Donkey Kong Country Review - GBA

Gameplay

Donkey Kong Country consists of many different themed levels while keeping a more major jungle theme tied into the mix. Levels are played from a two-dimensional, side-on view and involve, basically, jumping over gaps in the ground and overcoming enemies and traps to make your way to the level's exit. Gaps in the ground can be traversed in many ways, including jumping, swinging across on ropes or shooting across via special barrels.

Scattered among some levels are stationary barrels that can be used to throw at enemies or to break open walls so that you can access a secret area. You'll also come across star-spangled barrels that, when broken, act as a continue point for when you die, and barrels with "DK" written on them, which, when broken, cause Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong (depending on who you're currently playing as) to follow you, serving as a substitute for when you get hit. You can also tap the L button to switch between characters; Diddy Kong is more agile than Donkey Kong, while Donkey Kong is usually better for attacking.
Available for collection throughout levels are bananas, which, when one hundred of them are collected, will reward you with an extra life. You can also collect secret camera icons by completing mini-games accessed via the world map or killing multiple enemies at once during a level. These cameras unlock special character art, all of which can be viewed via the "Scrapbook" section. Unfortunately, the art isn't all that special, consisting simply of small pictures of enemies and characters - therefore not really warranting collection of all of the camera icons; you'll find it better to simply progress through the game, happening upon the icons as you go.

Secret areas can be found within some levels by smashing open particular walls with barrels or any of the four rideable characters in the game: Rambi the Rhino, Expresso the Emu, Winky the Frog or Enguarde the Swordfish. Each secret area bears a certain title such as "Find the Exit!" and "Bash the Baddies!" and usually involves collecting as many bananas as you can while completing the set objective within a time limit. While not entirely rewarding, they can be fun and a nice break from the Kremling-bashing action.

As mentioned before, you can find four rideable characters throughout some levels. They each have their own particular advantages: from attacking to swimming and speed.
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