Star Barrel

From the Super Mario Wiki, the Mario encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Star Barrel
Star Barrel
First appearance Donkey Kong Country (1994)
Latest appearance Donkey Kong Country 3 (Game Boy Advance) (2005)

A Star Barrel[1][2] (also known as a Continue Barrel)[3][4][5][6] is a barrel with white stars painted on it that acts as a checkpoint during a level, usually halfway through. Star Barrels first appear in Donkey Kong Country.

Star Barrels appear in almost every level of the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy, Donkey Kong Land 2, and Donkey Kong Land III. Every Star Barrel floats in the air, with the stars spiraling around the barrel circumference. If the Kongs jump at a Star Barrel, it breaks, and a shower of colorful sparkles rains upon them, indicating that it has been activated. This way, if the Kongs exit a level or lose a life, they can resume from the Star Barrel's location. By doing so, the Star Barrel shakes, and the Kongs burst out of it. However, if the player gets a Game Over or restarts the game, the Kongs must restart from either the level itself or where the player last saved their game. A Star Barrel's effect also wears off when the Kongs complete a level. Certain levels in the games lack Star Barrels. Rickety Race in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest lacks a Star Barrel; one was added in the GBA version. In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, two of the Krematoa levels, Stampede Sprint and Rocket Rush (in the GBA version only), do not have Star Barrels. In the Game Boy Advance ports of the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, if the Kongs exit a level where they have activated a Star Barrel, and the player saves and restarts their game, the Kongs can resume from the Star Barrel.

In Donkey Kong Country, there is a type of Star Barrel known as a save barrel. One of them appears at Candy's Save Point and has the same appearance as ordinary Star Barrels. Unlike their normal counterpart, when the Kongs jump into a save barrel, the barrel does not break. This barrel type neither appears in the Game Boy Color nor Game Boy Advance versions.

Certain cheat codes can remove Star Barrels in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Inputting B Button, A Button, +Control Pad right, +Control Pad right, A Button, +Control Pad left, A Button, X Button in the hidden Cheat Code option in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest removes all DK Barrels and Star Barrels; inputting "ROCKARD" in the Cheat Code menu does the same in the GBA version. For Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, inputting "TUFST" (SNES version) / "TUFFER" (GBA version) removes all Star Barrels, though the GBA version's code can be used only when a new file is made.

Star Barrels were initially replaced with Continue Points for Donkey Kong Land, but these have not appeared in any other game. In Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Professor Chops instead marks the checkpoint for the Kongs.

Profiles[edit]

Donkey Kong Country[edit]

  • Instruction manual bio: "These barrels are decorated with a star design. If you knock out one of these barrels, you will restart at the barrel's location instead of beginning of the level when you lose a life."
  • Wii U Virtual Console manual bio: "If you knock out one of these barrels, when you lose a life you will restart at the barrel's location instead of the beginning of the level."
  • 'Instruction manual bio (GBC/GBA): "Break open a star-spangled Continue Barrel to restart at that location the next time you lose a life."

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest[edit]

  • Instruction manual bio: "These barrels mark a midway point in the stage. If you break one of these barrels, you'll continue at that point if you lose a life later in the level."
  • Wii U Virtual Console manual bio: "If you break one of these barrels, you will be able to continue the game from that spot when you lose a life."
  • Instruction manual bio (GBA): "These barrels mark a midway point in the stage. If you break one, you'll continue at that point should you lose a life later in the level."

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (SNES) / Donkey Kong Land 2 / Donkey Kong Land III[edit]

  • Instruction manual bio: "Star Barrels mark a midway point in the stage. If you break one of these barrels, you'll continue from that point."

Donkey Kong Country 3 (GBA)[edit]

  • Instruction manual bio: "These mark a midway point in the level. Break one to continue from that point if you lose a life before reaching the end."

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Star Barrel[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese コンティニュー・バレル[7] / コンティニューバレル[8][9]
Kontinyū Bareru
Continue Barrel

Italian Barile decorato[10]
Barile Stella[11]
Barile a stella[12]
Barile stelle[13]
Barile stella[14][15][16]
Decorated Barrel
Star Barrel
Star barrel
Stars barrel
Star barrel

Save barrel[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese セーブ・バレル[7]
Sēbu Bareru
Save Barrel

Italian Barile dei salvataggi di Candy Kong[17]
Barile dei Salvataggi di Candy[18]
Candy Kong's save barrel
Candy's Save Barrel

Trivia[edit]

  • In Donkey Kong Country, there is an unused sprite for the Continue Barrel with its top open.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest instruction booklet, page 18.
  2. ^ Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! instruction booklet, page 25.
  3. ^ Donkey Kong Country instruction booklet, page 17.
  4. ^ Donkey Kong Country Nintendo Power Player's Guide. Page 21Media:DKC Guide 20-21.jpg.
  5. ^ Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest British English Virtual Console digital manual, page 7.
  6. ^ Nintendo Power Issue 66, pages 11, 12, 15, and 17.
  7. ^ a b Super Donkey Kong instruction booklet, page 17.
  8. ^ Super Donkey Kong 2: Dixie & Diddy instruction booklet, page 22.
  9. ^ Super Donkey Kong 3: Nazo no Kremis-tō instruction booklet, page 30.
  10. ^ Donkey Kong Country Italian booklet, pag. 17
  11. ^ Donkey Kong Land 2 Italian manual, pag. 19
  12. ^ Donkey Kong Land III European booklet, pag. 48
  13. ^ Donkey Kong Country 2 European booklet, pag. 115
  14. ^ Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Spanish-Italian booklet, pag. 53
  15. ^ Donkey Kong Country (GBC); European booklet, pag. 111
  16. ^ Donkey Kong Country (GBA); European booklet, pag. 102
  17. ^ Donkey Kong Country Italian manual, pag. 17
  18. ^ Donkey Kong Country Italian manual, pag. 26
  19. ^ TCRF. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)#Barrels. The Cutting Room Floor. Retrieved April 21, 2019.