Squawks's Shaft (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest)

Level
Squawks's Shaft
Level code	2 - 5
World	Crocodile Cauldron
Game	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Music track	Kannon's Klaim
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Squawks's Shaft, misspelled as Squawk's Shaft in a Nintendo Magazine System (UK) issue, is the tenth level of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and the fifth and last regular level of Crocodile Cauldron. The level takes place in a mine shaft, where during the first half, Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong have to blast through many Barrel Cannons, while during the second half, the Kongs must ride Squawks, who first appears in the level. Squawks's Shaft is the first level to have Krooks, which appear the most commonly, along with Zingers.

Layout

Squawks's Shaft in the Game Boy Advance version

The Kongs begin the level on a platform next to a Treasure Chest that contains the letter K. A raised platform is ahead of here that holds a Krook, who stands under a trio of bananas. At the edge of the starting platform, the heroes can find a Banana Coin with a platform above it that holds a Klomp. They can find a Barrel Cannon above here that they can aim to blast them towards a few small platforms that they must climb to reach a long platform, which supports three Klomps and a DK Barrel. Two more platforms are to the left of here, and they both hold Krooks. A Banana Bunch is to the left of the second platform, which stands below a Barrel Cannon that can blast the heroes to a group of three platforms. They must climb to the top platform to find another trio of Klomps and a Barrel Cannon. If the primates roll-jump to the right of here, they can find a hidden Barrel Cannon that can fire them into another Barrel Cannon that is surrounded by Zingers and a Bonus Barrel.

If the Kongs blast through the non-hidden Barrel Cannon, they can reach an additional barrel, which is able to blast them onto a long platform with a slightly smaller platform above it. Krooks are on the ends of both of these platforms, and the Krook on the lower platform guards a Banana Bunch and a Treasure Chest that contains a red Extra Life Balloon. A smaller platform is located to the left of these enemies, and a Dixie Barrel is above it that can blast the heroes towards some more Barrel Cannons. These cannons can shoot them into many bananas, two Banana Coins, and, in the Game Boy Advance version of the game, a golden feather. If the heroes travel east from here, they reach a Barrel Cannon that they must aim to blast them upwards, where there are two more cannons that they must shoot through to progress. As they blast between the last two of these barrels, a Zinger tries to get in their way and flies back and forth between them in a horizontal path. The third barrel in this area is able to blast the two friends to a pair of small platforms that carry one Klampon each. A Barrel Cannon floats next to the platforms, and it can blast the heroes towards several more Barrel Cannons. As they shoot through these barrels, they come up to a Zinger that they must avoid and many bananas. Eventually, they make their way onto a platform with a Star Barrel above it and a Blast Barrel that can blast them to a Bonus Barrel to the left of it.

Squawks shoots an egg at a Zinger.

To the right of here, the duo can find a small platform with a Barrel Cannon above it. The cannon is able to shoot them past a pair of Zingers that move parallel to each other and then to another Barrel Cannon, which can then send them to a platform. This platform supports a Krook, who guards the letter O. An additional platform is to the left of here, and it holds an Animal Crate that contains Squawks the Parrot. After the heroes free the parrot, they must grab onto to him so that the bird can lift them through the remaining part of the level. As the heroes begin to ascend, they come up to a DK Barrel in a small gap between two platforms. Above these platforms, the heroes can find a group of bananas that form the letter Y (or the letter B in the Game Boy Advance version of the game). Some more platforms stick out of the side of the area on the way up this part of the level; the first platform holds a yellow Zinger, the second holds a red Zinger, and the third carries a Krook. These three platforms are followed by a group of Zingers that consist of two stationary red Zingers that float under the letter N and two yellow Zingers that hover next to their allies. Three additional platforms are above here, and they all hold one Krook each. A DK Barrel is located just above the third platform, and it is followed by a few Mini-Neckys that swoop down at the heroes to attack. After the group passes these small vulture enemies, they come up to four platforms that stick out of the wall. Two of these platforms, which are positioned across from each other, hold Krooks that both throw their hooks at the heroes. To the right of these Krooks, the heroes can find a Banana Coin and a hidden area that contains another Krook on a platform, two groups of bananas that form arrows pointing upwards, a Bonus Barrel, and a Video Game Hero Coin. If the Kongs and Squawks continue upwards from the location of the previous two Krooks, they reach a platform with a Kannon on it. The heroes must pass under this enemy to progress, but as they do so, they must watch out for the kannonballs it shoots at them. Once the group passes this foe and heads farther upwards, they reach a pair of red Zingers moving back and forth in a horizontal path around a Banana Bunch. A few more Mini-Neckys are ahead of here, and once the trio continues past them, they reach long platform that holds a No Animal Sign. If they pass the sign, Squawks disappears and they are given a Banana Bunch. An End of Level Target is near here, and the Kongs must jump on it to complete the level successfully. Additionally, the Kongs can win a prize from the target if they hit it immediately after shooting out of a Barrel Cannon. The prizes consist of either a banana, a Banana Bunch, a Banana Coin, or the letter G.

Enemies

The following enemies appear in the following quantities, and enemies marked in bold first appear here:

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  Kannon (1)

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  Klampon (2)

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  Klomp (7)

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  Krook (13)

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  Mini-Necky (7)

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  Zinger (yellow) (18)

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  Zinger (red) (5)

Items and objects

The following items and objects appear in the following quantities:

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  Banana Bunch (4)

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  Banana Coin (6)

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  DK Barrel (3)

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  Treasure chest (3)

KONG Letters

• K: Inside a Treasure Chest at the very start of the level.
• O: The letter O is behind a Krook shortly after the Star Barrel and just before the Squawks Crate.
• N: After the Kongs mount Squawks, they must continue flying upward. The letter N is floating over a red Zinger centered between two yellow Zingers.
• G: Featured as an End of Level Target prize.

Key items

• Cranky's Video Game Hero Coin: Floating to the right of the third Bonus Barrel.
• Golden feather (Game Boy Advance version only): After the second group of three Klomps, Diddy and Dixie must blast from two Barrel Cannons to land on a long platform. The Kongs must then jump up on another long platform just above it, then left onto a small platform. A Dixie Barrel is floating above and can only be entered via team up where Diddy throws Dixie into the Dixie Barrel. The golden feather is directly above the Dixie Barrel, and upon entering it, the Kongs are blasted through a few Auto-Fire Barrels and returned back onto the small platform.
• Photograph (Game Boy Advance version only): When the Kongs encounter the second grup of three Klomps, they can find a photograph icon over the first Klomp's head. By defeating the Klomp, the Kongs obtain the photograph, which is a picture of Klomp in the first page of the scrapbook.

Bonus Levels

The second Bonus Level

Squawks's Shaft has three Bonus Levels, listed by their type:

• Find the Token!: From the right side of the platform with the second pair of three of Klomps, either Dixie must use her Helicopter Spin or Diddy has to use a cartwheel jump to land into a Barrel Cannon. A Zinger is placed between it and the next Barrel Cannon, which it turns to face. When the Kongs enter the second Barrel Cannon, it turns to face the Bonus Barrel on the right side, and the Kongs can then blast into it. Alternatively, Diddy and Dixie can enter the Bonus Barrel by jumping off to the very right of a platform just above two platforms that each have a Krook. As they fall, the Kongs eventually land into the Bonus Barrel. In the Bonus Level, Diddy and Dixie have twenty seconds to find the Kremkoin, which is inside one of the seven Treasure Chests. They must throw Treasure Chests at a red Zinger, which is in the center of the area, until they break the Treasure Chest which releases the Kremkoin, which is in the middle-right platform. Most Treasure Chests release a banana except the one at the top left, which releases a Banana Coin.
• Find the Token!: Left of the Star Barrel, the Kongs must use team up to enter into a Blast Barrel, which blasts them left into the Bonus Barrel. In the Bonus Level, Diddy and Dixie have 25 seconds to obtain the Kremkoin. The Kongs must blast through a series of Barrel Cannons, which bananas appear between to indicate the directions and path to the Kremkoin. The Kremkoin is hovering over a wooden platform at the top-right of the Bonus Level.
• Destroy Them All!: Shortly after the letter N, the Kongs encounter two Mini-Neckys. Two Krooks appear directly above, each on a separate platform. Squawks must defeat the Krook to the right and continue in that direction. Just after the Banana Coin, Squawks and the Kongs encounter another Krook, left of some bananas shaping an up arrow. Squawks and the Kongs must continue in that direction, and when they reach the second group of bananas in the shape of an up arrow, they must continue straight up into the Bonus Barrel. In the Bonus Level, Squawks and the Kongs must fly around a wide area and defeat eight Zingers within 30 seconds. When Squawks defeats every Zinger, the Kremkoin appears at the bottom-right of the area on the wooden platform.

Warp Barrel

The location of the Warp Barrel

At the very start, the Kongs must continue right until they find a Banana Bunch Coin beneath a platform. The Kongs must either perform a roll jump or use Dixie's Helicopter Spin to collect the Banana Bunch Coin and land right into a hidden Blast Barrel, which then blasts them into the Warp Barrel. The warp room has a group of bananas shaped like an exclamation mark like other ones. Upon exiting the warp room, Diddy and Dixie are sent into a Barrel Cannon right before the End of Level Target.

Gallery

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  The Kongs prepare to shoot out of a Barrel Cannon

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  Diddy and Dixie beneath some Klomps and a DK Barrel

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  Diddy jumps towards a Krook

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  The location of the first Bonus Barrel

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  The Kongs and Squawks find the letter N

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  The Kongs and Squawks approach a Krook overhead

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  The only Kannon in the level

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  The third Bonus Level

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  Diddy and Squawks move between two red Zingers in the Game Boy Advance version

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  The first Bonus Level in the Game Boy Advance version

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	スコークスこうざん Sukōkusu Kōzan	Squawks Mine
French	Perchoir de Squawk	Squawks' Perch
German	Squawks Schacht	Squawks's Shaft
Italian	Il Volo con Pagal	The Flight with Squawks
Spanish	Turno de Squawks	Squawks' Turn