Hook
Sprite fromDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
First appearance	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995)
Latest appearance	Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020)
Effect	Climbable support used to reach other areas

Hooks^[1] appear as objects in theSuper Mario franchise. They are environmental fixtures always positioned downward in select shipyard areas. The player character canjump from and cling to a hook, enabling them to crosspits and reach higher places.

History[edit]

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

Hooks first appear inDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.Diddy Kong andDixie Kong use them to reach higher areas and cross gaps. Whenever theKongs jump at a hook, they hang from it automatically: Diddy hangs from his tail, and Dixie hangs from her ponytail. To get off a hook, the Kongs have to either jump from it or drop right below it. Hooks often appear in groups, requiring several of them to be jumped from. The Kongs cannot grab on to a hook while they are carrying an object, and none of theAnimal Friends can grab on to a hook. Diddy or Dixie can useteam up to throw the other Kong on a hook as a way for both to hang from it automatically. Hooks are often used to reach collectible items, such as aBanana Coin and aRed Balloon, or even to enter aBonus Barrel. Some of the hooks are invisible at first, but they can be made visible by touching them. Some of the invisible hooks' locations are hinted at by a trail ofbananas.

For regularlevels, hooks first appear inGangplank Galley, where the first hooks are used to collect theVideo Game Hero Coin at the start, and the level'sBonus Level even involves Diddy and Dixie having to jump from several hooks to reach theKremkoin. In certain levels, hooks appear at the end of Gangplank Galley and some other levels, where jumping from them is the only way the Kongs can land on anEnd of Level Target with enough force to win one of its prizes. During the first half ofTopsail Trouble, hooks are an alternative way for Diddy and Dixie to progress farther into the level rather than by usingRattly'sSuperjump ability.

Hooks prominently appear in theCrocodile Cauldron boss level,Kleever's Kiln. During the first portion, whenever Diddy or Dixie throws akannonball atKleever, a trail of hooks falls from the sky and remains in place above thelava pit. When the other side of the arena is reached, the hooks drop into the lava. Later, during the second part of the battle, several more hooks appear above the pit of lava. They are especially used for Diddy and Dixie to avoid Kleever's swinging attacks. Unlike before, these hooks do not fall back into the lava when Kleever takes damage but only once he has been defeated.

Donkey Kong Land 2[edit]

Hooks return inDonkey Kong Land 2, having an identical function as inDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. However, they are less common, and the invisible ones do not return. Since the team up move was removed, it can no longer be used to reach a hook.

Super Mario Sunshine[edit]

InSuper Mario Sunshine, hooks appear only inRicco Harbor. In this game, the curved metal piece is at the base of an unmoving red-and-whitepole. This is the part thatMario directly clings to, rather than the hook itself. Most hooks are fastened to scaffolding that shift them back and forth, often over bodies of water. This allows Mario to reach distant areas. There is a brief pause before resuming. Hooks appear only inepisodes followingGooper Blooper Breaks Out and are most potentially useful duringThe Caged Shine Sprite, in which theShine Sprite is held high above Ricco Harbor and necessitates using the unique objects of the shipyard to reach.

Hooks are comparable to the moving poles fromDire, Dire Docks inSuper Mario 64.

Gallery[edit]

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  Screenshot fromDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

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  Sprite formDonkey Kong Land 2

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  Screenshot fromSuper Mario Sunshine

Names in other languages[edit]

References[edit]

• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest objects
• Donkey Kong Land 2 objects
• Super Mario Sunshine objects