There aren't too many 2D platformers that have as much charm as Donkey Kong Country.
THE GOOD
-Excellent graphics
-Fun multiplayer
-Groovy soundtrack
-Solid controls
-Lots of hidden secrets
-Exciting platforming elements like barrel blasting
THE BAD
-Level design gets repetitive
OVERVIEW
Donkey Kong Country is the first game where you finally get to use one of Mario's oldest enemies, Donkey Kong, as the hero of the story. Basically, Donkey Kong has a huge stash of bananas at his place that never spoil. Now that's some pretty good food preservatives, huh? DK, like most apes and monkeys, of course loves these potassium rich fruits. He and his good pal Diddy Kong probably hang out together and eat all the bananas that they can in a day. Anyways, one day a crocodile by the name of King K. Rool and his Kremlings (henchmen) decide to steal DK's entire banana horde; oh no! An upset Donkey Kong tells his friend Diddy about what happened and now the two companions are on a quest to return all the stolen bananas. Donkey Kong Country is a fantastic platformer just like the Super Mario Brothers series.
GAMEPLAY
DKC starts off by giving you the option to select what type of game mode you want to play. There are three different types of game modes including Single, Contest and Team. Single player is pretty obvious in that one player takes control of both Donkey and Diddy Kong. You only get to move around one character at a time but you do have the option to "tag" the other monkey into play. Donkey Kong is much stronger than Diddy Kong and is able to defeat any foe by jumping on them but his lack of agility makes his partner a better platformer. The other two modes are for two players. Both variants really increase the fun factor of the entire game. In Contest mode, each player takes turns going through each level, by themselves, and the objective is to complete the game in a faster time. This is cut-throat gaming at its finest. Team play is another great mode where each player takes control of either Donkey or Diddy. Both players don't play simultaneously but can be "tagged" in at anytime. This is a great way for hardcore and casual gamers to come together and have fun.
There are a total of 39 uniquely themed levels to traverse through which are broken up into about a half a dozen worlds each with a decent boss battle at the end. There is plenty of exciting platforming to do like riding on mine carts, swinging on vines, jumping on enemies and my personal favorite, barrel blasting. Barrel blasting is great feature that involves precision, patience, and a little luck. Typically, you'll need to use the barrels to cross a fairly large gap in the level. The barrels can also move and/or spin to add to the challenge. DK also has some other animal friends to help him out like a rhino, ostrich, swordfish, frog and parrot. Now the levels are fun to run through but after a while you'll start to see the same things over and over again. This bit of repetition, in the level design, is a minor setback for this game.
Much like the Super Mario games, Donkey Kong Country is filled with coins or bananas in this case that your character can collect. Collecting 100 bananas in a level will earn you an extra life. Each stage is also filled with other secrets like extra life balloons, golden animal tokens and bonus areas. Cranky Kong is an elderly monkey that shows up a few times in the game to give you helpful hints with bonus areas and such. He'll also provide some funny comic relief too. Anyways, this extra exploration gives the game much more replay value and increases the challenge in a fun way.
The solid control scheme in DKC is a nice plus too. Diddy and Donkey each have slight variations in their commands which give them unique abilities. Aside from jumping on enemies, DKC brings back some of the nostalgia from the original Donkey Kong game by letting the player pick up and throw barrels at your foes. There are some barrels that have the letters DK on them and breaking them will recover the other monkey if they have died previously.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The developers at Rare did a fabulous job with the visual presentation; much like their other games for the SNES. DKC paints a beautiful picture with its stellar character design and artistic backgrounds. The 3D graphics really stand out, in this game, and put many other side-scrollers to shame.
Donkey Kong Country has a really cool jazzy-type soundtrack. It's really fun to listen too and compliments the whole jungle-like atmosphere.
CONCLUSION
What can I say; Donkey Kong Country is just an awesome game. The exceptional graphics work well with the exciting gameplay. I would recommend this game to anyone because even if you are terrible at platformers, you can still have fun going through the game with a more experienced friend. Donkey and Diddy Kong make a great team in this thrilling jungle platformer.