King K. Rool is up to his shenanigans once again! This time around, instead of stealing a cave full of bananas he kidnaps DONKEY KONG!!! OH NOOOOO! But worry not, for the young monkey warrior known as DIDDY KONG rushes to action with the help of his girlfriend, Dixie.
Holy cannoli! Sounds like there’s a promise of good times and barrel breaking! Gee Whiz!
The level design in DKC2 adds to the list of evidence that the world of 2D has plenty to offer an avid gamer. They’re fun, challenging, and sometimes fuckin’ infuriating. But once you pick up that controller and press Start, you’ve made a vow to save DK. So you’re gonna have to bite the cannonball on this one… that is if you’re a nub and can’t dodge… or you’re catching the rain of K. Rool’s bullshit storm (which I’ll go into later).
Like the original DKC, some levels require “Animal Buddies”come to your aids… aid.
Rambi the Rhino
Enguarde the Swordfish
Squaks the Parrot
Squitter the Spider
Rattly the Rattlesnake.
Every once in awhile you’ll run into Clapper the Seal, bounce on that bitch to turn lava into water and water into ice. Don’t question the physics, bizzitch.
The soundtrack is easily one of the best I’ve heard in a video game. So much of it seems like it was created with extensive use of magic. My theory concerning the main ingredients: Hopes and Dreams. Songs befit their environments very well, almost as if the time was taken to make it that way.
This proves my point exponentially:
Chad had this to add:
Chad:
“DKC2 was not a bad addition to the Donkey Kong Family, but it was never my favorite. The levels were a bit tougher than the first one, the levels are REALLY well put together, and the new mounts were an interesting change of pace…(fuck that snake). But children, the only problem I had with the game was that it lacked the title character. Instead we were given Dixie Kong, a gangsta whore with helicopter hair. This weak lil girl was hardly a replacement for the big manly Donkey Kong, whom I love so much. Her mobility pales in comparison next to DKs brute strength. Bros before hoes. Remember that kids. Bros before hoes…”
He has a few really good points, the main one being bros before hoes. Another being that the title character is missing. However, in a way the title character is there. Although the game is part of the DKC series, the subtitle is “Diddy’s Kong Quest.” So you could argue either way. True, DK is a powerhouse and that can be a burden at times. But there’s really only one character you deal with where that lack of muscle becomes a problem. Agility is a key skill that constantly comes into play. Knowing how to manipulate actions, ranging from bouncing on rows of enemies to throwing your teammate at coins and other pickups that are hard to reach, become even more important in this sequel. The fact that neither DK or DIDDY returned in the third one was an interesting choice in bullshittery. I don’
t give a fuck about a gigantic baby gorilla! This is DONKEY KONG CUNTRY, BITCH!
Did I mention there are MULTIPLE roller coaster levels? Because there are!
And damn are they fun.
Remember to find all the DK coins or else Mario and Yoshi… I’ll let you figure it out.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
So you’ve finally made it to the top, good for you! That fakeout was crazy, huh! No, you’re not quite there yet. Get through a few slightly tricksy levels and you’ll reach that fat-fuck, KING K. ROOL.
Get ready, because this’ll be quite a battle if you don’t know what he’s going to do. Which, if this is your first time fighting him, will most definitely be the case. But fear not! I’m here to walk you through it:
(Warning: this is for people who want to know King K. Rool’s strategy. If you’re not interested, do not read further. Or skip to the bottom)
As the battle begins, Rool will shoot a cannonball out of his giant musket… that happens to shoot cannonballs. Grab that bitch and hold on, also be ready to jump over Rool as he zips to the other side of the screen using the musket propulsion. When he gets to the other side, the musket will turn to a vacuum which will pull you towards him. Toss the cannonball into the vacuum and be ready to jump, this is the key to K. Rool’s defeat. The gun will spark twice before Rool fires it back, dodge it.
Next, he’ll shoot out a cannonball with spikes to the center of the ship. Be ready to jump over this AND K. Rool as he rushes to the other side and back. The spiked ball will turn back into a regular cannonball, chuck it into the vacuum.
Uh oh! Now he’s got TWO spiked cannonballs! Hop into the space between the two and wait Rool’s glide, which he does three times this time. One of the spiked balls will turn to a normal cannonball. You should know what to do with it by now.
This is where things start to get a little hairy. Rool will act like he’s down for the count while Donkey Kong is lowered, tied by a rope. A DK barrel will appear, so hit that shit if you need to because the match isn’t over.
Next, Rool will shoot a barrage of spikes at you. Which you will either have to jump over or duck under. Eventually, he’ll shoot a barrel at you. Jump on it to reveal a cannonball. By the way, the cannonballs gradually travel faster when being shot back at you. So be on the lookout.
Rool will glide to the other side of the screen then shoot bouncing spiked cannonballs at you ranging from low to medium to high heights. Get the timing down and this isn’t really a huge problem, you can run under ones of medium/high height. Just don’t get cocky. Wait for the barrel, get the cannonball and… you know.
After gliding to the other side, Rool will shoot swirling spiked cannonballs. Another matter of timing and knowing how to move around them. But it doesn’t end there… after dodging three single-balled attacks (teehee) you’ll have to deal with three double-balled attacks (BWAHA). Another barrel after that, yada yada.
Following this will be another fakeout by K. Rool, with another DK barrel in case you need it.
After he glides back to the left is when things really start to get interesting. He shoots what seem to be spirits out of his musket. The first fleet of three come in the form of ice. Helicopter glide with Dixie to dodge. But if you get hit by one or more, you’ll be frozen. Button-mash your way out of your ice casing before Rool glides into you. Luckily, he glides at a slower pace for this round… but don’t get used to it. Because right after, he’ll turn slightly transparent and glide at you. After that, he’ll turn invisible and glide. The best way to avoid this is to watch for the dust that kicks up when he is moving. Once you see that, jump as far and as high as you can to the left side of the screen. Another ball, another vacuum.
He glides back to the left and this time shoots out bouncing red spirits that slow down your movement. As long as you see it as Bullet Time you’ll be good. Just watch out because a few spikes are coming your way. Time your dodges correctly and you’ll live to see the next round.
Another glide to the right and he’ll begin shooting purple specters. This little fuckers reverse your movement. If you press right on the D-Pad, you’ll move left and vice versa. These ones come at you in circular motions, so switch to Dixie and move to the left side of the screen. When they get close to you, time their movements, jump and use the helicopter glide.
Right after that, he’ll turn back to his transparent form and appear at different places on the ship. When he appears, run away from him because he’s using the vacuum to pull you in. If he does, you catch the butt of his musket. Be careful, he’s getting desperate! After throwing the ball into the musket, the timing is different on the return. Meaning you have to wait a couple seconds before the sparks signal that the gun is about to go off. Play it cool and you’ve obtained victory. Because after that the battle is over!
DK comes down from the ceiling and gives Rool a swift uppercut out of the ship. Landing him at the bottom of Crocodile Isle where he will be eaten by sharks.
So that’s that! Show your appreciation for the classics by playing this game. One of the last truely great Rareware games before they bit the dust. It deserves your attention.
NOW BEAT IT, KID!
