Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995 Video Game) User Reviews

The Best Of The SNES DK Trilogy

[zkonedog · 8/10 · 13 March 2017]

The original "Donkey Kong Country" game was such a success that it pretty much usurped Mario on the SNES console for the title of "best side-scrolling adventure". This sequel, "Diddy's Kong Quest", however, manages to even improve upon the gameplay of its predecessor and make for an even better gaming experience.

There are two main reasons why this game is better than the original:

1. The level designs manage to be even more interesting. Not that the levels in "DK1" were bad, by any means, but they are just more interesting in this effort. When I think back to the iconic levels in this series, I'm usually thinking of ones from this game.

2. Dixie Kong is a better playable character than Donkey Kong. The main trouble with the DK/Diddy combo of part one is that DK is such a sluggish character. He "gets the job done", but only passably for a game that requires so much jumping. In that game, Diddy is the much better character. In part two, though, the Diddy/Dixie combination are pretty much equals. Diddy is still a bit more agile and nimble to work with, but the hair of Dixie (used for flying and throwing) makes her very valuable as well.

The only reason I can't give this game the full five stars? It doesn't let you save after every level. I know, I know...gamers weren't used to that feature like they are now. But it still doesn't make it any better (at least for me). After about the second stage, the levels in this game get quite difficult. Difficult to the point of the gamer feeling a real accomplishment after completing a level (which of course is the point!). Yet, there is a clunky system of gathering coins in order to save (and even then it is only after you reach the "save point" in each stage). You may have to beat 3- 4 VERY difficult stages (often with only a few lives to work with) in order to save your progress. I don't care what the "times" were like...that makes for more frustration and less fun.

Overall, though, "Diddy's Kong Quest" manages to slide in slightly ahead of its predecessor (no easy feat). I always had a bit more fun playing this game than the first one.

Pirates, Piranhas, and Ponytails: A Review of DKC2

[RiffRaffMcKinley · 10/10 · 10 August 2007]

"Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong-Quest" is one of those exciting games that keeps you tapping buttons from childhood to adulthood. This game is even slightly better than its fantastic predecessor.

The plot goes far beyond banana theft this time. Now, it's Donkey Kong who has been stolen by K. Rool (now reinvented as a pirate, Kaptain K. Rool), meaning that Diddy Kong has to go rescue him. Along for the ride is Dixie Kong, Diddy's blond girlfriend who has a unique ability: she can hover like a helicopter in the air by twirling her ponytail around very fast.

DKC2 is filled with fun challenges, amazing and well-realized characters, and a more in-depth adventure than the first game had. Travel through a pirate ship, a volcano, a bayou, an evil amusement park, a haunted forest, a creepy castle, and K. Rool's wicked flying fortress (The Flying Krock). My personal favorite is the forest (Gloomy Gulch), while my favorite level is in the amusement park, the breakneck-paced Rickety Race. Meet new animal friends like Squitter the Spider.

Above all, rescue Donkey from K. Rool's sinister clutches in this dazzlingly fun adventure for the ages.

Overall

[jachase92 · 9/10 · 7 May 2006]

Overall, it's about Donkey Kong being held for ransom of the banana hoard. this is when Diddy takes action. Cranky ( Donkey's grandson, the real Donkey Kong from 'Donkey Kong' )thinks Diidy can't be in his own video game. but Diddy will prove him wrong. Soon enough you, Diddy ( Donkey's nephew from the 1st game ) & Dixie( Diddy's girlfriend ), will be on a boat, to a volcano, to a swamp, to a carnival ( which is so awesome ), to the woods, to a castle, and a helicopter. Overall it is an awesome game. And it's easier to find stuff in the 2nd then the 1st, though it could be tougher. 9 out of 10 for the reason of it will take you about 3 to 6 ( if you're good ) hours to get all the stuff and get a 102%.

I loved this one even better

[Isildurs Bane · 12 December 2001]

Many people have said this game rocks but falls a little short of the first. I disagree on the latter part. Original DKC was far better than most games, yet it gave me the impression of an old-style game updated and showing off the capabilities. This time they put extra effort into improving from there. No more Candy Kong kisses while you gather giant plantains.

You might miss working with the big guy, but that sure doesn't ruin the fun. Dixie Kong is cool in her own regard, making a swell teammate for Diddy. The enemies' pirate theme lends organization while keeping the game cracked enough for amusement. The scenery is easy on the eyes and the music is simply superb. And yes, the gameplay advanced as well.

If DKC is salt, then DKC 2 is sugar. Both delicious, but I know which I prefer.

Keeps up well with Original

[tequila101 · 9/10 · 10 August 2010]

Donkey Kong has now been kidnapped by Kaptian K.Rool and now Diddy Kong and his girlfriend Dixie Kong must save Donkey Kong from the clutches of the fat kremlin and his crew of kremlings.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is a great sequel to the original Donkey Kong Country though sometimes I think this one lacks a little bit behind. I hate how they put some of the new systems in there like the coins to save a game and many coins to get to lost worlds though I like a bit of challenge. Like the original though there is really nothing to hate. What i've just said there was the only thing I didn't like.

An improvement is that now the levels are 200 times harder, Instead of having a heavy Kong and a Light Kong You end up having two flexible Kongs and now you get to buy Lost Worlds and the feel of the Kong Island/Jungle theme is gone and Now in this sequel we have K.Rool's lair and the theme is pirates.

I like the Honey Comb land like levels and you still get Animal Buddies back just like you do in the first one though there are newer ones.

This sequel does keep up well with the original though I still like the original better. I give this sequel an outstanding 9.1/10

Swashbuckling Monkeys

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 28 March 2023]

This is another of my favorite video games of all time. Of course, after the phenomenal high swinging success of the first game a sequel was inevitable and this game followed up well. Personally, I think the game is equal to its predecessor but I kind of like it a bit more due to a few improvements it has, which is why I rank the game a little high on my personal ranking list.

There isn't a whole lot I can say as the game isn't really that different from the first which is fine by me as it goes with the old saying, "if it's not broke don't fix it." It has the same graphical presentation and gameplay, but the sequel has a few additions and improvements that showcase how this truly is a new chapter. Really like the Will Vinton like character models, their liveliness and humor, one of my favorite moments is seeing Diddy be box or Dixie rock on the guitar every time they clear a level, yeah, those victories I accomplished made me want to that also.

For one thing the game has more of the swashbuckling adventure theme as we see our simian hero and heroine fighting against Pirates, which is cool as I like Pirate adventures and the pulp adventure stories that have to do with long ago hidden treasure. The music is also still great there are still memorable tracks as it this time has the swashbuckling theme and there is also still the relaxation feel to them to take the frustration off but also a few more relaxation tracks to add on.

Gameplay is still the same, with the same control, some of the same animals to ride but some new ones like a spider wearing Nike or Reebok shoes and shoots out deadly webs. You still have the different themed levels which each have different challenges my personal favorite is the amusement park level and stages as I always love amusement parks there is just also so much you can do in those places. The design of the stages and levels I feel is an improvement, you still have the linear point A to B romp but they don't make it a straight path this time as its slightly nonlinear or at least seems that way. And of course, they are all not without those secrets, there are probably still a few I have yet to uncover.

It still has the medium hard difficulty which is fine by me as I honestly wouldn't want it any other way, but like I said that's just me being a veteran of the platform action genre. This doesn't put me off because it's still fair and manageable.

Despite a change in character as Donkey Kong isn't around this time, in fact he's the person in peril to rescue. But I didn't mind as it's expected in franchise sequel where the main character/s from the previous film don't always come back because their story is over and also the title of the franchise is "Donkey Kong Country" where it's not solely about Donkey Kong but more the world he inhabits. Also, the addition of a new character/s help in keeping the franchise fresh but also mean new opportunities to utilize and new stories to explore.

Really like the new character Dixie Kong, makes sense that Diddy would have a girlfriend which is fair as Donkey Kong has Candy Kong. Diddy and Dixie are like a lot of anamorphic duo dynamic couples like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Buster and Babs Bunny, etc.

Anyway, really like the new edition Dixie as her main thing is having her hair which is as long as "Sailor Moon" being her primary weapon. I know it's so daft, hair as a weapon but I love that as it's a non cliche weapon, the only other time I've seen hair as a weapon was in the NES game "Kabuki Quantum Fighter" (game I reviewed). How the heck here hair can be a lethal weapon is anyone guess, may 'be her strands have superhuman strength. But with this hair she can use it as a helicopter propeller to slow her descent and to help get from point A to B. But also use it as an attack weapon to club away enemies but also pick up barrels with her hair, yeah not kidding. This makes her good with offense as her throws have a long distance.

Donkey Kong's Country just got a lot bigger with this sequel.

Rating: 4 stars.

Good, but overrated

[reddragonhero17 · 8/10 · 21 May 2014]

I loved the first Donkey Kong Country and I was hoping for more excitement in this sequel. You can do more things in this game such as the helicopter twirl and buddy animal special abilities. The graphics and music are equally awesome as the first. So why do I give this an 8? The first thing that turned me off a bit was the coin system, in the first you could save your game free of charge, but here you need two to do that and if you are broke you're in big trouble. The same thing if you need to go back to previous levels. The second is the challenge can really rack your nerves till you go crazy. The commercial for this game said "even tougher than the original" and sure enough they weren't lying. I do like this game just not as much as the first.

DK is the Kong of 2d platformers

[Jerg3n · 9/10 · 30 May 2023]

Donkey Kong Country is one of the best 2d platformers of all time, and it's sequel doesn't fall short either. This game has some very creative level design and it does things that a lot of platformers nowadays would be scared to do. Really the things you see in levels are sometimes on the level of insanity that you see in modern difficult indie 2d platformers, and it's great.

There are so many ideas jampacked into the game, almost every level feels like a brand new and unique idea and it never stops throwing those new ideas at you. In one level you could be using the updraft to ascend up a perilous well and in the next one you'll be freezing the rising water by jumping on seals.

Like most SNES games, the presentation is still great to this day, but thanks to the unique art direction of these games, they are some of the best looking ones on the console. The amount of detail in the animations and the backgrounds is insane.

Still, the graphics and gameplay being as good as they are, the hands down best part about DKC is the music. The quiet but catchy tunes are all memorable and atmospheric.

Still prefer the first game, but this was a very good sequel.

I write this honest and truthful review of Donkey Kong Country 2 while under a nasty onslaught of fever..

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 7/10 · 29 July 2017]

Today while burning and freezing up in bed, I fancied at taking a look at good old Donkey Kong Country 2, a game that is the sequel to the totally masterful and classic platformer Donkey Kong Country on the SNES and is the prequel to Donkey Kong Country 3, the Country Donkey Dixie sequel Kong. Now, the first game is one that brings great comfort to me just to think of it, and it's one that I can always come back to when I am sad and need a good pick me up and it gives me the same feeling that I had with it when I was a kid. This time around the big Donkey himself has been kidnapped, and it's up to you as Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong to rescue him before nothing happens.. I have to be honest, even as a kid, I never liked playing as Dixie Kong, she has all those awesome abilities and I can't stand being awesome, I guess I'm just used to playing the big floppy Kong instead, with his rolling moves and slapping the dirt for bananas. But here you play as two small Kongs and you can do moves off each other, so that's nice. There are a bunch of new enemies to knock out, new coins to collect and new animal buddies to enslave and force to do your bidding. I approve of this manipulation of the natural virtual world. Mr David Wise who composed Donkey Kong Country returned to create the soundtrack for this game too, and that is too great because his music makes me want to eat pizza and Oreo cookies. This game is a fine platformer and is very good in comparison to the original, a lot of its fans find it to be a superior game but to me it is not quite up to par with the first game and really isn't as memorable to me, but that's probably because I ate too many pizzas and Oreos at the same time, in the same mouth, and it was mushy...anyway, back to the game, it makes me happy but not quite so as happy as the original Donkey Kong game, there are too many pirate ships, tree limbs, and annoying underwater levels and some of the areas are pure evil in a way that just isn't all that fun at all, I don't enjoy such ceaseless frustration when playing a game for comfort, so usually I play a handful of levels of this one and turn it off, it doesn't make me want to keep playing right to the end like the first game does. My apologies to anyone who thinks this is the best, but you are wrong and I am Oreo cookies :P X

A worthy sequel

[OlfinBedwere · 20 December 2000]

As good as the first one, and certainly superior to the follow up. The game has more depth to it, with the addition of "Hero" coins and the "Lost World". The one criticism I could make is the music. Despite the game being made in 1995, the music sounds more like it's from 1985!

Dk2: Diddy's Kong Quest

[rossrobinson · 3 June 2003]

Donkey Kong is kidnapped my King Korule and now Diddy kong is now sent to try and kill king korule and save Donkey Kong, on his journey a new monkey is with him, it's a female monkey. Her name is Dixie. There is still Cranky and i think Diddy must visit him to answer his questions.