Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

"Try all you like, this game will never be as good as DKC, which was rubbish anyway!"

- Cranky Kong

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (スーパードンキーコング２　ディクシー＆ディディー, Super Donkey Kong 2: Dixie & Diddy in Japan ) is the sequel to the original Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo, and the predecessor to Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. It takes place shortly after Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong triumph over King K. Rool in the previous game.

The game features are improved from Donkey Kong Country ' s, with better graphics, more characters, harder levels and additional depth. Its soundtrack is also widely praised. It was commercially successful selling 4.37 million units.

Donkey Kong Country 2 also had a Game Boy semi-sequel, Donkey Kong Land 2. A port of DKC2 was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004 and was re-released on the Virtual Console in 2007, albeit the Donkey Kong Country series has since been removed from the Virtual Console for unknown reasons.

Plot

 * Below assumes the GBA remake's plot, and the intro can be viewed here: . Some elements were tweaked in the remake.



It was a relaxing, sunny day on Donkey Kong Island. Funky Kong is seen surfing and then falling off his board. He asked for Donkey Kong to join him, but D.K. simply continues lounging. He is still happily resting after the events of the original Donkey Kong Country, which was a large adventure through the entire island to retrieve his Banana Hoard. Cranky Kong goes up to him and complains how he never took breaks, "whisking off maidens and throwing barrels seven days a week", but Donkey ignores him. Cranky soon leaves.

Meanwhile, above, Kaptain K. Rool, aboard The Flying Krock, commands his minions to invade the island and take Donkey Kong captive. Klingers are then seen dropping down onto the island from ropes lowered from the Flying Krock. Donkey Kong, still lounging, did not notice the attack until Kutlasses ambushed him and took him prisoner (oddly, the Kilngers were not seen after they climbed down to the island). Kaptain K. Rool assures DK that he will never see his precious island or his friends again.

Back on the island, presumably several minutes later, Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky Kong find Donkey Kong missing, along with a note. Cranky reads the note aloud;
 * ''Hah-arrrrgyh! We have got the big monkey! If you want him back, you scurvy dogs, you'll have to hand over the Banana Hoard!
 * -Kaptain K. Rool. ''

At this point, Wrinkly Kong, Funky Kong, and Swanky Kong come to the scene. Swanky suggests to give up the hoard, but Diddy insists that Donkey Kong would be furious of he lost his bananas again. Diddy and Dixie ride to Crocodile Isle via Enguarde, and start their quest. Their big quest would take the pair all over enemy territory, Crocodile Isle. Here they find the Gangplank Galleon docked lazily onto the shore, abandoned. They would next travel to the lava world of Crocodile Cauldron, the swamps of Krem Quay, and then the ruined amusement park Krazy Kremland. The duo eventually reach K. Rool's Keep, where Donkey Kong is being held. When they reach him at the top, the Kaptain whisked DK away and retreated to his airship, The Flying Krock. In the Game Boy Advance version of DKC2, K. Rool also sends the gigantic Kremling Kerozene to battle Diddy and Dixie. The Kongs manage to reach K. Rool's airship with the help of Squawks and finally the Flying Krock.

Aboard the giant airship, Diddy and Dixie find the Kremling leader torturing Donkey Kong. They have a long duel with the Kaptain and eventually manage to defeat him by tossing kannonballs back into his blunderbuss. Donkey Kong breaks free of the ropes that held him and uppercuts K. Rool out the front window of the Flying Krock, sending him crashing into the swampy waters of Krem Quay.

Unbeknown to the Kongs, the Kremling leader survives and retreats to the Lost World, inside the Krocodile Kore. Diddy and Dixie bribe Klubba, the guardian of the Lost World, with Kremkoins and they get in, reach the Kore and face with K. Rool once again. After another duel, a final kannonball tossed into his gun made it explode instead of backfiring and sent the Kaptain into the ominous geyser. K. Rool clogged the geyser and as a result of the power build up, it explodes, taking the top of Crocodile Isle with it. The rest of the island sunk into the sea.

The Kong Family escape, and watch the Isle sink from DK Island. However, just before the island sinks, a ship is seen sailing away and K. Rool's laughter is heard. He sails off into the horizon.

Gameplay
The player controls Diddy Kong, near unchanged from the previous game, (but given some new animations to adapt to new gameplay elements covered below), and a new character Dixie Kong who replaces Donkey Kong. Diddy retains his Cartwheels and agility, however Dixie can whip her ponytail similar to DK's roll, and has a very useful ability; she can use her ponytail like a helicopter and lower her falling speed via her Ponytail Whirl, allowing the Kongs to reach farther areas than before (however Expresso has been removed likely because of this). Dixie and Diddy have a brand new Team-Up ability, usable only when both Kongs are in, allowing the Kongs to ride on one another. The Kong on top can be thrown as a weapon or way to get to high areas.

Levels generally were made less explorable and more straightforward. More ropes and such have been added, and the Kongs can now climb horizontal ropes as well (Diddy has gained new animations for this). Many new types of barrels have been implemented, such as the Exclamation Point Barrel, and most of the barrels from the previous game return as well (Vine Barrels, Steel Kegs, and Stop & Go Barrels were removed). Animal Crates return, though Kongs can now directly transform into animal buddies via Animal Barrels. Swimming returns, though acts more like Mario games, with the ability to get on land and return to water between areas of the level.

Items
"I've never seen so much worthless rubbish! I'm surprised they don't give you a special "trash barrel" to haul it all around in!"

- Cranky Kong, DKC2 GBA manual


 * Bananas and Banana Bunches, as with the previous game, are very common items akin to Mario's coins. Collecting 100 yields a life, with Banana Bunches worth ten regular bananas.
 * The No Animal Sign has been implemented due to the new way to finish a level. Animal Buddies cannot proceed past this sign, being turned into a prize as a reward (usually a coin or bananas).
 * The Animal Crate holds animal buddies prisoner, which one depends on the symbol of the crate. The returning animal buddies' crates have been slightly redesigned.
 * K-O-N-G Letters return, unchanged, as collecting all four grants a free life.
 * The Hot Air Balloons are found in Lava-flooded levels. They are used to safely float over Lava.
 * Crates act much like Vine Barrels from the previous game, where contact with anything, including the ground.
 * Treasure Chests also act somewhat like barrels, however when thrown on the ground they will bounce and lose momentum. These usually yield prizes when broken.
 * Extra Life Balloons are unchanged, if anything less common due to less bonus games being based entirely on collecting one, and now have Diddy's face on them instead of DK's.
 * DK Coins are huge coins with the DK emblem hidden by Cranky Kong found in every level. Collecting these are needed to finish the game. At the end of the quest, Cranky will tally the collected number of DK Coins and rank them with other Nintendo characters (Mario, Yoshi, and Link all make cameos) in Cranky's Video Game Heroes. There are 40 in the Super Nintendo version and 68 in the remake, per the new side-quests and minigames.
 * Banana Coins act as the basic currency of the game, required to pay for services done by the rest of the Kong Family in the game.
 * The Kremkoins are the prize of every bonus game and are used to access Lost World. It should be noted Lost World's Kremkoins are replaced with DK Coins.
 * Kannons and Kannonballs are found in some of the levels. Putting the Kannonball inside a Kannon will grant access to a Bonus Area.
 * The End of Level Target will give a reward if it’s jumped on from far above.
 * The Skull Cart has to be ridden in a few levels, replacing Mine Carts.
 * Golden Feathers are found in the GBA remake's levels.. These items are used to upgrade Expresso II's stats in the Expresso Racing minigame.
 * Photographs are used to fill Wrinkly’s Scrapbook. There are multiple ways of obtaining these items.

Barrels

 * Wooden Barrels return as a base weapon. Can be tossed and rolled to defeat foes.
 * DK Barrels return with the same function as the previous game; if both Kongs are not present, this barrel can be broken to retrieve the lost Kong.
 * TNT Barrels are rare, powerful barrels full of TNT. They were function similarly to how they did in Donkey Kong Country, though now do not explode when put down.
 * Star Barrels are the game's checkpoints -- walk or jump into them to activate the checkpoint.
 * Barrel Cannons return, with a slightly different design, shooting the heroes in a direction.
 * Invincibility Barrels act much like the "starman" from the Mario series, granting temporary invincibility.
 * Animal Barrels turn a Kong into the animal buddy displayed on the barrel.
 * Bonus Barrels act as teleporters to secret bonus levels. All must be found and entered to get 102% complete in this game.
 * Krochead Barrels are unique barrels that make the Krochead heads rise for be stepped on.
 * Plus and Minus Barrels raise/lower the time limit in the level Haunted Hall. In Rickety Race, a lone plus barrel can be found by going backwards in the kart and gives a speed boost,
 * Steerable Barrels are key barrels exclusive to the level Fiery Furnace. As the name suggests, they are movable using the directional buttons, and have a time limit.
 * Rotatable Barrel are spinning barrels. The spin direction can be switched, are found in few levels. They also have a time limit like the Steerable Barrels.
 * Funky Barrel is a biplane shaped barrel that allows Diddy and Dixie to travel to already beaten worlds.

Modes
The Game Boy Advance version added several mini-games:
 * One player mode, exactly the same as DKC ' s; one player controls Diddy and Dixie.
 * Two player team, where player one plays as Diddy and player two is Dixie. When player one is defeated, player two takes over.
 * Two player contest, where it's a contest for either player 1 (Diddy) or player two (Dixie) to finish the most levels.
 * Sound Test, a secret mode in the SNES version, where the player must repeatedly press down when choosing "one player" or "two player" when starting a new game. Once found, players can scroll through the game's background music themes.
 * Cheat Mode, obtained a similar way to the sound test mode, only by pressing down even more. It allows players to enter a cheat codes to start off the new game.
 * Bag A Bug, where Diddy must catch fireflies and avoid Klubba.
 * Diddy's Dash, a time trial mode of regular levels.
 * Funky ' s Flights, a mini-game that allows Kongs to use the gyrocopter to navigate mazes and do tasks for DK Coins.
 * Expresso Racing, a mini-game Cranky runs where Kongs can cash in their Feathers for stats to level up Expresso to race against other Expressos.

Protagonists
As with the previous game, the duo are assisted by a few members of the Kong Family. All of the previous helpers return (excluding Candy in the original SNES version), in addition to two new Kongs. It's also worth noting there is a Kremling ally in the game.
 * Diddy Kong returns from the original Donkey Kong Country as the big star of Donkey Kong Country 2. Diddy Kong retains his agility, cartwheeling ability, and weaknesses against certain enemies. However, he has new abilities such as being able to climb ropes horizontally and vertically and using the "team-up" ability with his girlfriend and teammate Dixie Kong. Diddy also has a boombox (pictured) and uses it after a successful "End of Level Target" hit.
 * Dixie Kong is Diddy Kong's girlfriend and partner in-game Dixie is characterized as confident and brave, wanting to go along with Diddy to rescue DK. Dixie has some unique abilities such as her ponytail whirl ability, where she can twirl her ponytail like a helicopter and slow down her descent. Dixie is also skilled in playing electric guitar (pictured).
 * Funky Kong returns from the original Donkey Kong Country, with his flight service, Funky's Flights II, in each world of the game (excluding Lost World). Though the first use requires payment, each use after is free. In the GBA remake players can summon Funky's Gyrocopter anywhere on the world map, so he instead ran a mini-game in the remake.
 * Cranky Kong also returns, with a new look, more tips and commentary. Cranky now lives in the Monkey Museum, where he shares cryptic advices regarding the various levels of the game. It is replaced by Cranky's Hut in the GBA port. Cranky also hosts the Expresso Racing mini game in his hut.
 * Wrinkly Kong replaces Candy Kong from the previous game as the one responsible for saving the game. She hosts Kong Kollege replaces Candy's Save Point, where the Kongs can save their game (in the SNES version), for two banana coins. Wrinkly Kong can also give hints (for a price), and apparently teaches Kremlings when the Kongs aren't around. Scrapbook in the GBA remake.
 * Swanky Kong is another new addition to the family, hosting a game show named after him, Swanky's Bonus Bonanza. Swanky has no other major roles.
 * Candy Kong cameos as Swanky's assistant in the GBA remake. Much like Swanky, she has no other major role.


 * Klubba is the only non-Kong ally in the game, and at times could not be considered an ally at all. He guards the entrance of the Lost World via Klubba's Kiosk. However, Klubba will let the Kong access the Lost World if he is paid with at least fifteen Kremkoins. Klubba also hosts a minigame called Bag a Bug in the GBA port.

Animal Buddies

 * Rambi the Rhinoceros returns from Donkey Kong Country, nearly unchanged, also appearing in the first level as he did before. He retains his very strong horn, ramming ability, and now gains a supercharge for his horn, allowing him to charge much faster and break through bonus doors.
 * Enguarde the Swordfish also returns, with no notable changes aside from a supercharge, like Rambi. With his supercharge, he can access underwater bonus areas.
 * Squawks the Parrot have been completely changed from his Donkey Kong Country self. He can be directly controlled and can shoot eggs from his beak. A blue sub-species (contractually called Flapper) is found in the level Parrot Chute Panic. Flapper can only descend and cannot spit eggs from his beak.
 * Rattly the Rattlesnake acts much like Winky, meaning he can jump very high.
 * Squitter the Spider is a very large spider that can shoot webs that defeat enemies or become floating platforms. However, he cannot jump on enemies.
 * Clapper the Seal appears in the levels Lava Lagoon and Clapper's Cavern. When jumping on him, Clapper will breath on the water found in the levels, either cooling it down or freezing it.
 * Glimmer the Anglerfish can illuminate dark areas much like Squawks did in the original Donkey Kong Country.
 * Expresso II is an animal buddy only found in the GBA port. Expresso II is playable as a part of the Expresso Racing minigame.

Enemies
"How many? I reckon they're just put fancy pictures in here to make it look good. There's only three in the game at most!"

- Cranky Kong, DKC2 GBA manual

Diddy and Dixie encounter a diverse cast of enemies all over the island all the Kremling Krew, ranging from regular ship-rat like Neeks to the chasing pirate spirit Kackle. Some of them are return from the previous game, though slightly altered in appearance to fit the pirate theme, as well as tweaked names (except for Zinger).


 * Cat-O-9-Tails is an odd, rare enemy who attacks by spinning rapidly, becoming temporarily unhittable. After its spinning a it will get dizzy and open for counter-attack.
 * Click-Clack are beetle-like enemies that are somewhat like Neek but with a twist; while they can be defeated with a lone cartwheel, they require two jumps to defeat. Upon one jump, it will be on its back, helpless and open to be picked up or attacked again.
 * Flitters act much like Neckys from the previous game; a dragonfly-like enemy, they are either flying idle or in a direction, where they can be jumped on to gain distance.
 * Flotsam are underwater enemies that have two different attack patterns depending on color. Blue Flotsam swim in one direction, while the green Flotsam can change their direction, usually when they reach a wall.
 * Kaboings are essentially the equivalent to jumping Kritters form the previous games. Their attack pattern depends on their color.
 * Kackle is a pirate spirit that will chase Diddy and Dixie throughout certain skull-cart levels.
 * Kannon is a Klump dressed in pirate gear, trained to launch cannonballs out of a mini-kannon item
 * Klampon are much like Klaptraps, and in fact are considered the more evolved form of it. Klampons walk forward and bite, and are often followed by Spiny. They cannot be attacked by using cartwheel move.
 * Klank are the DKC2 equivalent to Krash, only do not kamikaze, and instead often race against the heroes.
 * Klinger are orange, rope-climbing Klomps who reside mostly in dungeon or ship-climbing levels.
 * Kloak is a mysterious, floating Kremling who haunts Gloomy Gulch. Kloak typically throws random items such as Crates or even Zingers, but occasionally throw helpful items (usually after bad ones).
 * Klobber are annoying, barrel dwelling Kremlings who try to ram into the Kongs. They can even steal items depending on their color; green ones simply knock a Kong, yellow ones steals bananas, and the very rare black ones steal lives.
 * Klomp, basic foot-soldiers, are game equivalent to Kritters. Klomps simply march forward with no direct means of attack. Kaboing are gray/green sub-divisions of them that always jump.
 * Krook are trench-coat wearing Kremlings who toss hook projectiles. Some are located out of range and their long hook range leaves no choice but to dodge.
 * Krochead is simply a crocodile head floating in water. Krocheads act as platforms, with green ones not moving and sometimes sinking in, while red ones act as a spring of sorts.
 * Kruncha replaces Krusha from the previous game. Kruncha cannot be defeated by Dixie or Diddy's jumping attacks, and will enrage red when tried. However, the new team-up ability makes quick work of them, in addition to other items are animal buddies.
 * Kutlass wields swords and swing them both forward as their main attack pattern. When they swing, their large swords often get stuck, leaving them open for counter-attack. How long the swords get stuck depends on their color.
 * Lockjaw is a water enemy who is a piranha and directly targets Kongs. They are red in color and are defeatable by Enguarde, unlike their pink counterparts "Snapjaw".
 * Mini-Neckys return from the previous game, complete with a bandanna and a new diving attack.
 * Neek replaces Gnawty as the most basic "Goombas" of the game. Neek resemble ship rats that just walk aimlessly forward.
 * Puftup is an enemy planned to originally be in DKC, however was cut out and made it in this game. Puftup is a pun on "puffed up", being pufferfish, and their main means of attack is to simply puff up and explode into spikes.
 * Screech is Squawks' rival, who is only seen in The Flying Krock. Screech races Squawks in said level. It's worth noting Screech can be found hitting Squawks with a baseball bat in the game's USA/PAL box-art in the upper left corner.
 * Shuri, whose name is a pun on "Shuriken", is a starfish enemy that attacks by spinning rapidly much like the ninja weapon, Shuriken.
 * Snapjaws are pink Lockjaws who are completely invincible, and can only be avoided. Snapjaw only appear in two levels.
 * Spiny, porcupine based enemies, cannot be attacked from above and often follow Klampon around.
 * Zingers return from the previous game with their appearance slightly tweaked, but no other changes in attack pattern. Red Zingers still exist but with invincibility and they have a formal hive in Krazy Kremland and have a king, King Zing.

Bosses
As with Donkey Kong Country, all bosses are fought at the end of the each world. However, all bosses have a unique stage and not all are simply bigger versions of regular enemies.
 * Krow is a gigantic Mini-Necky that throws eggs at the heroes. Krow is fought on the Galleon's crow nest.
 * Kleever is supposedly a large sword being possessed by a lava spirit in Crocodile Cauldron. Kleever's main attacks are fireball attacks and slashing attacks.
 * Kudgel is Klubba's gray counterpart who is the boss of Krem Quay. Kudgel attacks similar to Klubba, his main attack being to swing his massive club, but he also can jump very high and cause earthquakes upon landing. Kudgel's weakness is TNT.
 * King Zing lives in the hives of Krazy Kremland and is Queen B.'s spouse. King Zing is fought as Squawks and Squawks must hit the King's stinger to hurt it. King Zing will release spike-like stings in the original SNES version and summon other Zingers in the GBA version.
 * Kreepy Krow resides in Gloomy Gulch and is Krow's spirit. Kreepy Krow can summon ghost Mini-Neckys and a live one, who upon being defeated will give a wooden barrel. The barrel must be thrown at it to damage it. Kreepy will then retreat upwards, and must be followed and the cycle repeated until it's defeated.
 * Kerozene only appears in the Game Boy Advance remake of the game. Kerozene is fought at the end of K. Rool's Keep and is a giant, red Kremling who attacks with flaming breath and controls weaker Kleevers.
 * Kaptain K. Rool is the final boss of the game, in The Flying Krock. More information can be found on his article.

World 1: Gangplank Galleon

 * Pirate Panic
 * Mainbrace Mayhem
 * Gangplank Galley
 * Lockjaw's Locker
 * Topsail Trouble

World 2: Crocodile Cauldron

 * Hot-Head Hop
 * Kannon's Klaim
 * Lava Lagoon
 * Red-Hot Ride
 * Squawks's Shaft

World 3: Krem Quay

 * Barrel Bayou
 * Glimmer's Galleon
 * Krockhead Klamber
 * Rattle Battle
 * Slime Climb
 * Bramble Blast

World 4: Krazy Kremland

 * Hornet Hole
 * Target Terror
 * Bramble Scramble
 * Rickety Race
 * Mudhole Marsh
 * Rambi Rumble

World 5: Gloomy Gulch

 * Ghostly Grove
 * Haunted Hall
 * Gusty Glade
 * Parrot Chute Panic
 * Web Woods

World 6: K. Rool's Keep

 * Arctic Abyss
 * Windy Well (SNES version)/Castle Crush (GBA version)
 * Castle Crush (SNES version)/Clapper's Cavern (GBA version)
 * Clapper's Cavern (SNES version)/Windy Well (GBA version)
 * Chain Link Chamber
 * Toxic Tower

World 7: The Flying Krock

 * Screech's Sprint

World 8: Lost World

 * Jungle Jinx
 * Black Ice Battle
 * Klobber Karnage
 * Fiery Furnace
 * Animal Antics

Changes between the SNES and Game Boy advance port



 * The game has an intro, based on the manual's description of it.
 * The overworld maps have been redesigned.
 * Target Terror and Rickety Race now take place in the evening, as opposed to nighttime.
 * The Super Nintendo controller in the background of The Flying Krock was removed.
 * When fighting a Boss after it has been defeated, Swanky Kong will charge ten Banana Coins and calculate how much time it took to defeat the Boss.
 * Some of the characters have gained (or lost) sprites,
 * The Kongs have new voices clips, most of which were taken from Donkey Kong 64, and bosses, enemies, and the like have updated sound effects as well.
 * The player can now save anywhere on the map, and do not have to pay Wrinkly Kong the Banana Coins.
 * The player can travel to a different world for free at any time, as long as Funky Kong was seen at least once.
 * The death and end-of-level music no longer changes depending on the level, rather as which Kong died.
 * The music “Run! Rambi, Run!” that played when King Zing chases the Kongs in the level Rambi Rumble was removed, and replaced by the music heard when racing against Screech. The music can still be heard in the sound test, though.
 * A cheat that allowed to obtain all Kremkoins in the first level was removed, but using the code "FREEDOM" on the password input replaces it.
 * The player's lives and Banana Coins are now saved.
 * There is an entirely new main menu, which gives access to the main file selection, Diddy's Dash, and Bonus Games (the new mini-games added).
 * Cranky gives commentary when a boss is defeated, much like the original DKC ' s GBA port.
 * Swanky's Bonus Bonanza was redesigned.
 * The Gangplank Galleon has crashed into the right side of Crocodile Isle, rather than being to the left of it. This also happened in DKL2.
 * There is a boss at the end of K. Rool's Keep; Kerozene.
 * Overall slightly reduced music quality due to limitations.
 * A Golden Feather item as been added to each level.
 * The ending was slightly tweaked; in the original Donkey Kong used an uppercut on K. Rool but instead punches him through the window.
 * New mini-games- Bag A Bug, Diddy's Dash, Expresso Racing, Funky's Flights II (now mini-game instead of flight service).
 * The Star Barrel in Animal Antics was moved to the start of the bramble area. The level itself has been made easier (but still difficult).
 * To encourage players to play the new mini-games, DK Coins are rewarded for beating certain mini-games, raising the number from 40 to 62.
 * In the screen where Cranky does the Hero Rankings, Sonic's shoes and Earthworm Jim's gun and tights were removed.

Beta Elements
A mysterious boss by the name of Mr. X, which is a generic gray Kritter in a pirate getup, hook arm and sword, has been seen in various Nintendo Power issues involving DKC2, and has even made an appearance on the German Player's Guide for the game. Mr. X never made it into the final product - there is no sign of unfinished coding or any other evidence. The name "Mr. X" itself is likely a placeholder name, showing that the developers likely had doubt he would make into the game in the first place.

It's worth noting in an early build of the game, released as a trailer, Klaptraps were used instead of Klampons in the game. It is possible the Klaptraps were either considered to stay or were merely placeholders. Web Woods lacked fog, Lava Lagoon had a notable lack of lava, and in Parrot Chute Panic, Squawks was originally planned to be used instead of Flapper the Parrot.

Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong have unused animations, which involve them gloomily walking

The title screen had a slightly different design, as seen in the German Player's Guide (see image in below gallery).

Trivia

 * The subtitle of the game in North America was originally "Diddy Kong's Quest", but changed to "Diddy's Kong Quest" before release. This could either be a translation issue, a reference to Diddy on a quest to get a Kong (DK), or a play on the word "Conquest".
 * When the player defeats K. Rool, Cranky tallies their DK Coin total and compares that with the performance of other Nintendo characters. Mario, Yoshi and Link make a cameo at that point.
 * A few more cameo appearances of non-Nintendo characters' trademark devices are that of Sonic the Hedgehog's shoes and Earthworm Jim's gun and tights by a trash can with a sign that says "No Hopers." Also, in the Monkey Museum, the player can see a poster of Chief Thunder, a character from the game Killer Instinct.
 * A Virtual Boy version of Donkey Kong Country 2 was in development for a short time, but was never completed due to the system's failure.
 * The name of every boss in this game begins with the letter "K".
 * Cranky will occasionally ask if the player had tried "Cranky Kong Country" in this game.
 * Having a total of seven animal buddies, DKC2 has the most animal buddies in one game of the DKC series (with enemies such as Ghost Rope and Krochead that can technically help, this number is debatable).
 * This is the first Donkey Kong Country game where Donkey Kong is not a playable character.