####################################################################### DKC proto-FAQ (v0.3 of 12/16/94) ####################################################################### This FAQ has two major sections: (1) "Frequently Asked Questions" about things OTHER than bonus rooms. Questions: Q-1: How many levels are there in Donkey Kong Country? Q-2: How can I tell if I've found all of the bonus rooms in a level? Q-3: How can I jump for extra distance (horizontally)? Q-4: How can I grab things out of a pit without falling to my death? Q-5: What's the "Diddy controller code"? How does it work? Q-6: Where are the special "2x" icons? Q-7: Are there any ways to bypass parts of some levels? Q-8: Does the ending change depending on the percentage of completion? (2) A list of the locations of all 67 bonus rooms. Index: BR-1. Kongo Jungle bonus rooms BR-2. Monkey Mines bonus rooms BR-3. Vine Valley bonus rooms BR-4. Gorilla Glacier bonus rooms BR-5. Kremroc Industries, Inc. bonus rooms BR-6. Chimp Caverns bonus rooms BR-7. General notes and strategy hints BR-8. Sample description interpretation BR-9. Kinds of bonus rooms BR-10. Acknowledgements ####################################################################### Frequently Asked Questions - about things other than Bonus Rooms ####################################################################### Questions: Q-1: How many levels are there in Donkey Kong Country? Q-2: How can I tell if I've found all of the bonus rooms in a level? Q-3: How can I jump for extra distance (horizontally)? Q-4: How can I grab things out of a pit without falling to my death? Q-5: What's the "Diddy" "controller code"? How does it work? Q-6: Where are the special "2x" icons? Q-7: Are there any ways to bypass parts of some levels? Q-8: Does the ending change depending on the percentage of completion? ======================================================================= Q-1: How many levels are there in Donkey Kong Country? There are 33 "normal" levels, 67 bonus rooms, and seven boss areas. There are also six each of the "friendly" areas (Candy Kong, Cranky Kong, and Funky Kong). The first six bosses do not count towards the percentage total. The remaining 101 areas (33 levels, 67 bonus rooms, and "King R. Rool") each count as 1% towards the completion total. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Q-2: How can I tell if I've found all of the bonus rooms in a level? On the map screen, a level is marked with an exclamation point once there are no undiscovered bonus rooms remaining in it. (e.g., "Ropey Rampage" becomes "Ropey Rampage!" when all of its bonus areas are found.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Q-3: How can I jump for extra distance (horizontally)? This question and Q-4 are related, because the same technique covers both. The trick is that the Kongs can jump upwards out of a cartwheel (Diddy Kong) or barrel-roll (Donkey Kong), just as if they were standing on solid ground... even if they happen to be in mid-air at the time. Example: In "Jungle Hijinks," there is a red balloon above the group of trees is just past the [K] icon. There is a second red balloon over the next group of trees beyond that, and if you move quickly you will find a green balloon over the third group of trees. But the trees are spaced too far apart for Diddy to jump from group to group, even with a running start. Also, the second and third sets of treetops can't be reached from the ground. How do you collect the second and third balloons? By rolling off a tree, and then jumping from mid-air... which increases the total horizontal distance which can be covered in a single jump. In detail: (A) Position Diddy on the right-hand edge of the first group of trees, where you collected the first red balloon. (B) Press "right" on the control pad and the "Y" button (approximately simultaneously), and Diddy will cartwheel off the tree towards the right. (C) At any time before Diddy finishes the cartwheel move, (the later, the better), press and hold the "B" button to jump as high as possible. (Don't forget to continue to hold "right" on the control pad so that you jump to the right!) If your timing is good, you will land on the left edge of the next group of trees just in time to jump up and collect the second red balloon (before it floats away). With practice, you will be able to jump these large gaps quickly and easily. This technique comes in handy later in the game -- there is at least one bonus room that I can't reach without it, and at least one more that is far easier to reach with this technique. But it is not stricly necessary to be able to cartwheel-jump, to get to the end of any level (or "win" the game with less than 101%). Unrelated note: This example, incidentally, is a good way to pick up lives very quickly. In "Jungle Hijinks", pick up the balloon in Donkey Kong's tree house, and then these three treetop balloons, for a total of five quick lives. Then quit the level with pause- select (and re-enter if desired). I'm able to earn extra lives more quickly this way than with the "DYDDY" controller code (which is discussed later in this file). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Q-4: How can I grab things out of a pit without falling to my death? This question and Q-3 are related, because the same technique covers both. The trick is that the Kongs can jump upwards out of a cartwheel (Diddy Kong) or barrel-roll (Donkey Kong), just as if they were standing on solid ground... even if they happen to be in mid-air at the time. Example: In "Stop & Go Station", the golden letter [O] icon sits just below the level of the surrounding land, in a pit which kills Diddy or Donkey Kong should they fall into it and off the screen. How do you go about getting the [O] without losing a life? By cart-wheeling (or barrel-rolling) into the pit and falling partway down, far enough to collect the [O]... and then jumping up when in mid-air, to get back onto solid ground. In detail: (A) Position Donkey Kong (or Diddy Kong) at the left edge of the pit, facing to the right. (B) Press "right" on the control pad and the "Y" button approximately simultaneously, and Donkey (Diddy) will barrel roll (cartwheel) to the right and slightly downwards into the pit. (C) Once Donkey (Diddy) touches the [O] and collects it, press and hold the "B" button to jump up to the ground level on the opposite side of the pit. (Don't forget to continue to hold "right" on the control pad so that you jump to the right!) This is a move which requires some practice, but it isn't too difficult once you get the hang of it. Again, it is not strictly necessary to be able to do this in order to "win" the game, but you can't get "101%" or pick up some of the interesting items (e.g., also the [K] in "Forest Frenzy", and many other letter icons and bananas, especially in the later parts of the game) without it. Unrelated note: Not every item in a pit requires this strategy. Sometimes an item in a pit, especially a vertical line of bananas, is a hint that there is a hidden barrel cannon at the bottom of the pit. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Q-5: What's the "Diddy" "controller code"? How does it work? It is used to get to a special bonus room that always contains three golden icons of each animal, permitting you to play any of the animal bonus games as many times as you want. Just press "DYDDY" (down, Y, down, down, Y) on the controller, from the introductory screen where Cranky Kong cranks a record player. This works even when the game is first turned on. If you want to collect lives in this special area and then play the game WITH those lives, you must first get the "GAME OVER" screen by losing your last life IN A LEVEL WHICH YOU HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED (by walking through the exit door -- finding all of the bonus rooms is not necessary). Press "start" after a few seconds to dismiss the "game over" screen, and then enter the "DYDDY" sequence once Cranky appears. When the bonus area is entered in this manner, it becomes possible to exit the bonus room (with pause-select). Upon exiting, you are returned to the game map at the point where the previous game ended... carrying along all of the lives (and remaining icons, if any) which were collected in the special area. Additional note: Some people are reporting trouble with this, saying that they cannot exit the bonus room except with an even number of lives, or except when dying with only Diddy. I've had no such trouble, and in fact have been able to successfully exit under a wide range of conditions, including: (1) both even and odd numbers of lives; (2) the final death being Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, or both at the same time (e.g., by falling off a cliff); (3) a game that is "101%" complete and a game that is less than 40% finished; (4) dying in a level that is complete including bonus rooms, and in a level that is complete except for bonus rooms; ...and even... (5) going to the bonus room without the Game Over screen at all, after beating King R. Rool and watching the end credits. (In this case, all of the lives I had when winning the game were carried over into the bonus room, and it put me on the map at "Jungle Hijinks" upon exiting the bonus room.) I suspect that most of the people who are reporting trouble exiting the bonus screen are losing their last life in an uncompleted level. (My guess is that the special area is executed just as if it were a bonus room of the level that you died in. For any uncompleted level, the pause-select exit is disabled EVERYWHERE -- including its bonus rooms.) To exit this bonus area or any level which you have completed already: Press 'start' to pause the game. Wait a second or two after releasing 'start'. While the game is paused, press 'select'. (If you press these buttons too closely together, the 'select' is ignored!) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Q-6: Where are the special "2x" icons? In each animal bonus area, there is a special extra-huge icon that doubles the quantity of golden icons collected so far, making it possible to get as many as eight extra lives in a single run. (Actually, I've been told nine is possible, but haven't been able to do it.) These icons are located: Expresso -- at the extreme right-hand end of the level, beyond where the level appears to end. (Go to the third (last) area to the right, stand on the last step on the right-hand wall, and jump as high as possible AND flap once for extra height, to get through an off-screen break in the wall.) Enguarde -- in a hidden room straight down from Enguarde's starting position. (Go through an apparently solid wall.) Rambi -- at the extreme right-hand end of the level, beyond where the level appears to end. (Jump on top of the entrance door, stick to the highest ledges while moving across the whole level to the right, then jump over the right-hand cliff and head down into the special area.) Winky -- at the extreme left-hand end of the level, beyond where the level appears to end. (Cross to the left-hand side, climbing up to the top of the level, and jump over the left-hand wall.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Q-7: Are there any ways to bypass parts of some levels? - Barrel Cannon Canyon To skip some of the first half of the level: Walk up above the entrance (bounce off the "Kritter" to get up on top of the doorway) and jump into the barrel cannon hidden at the extreme left. Jump into the overhead barrel cannon of the tree that it deposits you on. You'll be transported to the last barrel sequence before halfway point of the level. - Stop & Go Station To skip nearly the entire level: Walk back through the entrance door to be transported to a few screens short of the end of the level. - Snow Barrel Blast To skip most of the second half of the level: just past the golden Rambi icon that is above a rotating barrel with two "Zinger"s, blast straight down from the third barrel. You'll land in a sequence of horizontal-blasting barrel cannons which kick you out just before the exit. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Q-8: Does the ending change depending on the percentage of completion? Not in any significant way. If you win the game with less than 101% complete, very early in the endgame sequence Cranky says a few sentences about being sure there are some things you haven't found yet. If you win the game with 101% complete, in the same place Cranky will instead congratulate you for finding everything. All of the rest of the endgame stays the same. ####################################################################### Location of all bonus rooms ####################################################################### Following are short, semi-vague descriptions of the locations of all DKC bonus rooms and their contents. Index: BR-1. Kongo Jungle bonus rooms BR-2. Monkey Mines bonus rooms BR-3. Vine Valley bonus rooms BR-4. Gorilla Glacier bonus rooms BR-5. Kremroc Industries, Inc. bonus rooms BR-6. Chimp Caverns bonus rooms BR-7. General notes and strategy hints BR-8. Sample description interpretation BR-9. Kinds of bonus rooms BR-10. Acknowledgements ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BR-1. Kongo Jungle bonus rooms ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - Jungle Hijinks * First right-hand wall after the Rambi crate. LEVEL: red balloon * Right-hand wall in the pit under the tree with [G]. It's just after a big hill -- or just about where the first bonus room exits, if that route was taken instead. MATCH: Rambi, Expresso, Winky, Enguarde icons - Ropey Rampage * Low off-screen barrel cannon, just to the right of the tree with [O]. (Walk to the right off of the [O] tree, fall straight down into the barrel.) LEVEL: [N] * Low off-screen barrel cannon, just left of the red arrow signpost. (Fall into the pit just before the red arrow sign.) FIND: red balloon - Reptile Rumble * Right-hand wall, immediately below [K]. LEVEL: red balloon * Visible barrel cannon above and left of a "DK" barrel on a hill, between [K] and [O]. (The barrel cannon is only visible when standing on the hill. There is a second similar hill after the continue barrel, which does not have a barrel cannon nearby.) LEVEL: only bananas * Right-hand wall of two-snake pit, just past continue barrel and [N]. LEVEL: only bananas - Coral Capers - Barrel Cannon Canyon * Hidden doorway on the cliff-side just past [O]. (It is not possible to get there carrying a barrel. It is necessary to blast straight into the cliff-side -- intentionally missing the moving "connecting" barrel -- immediately after collecting the [O] icon.) BLAST-SIDEWAYS: DK barrel and red balloon * Right-hand wall of the pit that is between the 2nd and 3rd purple "Kritter"s after the continue barrel. BLAST-UP: top off-screen prizes: Enguarde icon on the left, red balloon in the center, and a bunch of bananas on the right. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BR-2. Monkey Mines bonus rooms ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - Winky's Walkway * Visible barrel cannon above "Necky", just after continue barrel. LEVEL: [N] - Mine Cart Carnage - Bouncy Bonanza * Right-hand wall of the pit under a pair of "Zinger"s, between the [K] and the [O]. MATCH: banana, bunch of bananas, Winky icon, red balloon * Visible overhead barrel cannon, above the moving platform that is between [G] and exit. BLAST-UP: only bananas - Stop & Go Station * First right-hand wall after continue barrel. It's a short distance past the steel-rim barrel that can be picked up. BLAST-AROUND: only bananas * High off-screen barrel cannon at LEFTmost position the first movable tire can reach (the left edge of a wide, shallow pit with three "Klaptraps"). The path up to the barrel is marked with three bananas in a vertical line. BLAST-UP: top off-screen prizes: bunch of bananas on the left and in the center, and Enguarde icon on the right. - Millstone Mayhem * High off-screen barrel cannon above the entrance door. (Use the tire to bounce up on top of the entrance, then jump upwards from there.) BLAST-UP: top off-screen prizes: DK barrel on the left, bunch of bananas in the center, and [K] on the right. * Visible barrel cannon over 3rd millstone. (Get the movable tire between the first and second millstones, by using the barrel cannon hidden in the pit to knock out the tire from the spot to its right.) SPELL: "RARE" for Enguarde icon * Right-hand wall below the fifth millstone. FIND: green balloon ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BR-3. Vine Valley bonus rooms ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - Vulture Culture * High off-screen barrel cannon at the right edge of the land area with a coconut-thrower sitting on a movable tire. The path up to the barrel is marked with three bananas in a vertical line. SPELL: "KONG" for Expresso icon * Left-hand wall in the land area that is just past a sequence with a barrel cannon and two "Necky"s; before the continue barrel. JUMP: 2 blue "Klaptraps" for red balloon * Left-hand wall beside a single coconut-thrower on stair-step "hill." BLAST-SIDEWAYS: DK barrel, red balloon - Tree Top Town * Visible barrel cannon up and LEFT of entrance. (Can get high enough by having Diddy bounce off Gnawty.) MATCH-KONG: red balloon * Low off-screen barrel cannon in the second barrel sequence after the continue barrel. (From the last of the three barrels, blast low sideways at the lone banana, instead of trying to blast high to land on the platform.) BLAST-UP: top off-screen prize: only [N] in the center. - Forest Frenzy * Barely visible barrel cannon at bottom edge of screen when hanging on a moving rope. It's early in the dodging-flying-"Necky"s part that's shortly before the end of the whole level. FIND: Rambi icon * Last left-hand wall before exit. (There is a barrel available at the extreme left end of this same chunk of land.) LEVEL: Enguarde icon - Temple Tempest * Right-hand wall after the first pit. The first millstone will stop covering this entry. (The millstone can be made to vanish if it is in the way, by walking to the right until its clicking sound stops. Upon returning to the left, the millstone will be gone.) LEVEL: Expresso crate * Low off-screen barrel cannon - straight down off the middle of three ropes. Just past the continue barrel and before the hidden [N], there's a downward-pointing arrow made of bananas marking it. JUMP: one blue "Klaptrap" for Rambi icon - Orang-utan Gang * Open off-screen doorway under the vine where the level begins. (Use Expresso to fly left from the low-lying land level where the first DK barrel is found.) SPELL: "WINKY" for Winky icon, then "RAMBI" for Rambi icon, then "ENGUARDE" for Enguarde icon, then "EXPRESSO" for Expresso icon. * Right-hand wall under vines past the [N] icon. (Use Expresso to fly to the right from [N], under vines. At the rightmost point, there is a cliff-side with the hidden door, and a barrel which can be used to open it.) LEVEL: bounce off of tire to reveal DK barrel * Left-hand wall in a small pit, under the last vine before the exit. LEVEL: bounce off of tire to reveal only bunches of bananas * Right-hand wall past the small pit with the entry for the previous bonus room, just before the cliff that ends under the last vine before the exit. LEVEL: bounce off of tire to reveal [G] * Right-hand wall immediately before red arrow signpost. (The barrel just before the last vine can be used to open every one of the final three exits. They are all in the same area, and the barrel returns after going through a bonus area.) LEVEL: Expresso crate and red balloon - Clam City ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BR-4. Gorilla Glacier bonus rooms ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - Snow Barrel Blast * High off-screen barrel cannon directly above entrance. (Stand on the entrance and bounce off the slow "Necky" when he gets near.) FIND: Winky icon * Low off-screen barrel cannon in the pit a short ways left of the continue barrel. (Watch carefully: another barrel will blast the player past this area and onto the continue barrel -- it is necessary to backtrack from that point.) BLAST-UP: top off-screen prize: only [O] in the center. * Low off-screen barrel cannon on ledge, below the barrel with three bananas and a yellow "Zinger" -- the last one before the land area with the Rambi icon. (Blast down from the "Zinger" barrel, and head to the right, along the ledges.) On the way to the bonus room, the player is blasted through the [N], picking it up automatically. BLAST-SIDEWAYS: only bananas - Slip Slide Ride * Left-hand wall at top of the very first blue up-rope nearest the entrance. (Have Diddy bounce off a "Kritter" to reach the rope.) MATCH-KONG: red balloon * Left-hand wall at bottom of first red down-rope. (There's a barrel halfway along the down-rope, in a small alcove on the right.) SPELL: "NINTENDO" for red balloon * Visible barrel cannon at top of a blue up-rope. It's the third rope in the group of four that are found a short distance past the continue barrel. LEVEL: Expresso icon - Ice Age Alley * High off-screen barrel cannon on a ledge; follows a string of "Necky"s which sit beyond the landing point from the first set of ropes. When continuing along the ground level, it is possible to see the bottom of the barrel cannon's ledge when passing under it. (Use Diddy to bounce off the "Necky"s and over to the barrel. It is also possible to get there with Expresso, but necessary to dismount him in mid-air in order to land on the ledge.) LEVEL: Expresso icon, Expresso crate * High off-screen barrel cannon on a ledge; the ledge is above the series of downward ledges with "Klaptraps" that follow the peak with a steel barrel. When jumping down the "Klaptrap" ledges as usual, it is possible to see the bottom of the barrel's ledge when passing under it. (With Expresso, fly to the right from the very top of the steel barrel peak.) MATCH: red, green, or blue balloon - Croctopus Chase - Torchlight Trouble * Right-hand wall just past the continue barrel. (There is a barrel sitting directly on top of the wall with the hidden door.) BLAST-AROUND: Expresso icon (Expresso crate at bonus room exit) * Left-hand wall just before the exit. JUMP: one blue "Klaptrap" for Rambi icon; the [G] icon is also in the room. - Rope Bridge Rumble * Visible barrel cannon in center of the second pit. LEVEL: Winky crate * Off-screen barrel cannon above the second tire beyond the red arrow signpost. It is marked by a single banana at the very top of the screen. MATCH: Rambi, Enguarde, Winky, and Expresso icons ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BR-5. Kremroc Industries, Inc. bonus rooms ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - Oil Drum Alley * Off-screen barrel cannon under the first flaming oil drum. (Blow up the drum with the TNT barrel that is available by jumping off the rope very near the entrance.) BLAST-UP: top off-screen prize: only a red balloon in the center. * First left-hand wall after the [K], a very tall wall. (Open the door with the barrel that is available from jumping down off the top of the tall wall.) MATCH: banana, bunch of bananas, Winky icon, red balloon * Right-hand wall of the previous bonus level. (Match the single banana in that bonus level, to get a barrel which can be used for breaking the wall. Have Diddy carry the barrel and jump against the wall.) SPELL: "DONKEY" for red balloon, then "KONG" for green balloon, then "COUNTRY" for blue balloon. * Right-hand wall of the pit under the first mid-air flaming oil drum. It is shortly after the second "Manky Kong" following the continue barrel. (He has a barrel on his platform, which can be used to open the area if the player does not have Rambi.) BLAST-SIDEWAYS: [N] - Trick Track Trek * Visible barrel cannon under the wooden ramp at the midpoint, just before the continue barrel. (Use Diddy and cartwheel-jump from the left as the first-half moving platform falls away.) LEVEL: only bananas * Visible barrel cannon up beside a platform with two "Gnawty"s. The platform is about halfway between continue barrel and end. (Jump to the "Gnawty" platform while the moving platform is still left of it and on a higher section of track; then jump from there to the barrel cannon.) JUMP: one purple "Klaptrap" for red balloon * Off-screen barrel cannon below the Manky Kong on the exit platform. (Once he is killed, just walk past where he was sitting -- off the edge to the right -- without jumping up to the level of the exit.) MATCH: red, green, and blue balloons - Elevator Antics * Off-screen open door, reached via the first rope that is just to the right of the entrance. (Use Diddy to jump left from the second rope, which can be reached from the ground. The second rope moves slowly back and forth a short distance -- jump when it is at its leftmost point.) MATCH-KONG: red balloon * Off-screen open door in a hidden off-screen hallway, up and to the right of a three-rope segment with one ascending/descending "Zinger" along each rope. It's the next-to-last multi-rope segment before the continue barrel. (Jump up and to the right from the top of the third rope -- landing on an off-screen ledge. Continue to the right while off-screen, to get to the bonus room.) BLAST-SIDEWAYS: [O], Expresso icon, green balloon * Off-screen open door, reached via the last "elevator" before the exit. (Stay on the elevator and ride it down below the level of the exit. Jump off into a small alcove on the right-hand side.) BLAST-UP: only bananas - Poison Pond - Mine Cart Madness * High off-screen barrel cannon at gap in bananas on upper track. (Reach the mine car on this high track via the rope.) It's shortly before continue barrel, I think. LEVEL: Rambi icon, red balloon * Visible barrel cannon just past the big downhill which follows the [N] icon. (Jump from the mine car while it's still up the hill a ways, to reach a mid-air tire; bounce to the barrel.) MATCH: Rambi, Expresso, Enguarde, and Winky icons * Visible barrel cannon under the peak of the big hill immediately before the exit. (Jump from the mine car on the downward part of the hill, to reach any of three mid-air tires under the track; bounce up and left to the barrel.) LEVEL: only bananas - Blackout Basement * Low off-screen barrel cannon under the last falling platform -- the fourth of a group of four -- beyond the continue barrel. It is marked with a low banana. (Just stand in the center of the platform as it falls.) BLAST-AROUND: [N] * Left-hand wall, the last one before the exit. (Easiest way to get here: ride the steel barrel that appears upon exiting the first bonus area, and never get off. The barrel will automatically bounce off the right-hand wall before the exit, open the opposite left-hand wall, and send the player into the bonus room.) FIND: red balloon ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BR-6. Chimp Caverns bonus rooms ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - Tanked Up Trouble * Off-screen barrel cannon below the first vertical track section. (Avoid the first fuel can and stand in the middle of the moving platform as it runs out of fuel and falls off the track.) FIND: red balloon - Manic Mincers * Right-hand wall of a pit with a single "Krusha", shortly after the continue barrel. JUMP: three blue "Klaptraps" for red balloon * Right-hand wall under a stacked pair of stationary mincers, which are just before the exit. (It is possible to get a barrel by going up and through a doorway shortly before the mincers. I don't think the upper-doorway-to-get-the-barrel counts as a bonus room, but it acts like one in some ways -- for example, when "dying" in there, the player is returned to the level without losing a life.) FIND: red balloon - Misty Mine * Open off-screen door beside the bottom of a long rope. The rope is just past the continue barrel, and its path crosses a DK barrel. (Climb down to near the bottom of the rope and wait until it stops moving.) LEVEL: [K], [O], [N], [G], and Expresso crate * Right-hand wall near the end of the level -- the first right-hand wall beyond: the Expresso icon, a tire jump over a high wall with a "Klaptrap" drum halfway up, and a TNT barrel. (Carry the TNT barrel to the right, being careful to avoid enemies, over to the first right-hand wall. Unlike some other levels, the drums won't spit out anything while the player is standing on them.) MATCH: Rambi, Expresso, Enguarde, and Winky icons - Loopy Lights * Off-screen barrel cannon in the first pit after the entrance. The pit is marked with some bananas in a vertical row. BLAST-SIDEWAYS: [K] * First right-hand wall after the coconut-throwing "Necky". (Carry the barrel, avoiding coconuts which could shatter it, down the steps to the right; jump one pit, and avoid the one "Klaptrap" just in front of the wall. Alternative: carry a DK barrel from earlier in the level, to kill the coconut-throwing "Necky" so that he can't destroy the barrel.) LEVEL: Expresso icon, [N] - Platform Perils * Visible barrel cannon underneath the entry walkway. (Once the moving platform has moved about its own length, jump from it to an off-screen moving platform that is directly under the starting position of the visible moving platform.) MATCH-KONG: red-balloon * Off-screen barrel cannon underneath the exit walkway. (Jump as far to the right as possible from one of the moving platforms that is near the exit and just below its level. The lower walkway doesn't stick out to the left nearly as much as the exit walkway does.) FIND: Enguarde icon ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BR-7. General notes and strategy hints ----------------------------------------------------------------------- + Entries to all bonus areas are: (1) doorways -- either needing a barrel to break a wall to expose them, or ones which are already open but not visible because they aren't usually on the screen; and (2) barrel cannons, which may or may not be visible on the screen. + The skill of putting down a barrel (other than TNT, which explodes after a while when set down) is helpful because it lets enemies be dispatched without losing the barrel. To set a barrel down: press and hold "down" on the control pad before releasing the Y button. + If it is necessary to carry a barrel (especially a TNT barrel) a long ways, it's easiest to go ahead and kill the enemies first, then backtrack and pick up the barrel. (Providing that it is possible to backtrack in the level.) Then there are no worries about losing the barrel by touching an enemy while carrying it. + Since Diddy carries barrels low and in front of himself, they will automatically break when he brushes up against a breakable wall. When having trouble finding a breakable wall, go through the level once to kill off everything, and then backtrack and have Diddy carry a barrel around. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BR-8. Sample description interpretation ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The description of the first "Ropey Rampage" bonus area reads in part: "* Low off-screen barrel cannon, just to the right of the tree with [O]. LEVEL: [N]" This should be read as: The first bonus room is entered via a barrel cannon that's not visible because it's off the bottom of the screen. It is immediately to the right of the tree where the golden letter "O" icon is found. The type of bonus room is a "LEVEL" (see Section 9 for a description of different kinds of bonus games and the names I've assigned to them). This bonus room contains the golden letter "N" icon. It also probably contains some bananas -- but bananas are so easy to find, they are present in so many of the bonus areas, and they are worth so little... that they aren't mentioned specifically in this list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BR-9. Kinds of bonus rooms ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BLAST-AROUND - four or eight rotating barrels in a square (if there are four, they are arranged as the corners of the square; if there are eight, they are arranged as a tic-tac-toe board excluding the center square). There are various objects in between that can be picked up by blasting from barrel to barrel. (There may be an exit platform in the bottom right-hand corner of the room, which may also have something useful to pick up.) BLAST-SIDEWAYS - a horizontal string of barrels that blast left-to-right, with various things in between that can be picked up. For those barrels which don't rotate when the player is in them, it is possible to zip through the levels collecting everything, by quickly and constantly tapping the "B" button. BLAST-UP - starts with the player in a barrel at the bottom of the screen; the barrel may be sliding back and forth, or spinning, or both. There are bananas on the screen, and up to three hidden objects just off the top of the screen (left, center, right). These objects can be reached by blasting straight up (when the barrel is at the left, center, or right). It isn't always possible get all three top items -- only one at a time can be collected, and the player must fall back into the barrel or the bonus level is over. It is useful to know the position of the item that is the most important to have, in order to pick it up first. FIND - an object flashes among four barrels; once it stops flashing around and vanishes, pick the barrel in which it last appeared (by jumping up to touch that barrel). Upon guessing correctly, the object is awarded to the player. There are eight "FIND" bonus rooms. Four award red balloons, and the remaining four each give a different reward: a green balloon, a Rambi icon, a Winky icon, and an Enguarde icon. LEVEL - a mini-level (generally not-reused for any other bonus rooms) in which there are various things to collect. JUMP - bounce on one or more "Klaptrap"s (the mini-alligators with big mouths). They spit up bananas when hit, and also move more quickly after each hit. The bunches of bananas stay on the screen for only a few seconds, then disappear. The first bunch PICKED UP will be worth one banana, the second worth two, and so on. The object of the bonus game is to pick up ten bunches (the last being worth ten bananas), at which point the "Klaptrap"(s) vanish. Then the player is rewarded with something more significant. There are five "JUMP" bonus rooms. Three of them give red balloons for completing the game, and the other two award Rambi icons. MATCH - objects flash on three barrels in a rotating sequence (e.g., banana, bunch of bananas, banana, Winky icon, banana, red balloon, [repeat]). Each barrel freezes on what it is displaying when touched by jumping up against it. If all three barrels are frozen displaying the same object, that object is awarded to the player. There are eight "MATCH" bonus rooms. Four match any animal icon (Enguarde, Expresso, Rambi, Winky). Two match red, green, or blue balloons (one, two, or three extra lives). The two others match a single banana, a bunch of bananas, a Winky icon, or a red balloon. MATCH-KONG - similar to MATCH, except there are four barrels and the rotation is [K]-[O]-[N]-[G]-banana. The object of the bonus game is to spell "KONG" across the four barrels. There are four "MATCH-KONG" bonus rooms. All four award a red balloon for winning the game. SPELL - jump and hit the flashing letter from among several letters that are flying around in a circle; the sequence of letters spells a word. If the letters are hit in order without error, a reward is given (which may be related to the word). There are five "SPELL" bonus rooms, each with a different reward. Three of the rooms play the spell game for only a single word (Enguarde icon, Expresso icon, red balloon). The others give the player chances at each of the three colors of balloon, and at each of the four animal icons. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BR-10. Acknowledgements ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to... * "Big Bad Harvey" (wnl100@psu.edu) ...who helped me find two exits (one each in Forest Frenzy and Orang-utan Gang) so that I could write up this list ####################################################################### END proto-FAQ #######################################################################