Let it be known that my excitement was through the roof when it came time to play "Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest." The original "Donkey Kong Country" is still a pretty amazing game that, even if I didn't quite give it a 10/10 in my review of it (it was still a strong 9/10), I’d still say is a classic that continues to stand the test of time. And when I’d been hearing that its sequel was even better than the first one, I was more than hyped to finally get to play it myself. And sure enough, the sequel is not only even better than the first, but it’s truly a masterpiece of the SNES era, and an all-around incredible game even as it celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
“Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest,” on the surface, might be easy to take for granted today, especially from a technical standpoint, but the 32-bit graphics are still pretty great to look at, and they’re honestly quite an accomplishment for their time. Compared to the first game, animations are smoother and more detailed, and the game continues to brim to life with vibrant colors. David Wise’s sound work is once again masterful, and I have to give a special nod to the “Stickerbrush Symphony” track, simply because it’s one of my favorite songs in any video game. Gameplay, though, is where “Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest” really shines: I know I mentioned that the predecessor's gameplay felt pretty timeless and was still plenty of fun, but “Diddy’s Kong Quest” makes plenty of meaningful changes and improvements that help out a lot. Much like the first game, the run-and-jump platforming is extremely fun, and there’s still a ton of depth in regards to collectibles and exploration (thus creating a ton of replayability), but this one takes it to the next level with huge jumps from the first game. The controls are even tighter and smoother than before, the game’s level design constantly left me in awe (I would honestly say this has some of my personal favorite 2D platforming levels), and the amount of variety in the gameplay is even greater than before. There are a number of new styles of play that keep the game constantly feeling fresh and surprising. It’s honestly a wonder how great it remains to this day, and even as gaming moves forward in regards to its technology, “Diddy’s Kong Quest” remains a top-of-the-line platformer.
My only minor flaw is that, as I had mentioned with the first game, there are a few segments in the game that can be overly difficult, and while that’s par for the course in the “Donkey Kong Country” games, these difficult sections can often feel laced with bits of “fake difficulty.” Fortunately, it’s not as big of an issue as before, as I only really noticed this in a few levels, and I would say the overall game is still extremely rewarding once you learn to get past those sections, so it’s not a huge deal.
All in all, it should be obvious from this glowing review that “Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest” is a masterpiece of gaming. Even as it comes up on its 25th birthday, the game is still excellent in every facet, and while I don’t say this often, I’d go as far as to call the game “essential.” If you haven’t had an opportunity to play this (or, frankly, any of the other “Donkey Kong Country” games), you’re doing yourself a major disservice. “Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest” is yet another amazing “Donkey Kong” platformer, and it absolutely earns my highest recommendation.
Final rating: 10 out of 10 “Fantastic”