Donkey Kong is one of the oldest and most known videogame characters out there. He however always had to share the spotlight with his archnemesis, Mario. In 1994, he finally got the chance to shine on his own in Donkey Kong Country, a SNES game developed by Rareware, maybe Nintendo’s most trusted second party developer at the time. While the game wasn’t quite as fun as some of Mario’s legendary platformers, it was still a great game that became an instant classic.



One year after DKC’s release, we were already graced by a sequel. This time however, Donkey Kong has to play the role of the kidnapped one, while his buddy Diddy gets the first role. He isn’t alone, as he can count on the help of his girlfriend, Dixie. The two Simians have to fight legions of K. Rool’s minions in order to save their friend Donkey. This simple story is the foundation of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, the best game in the Donkey Kong Country series and one of the best games on the SNES. It's truly a must for anyone having access to the Wii's Virtual Console.



DKC2 does all what its predecessor did well. The first thing that comes in mind is its stunning graphics. The SGI-rendered sprites are still as amazing today as they were 12 years ago. The levels layouts are varied, going from volcanoes to swamp and even giant sticker bush. The different Kong’s animations are incredibly well made, as are the ones for the many enemies. The graphics really bring the machine to its limit, and that can even cause some slowdowns. Fortunately, these slowdowns are very rare and don’t really affect the gaming experience.



The music is even better in this game than in its predecessor, which really says how great it is. The musical score is incredibly well orchestrated and really match the levels layout. There are so many memorable tunes and some of them, like the Sticker Bush Symphony, will stay in your head for months and even years. Another thing that really stands out is the music when we lose a life. It changes depending on which level the two Kong are.



Both of the graphics and the music create a unique atmosphere that is dark, but yet comfortable at the same time. It’s different from the one in the original Donkey Kong Country, which really help the game to distance itself from its predecessor. The series unique humor also makes a return, and Cranky is even better with his fourth wall-breaking humor. The manual, which has unfortunately not been ported to the VC, is simply hilarious.



Speaking of the differences from the original game, the thing that really place DKC2 above the first installment in the series is the gameplay. The chemistry between the two Kong is now much more important, since each of them can now throw the other to reach locations that would be otherwise inaccessible. There is also a difference between the two Kong’s abilities. Diddy is faster and can jump higher, while Dixie can hover in the air by doing a helicopter spin with her ponytail.



Many criticized DKC for its repetitive levels and for its simple and very linear quest. That has completely changed with the inclusion of the Bonus Coins, which can be collected to unlock the Lost World and accessing the real ending of the game. There is also 40 DK Coins to collect, one in each of the game's 39 levels plus one in a hidden location. These coins also have their usefulness at the end of the game.



The bonus levels has returned and it’s in these levels that the Bonus Coins are found. That means that they are much more important now that they were in the original game. There are many types of bonus levels, ranging from simply reaching the end of the level to finding all the star coins. As for actually finding these secret levels, we can say that it’s much more difficult to find them now. Fortunately, Cranky Kong will once again provide Diddy and Dixie with useful clues to help them find all the secrets in the game.



That leads to the different Kong scattered through the different worlds. They still can save your game and help you accessing different world. But the major difference now is the Banana Coins. You have to pay the Kong to be able to access their services, which can at some times be annoying. But with the Virtual Console and the ability of saving your game and restarting right at the place you left, these coins will not play an important role, because you’ll have plenty of them at the end of the game. And even if you need some, these coins can easily be found in levels that you already visited.



The animals also make a comeback and this time you have not only the option of riding them, but also the option of metamorphosing into them. That adds to the diversity of the levels designs. They are also much more useful this time, as many of the bonus levels can only be found with their help.



The game will take at least 10 hours to complete at 100% the first time, which is a lot compared to other SNES games. And there’s even a multiplayer mode, where one person can control Diddy while another control Dixie. There’s also a mode where one person compete with a team of Diddy and Dixie against another person’s team.



Overall, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest is a game that is worth every single of the 800 points needed to purchase it. This is the best installment in the Donkey Kong Country series, and probably the best Donkey Kong ever. We have to say however that most of the latest DK games don’t do much to try to beat this classic.