Donkey Kong Country (series)

This article is about the video game series. For the cartoon, see Donkey Kong Country (television series).

Donkey Kong Country
The logo used for the original three installments in the series The logo used for Donkey Kong Country Returns The logo used for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
First installment	Donkey Kong Country (1994)
Latest installment	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo Switch) (2018)
Number of installments	12 (5 main, 6 reissues, 1 canceled, 1 upcoming reissue)
Franchise	Donkey Kong
Key staff	Tim Stamper, Gregg Mayles, Chris Sutherland, David Wise, Leigh Loveday

The Donkey Kong Country series, originally known as the Super Donkey Kong series in Japan, is a video game series in the Donkey Kong franchise. Although it usually stars Donkey Kong and his sidekick, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong also ends up kidnapped in several games. The series is a platformer series. The series was started and produced by Rare, until they were bought by Microsoft. Remakes are included in the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo 3DS handhelds. The series was later revived by Retro Studios and their game, Donkey Kong Country Returns. The Donkey Kong Country series also has well-received reviews and has greatly impacted future titles.

The Donkey Kong Country series is also the inspiration for a very similar series created for the Game Boy system, known as the Donkey Kong Land series.

List of games in the series

Original titles

Title
Cover, original release, and system	Plot synopsis
Donkey Kong Country
Template:ReleaseSNES	The series' first game is Donkey Kong Country. It was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994 and is known for being the first game to use pre-rendered sprites, creating a 3D-CG effect throughout the game. Here, Donkey Kong is different from his appearances in previous, due to the new Donkey Kong being the grandson of the original, who is older and is now named Cranky Kong. In this game, the Kremlings steal his banana hoard. Donkey Kong takes his sidekick Diddy Kong to stop King K. Rool and get his bananas back. The game has been released for Wii, Wii U, and New Nintendo 3DS through Virtual Console. It is also included in the Super NES Classic Edition, and was added to Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online in 2020.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Template:ReleaseSNES	Donkey Kong Country's sequel Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. In this game, Donkey Kong has been kidnapped by King K. Rool who is the alias Kaptain K. Rool. Diddy Kong takes his partner, Dixie Kong to save Donkey Kong from Kaptain K. Rool. The game plays similarly to Donkey Kong Country, and has new gameplay elements, enemies, and obstacles added. The game has been released for Wii, Wii U, and New Nintendo 3DS through Virtual Console. It was also added to Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online in 2020.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Template:ReleaseSNES	The third game in the series is Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996. In this game, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong both are captured by KAOS, a new leader from the Kremling Krew. Dixie Kong takes her cousin Kiddy Kong with her and sets out to save Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong from KAOS. KAOS is revealed to be a puppet of King K. Rool who is under the alias Baron K. Roolenstein. The game plays similarly to the former two games but has a large amount of new elements. The game has been released for Wii, Wii U, and New Nintendo 3DS through Virtual Console. It was also added to Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online in 2020.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Template:ReleaseWii	Donkey Kong Country Returns is a revival of the series, released in 2010. It is a 2.5D side-scrolling Wii developed by Retro Studios after a hiatus (excluding remakes) of over a decade. The game has new villains, called the Tikis, who raid Donkey Kong's banana stash. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong set out to retrieve the lost bananas due to this. Cranky Kong also makes an appearance as the shopkeeper. This is the first Donkey Kong Country series game to not feature Kremlings or underwater levels. The game was released for Wii U via Virtual Console in 2015.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Template:ReleaseWii U	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a game developed by Retro Studios for the Wii U, released in 2014. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong reappear, and Dixie Kong, and Cranky Kong are playable characters with a similar role to Diddy Kong in Donkey Kong Country Returns. Funky Kong also makes an appearance as the shopkeeper. The game's antagonists, the Snowmads, freeze Donkey Kong Island. During the game, the Kongs try to defeat the Snowmads to restore the island back to its initial state.

Reissues

Title
Cover, original release, and system	Synopsis
Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)
Template:ReleaseGame Boy Color	Donkey Kong Country was ported to the Game Boy Color in 2000. Several significant differences were made such as having only one Kong appear at a time, extended and exclusive levels, new minigames, and more. This was the only game in the series to be ported to the Game Boy Color.
Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Advance)
Template:ReleaseGame Boy Advance	Donkey Kong Country was remade for the Game Boy Advance in 2003, as the original code had been lost, requiring recoding from scratch and ripping of graphics from the SNES version using emulators. This remake features new changes to the game not in the Game Boy Color port. Changes include bosses made more challenging, redesigned graphics, replaced order of levels, new modes, a scrapbook, and more.
Donkey Kong Country 2 (Game Boy Advance)
Template:ReleaseGame Boy Advance	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest was remade for the Game Boy Advance in 2004 in the same way as the previous game. The title was shortened to Donkey Kong Country 2, and features significant changes such as a new boss, graphical makeovers, more DK Coins to collect, and altered and replaced levels.
Donkey Kong Country 3 (Game Boy Advance)
Template:ReleaseGame Boy Advance	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! was remade for the Game Boy Advance in 2005. Like the previous remakes, major changes has been added. These changes include graphical makeovers, exclusive boss fights, a new soundtrack, and new and different methods of trading items and new areas, including the new world Pacifica.
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
Template:ReleaseNintendo 3DS	Donkey Kong Country Returns was ported to the Nintendo 3DS in 2013, titled Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. The remake has additional new content. This includes New Mode (which includes additional items in Cranky Kong's Shop and a third heart added to the life meter), and a new world called Cloud, which features additional levels that are not present in the Wii game.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo Switch)
Template:ReleaseNintendo Switch	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2018, adding a new easier mode where Funky Kong is playable for the first time in the series.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
Template:ReleaseNintendo Switch	Donkey Kong Country Returns will be ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2025, titled Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, updating the graphics from the Wii and 3DS versions.

Pitches

Donkey Kong Country 4

According to Rare employee Paul Rahme, it was internally suggested at Rare to make a Donkey Kong Country sequel on the Nintendo DS, as remaking the trilogy for the Game Boy Advance gave the developers experience and a good basis for making a sequel.

Related series

Title
Image	Description
Donkey Kong Land
	Donkey Kong Land is a series of three games on the Game Boy which are similar to their counterparts on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Donkey Kong Land contained new levels, themes, bosses, and enemies, Donkey Kong Land 2 changed levels from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, and Donkey Kong Land III contained new levels entirely using enemies and themes from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. Donkey Kong Land III received a Game Boy Color port.
DK
	DK is a series of games developed by Paon, featuring similar gameplay to Clu Clu Land. The first entry in the series, King of Swing, requires players to navigate levels using only and . A sequel, Jungle Climber, marked Donkey Kong's first titlular role on the Nintendo DS and featured improved visuals, better play control, and dual-screen gameplay.

Other related games

Title
Cover, original release, and system	Plot synopsis
Donkey Kong 64
Template:ReleaseNintendo 64	Donkey Kong 64 is the first and so far only 3D platformer in the Donkey Kong franchise, released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999. It acts as a successor to the original three Donkey Kong Country games. In this game the player can play as one of five Kongs; Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong, Lanky Kong, and Chunky Kong. In this game, King K. Rool is trying to destroy the DK Isles. The five Kongs try to stop King K. Rool. The player collects a large amount of items during the game. This game also has several minigames as well as a multiplayer mode.

Gameplay

The Donkey Kong Country games are sidescrolling platformers. The player plays the role of two Kongs, who must reach the end of each level while avoiding enemies and obstacles. The player can collect Bananas and Extra Life Balloons to gain extra lives. Various types of Barrels are present throughout the levels, which can be used to defeat enemies, reveal hidden passages, or traverse through levels. Animal Friends often appear throughout the levels, which can assist the player, be ridden, and transformed into by the player.

The Donkey Kong Country games are divided into worlds, all containing a variable number of levels, friendly Kongs who provide services such as saving, tips and minigames, and a boss battle that marks the end of the world. Worlds tend to be linear, although Donkey Kong Country 3's map allows for a limited degree of exploration.

In the original trilogy of games, the player can switch between two Kongs, and use a team up move in the latter two games. In all three games both Kongs act differently, are sometimes required to reach certain areas. If the player takes damage, the Kong that they are playing as runs off the screen and the player is required to use the other Kong until they get them back, usually with a DK Barrel. With one Kong the player cannot use a team up move. If the player takes damage with one Kong, they lose a life. In the games developed by Retro Studios, rather than being fully-featured playable characters, the Kongs besides Donkey Kong acts as powerups expanding Donkey Kong's health and moveset, although they are fully playable in multiplayer and Tropical Freeze's Hard Mode. When the player loses the health gained by the additional Kong, the player loses the Kong. While the original trilogy only allowed the player characters to take one hit in a deliberate effort to reduce clutter on the screen, Donkey Kong can now take multiple hits, with a visible indicator showing his remaining health.

In a certain level, vehicles are used. In all games in the series, the player can ride on Mine Carts, Roller Coasters, or Toboggans. These automatically move through a stage and depending on the game and level the player can either jump out of the vehicle or make the vehicle jump. Toboggans can also jump on Buzzes and latch onto railings. In Donkey Kong Country Returns, Mine Cart which the player can only jump out of having crystals in them. In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, the player can switch tracks in a third-person view in the level High Tide Ride. In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble, a Rocket Barrel appears in the level Rocket Rush. The player controls the Rocket Barrel by moving left and right and exhausting fuel, which they can restore with Fuel Drums. The Rocket Barrel goes upward at the end of the level. Depending on the version of the game the Rocket Barrel can defeat different types of Buzzes. Rocket Barrels reappear in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, where they automatically move right, do not use fuel and can be moved up or down. At a certain level in Donkey Kong Country Returns, Rocket Barrels automatically move up and can be moved left and right. In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, the Log Canoe appears which automatically moves right, can jump, and can sink into the water after jumping. The player can defeat enemies while jumping using the Log Canoe.

The Donkey Kong Country series features an emphasis on item collection and exploration. Four KONG Letters appear in each stage giving the player an extra life if they collect all four. The original Donkey Kong Country encourages players to find all of the game's hidden Bonus Areas, with 100% completion slightly changing the dialogue in the ending sequence. Bonus Areas are found usually by breaking a wall or going inside a hidden Barrel Cannon. Each Bonus Area contains a room with a minigame or platforming room. Donkey Kong Country 2 added Kremkoins which are rewards for beating each Bonus Room's objective, and DK Coins which are hidden in each level and are rewards for the Bonus Rooms in the Lost World, which is a new post-completion world with a final boss battle, which can only be accessed by finding and successfully completing the game's bonus areas. Donkey Kong Country 3 features a similar hidden world and again expands the mechanic by featuring another item collection sidequest that extends beyond the game's bonus world. The games developed by Retro Studios include Puzzle Pieces, which replace Kremkoins as the reward for beating Bonus Rooms, and also are collectibles in the main parts of stages. They give access to pictures. In these games, KONG Letters give access to secret levels once all KONG Letters in a world are completed.

Graphics

The first Donkey Kong Country is famed for its usage of pre-rendered 3D sprites, which were rendered on then-cutting edge Silicon Graphics workstation. Although not the first game to use these graphics (the Sharp X68000 version of Ys and Viewpoint feature similar pre-rendered sprites, and predate Donkey Kong Country by several years), Donkey Kong Country was the first mainstream game to be extensively marketed around its pre-rendered graphics, with commercials for the game playing up that the SNES was able to output a game of its visual fidelity without any add-ons, mocking the Sega Genesis.

The rendered 3D model of Donkey Kong would serve as the basis for all of his subsequent appearances, with all subsequent games featuring him up until Microsoft's acquisition crediting Rare for providing the model.

The Retro Studios installments use rendered-on-the-fly 3D models. In an interview, it was noted that Donkey Kong Country Returns's levels featured three times as many polygons as a room in the studio's previous game, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

Major characters

Protagonists

Character	Brief biography
Donkey Kong	Donkey Kong is the main star and hero of the Donkey Kong Country series. Though he does get kidnapped by the Kremling Krew from time to time, he plays a major role in all the Donkey Kong Country games. He is the more powerful, but slower of the two Kongs that the player controls in the Donkey Kong Country games. He often thwarts King K. Rool's raid of his banana hoard, but he also gets kidnapped by King K. Rool and plays the part of a hostage. In the latest game in the series, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Donkey Kong and his friends are kicked off Donkey Kong Island by a gang of Vikings.
Diddy Kong	Although usually, a sidekick, Diddy Kong can also be a main hero of the series if the player wishes to use him as the primary Kong. He is Donkey Kong's most reliable little buddy and always tags up with Donkey Kong on his adventures to stop King K. Rool. While Donkey Kong mainly boasts strength, Diddy Kong trades power for agility and nimbleness. In Donkey Kong Country 2, Diddy Kong is the main star who, along with Dixie Kong, saves Donkey Kong from the Kremling Crew. Eventually, he, along with Donkey Kong, get captured by King K. Rool in Donkey Kong Country 3, where Dixie Kong and her cousin, Kiddy Kong, must save them. He reappears in Donkey Kong Country Returns as a playable character, and again in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Dixie Kong	Dixie Kong is Diddy Kong's partner in her debut game, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Dixie Kong is slower in terms of mobility, nor can she defend herself properly through the aid of a barrel, but she can glide through the air using her Helicopter Spin. She stars in the game Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, where she takes her little cousin, Kiddy Kong to aid her on her journey. She also appears in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze as a playable character.
Kiddy Kong	Kiddy Kong is Dixie Kong's little cousin, who debuts and stars in the game Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Despite his young age, Kiddy Kong shows remarkable strength that even his older cousin Dixie Kong cannot perform, such as lifting objects with ease and defeating enemies more quickly. However, he is very heavy, unlike Dixie Kong, who boasts superior air mobility and her ability to use her Helicopter Spin.
Cranky Kong	Cranky Kong appears in most Donkey Kong Country games, where he occasionally played some roles. He is the original Donkey Kong that attacked Mario, and is said to be the current Donkey Kong's grandfather. He usually gives advice to the Kongs and helps them on their quest, and serves as an element of comic relief with his jokes and sarcasm. However, he plays a very minor role in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. In the Game Boy Advance remake, he plays a slightly larger role by owning Cranky's Dojo. He runs a shop in Donkey Kong Country Returns, and is playable in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

Antagonists

Character	Brief biography
King K. Rool	King K. Rool is the main antagonist of the Donkey Kong Country series and the leader of the Kremling Krew. He usually steals something belonging to the Kongs in the games, such as Donkey Kong's banana hoard or even Donkey Kong himself, but always gets thwarted by the Kongs. In each game of the Donkey Kong Country series where he appears in, he goes by a different alias, such as Kaptain K. Rool in Donkey Kong Country 2 and Baron K. Roolenstein in Donkey Kong Country 3. Although he is the primary antagonist of the Donkey Kong Country series, he and his Kremling Krew have not appeared since Donkey Kong Country 3.
KAOS	KAOS is the main foe that Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong must face in Donkey Kong Country 3. It is powered by Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, who are both captured by King K. Rool to power his machine. KAOS is a mechanically powered foe that uses several attacks such as spinning blades and exhaust flames to damage its foes. It is eventually destroyed by Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong twice, which releases Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.
Tiki Tong	Tiki Tong is the main villain of Donkey Kong Country Returns and the leader of the Tiki Tak Tribe. He replaces King K. Rool from previous games, stealing Donkey Kong's banana hoard to create a Tiki army and hypnotize all the animals on Donkey Kong Island. He resides on the summit of the island Volcano. His hands were created when the juice of banana hoard was sprayed on his minions, and he uses them to attack Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.
Lord Fredrik	Lord Fredrik is the main antagonist of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and the leader of the Snowmads. He replaces Tiki Tong from the previous game, instead of stealing the banana hoard like antagonists of previous games, he invades Donkey Kong Island with the use of a strange ice dragon which he summoned from a large horn, turning the island into a frosty area with continuous snowfall. He resides at the top of the island throughout the game. When the Kongs get back to their home turf after being blown away due to the aforementioned ice dragon's winds, they make their way to the top of the island, where they ultimately defeat Lord Fredrik and end his reign over the island.

Supporting characters

Kong Family

Character	Brief biography
Funky Kong	Funky Kong appears in all Donkey Kong Country games that were released so far, except for Donkey Kong Country Returns. He helps the Kongs by providing them with mechanical services, such as lending them the Jumbo Barrel, which enables the Kongs to travel in islands where they already cleared; later games where the vehicles he lends have a similar function. He also hosts minigames that promise certain rewards if cleared, such as Funky's Fishing.
Candy Kong	Candy Kong first appears in Donkey Kong Country, where she helps the Kongs save by managing Candy's Save Point. In the remakes of Donkey Kong Country, she runs several minigames, such as Candy's Dance Studio. She does not have any other major role later in the series, partly because her role of saving the game progress is later occupied by Wrinkly Kong, although she does make cameos in several minigames in the remakes.
Wrinkly Kong	Wrinkly Kong first appeared in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. She is Donkey Kong's grandmother and the wife of Cranky Kong. She manages the Kong Kollege in Donkey Kong Country 2 and Wrinkly's Save Cave in Donkey Kong Country 3, proving a save point for the player. Like her husband, she tends to give advice and tasks for the Kongs to complete. She also helps the Kongs by saving Banana Birds they might have obtained during their quest.
Swanky Kong	Swanky Kong's role in the Donkey Kong Country series is for Kongs to play minigames and win them to earn rewards. In his debut appearance, Donkey Kong Country 2, he hosts Swanky's Bonus Bonanza where he gives extra lives to the Kongs if they answered the questions correctly. In Donkey Kong Country 3, he hosts Swanky's Sideshow, where, at a certain amount of bear coins, compete against Cranky Kong to win rewards. In the DKC3 remake for GBA, he instead hosts Swanky's Dash, a minigame where Dixie must collect stars in a pipe, similar to the special stages from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Animal Friends

Animal Friend	Brief biography
Clapper the Seal	Clapper appears in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest in the levels Lava Lagoon and Clapper's Cavern. When jumped on he cools the water in the former and freezes the water in the later.
Ellie the Elephant	Ellie appears in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. She can suck up water and barrels and can fire them at enemies. She is scared of Sneeks and will run away from them if she is near and can see them.
Enguarde the Swordfish	Enguarde appears in Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, and Donkey Kong 64. In the first three Donkey Kong Country games, he can stab with his bill to attack enemies with him being able to use his Super move Superstab allowing him to swim continuously until he hits an unbreakable wall in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. In Donkey Kong 64 he appears in Gloomy Galleon where he can destroy treasure chests to reveal items hidden inside them. He can also jump out of the water and pass through DK logos suspended in midair.
Expresso the Ostrich	Expresso appears in Donkey Kong Country and the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 2. In Donkey Kong Country he can be ridden where he runs at fast speeds while allowing the player to slightly hop in the air while subsequently gliding through the air by flapping his wings. In the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 2, he appears in the Expresso Racing minigame where Expresso races against other similar-looking ostriches in race tracks. In this minigame, the player can use golden feathers to increase Expresso's stats.
Glimmer the Angler Fish	Glimmer appears in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest in the level Glimmer's Galleon, where he follows the player(s) and uses his light to light up the water.
Nibbla	Nibblas are enemies that appear in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. A certain Nibbla that acts like an Animal Friend appears in the level Fish Food Frenzy where it follows the player(s) through the level and will bite the player(s) if it is red from not being feed Kocos in a certain amount of time or is feed Lurchins which make it turn red faster.
Parry the Parallel Bird	Parry appears in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! where he flies above the player(s) mimic their movements such as jumping. He can collect items and can be defeated by most aerial enemies although he can defeat Booty Birds by touching them. He often gives the player(s) large rewards if he is brung to the No Animal Sign.
Quawks	Quawks appears in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Quawks only appear in the level Parrot Chute Panic where there are multiple Quawks that, when grabbed, slow the player(s)' decent. When they grab a Quawks they can move horizontally. After a certain point, the Quawks will drop the player(s). In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! a Quawks appears in the levels Low-G Labyrinth and Buzzer Barrage where the player(s) transform into it via an Animal Barrel. While playing as a Quawks the player(s) can fly around like Squawks and can pick up barrels and Steel Barrels with Quawks' talons and can drop the Barrels and Steel Barrels on enemies.
Rambi the Rhino	Rambi appears in all of the Donkey Kong Country games except for Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. In Donkey Kong Country, he can defeat enemies and destroy certain walls by running into them. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, he can still defeat enemies by running into them although he now can only destroy certain walls by using his Super Move Supercharge where he runs forward until he hits an unbreakable wall, and he can also jump on certain enemies that usually cannot be jumped on such as Zingers. In Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, he can charge forward to defeat enemies while being able to destroy spikes and blocks with his emblem and he can use Diddy Kong's Jetbarrel. In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, he can also use Dixie Kong's Helicopter Spin and Cranky Kong's Cane Bounce and in the game's Nintendo Switch port, he is also able to use Funky Kong's Double Jump.
Rattly the Rattlesnake	Rattly appears in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, where he can jump high and can bounce of enemies including Zingers. His Super Move, Superjump can be used making him jump even higher.
Squawks the Parrot	Squawks appears in every Donkey Kong Country game. In Donkey Kong Country, he only appears in the level Torchlight Trouble where he follows the player(s) while holding a lantern that lights up the level. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, he is fully playable where he either holds the player(s) or is played alone via an Animal Barrel. He can spit eggs at enemies and can fly around the level. In Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, he is an item sold in Cranky Kong's Shop and Funky's Fly 'n' Buy respectively for fifteen and ten Banana Coins, respectively, with him costing five Banana Coins in the New Mode in Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. When he is used he yells from the bottom left corner of the screen when an undiscovered Puzzle Piece is near, giving the player a hint to the Puzzle Piece's location.
Squitter the Spider	Squitter appears in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, he can fire webs at enemies that he can move horizontally while they are being fired and he can create temporary web platforms using fired webs, although he cannot jump on enemies. In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, he acts the same as he did in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest although he can now jump on enemies that the player(s) as Kiddy Kong and Dixie Kong can normally jump on.
Tawks	Tawks exclusively appears in the Nintendo Switch version of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze where he only appears in Funky Mode, where he appears at Funky's Fly 'n' Buy. If the player is playing as Donkey Kong he stands behind Funky Kong and if the player is playing as Funky Kong he runs Funky's Fly 'n' Buy as the shopkeeper.
Winky the Frog	Winky mainly appears in Donkey Kong Country, makes cameos in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and is mentioned in Donkey Kong 64's manual. In Donkey Kong Country he can jump high and can also jump on Zingers. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, a figurine of Winky is seen in the Monkey Museum where it is priced at five dollars. This cameo is removed in the game's Game Boy Advance remake where a small Winky is instead seen hopping around in a cage. Winky is mentioned in the game's SNES manual.

Others

Character	Brief biography
Banana Queen	The Banana Queen first appeared in Donkey Kong Country 3, where she is sealed away behind an evil barrier by Baron K. Roolenstein. Banana Birds, the birds of the queen, are also sealed away to prevent an escape that the Banana Queen could make. After collecting all possible Banana Birds, the Kongs are then taken by the Banana Birds to their mother, the queen. She would then chase after King K. Rool which makes him flee the Northern Kremisphere.
Brothers Bear	The Brothers Bear help Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong in Donkey Kong Country 3. They are a group of bears that each own homes and businesses scattered across the Northern Kremisphere. The Kongs need them to trade their bear coins for the items they have. These items help the player achieve 100% complete progress in the game, especially the Banana Birds.

Enemies

Enemy	Brief biography
Kremling Krew	The Kremling Krew, led by King K. Rool, is the main antagonist organization of the Kong family. They are mostly made up of Kremlings with different colors, sizes, shapes, and traits, and many make their appearance as enemies throughout the many levels of the series. They also are the primary cause of the Kong family members getting kidnapped throughout the games, including Donkey Kong. King K. Rool and his aliases are often the final boss faced in the games, excluding Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze.
Gnawties	Gnawties are common beaver-like enemies. They walk from side to side and can hurt Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong if they come into contact. The Kongs can defeat a Gnawty by using any attack, including jumping on it, rolling into it, or throwing a barrel at it. In Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Country 3, Gnawties are replaced with the rat-like Neeks and Sneeks respectively, which exhibit similar behavior.
Zingers	Zingers are common wasp-like enemies. They hover in the air, damaging any Kong who happens to come in contact with them. Since they have spikes on top of their bodies, they cannot be defeated by stomping them. Instead, a barrel or an Animal Friend may be used to defeat it. Red Zingers cannot be defeated at all. In Donkey Kong Country 3, Zingers are replaced with Buzzes, which behave similarly.
Tiki Tak Tribe	The Tiki Tak Tribe is the main organization of enemies in Donkey Kong Country Returns. They resemble wooden masks or musical instruments, many having adornment feathers, and are references to real-life tikis. Their leader is Tiki Tong. Some Tikis have hypnotizing abilities, and these serve as the cause of the boss battles, hypnotizing creatures into fighting against Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. Minor Tikis are found as regular enemies throughout the levels; most of them are drum-shaped.
Snowmads	Snowmads are Viking-like animals who are the main antagonists of the Wii U title Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Their leader is Lord Fredrik. According to the game's story, Donkey Kong and his friends have been kicked off Donkey Kong Island by the Snowmads, and they must trek their way through five other islands to claim back what's rightfully theirs. Snowmad enemies of the game consist of a variety of creatures, such as walruses, penguins, owls, and polar bears. Many of the bosses faced throughout the game are also themed around the Viking stereotype.

Reception

“Donkey Kong Country is truly perfect. If you do not get this amazing new generation of Donkey Kong Country madness, you are stupid. Yes, I know it's insulting, but that's also the truth. If you're a true video game fan, you will not hesitate in the slightest bit to buy this piece of gaming history.”

—George Wood, Flight of Fantasies

The Donkey Kong Country series has received critical acclaim. On GameRankings, every game in the series have scored 78.61% to 87.87%. On Metacritic, the series' games that were reviewed received 77% to 90%. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, was nominated for several awards by news sites such as IGN and Gamespot.

The game Jet Kave Adventures was influenced by Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

Appearances in other series

Several characters from the Donkey Kong Country series and locations based on the series have appeared in other series.

DK Jungle in Mario Tennis Open

In the Mario Tennis series, several courts based off the Donkey Kong Country games appeared. In Mario Tennis, the Donkey Kong Court appears which is set in a jungle with barrels in the background. In Mario Tennis for the Game Boy Color, the Jungle Court appears. In Mario Power Tennis, the DK Jungle Court appears which contains Klaptraps and Kritters. In Mario Tennis Open, the DK Jungle appears. This court takes place in a jungle, and the banana hoard and DK's Tree House appear in the background. The court's music is an arrangement of "DK Island Swing".

The DK Jungle track in Mario Kart 8

Several tracks based on the Donkey Kong Country series appear in the Mario Kart series. In Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart Wii, DK's Jungle Parkway appears which resembles the jungles in the Donkey Kong Country series. In Mario Kart Arcade GP and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, the DK Cup appears which contains DK Jungle and Bananan Ruins, which are both based off locations from the Donkey Kong Country series. In Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, this cup reappears with the tracks Bananan Labyrinth and DK Jungle. In Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8, the course DK Jungle appears, which is based off Donkey Kong Country Returns. In the background DK's Tree House appears, part of the track takes place inside the Golden Temple, and several enemies from Donkey Kong Country Returns appear on the track, such as Frogoons and Tiki Goons. The course's music is a rearrangement of DK Island Swing.

Kongo Falls in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Several stages based on the series appear in the Super Smash Bros. series. In Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the stage Kongo Jungle appears. This stage takes place in a jungle from Donkey Kong Country, and has a Barrel Cannon under the stage. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the stage Jungle Japes appears where Cranky Kong can be seen in the background and Klaptraps are stage hazards. In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the stage Kongo Falls appears. This stage contains Klaptraps, a Barrel Cannon. DK's Tree House can be seen in the background. Several themes and characters from the Donkey Kong Country series appear in the Super Smash Bros. series a piece of music or trophies. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the stage Jungle Hijinks appears which is based on the level with the same name in Donkey Kong Country Returns. On the stage, the player can travel between the foreground and background layer with Barrels Cannons. Screaming Pillars appear on this stage.

DK Jungle in Mario Golf: World Tour

The Mario Golf series contains two courses based on the Donkey Kong Country series. In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Congo Canopy appears which contains DK Barrels at the start of each hole. In Mario Golf: World Tour the course DK Jungle appears which is based on Donkey Kong Country Returns. DK's Tree House, Screaming Pillars, Chomps, Barrel Cannons, and TNT Barrels appear on this course.

Trivia

• The series has no dedicated name distinguishing it from the Donkey Kong franchise as a whole in Japanese; while the first three games were titled Super Donkey Kong to reflect being on the Super Famicom, the later ones use the English titles with the word "Country" removed, ie Donkey Kong Returns and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, thereby having a similar title structure to the Japanese-made Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Donkey Kong Jungle Climber, and Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race.