020[11] September 23, 2020[12]
Languages	English Japanese French (France) German
Genres	Platformer, adventure
Ratings	Original release: ESRB: - Kids to Adults[?] ACB: - General[?] Virtual Console: ESRB: - Everyone[?] PEGI: - Three years and older[?] CERO: - All ages[?] USK: - All ages[?]
Modes	Single player, multiplayer
Format	Super Famicom: Cartridge SF Memory Cartridge: Cartridge Super NES: Game Pak Wii: Digital download Wii U: Digital download Nintendo Switch: Digital download Nintendo 3DS: Digital download
Input	Super NES: Super NES Controller Wii: Classic Controller Nintendo GameCube Controller Wii U: Wii U GamePad Classic Controller Wii U Pro Controller Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Joy-Con (horizontal) Nintendo Switch Pro Controller NES Controller (NSO) Super NES Controller (NSO) Nintendo 3DS: Gamepad
Serial codes	SHVC-ADNJ-JPN

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (also shortened toDonkey Kong Country 2,^[13] as well asDiddy's Kong Quest on the title screen) is a 1995 platform game that was developed byRare and published byNintendo for theSuper Famicom andSuper Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second installment in theDonkey Kong Country series. It is a sequel and direct follow-up toDonkey Kong Country. The last two words in the subtitle are a portmanteau of "Kong" and "conquest." The game starsDiddy Kong, as he and his girlfriend,Dixie Kong, make their way throughCrocodile Isle to saveDonkey Kong from the clutches of theKremling Krew. A sequel and direct follow-up toDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest,Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, was released in 1996.

In 2004,a remake of the game was made for theGame Boy Advance. It omits theDiddy's Kong Quest subtitle, making it simply known asDonkey Kong Country 2, and has more minigames, somephotographs, and other differences.

In 2007, the original version was rereleased on theWii'sVirtual Console. On November 25, 2012,Donkey Kong Country 2 and the other two originalDonkey Kong Country games were delisted from the Wii Virtual Console,^[14] but on October 30, 2014, the games were relisted in Europe and Australia. Around the same time, the games were released for theWii U'sVirtual Console in Europe and Australia; in Japan on November 26, 2014; and in the United States and Canada on February 26, 2015. For handhelds,Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest was ported exclusively to theNew Nintendo 3DS'sVirtual Console in March/April 2016. It was made available onSuper Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Classics for theNintendo Switch on September 23, 2020.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is the sixth-best-selling Super Nintendo Entertainment System game, with its predecessor being the third. A similarGame Boy title was released a year later, in 1996,Donkey Kong Land 2.

This game's soundtrack was released onNintendo Music on November 4, 2024.

Story

“Arrrrgh! This story's even worse than DKC! They're really scraping the bottom of the barrel this time!”

—Cranky Kong

Some time after the events ofDonkey Kong Country,Donkey Kong is relaxing at a beach, sitting on a chair while drinking a banana milkshake.Funky Kong is busy surfing waves among the seagulls.Cranky Kong walks up to Donkey Kong and hits him on the head with his cane. He asks Donkey Kong why he is sitting around if he is a "big star". Donkey Kong replies that even stars need time off. Cranky says that he never took breaks, "whisking off maidens and throwing barrels seven days a week". Donkey Kong tells him to leave him alone and stop pestering him, so Cranky leaves. Donkey Kong then goes to sleep in his chair.

At night,Diddy Kong and his girlfriend,Dixie Kong, are worried because Donkey Kong has not returned. They go to the beach to investigate, and theKongs find many footprints surrounding Donkey Kong's broken chair. They find a note in the chair which reads:

Hah-arrrrh! We have got the big monkey! If you want him back, you scurvy dogs, you'll have to hand over the banana hoard! Kaptain K. Rool

Cranky suggests handing over the banana hoard to K. Rool. Diddy refuses because of how much effort he and Donkey Kong went through to retrieve thebananas, and that he would be very upset if his bananas were stolen again. Cranky asks if they have any better suggestions, and Diddy and Dixie both say that they want to rescue Donkey Kong themselves. The two get in a brief argument with Cranky, who does not believe Diddy qualifies as a video game hero. After Dixie insist that she will accompany Diddy, the two begin their journey.

The two Kongs go toCrocodile Isle and explore it while defeating variousKremlings and other enemies along the way. The pair eventually boardThe Flying Krock, where Donkey Kong is held, and battleKaptain K. Rool, the leader of the Kremlings. K. Rool is defeated and Donkey Kong manages to free himself, and then punches Kaptain K. Rool through the roof of the Flying Krock. K. Rool falls from Crocodile Isle and lands in the water surrounding it, where he is seemingly eaten by sharks. Diddy and Dixie are then congratulated byCranky Kong for their success and are integrated in the Video Game Heroes Hall of Fame.

During their adventures, the pair can also reach Crocodile Isle'sLost World by paying its guard,Klubba, withKremkoins scattered all over the island. After giving Klubba all of the Kremkoins and exploring the Lost World, the Kongs finds Crocodile Isle's power source,Krocodile Kore, and Kaptain K. Rool, who is hiding there. A battle ensues and the pair eventually defeats K. Rool again, causing his blunderbuss to explode. This propels the crocodile into the energy geyser powering Crocodile Isle, blocking it until it explodes. The game then cuts to Donkey, Dixie and Diddy watching Crocodile Isle from a cliff, as it explodes and sinks into the ocean.

Gameplay

Abilities

The team up move, a move that had not originally appeared inDonkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is a 2D platformer like its predecessor,Donkey Kong Country. The playable characters areDiddy Kong andDixie Kong. In order to travel through each level of the game and complete each of the game's manyBonus Levels, the Kongs have to use their basic and special abilities. Both Kongs have different abilities. The basic abilities include jumping, climbing, and swimming. Jumping is often used in the game to cross gaps and grab things in the air. A super-jump can also be performed if Diddycartwheels or Dixie spins off of a ledge and jump while in mid-air. Diddy's cartwheel move and Dixie'sHelicopter Spin can defeat several enemies, but not all. Dixie can use her Helicopter Spin ability in mid-air as well, allowing her to float for a short amount of time to avoid falling into gaps. Both characters can climb up ropes quickly to access high areas, with Diddy having the ability to climb slightly faster than Dixie, let alone on land and underwater in general. The swimming mechanic is similar to earlier platforming games of theSuper Mario series: The player must hit, the jump button, to advance upwards into the water, as not pressing the button causes the Kongs slowly sink to the bottom. Pressing enables them to swim quicker, and and controls their ascent and descent.

Though Diddy does not have as many abilities as Dixie, he is able to defend himself while holding a barrel. While Diddy holds an object in front of his body to block himself, Dixie holds objects over her head, allowing enemies to easily attack her. When both Kongs are in play, and none are stuck in aDK Barrel, the two Kongs are able to use the newTeam-up move, in which one Kong holds the other one on their shoulders and can throw them upward. The Kong riding the other one's shoulders can be thrown at enemies to defeat them or upward to reach items and access certain areas.

Modes

The mode selection and its two hidden modes: "Sound Test" and "Cheats"

Icon	Title	Information
	One Player	The self-explanatory single player mode where both Diddy and Dixie are controlled.
	TWO Player Team	Two players cooperatively take turns playing through the levels. The first player controls Diddy while the second player does Dixie. Players can change turns by switching the Kongs or by losing their Kong.
	TWO Player Contest	Two players compete to finish the most levels. Like "TWO Player Team", the first player controls Diddy while the second player is Dixie.
	Music Test	A hidden mode where the player can listen to the game's background themes. The player can reveal and access the mode by pressing five times from "TWO Player Contest."
	Cheat Mode	A hidden mode where the player can hit specific combination of buttons to enter a cheat to start off the new game. The player can access this mode by pressing another five times from "Music Test."

Characters

Kong Klan

Sprite	Kong	Summary	New
Playable
	Diddy Kong	Diddy Kong makes his return to theDonkey Kong Country series, but this time as the game's leading character. He retains his signature cartwheel run and high jumping ability in order to help rescue Donkey Kong from Kaptain K. Rool.
	Dixie Kong	Dixie Kong makes her video game debut as the girlfriend and sidekick of Diddy Kong. She can perform helicopter spins with her long, blonde ponytail, allowing her and Diddy to move across long distances.
Supporting
	Cranky Kong	Cranky Kong is Donkey Kong's grandfather and aids the Kongs with hisMonkey Museum, where he gives advice to the two aboutBonus Areas.
	Donkey Kong	The grandson of Cranky Kong and best friend of Diddy, DK has been captured by Kaptain K. Rool and the Kremlings. The Kongs encounter him tied up and dangling from the ceiling ofStronghold Showdown, where he ultimately assists them in defeating Kaptain K. Rool.
	Funky Kong	Funky Kong returns fromDonkey Kong Country, although this time to runFunky's Flights II, where he rents outJumbo Barrel to the Kongs, allowing them to travel back to other worlds which they have completed.
	Swanky Kong	One of the allies to the Kong Family, Swanky Kong is a game show host and an aide to Diddy and Dixie. He hostsSwanky's Bonus Bonanza, where he rewards the Kongs with Extra Life Balloons for correctly answering his queries.
	Wrinkly Kong	Wrinkly Kong makes her video game debut as the elderly wife to Cranky Kong and the grandmother of Donkey Kong. She runsKong Kollege and, like her husband, advises the Kongs, but also can save the game.

Animal Buddies

Animal Buddies are partners who help Diddy and Dixie findBonus Barrels,DK Coins,Banana Coins, and other items using their special abilities. They appear in many levels, and the Kongs can sometimes turn into the buddy or ride on it. An animal runs away when hit by an enemy, very similar toYoshi inSuper Mario World. Most of the buddies fromDonkey Kong Country return inDiddy's Kong Quest, but a few new ones also appear in the game as well, making a total of nine Animal Friends. Below is a list of each Animal Friend, and a brief description on them.

Sprite	Animal Friend	Summary	Stages		New
			First	Last
	Clapper	Clapper is able to cool down water when jumped on. In Lava Lagoon, he cools the very warm liquid, making it safe for the Kongs to swim through without getting burnt. In Clapper's Cavern, he freezes water, allowing the Kongs to cross and avoid the hungrySnapjaws below.	Lava Lagoon	Clapper's Cavern
	Enguarde	Returning fromDonkey Kong Country, Enguarde can knock enemies out with his sharp nose, and charge hisSuperstab to break through walls. Enguarde is mostly usable only underwater, since he cannot move well on land.	Lockjaw's Locker	Animal Antics
	Glimmer	Glimmer has a role very similar to Squawks in the firstDonkey Kong Country. He lights the pitch-black water in the level Glimmer's Galleon. Glimmer is one of the only Animal Friends that cannot be affected in levels because enemies do not hurt him at all.	Glimmer's Galleon	Glimmer's Galleon
	Rambi	First appearing in the originalDonkey Kong Country, Rambi can ram foes that come in his way. He can also jump on Zingers and other enemies that Diddy and Dixie Kong cannot defeat alone. Rambi can also use hisSupercharge which makes him move at high speed, and able to break through walls and crush enemies.	Pirate Panic	Animal Antics
	Rattly	Rattly takes the role ofWinky fromDonkey Kong Country. He features the same purpose: to jump to higher areas. Rattly can help the Kongs reach bananas and even Bonus Barrels above their heads. The rattlesnake also has aSuperjump: an extra high jump.	Topsail Trouble	Animal Antics
	Squawks	UnlikeDonkey Kong Country, where Squawks only lit dark areas inTorchlight Trouble, Squawks' role is entirely different, and the Kongs can ride him by grabbing around his body to reach high areas. He can also shoot pellets at enemies to bring them down.	Squawks's Shaft	Animal Antics
	Squitter	The game's new Animal Friend, Squitter, can shoot webs at nearby enemies to defeat them. Sometimes, the Kongs must cross a large abyss that cannot be crossed by jumping. The spider can shoot special webs that form into platforms and allow them to move across. Unlike most Animal Friends, Squitter cannot touch enemies without being harmed: He can only shoot them with his webs.	Hot-Head Hop	Animal Antics

Cranky's Video Game Heroes

TheCranky's Video Game Heroes ceremony features three cameos of otherNintendo game protagonists, each with their own amount ofHero Coins collected.

Sprite	Name	Origin	Information
	Mario	Super Mario	Mario is the default champion, with 39 of the 40 coins.
	Yoshi	Super Mario	Yoshi is the default runner-up, with 29 coins.
	Link	The Legend of Zelda	Link is by default in 3rd place, with 19 coins; if the player manages to get enough coins to reach the podiums, he consequently disappears.

Enemies

“How many? I reckon they're just put fancy pictures in here to make it look good. There's only three of these in the game, at most!”

—Cranky Kong^[15]

The game features many enemies to attack the player, some that areKremlings and some that are not. All underwater enemies hurt the Kongs if swum into.

Sprite	Enemy	Summary	Stages		New
			First	Last
Lazy Landlubbers
	Cat O' 9 Tails	A bluish-purple cat with nine tails. They attack by spinning out of control and hitting the Kongs. Sometimes, a Cat O' 9 Tails that is spinning out of control can throw the Kongs upwards.	Mudhole Marsh	Fiery Furnace
	Click-Clack	Large beetles that can damage the Kongs. It must be jumped on twice to defeat: The first jump flips the Click-Clack, which can then be thrown at other foes to attack them. Click-Clacks can be defeated instantly by either rolling into them or by throwing an object at it.	Mainbrace Mayhem	Clapper's Cavern
	Flitter	A large dragonfly that can hurt the Kongs if touched on the sides, but the Kongs can bounce on them to cross abysses.	Topsail Trouble	Animal Antics
	Mini-Necky	A small vulture wearing a bandanna. They attack by swooping down at the Kongs, trying to ram into them. They can defeated by being jumped on. It is one of the two enemies returning fromDonkey Kong Country.	Kannon's Klaim	Animal Antics
	Neek	Functionally similar to Klomps but smaller in size, Neeks move around trying to hit the Kongs, but they can be defeated with a cartwheel or jump.	Pirate Panic	Animal Antics
	Screech	K. Rool's pet parrot and a mini-boss encountered after beating K. Rool's Keep. He is raced by Squawks during the second half of Screech's Sprint.	Screech's Sprint
	Spiny	Spinies are spiked porcupines who attack with their sharp quills. If the Kongs jump on a Spiny, they get injured; they can defeat a Spiny by a frontal rolling attack.	Glimmer's Galleon	Fiery Furnace
	Zinger	Large wasps that attack the same way as before: standing in place or moving to sting the Kongs when they come near. There are yellow and red varieties: Reds can only be defeated with aTNT Barrel or anInvincibility Barrel, and yellows can be beaten by Rambi, Squawks, Rattly, or a thrown object.	Gangplank Galley	Animal Antics
Submerged Seadogs
	Flotsam	Stingrays that swim around areas, trying to hit the Kongs. They can only be defeated by Enguarde. They come in two colors, green and blue. The blue Flotsams only move in one direction, while the green Flotsams swim either left or right and change direction at times.	Lockjaw's Locker	Animal Antics
	Lockjaw	Very fast moving piranha fish that try to bite the Kongs.	Lockjaw's Locker	Animal Antics
	Puftup	They are spiky puffer fish encountered only underwater. Some of them release spikes while exploding.	Lava Lagoon	Animal Antics
	Shuri	Underwater starfish enemies that only Enguarde can defeat. When the Kongs approach them, they unleash their only attack: spinning at the Kongs, trying to hit them.	Lockjaw's Locker	Animal Antics
	Snapjaw	An invincible purple piranha fish and a variety of Lockjaw appearing in only two levels, Slime Climb and Clapper's Cavern. In both levels, they patrol the water and bite the Kongs if they fall in. They are very similar to Lockjaws in appearance, but are much faster and more deadly.	Slime Climb	Clapper's Cavern
Kremling Kuthroats
	Kaboing	Kremlings that bounce around on their two peg legs. Some of them simply bounce in place, while others jump forward. Jumping on their heads defeats them.	Gangplank Galley	Animal Antics
	Kaboom	Similar to Klobbers except they wearTNT Barrels. Kabooms hide in their barrels and come out when approached. A Kaboom explodes if hit on the side.	Ghostly Grove	Klobber Karnage
	Kackle	Kackles are large, skeletal Kremlings. They appear only inHaunted Hall and chase the Kongs throughout much of the said level. A time limit is given when they chase the Kongs, and when the timer hits zero, they attack. Time can only be added to the timer by hitting Plus Barrels.	Haunted Hall
	Kannon	AKlump dressed as a pirate. Kannons wield cannons in order to shootkannonballs at the Kongs. Klumps sometimes shoot barrels, which can be bounced on to cross large gaps.	Kannon's Klaim	Animal Antics
	Klampon	Klampons are four-legged crocodiles similar toKlaptraps fromDonkey Kong Country. They patrol the area and bite any of the two Kongs that come too close to their mouth. They can sometimes be seen guarding Spinies.	Hot-Head Hop	Animal Antics
	Klank	Kutlass-like enemies that rideRoller Coasters. They throw barrels at the Kongs to attack. InRickety Race, players must race several Klanks to the finish.	Target Terror	Rickety Race
	Klinger	Orange Kremlings always found gripping on ropes, chains, and cattails: They continuously climb up before sliding back down.	Mainbrace Mayhem	Screech's Sprint
	Kloak	A ghostly Kremling that floats in the air in some levels. They usually throw barrels and Spinies to attack, but eventually fly away from the Kongs if not defeated. Sometimes, hidden Kloaks throw bananas and other collectibles.	Barrel Bayou	Screech's Sprint
	Klobber	A barrel-wearing Kremling that hides in a barrel, disguising itself as one. When approached, Klobber jumps out and runs at the Kongs to push them. Yellow Klobbers release the Kongs' bananas, and the rare black ones release their Extra Life Balloons. The green variants, however, do not steal anything.	Pirate Panic	Klobber Karnage
	Klomp	Enemies that walk around on one peg leg. Touching them can hurt a Kong, but they can easily be defeated with any attack method.	Pirate Panic	Ghostly Grove
	Klubba	A large, buff Kremling who operates atollbooth in every world, guarding theLost World, though Diddy and Dixie can pay 15Kremkoins to unlock one of the levels.	Klubba's Kiosk
	Krockhead	Krockheads are crocodile heads that poke out from either the swampy waters or lava, either consistently or at fixed intervals. Diddy and Dixie can use them to safely get across. Green Krockheads are used as standard platforms, while the brown ones spring the Kongs upward.	Hot-Head Hop	Mudhole Marsh
	Krook	They wear a trenchcoat and have two hooks for hands. Krooks throw hooks at the Kongs to attack them.	Squawks's Shaft	Fiery Furnace
	Kruncha	Strong, muscular Kremlings that get very angry when approached. If touched, they turn red and march back and forth angrily. Krunchas are defeated only from being hit by a barrel. A rarer pink variation appears inCastle Crush and Clapper's Cavern.	Gangplank Galley	Clapper's Cavern
	Kutlass	Kutlasses carry two large swords, which they attack with and try to hurt the Kongs with them. If the Kongs escape the attack, they have a short amount of time to jump on them before the Kutlasses can pull their swords out of the ground. The green Kutlass pulls out its swords faster, making it more difficult for the Kongs to attack directly.	Krockhead Klamber	Fiery Furnace

Barnacled Bosses

Sprite	Boss	Summary	Stages
			First	Last
	Krow	Krow is the first boss and is a large vulture who appears at the end ofGangplank Galleon. He attacks by taking a large egg from his nest and throwing it down at the Kongs, or by bumping into his nest, causing numerous large eggs to fall. The Kongs can attack Krow by throwing a large egg at him. After taking four hits, Krow is defeated. Later,Krow's ghost appears as the fifth boss and is battled at the end ofGloomy Gulch. Here, he is fought in three sections of the stage. He sends ghost Mini-Neckies to attack the Kongs, though one of them is a normal Mini-Necky. By jumping on the live Mini-Necky, this spawns a barrel, which the Kongs must use to attack Krow. After he takes three hits, Krow is defeated again.	Krow's Nest	Kreepy Krow
	Kleever	Kleever is the second boss and a giant sword. It tries to attack the Kongs by swinging itself at them and launching fire balls at them, and it can only be defeated by being hit by a kannonball. After being hit by a kannonball, however, it usually goes on a rampage, chasing the Kongs over a pit of fire. The Kongs have to damage Kleever six times to defeat it. A few small Kleevers can also be seen in the battle againstKerozene to attack the Kongs.	Kleever's Kiln	Kleever's Kiln
	Kudgel	A buff Kremling with a very similar appearance toKlubba, but is gray in color. His weapon is very large and has a few nails in it. This weapon is used to attack the Kongs and break any barrels they pick up. Kudgel also has the ability to jump very high and land onto the Kongs. The Kongs have to throwTNT Barrels at Kudgel to damage him, with six hits being required to defeat him.	Kudgel's Kontest	Kudgel's Kontest
	King Zing	King Zing is the fourth boss. An enormousZinger, he usually is seen flying around the area, trying to sting Squawks, the only character who can defeat him. To damage King Zing, Squawks has to shoot an egg at his stinger. After taking some damage, King Zing can shoot spikes at the parrot, which must be avoided at all costs. After taking six hits, King Zing shrinks in size, but can summon additional Zingers to protect himself. Once all the extra Zingers are gone, Squawks has to spit three more eggs at King Zing to defeat him for good.	Rambi Rumble	King Zing Sting
	Kaptain K. Rool	The final boss and King K. Rool's pirate alias. Kaptain K. Rool wields a large blunderbuss, which fires kannonballs and gases at the Kongs. The poisonous gases, if touched, can change the controls around for the player, making it harder to move the Kongs. Kaptain K. Rool also dashes across the area when being fought, trying to hit the Kongs. Sometimes, he even becomes invisible when doing this. The Kongs have to throw kannonballs into the blunderbuss to damage Kaptain K. Rool, with nine hits required to defeat him; he does fake his defeat a few times during the process. Kaptain K. Rool later appears inKrocodile Kore, where the Kongs have to evade his weaponry until a kannonball appears; unlike the first battle, Kaptain K. Rool only has to be damaged once to defeat him the second time.	K. Rool Duel	Krocodile Kore

Items

“I've never seen so much worthless rubbish! I'm surprised they don't give you a special "trash barrel" to haul it all around in!”

—Cranky Kong^[16]

Sprite	Item	Summary	New
	Bananas	Bananas are exactly likecoins from theSuper Mario series, since collecting 100 of them earns the player anextra life. A trail of bananas may sometimes lead to a hidden item.
	Banana Bunches	They are worth ten bananas when collected, comparable to bananas, but do not appear as commonly.
	Banana Coins	They are used to pay the various services provided by the other Kongs. They are scattered around in every level, and appear several times in them.
	Cranky's Video Game Hero Coins	Cranky's Video Game Hero Coin are huge coins hidden by Cranky Kong in all of the game levels. There are 40 to collect. After Kaptain K. Rool is defeated, Cranky counts the number of Video Game Hero Coins collected and ranks Diddy accordingly as a part of Cranky's “Video Game Hero” contest.
	ExtraLifeBalloons	Extra Life Balloons come in red, green, and blue varieties. Red Balloons give the player one life, Green Balloons give the player two lives, and a Blue Balloon gives the player three lives.
	KONG Letters	A series of four golden tokens in each level that reward an extra life when all of them are collected. There are four letters: K, O, N, and G, altogether spelling "Kong". The player must search through every level of the game and look for these. If all four letters are found, they get an extra life.
	Kremkoins	Kremkoins are the reward for completingBonus Areas and boss levels. Kremkoins can be used only to enter theLost World fromKlubba's Kiosk.
	Letter	Kaptain K. Rool's ransom note, obtainable from his cabin once at the beginning ofPirate Panic.
	Stars	Appearing in bonus stages, collecting all stars within the time limit earns a Kremkoin.

Objects

Mechanisms

Sprite	Mechanism	Summary
	Animal crates	Contains the depictedAnimal Friend, who can be freed by jumping on the crate.
	Brambles	Huge, thorny vines that hurt the Kongs when touched.
	Crates	Crates are very similar toBarrels, but they break as soon as making contact with an enemy or the ground.
	Eggs	Projectiles used bySquawks andKrow, as well as against the latter.
	End of Level Target	AHigh striker-like mechanism appearing at the end of every level. If the target is landed on hard enough, the barrel breaks, giving the Kongs the prize depicted, usuallyBananas,Banana Bunches,Banana Coins, or anExtra Life Balloon. The letter G or aDK Coin appear on a few End of Level Targets. There are usually nearby Barrel Cannons that the Kongs can shoot from to land on the pad.
	Fireballs	Burning spheres launched byKleever.
	Honey	A sticky substance that prevents the Kongs, but when against the walls, they can climb higher.
	Hook	Grabbable objects that can be hung from and jumped from. Harmful ones are thrown byKrooks.
	Hot Air Balloon	Floating platforms that lift when caught in steam jets.
	Kannons	An object that launches the Kongs to aBonus Level when a Kannonball is loaded inside.
	Kannonballs	Kannonballs have to be carried to their corresponding kannon nearby to activate it. If a kannonball falls into a pit, it cannot be recovered.
	No Animal Signs	An Animal Buddy disappears upon crossing, but the player could be rewarded an item if the animal reaches the sign.
	Roller Coasters	Rickety, skull-shaped amusement park vehicles that must be carefully ridden to avoid falling from the track.
	Ropes	Unlike the previous game, ropes may appear both horizontally and vertically (often amongst each other). Their design differs between environments, with their appearances that include normal ropes, gianttypha plants, vines, and chains. A notable type are thephantom ropes who repeatedly vanish and reappear.
	Smoke	Multicolored, skull-patterned gases shot fromKaptain K. Rool'sblunderbuss, with varying temporary effects: blue smoke freezes the Kongs, red smoke slows them down, and purple smoke inverts left and right on the player's controls.
	Spike Balls	Kannonballs with retractable spikes shot from Kaptain K. Rool's blunderbuss.
	Spike Traps	Clusters of wooden spikes found in the jungles of theLost World.
	Stinger	Spikes shot in several directions at once by explodingPuftups as well as the largeKing Zing three times after every second successful attack against him.
	Tires	Enormous rolling objects that can be bounced on.
	Treasure chests	They can be picked up and thrown at enemies, revealing a collectible, such as a Banana Coin. Some require more than one hit to open.
	Webs	Squitter can create these as temporary platforms or projectiles.
	Wind	Pushes the player in various directions.

Barrels

Throwable barrels
Sprite	Barrel	Summary
	Barrels	Normal Barrels are very common objects that can be used to attack enemies, especiallyZingers, which have only limited methods of being defeated, but break upon contact.
	DK Barrels	DK Barrels appear several times in every level, and can be broken to free a lost Kong. If both Kongs are present, the DK Barrel acts no differently from a normal barrel. If a DK Barrel is floating in mid-air while both playable Kongs are active, it cannot be interacted with until the player loses one of the Kongs.
	TNT Barrels	Explosive barrels that can be thrown at walls to blast them away, creating an opening. TNT Barrels can also defeat red Zingers and other powerful enemies in one hit.
Enterable barrels
	Animal Barrel	When an Animal Barrel is entered, the Kongs are transformed into the depicted Animal Friend, whether it isEnguarde,Rambi,Rattly,Squawks, orSquitter.
	Arrow Barrels	Blasts the Kongs in the direction depicted.
	Barrel Kannons	Barrel Cannons are very common barrels that can blast the Kongs to high areas when entered. Sometimes, upon being entered, the barrels spin in circles. If this happens, the player has to hit the correct button to blast out of it as it points in the desired direction.
	Biplane Barrel	The Biplane Barrel is a vehicle that can be rented fromFunky's Flights II, acting as the succesor of theFunky Barrel inDonkey Kong Country. The Kongs must pay twoBanana Coins to use it, unless it is their first visit, in which case using it is free of charge. The Biplane Barrel can take the Kongs around the many areas ofCrocodile Isle, but only to areas the player has already visited before.
	Blast Barrels	Blast Barrels automatically blast the Kongs in a direction not specified before launching.
	Bonus Barrels	Bonus Barrels lead the Kongs into aBonus Level if entered. In each level, there are one or two Bonus Barrels to be found, with some levels having three Bonus Barrels.
	Diddy & Dixie Barrels	Diddy & Dixie Barrels are uncommon barrels that are usable only by either Diddy or Dixie, depending on whose face is shown.
	Golden Barrel	The Golden Barrel can only be found inKlubba's Kiosk. After the Kongs pay Klubba 15 Kremkoins per world, he allows them to use this barrel. If the Kongs enter it, they are taken into theLost World.
	Rotatable Barrels	Rotatable Barrels can be rotated to aim in the Kongs' desired directions. However, like Steerable Barrels, they have time limits, which shoots the Kongs out of the object when time runs out.
	Steerable Barrels	Steerable Barrels appear only in Fiery Furnace. There, they can be controlled when the Kongs are inside it. They can move the barrel in any direction, but only for a limited time. Once the countdown reaches zero, the Kongs are automatically blasted out.
	Warp Barrels	Warp Barrels appear in early levels and act as hidden shortcuts to the end of their respective stage.
Triggerable barrels
	Check and X Barrels	Only appearing inTarget Terror, the Check and X Barrels control whether the roller coaster's gates are passable.
	Exclamation Point Barrels	When touched, the Kongs become temporarily invincible, giving these the exact function ofSuper Stars from theSuper Mario series. While invincible, the Kongs can defeat enemies just from touching them and walk over sharp spikes.
	Krockhead Barrels	These appear only inKrem Quay. When hit, they summonKrockheads from the swampy water to be used as platforms.
	Plus and Minus Barrels	Plus and Minus Barrels appear only inHaunted Hall, where they increase and decrease the amount of time the Kongs have before being hit, respectively. If this timer runs out, aKackle attacks them. The Plus Barrel also appears in Rickety Race, where it will speed up theRoller Coaster for the Kongs, as well as make it go backwards in one of the bonus areas.
	Star Barrels	Star Barrels, when hit, mark the level's halfway point, so if the Kongs are defeated, they can start the level over where the Star Barrel was.

Supporting locations

Image	Title	Owner	Summary
	Funky's Flights II	Funky Kong	The Kongs can go here to revisit previous worlds using theBiplane Barrel.
	Swanky's Bonus Bonanza	Swanky Kong	An optional minigame of a quiz about various trivia relating to the game, and winning earns the playerExtra Life Balloons. When a quiz is completed, it cannot be played again.
	Kong Kollege	Wrinkly Kong	A place where Wrinkly teaches a class ofKremlings, unseen during gameplay. Its main purpose is to save the game (free at first but later costing two Banana Coins), though Wrinkly can also give some hints, like how Cranky does in the Monkey Museum.
	Monkey Museum	Cranky Kong	Cranky gives vague advice on how to find secrets hidden within levels, with some hints being free and some costing Banana Coins.
	Klubba's Kiosk	Klubba	A tollbooth to theLost World. The Kongs can unlock and access a level of the Lost World if they pay 15Kremkoins to Klubba.

Levels

Cheats

InPirate Panic, the player can perform an obscure series of events to reveal a singleKremkoin that will give them all 75 Kremkoins at once.

• The player should go into the cabin where Kaptain K. Rool's note is found, then leave without collecting theExtra Life Balloon or reading the note.
• The player should then collect the firstBanana Bunch without collecting any otherbananas.
• Then, they should go back into the cabin, without collecting any bananas, and grab the 1-Up Balloon.
• The player should leave the cabin, and repeat step 2.
• The player should go back into the cabin, without collecting any bananas. A Kremkoin will be inside, and once it is collected, the player's Kremkoin count will jump to the maximum of 75.

After this cheat is performed, the player can still collect regular Kremkoins from boss battles andBonus Areas. Collecting the coins in this manner will not count toward the player'scompletion percentage.

When paused in a level, pressing +, +, +, + will allow the player to exit the level, even if they have not cleared it before.^[17]

While creating new file, pressing five times while highlighting Two-Player Contest Mode gives access to the game's Music Test. Doing soagain opens the Cheat Code option, allowing the following codes and effects to be added:

• ,,,,,,, ("Ya Sad Lad") - gives 50 lives
• ,,,,,,, ("Barrel Ax") - removes all DK Barrels^[18]

Differences in other versions

In addition to regional differences, there are two main revisions of the SNES release. Changes from the first version:

V1.1

• Jungle Jinx andKlobber Karnage both have their bonus areas' color schemes swapped from the previous version.
• King Zing moves faster duringKing Zing Sting.
• Infinite throwing jumpglitch fixed.
• Various bugs fixed.

Glitches

Main article:List of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest glitches

Castle Crush glitch

Note: This glitch only works in the SNES,Wii U,New Nintendo 3DS, andNintendo Switch versions.

Two examples of the glitch's effects.

To perform this glitch, the player must enterCastle Crush withDiddy Kong as the lead character (Dixie is optional, but cannot be the lead character). Then, the player must pick up the first DK Barrel and hold it against a wall. The player must now drop the barrel and quickly pick it up again; if done correctly, the barrel will break, but Diddy will act as if he's still holding it. Upon throwing the "invisible barrel", it will be replaced with a nearby object, with the exact object depending on how much of the level had been traversed before throwing.^[19] Throughout most of the level, this will cause an enemy to warp in front of Diddy, following which the enemy will often die immediately. If thrown near the top, it will be replaced with the "No Rambi" sign. Both of these outcomes are relatively harmless. However, if thrown shortly after being "picked up," the invisible barrel will be replaced with the nearbyRambi Barrel. The transformation aspect of the Rambi Barrel becomes broken after this happens, and will typically cause Diddy to either turn into a screen-sized glitchy mess, an incorrectly-coloredKlubba with no hammer, which stands in place, or a fully-blackKleever, which moves slowly to the side while spinning. In all three of these cases, the game typically will softlock shortly thereafter.

Quotes

Main article:List of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest quotes

Wrinkly Kong

• "All thoseKremlings want to do is learn how to fight and squashmonkeys!"
• "Those naughty crocodiles! All they want to learn is how to fight and squash monkeys, Tsk!"
• "When you seeKaptain K. Rool, can you ask him if he has done his homework?"
• "Hurry along! School is nearly finished! You need to study a little more if you're going to beat the Kremlings!"
• "You're looking a little weary dear. Would you like to save your game?"
• "Good luck, children."
• "Be careful now, Kongs."
• "Have you been to see my husband Cranky? He complains a little, but he does know everything about this island."
• "Goodbye, dearies."
• "Don't be a stranger now."
• "Well! Just look at all those sums thoseKremlings have done. Disgraceful!"
• "I hope you're better behaved than those reptiles. Why I even caught one sharpening his sword in class yesterday."

Staff

Main article:List of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest staff

Head Programmer

• C. Sutherland

Assistant Head Programmer

• M. Wilson

Technical Programmer

• B. Gunn

Programmer

• T. Attwood

Characters / Animation

• S. Mayles

Objects and Additional Characters / Backgrounds

• M. Stevenson

Backgrounds

• C. Gage
• J. Nash
• A. Smith

Development

Even before the firstDonkey Kong Country turned out to be a blockbuster success, the game's development team already had plans for a sequel.^[20] The team focused first on the game's environments; the game's setting was informed byGregg Mayles' life-long obsession with pirates and the fact that the firstDonkey Kong Country had already featured most stock platforming level archetypes. While some ideas from its predecessor were carried over, all of the levels inDonkey Kong Country 2 were brand new.^[20] Replacing Donkey Kong with the new character Dixie Kong came from a desire to take risk and surprise players.^[20]

Speaking of the game's level design, Mayles explained thatDonkey Kong Country 2 went with a more exploration-based structure as"If we had made it speed runs again then there wouldn't have been much scope for us to go anywhere different with it" and to make the game more different from its predecessor.^[20] Secret collectables and the Lost World were included to give the game more intrigue and extend its replay value.Nintendo was less involved inDonkey Kong Country 2's development, which Gregg Mayles chalked up to the success of the first game.^[20]

Pre-release and unused content

Main article:List of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest pre-release and unused content

The subtitle was originallyDiddy Kong's Quest,^[21] but it was later changed toDiddy's Kong Quest.

Rare Witch Project preview and German strategy guide

Mr. X, an earlier version of Kackle. Its artwork originates from a German player's guide.

TheRare Witch Project website once had previews of several upcoming enemies and characters forDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Among these enemies was a sinister looking character simply dubbed "Mr. X". Mr. X was an early version of the enemyKackle, a ghostlyKremling that appears in the levelHaunted Hall and chases the Kongs throughout the level in the final version of the game. Mr. X was a phantasmagoric white Kremling with red eyes, wearing a large black jacket covered in army medals, he also possessed two small hooks for hands. Despite his status as an unused element, Mr. X somehow managed to be included in the official German player's guide, which cryptically states that he is a character no one has known or has seen.

Reception

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest received widespread critical acclaim, considered by critics to be among the best titles on the Wii's Virtual Console.

Nintendo eShop description

Kaptain K. Rool and his cutthroat Kremlings have kidnapped Donkey Kong and are holding him ransom at Crocodile Isle for the banana hoard! Who will brave the seas to save our hairy hero?

Enter Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong, and they're ready to head out and show their stuff! The two small Kongs are each equipped with their own abilities—Diddy Kong's Cartwheel can sprint him across a distance, while Dixie Kong's Helicopter Spin will let her float from high places.

Play solo, against a friend, or together with a friend in eight exciting worlds. During your adventure, meet up with other Kong family members for some fun times or friendly advice. Be on the lookout for animal friends, collectibles, and hidden areas, as they can be very valuable in your adventures!

All aboard, and let's set sail! It's time for Kaptain K. Rool to get knocked off his ship.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.

• 

  Diddy Kong andDixie Kong

• 

  Donkey Kong

• 

  Cranky Kong

• 

  Wrinkly Kong

• 

  Funky Kong

• 

  Swanky Kong

• 

  Kaptain K. Rool

Multimedia

For the complete list of media files for this subject, seeMultimedia:Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.

Snakey Chantey

File infoMedia:DKC2 SNES Snakey Chantey.oga ​

Stickerbush Symphony

File infoMedia:DKC2 SNES Stickerbush Symphony.oga ​

Bad Bird Rag

File infoMedia:DKC2 SNES Bad Bird Rag.oga ​

Crocodile Cacophony

File infoMedia:DKC2 SNES Crocodile Cacophony.oga ​

School House Harmony

File infoMedia:DKC2 SNES School House Harmony.oga ​

Help:Media •Having trouble playing?

References to other games

Cranky's Video Game Heroes ceremony, featuring Mario, Yoshi, Link, Sonic the Hedgehog's shoes, and Earthworm Jim's blaster

Super Mario Bros.

• The instruction booklet's description of theMinus Barrel jokingly states that it will send the player to theMinus World.

Super Mario franchise

• Mario makes an appearance as a video game hero as first place or second place depending on the number ofCranky's Video Game Hero Coins obtained.
• Yoshi also appears in second or third place depending on the number of coins obtained.

The Legend of Zelda series

• AtCranky's Video Game Heroes, Link can be seen in third place or ranked out.

Sonic the Hedgehog series

• Sonic the Hedgehog's discarded shoes is seen among the "No Hopers" pile.

Killer Instinct

• AKiller Instinct arcade cabinet and a poster of Chief Thunder can be seen in Cranky'sMonkey Museum.

Earthworm Jim series

• Earthworm Jim's discarded blaster is seen among the "No Hopers" pile.

Donkey Kong Country

• In the instruction booklet, the description for Squawks references his role inTorchlight Trouble.
• Some of Cranky Kong's rantings referenceDonkey Kong Country.
  • In the instruction booklet, he derides both the plot for being worse than the previous one and Diddy Kong for letting his "couple of frames" inDonkey Kong Country make him think he is a big star.
  • He hates being confined to theMonkey Museum and want to sit outside again, referencing his position outside of his cabin.
  • He gets annoyed at being included in another game becauseDonkey Kong Country "sold a few lousy copies".
  • He thinks Diddy Kong was a cheap character inDonkey Kong Country.
  • He thought he would be the main character because of his starring role inDonkey Kong Country.
  • He gets angry at his theme sharing a melody with the title screen's music.
• Cartridges ofDonkey Kong Country appear on the floor of the Monkey Museum.
• One ofSwanky Kong's questions inSwanky's Bonus Bonanza is "Which of these enemies also appeared in Donkey Kong Country?", with the correct answer being "Zinger the wasp".
• "Klomp's Romp", "Snakey Chantey" and "Game Over" are rearrangements of "Gang-Plank Galleon".

References in later games

A portait of Kaptain K. Rool inDonkey Kong 64 as seen inGloomy Galleon

Donkey Kong 64

• Portraits of Kaptain K. Rool hang in sunken ships in this game.

DK: Jungle Climber

• Funky's Theme in this game is a cover of the theme "Funky the Main Monkey".

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• Kaptain K. Rool and the game's title is mentioned in King K. Rool's trophy description.

WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase

• ThemicrogameDK Country is based on the game.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

• A bramble level returns, and is namedBramble Scramble after the one inDonkey Kong Country 2.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• One of King K. Rool's attacks involves him using his blunderbuss and he wears his pirate hat when using the move.
• Kaptain K. Rool appears as aspirit in this game, using his artwork fromDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
• In King K. Rool's announce trailer "The Rivals", Donkey Kong's and Diddy Kong's eyes comically bulge out in horror when they witness King K. Rool knock awayKing Dedede (who had posed as King K. Rool as a prank), referencing their reactions when about to face a boss inDonkey Kong Country 2 (and to a lesser extent, Donkey Kong's reaction whenever Kaptain K. Rool regains consciousness and starts the next phase of the final boss battle).

Names in other languages

Notes

• The game was placed 33rd in the 100th issue ofNintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997.^{[page number needed]}
• This is the only game in the originalDonkey Kong Country trilogy where the players start with four lives by default. The other two games have the players start with five lives by default.
• The game over screen is also used in error and anti-piracy screens in-game. This also occurs inDonkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
• An arcade game manufacturer named Sunwise made a Japan-only slot machine game based on the Japanese version ofDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest calledSwanky no Bonus Slot (which translates to "Swanky's Bonus Slots"). The game would play a music piece while the wheels would spin.^[28]

References

External links

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest coverage on otherNIWA wikis:

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StrategyWiki

The Cutting Room Floor has an article onDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.

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