While I'm essentially a retro gamer - the GBA SP is my first post-PS1 console - I don't intend to build a GBA library filled with NES and SNES ports/remakes. But Donkey Kong Country 2 is a special case. The 1995 cart is one of my absolute favorite platform games, and the opportunity to carry a portable version around was too inviting to ignore. I decided to buy it... and was not the least bit disappointed. It is at once a faithful port, and a new, “tweaked” package that should please all fans of 2-D platform games.

For starters, Donkey Kong isn't a playable character here: he's been kidnapped by K. Rool, who is after the Kongs' banana hoard; the youngest members of the bunch, Diddy and Dixie Kong, volunteer to embark on an adventure and rescue their friend. This is a very basic storyline, to be sure, but Rare included some good British humor in the form of the old, disgruntled Cranky Kong (who may have been the original Donkey Kong in the 1981 game of the same name); his insights on video games are priceless (“And I wouldn't been seen dead in a game that scrolls and has bonus levels! Some of us have standards!”). The GBA version features new cut scenes, most of which star Cranky.

Small audiovisual downgrade

Given the limited specs of the GBA's screen, the graphics are not as deep and vibrant as those of the SNES version. But unlike the game's harshest critics, I wouldn't say that they're washed up: Rare did a great job in adapting the original's sprites and backgrounds for a portable console. By brightening up the darker parts, they made everything easy to see on the small screen, and the loss is not that big. The animation is just as smooth as it could have been, and both the allies and enemies retain the charm and charisma they had brought to the SNES cart. Noticeable changes include new designs for the various world maps and menus, and a few altered bosses.

The GBA's tiny speaker does its best to replicate the feel of the original's majestic soundtrack, and the results are truly decent; as expected, the tunes have survived in a simpler form, but they are recognizable and satisfying. The familiar voices and sound effects have also been slightly altered, for the most part successfully, with some new ones added along the way. The sound's overall clarity is to be commended.

A platform game fan's dream

The Donkey Kong Country series is sometimes singled out for being “all flash and no substance”, but I disagree with this. In many ways, Donkey Kong Country 2's gameplay is a platform game fan's dream. It goes beyond the hop-and-bop style: one character can pick up the other and reach otherwise inaccessible areas; both Diddy and Dixie have their own strengths (the former is faster and more agile, while the latter can access remote places with her helicopter spin), and must thus be used accordingly. The Kongs can also be helped by several animal friends - a rhinoceros, a swordfish, a parrot, a spider, a rattlesnake, an angler fish and a seal -, all of whom play a big role in discovering every single secret the game has to offer. All of these maneuvers and actions can be accomplished easily given the remarkably precise controls and visual clarity. Rare has deftly transferred their game from the 6-button scheme of the SNES to the GBA's 4-button configuration. The most difficult moves to pull off were already tough in the original game, but can be mastered with sufficient practice time. Jumping on small surfaces is a little harder here, and rotating barrels commend a slightly different approach to veterans of the SNES version.

As in all great platform games, reaching the goal in Donkey Kong Country 2 is only part of the (very big, in this case) picture. In addition to collecting bananas, letters and extra lives, the Kongs get to experiment with a wide variety of barrels that enable them to become temporarily invincible, free a comrade, break open apparently solid surfaces, access bonus areas, etc.; there are also cannonballs, boxes et al. Special coins can be collected, and then spent for advice or bonus games; one big DK coin is hidden in each level; Kremkoins are acquired in bonus rounds, and can then be used to gain access to the elusive Lost World, whose levels are very challenging. The GBA version adds new secret items, too: golden feathers and photographs, both of which have a special function in the game. As a stats freak, I love the fact that all of this stuff is tallied with even more precision in this portable edition: Rare has included a “Level stats” page wherein you can see what you have found in each stage, in addition to the standard info (time, coins found, completion percentage). Moreover, unlike the SNES version, this version saves your number of lives.

Challenges and extra modes

As a whole, Donkey Kong Country 2 is considerably harder than the first game. Rare had sacrificed a lot of challenge to please Nintendo in the prequel, whereas, in the sequel, they injected a healthy dose of Battletoads-inspired tricks and madness. Granted, Donkey Kong Country 2's difficulty level doesn't hold a candle to that of Battletoads, but it still has some very tricky sections, and many exciting episodes. The Lost World levels and those in K. Rool's Keep are especially notable in that regard, but even the early worlds have stages that ask for dexterity. The level design is extremely solid, with a proliferation of paths in each stage and carefully hidden items and areas. Finishing the game might not take that long, but there are so many things to do - from attaining the 100+% mark to stacking up a massive number of lives to “speed runs”, etc. - that it is hard to get tired of it if you truly love the genre.

The extra modes of play in this GBA version are often referred to as “afterthoughts”, but I feel that they enhance an already superb game. The most substantial of these modes is Diddy's Dash. In it, you race through already completed levels in the regular game as fast as you can, and the best time for every single stage is saved; some actions can make the difference, such as defeating multiple enemies in a row (it temporarily freezes time). This mode is highly entertaining and somehow reminds me of the simple but incredibly addictive SNES game Uniracers (1994); the first few levels are quite short and straightforward, but the stages in the later worlds can take a few minutes to complete, so it's unlikely that you'll get the same time over and over again. This mode gives the player yet another way to play through the stages.

There are three other bonus modes. In Expresso's Racing, you race as Expresso the Ostrich across six tracks; you can adjust the number of laps, and the game saves the best lap time for each track. Interestingly enough, one can find, scattered throughout the races, “accelerating arrows” not unlike those of Rare's old NES classic R.C. Pro-Am (1987). In Funky's Flights, you must guide a plane to a specific goal. Finally, in Bag a Bug, you must collect as many flies as you can while avoiding the massive Klubba, who chases you around. These modes are enjoyable in their own right, and round up a very attractive package.

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Gamers unfamiliar with the Donkey Kong Country series (is such a thing possible?) can't go wrong with this remarkable game. But even hose who still own the SNES cart should get this GBA version: its extras and tweaking makes it a stand alone work in itself; moreover, it's portable, and just the perfect fit for nomadic gamers. I couldn't recommend it more, and I hope that a GBA version of Donkey Kong Country 3 is in the wings.

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Recommended: Yes