Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

With Donkey Kong Country and its pre-rendered 3D taking the world by storm during 1994's holiday season, it was only natural developer Rare would get to work on a sequel, this time starring Donkey Kong's breakout sidekick: Diddy Kong. Fittingly, the game was dubbed Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, a notorious pun that slipped by young gamers and resulted in shock and awe upon sudden realization years later. Having been one of these unfortunate children, it's never ceased in irking the hell out of me, so perhaps we should not call attention to it at all? Yes, that's what we'll do.

Anyway, Donkey Kong Country 2 is often lauded as the apex of not just the Donkey Kong name but of 16-bit platforming and the Super Nintendo console, cited alongside the likes of Super Mario World and Sonic 3 & Knuckles as being the very finest the genre and/or console has to offer. This claim is not without merit: the level design is no longer basic and constructs itself around depth rather than just cheap thrills, the setting breaks free of ordinary tropes and plunges headfirst into full-on creativity, and David Wise's music is as delicious as ever, if not more so. No longer was Rare's re-imagining of Nintendo's first true gaming star a freshman effort, but a full-fledged video game that vindicated the British game developer's rise into stardom.

As may be implied, however, I'm not so quick to subscribe to most of these accolades. Indeed, it was undoubtedly Rare's finest accomplishment hitherto for Nintendo, but as far as games underneath the actual banner's SNES games go, I struggle in ranking it alongside Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, and Kirby Super Star. There are certainly elements that match or even surpass certain facets of them, but to say it possesses the same level of engagement and quality oversells its value, I feel. (Heck, I can't even quite agree when it's hailed as the crowning achievement of Rare's overall output -- not when Conker's Bad Fur Day and Banjo-Kazooie exist, anyway)

However, let us not turn this into a "Donkey Kong Country 2 is overrated" essay, for this is nothing of the sort -- after all, I speak as someone who enjoyed it enough to achieve 102% completion last year. If anything, that it only falls just short of such perfection deserves praise: after all, that meant Rare learned so much within only a year's time, and such lessons were quickly applied to the original's most pressing weaknesses. I may hesitate to call it a masterpiece, but why does that matter when it still achieves a stellar balance of captivating our eyes, ears and attention?

What ultimately makes Donkey Kong Country 2 is its successful attempt in avoid tired sequelization; in other words, its using the same engine meant little when our entire surroundings and cast have changed. There's the setting, for one -- Crocodile Isle, a pirate-infested base filled with ships, volcanoes and carnivals -- but in a retrospectively-shocking move within the context of his big revival, Donkey Kong himself is hardly present. As evident by the title, his second banana Diddy Kong takes the reigns to rescue his big buddy, and brings his girlfriend Dixie Kong along for the ride. While this gradual distancing from DK would lead to head-scratching consequences, this move made sense here: Diddy had already become something of a breakout character following his debut -- perhaps his youthful 90's look made him a more relatable avatar? -- so it's only sensible he'd take center stage. (And hey, the game's sub-plot is about proving his worth as a video game all-star.)

Neither are there any objections to Dixie, who's thankfully not remotely as grotesque as Candy Kong from the previous game. That aside, her Helicopter Spin alone provides a more interesting distinction than "one Kong is heavier than the other," as her ponytail hijinks appeal to all levels of difficulty; for one thing, beginners will likely be inclined to use her as the duo's lead, as the floaty gyration allows for safer, more calculated landings than Diddy's full-on sprints. In a fast-paced game such as this, such handicaps are vital for the novice's progress (although the variance in level design ensures this mechanic can't be cheesed). Meanwhile, experts hunting for the elusive DK Coins recognize the necessity of her airy prowess, and comb the skies and pits for any goodies hidden away. Successfully designed for both audiences, it's no wonder Dixie also became a popular character in her own right.

But I was just getting to the setting! Donkey Kong Country 2's levels may echo biomes, mechanics and scenarios found within the original, but their respective renovations are enough to feel fresh:  the famous mine cart rides, for instance, are now amusement park rides and deadly escapes from crocodile phantasms. Animal buddies new and old return, some of them even center-stage through transformation or as vehicles (as a latecomer, I recognize here the former was the genesis for a similar gimmick in Donkey Kong 64). Mines are now vertical, treacherous climbs, and much of the greenery is found within swamps and bramble bushes rather than jungles. True, we may visit the tropics every now and then, but where the game opens -- a pirate ship -- signals we have landed in new territory: even as we dock into Crocodile Isle, the Kremlings' newfound identity as buccaneers impedes us no matter where we go, and it is never not a delight to witness.

Let us admit that, yes, 90's CGI being what it is, there's enough "that's so 90's" awkwardness to sift through: there's a little too much acidic green for my tastes -- the primary culprit on why we can't get a contextual bead on what's going on in the otherwise entertaining Rattle Battle level --  and every now and then you'll come across an unpleasant character design (thankfully nothing on the level of Manky Kong from the original, but good lord, what is this unpleasant Sonic knock-off?). Thankfully, the best of Donkey Kong Country 2's imagination is often complemented by timeless visuals -- perhaps the carnivals' warm Christmas light fireworks are all the more precious to long-time fans, having been a setting never repeated in the two decades since.

Of course, with the graphical engine being more or less the same, the game must impress on its own terms now that we've grown accustomed to pre-rendered 3D. To claim Donkey Kong Country 2 is especially deep would be a mistake: at the very least, there's nothing matching the intricate duality of Super Mario World nor the sheer wonder of Yoshi's Island, and even its building upon the calculated rocket-run design of Donkey Kong Country stumbles with certain enemies (the "jump then throw" design for the Click-Clack beetles kills the momentum, and being spun about by the Cat O' Nine Tails feels unintuitive and uncertain). The key, then, is taking care in crafting a well-constructed balance of gimmicks; yes, perhaps the roller coasters and haunted houses aren't necessarily complex, but that doesn't mean their respective takes on targets, races, and countdown chase-scenes don't captivate in engagement and difficulty. That they're appropriately interspersed alongside classic platforming means they don't overstep their boundaries, a blessing of variety entertaining us in challenge and ideas. (While we're at it, Rattly the Rattlesnake is perhaps the best animal buddy if only for how fun it is to bop about on enemies, and his rockety Superjump is never not thrilling)

When compounded upon by serviceable collectables, said engagement grows tenfold. The first game had the KONG letters and bonus rooms, yes, but those merely being trinkets for multiplying lives rendered them, at best, completionist bragging rights as opposed to any sort of depth; here, the presence of Kremkoins and DK Coins provide more convincing enticements for exploring levels, especially owing to the former's paving the way to discovering the Lost World. Not everything is perfect -- saving's requirement of Banana Coins compels the tedious process of combing completed levels for the darn things -- but the relevant gameplay displays Rare's gradual understanding in furthering our commitment. I must also add the bosses and bonus rooms are, by and large, much more varied in design and ingenuity than the original falling back on repeats and banana-collecting, respectively.

Once again, though, we must pay heed to the true star of Donkey Kong Country: David "God" Wise. While his own work doesn't outstrip the core content nearly as much as the original, that's still a mighty impressive feat considering he's raised the bar in his solo return. From the Opening Fanfare echoing movie-production values to the glistening brilliance of the title screen (K. Rool Returns), Donkey Kong Country 2 immediately arrests not our eyes but our ears, projecting our giddy excitement in finally unlocking our much-awaited treasure. The world map theme in Welcome to Crocodile Isle completes our immersion: a swashbuckling theme of triumph and danger that switches gears from the light-heartedness of DK Island Swing not in a "wow, look at how much darker this is!" way, but approaching us by saying, "Welcome to Donkey Kong Country 2, and it is going to kick ass."

And kick ass the music does indeed; off the top my of head, this is the only game I can recall where every level variety possesses not merely their respective game over themes, but completion themes depending on who you completed it with and how expertly you bopped the level-clearing checkpoint. What drove Wise to do this remains unknown, but if he had not already revealed Donkey Kong Country 2 to be his proudest work, his passion would certainly speak for itself. It is unbelievably crisp, Jib Jig being the best early example: before diving into a delightfully wistful pirate shanty, we're treated to wind and rain that's perhaps the SNES sound chip's most genuine depiction of the elements. Other songs possess similarly-stunning range in their sound fonts, be it the aquatic urgency of Lockjaw Saga and the scream-laced bass of Disco Train, but I can hardly recall any other song sounding so authentic.

Similar technological achievements are made in the more atmospheric tunes, but as we get to them, it's time I make a confession: I don't think Stickerbush Symphony is the game's best song. While you're busy lobbing tomatoes at me, I'm also one of the heathens who believes Super Smash Bros. Brawl's remix is superior. This is not to undermine the original song's beauty or success in its purpose -- a meditative hypnosis lulling us into a level absolutely demanding concentration -- but such meditation means little next to the soul-binding euphoric transcendence provided by Forest Interlude and In A Snowbound Land. To date, it remains impossible deciding which is better; I may slightly prefer Forest Interlude if only considering my inclination towards forest settings, but even comparing both slices of heaven -- let alone the task of describing them -- is something perhaps best left out of the hands of mortals. (Hmm, I sense an article coming on: is David Wise truly a deified entity, or simply an enlightened moral channeling the heavenly realm in aural form?)

In short, Donkey Kong Country 2 is best described as a bigger and better sequel, one setting out to realize Rare's full ambitions for their Super Nintendo showstopper. Does the gameplay system take it as far as it go, or is Rare's inexperience showing again? Perhaps, but again, let us not get caught up in such squabbles, nor be too quick to lament the Kong Family's ensuing decline: it was great enough to not only immortalize little Diddy Kong into Nintendo's pantheon of heroes, but was certainly the apex of anything bearing the name Donkey Kong for quite some time (up until Retro Studios' revival in Donkey Kong Country Returns, at least; only Donkey Kong Jungle Beat comes to mind as a probable contender). And that's good enough for me.