Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast

DONKEY KONG: BARREL BLAST

Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast is a racing game that seems to be kind of an attempt to recreate Diddy Kong Racing, or Mario Kart even, for the Donkey Kong franchise. It doesn't seem to have done very well, all things considered, but it could be fun nonetheless. The game was built on the idea of racing in the sky rather than on the ground, with barrel rockets strapped to the racers. Again, if a character comes from this, it will be mostly built around the mechanics of the game rather than the specific characters.

As for the characters, the racers are divided into eight Kongs and eight Kremlings, each one having a respective rival. The Kongs included Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong, Funky Kong, Wrinkly Kong, and Cranky Kong. Their rivals included Kritter, Kip and Kass (two small-sized Kremlings matching Diddy and Dixie), Kopter, Kalypso (a female Kremling with a giant pink afro and easily the most memorable newcomer), Kludge (basically a Krusha or Kudgel type), Klump, and King K. Rool. Candy Kong also appears, but mostly hosting minigames, so probably effectively sinking any chances for her for the last time (unless the cartoon gives us something to work with).

The game is played racing along an aerial course lined by markers, using barrel rockets instead of vehicles. Like most racing games of this kind, items can be obtained, from balloons just like Diddy Kong Racing. These items include: a prop monkey, who throws bananas in front of another player; Squawks and Quawks, two parrots who attack other players; Banana Fairies, who collect bananas for you; Blazing Bananas, that burn other opponents; Tasty Melons and Crystal Coconuts, that make you invincible; Mini-Neckies, who ram into opponents; Whirlwinds, which act like whirlwinds of course; Backwards Barrels, that clog up the track; Mini-Zingers, who swarm opponents; Pineapple Launchers, that fire pineapples; and TNT Barrels that explode. The racers can also perform wild moves, which give them a speed boost, and the animal buddies Rambi and Enguarde help you out on occasion.

The game covers numerous stages, though most fall into only a few specific biomes rather than every one being unique. These include DK Jungle stages, which are mostly general jungle levels; Salty Sea stages, which are water levels; Mt. Dynamite stages, volcano levels; Scorching Canyon stages, desert levels; Mammoth Glacier stages, snow levels; and Cranky's Temple stages, ancient ruins levels. Across these, we see a few returning enemies acting as obstacles, including Flipflaps, Zingers, Neckies, Chomps, Hurleys, and Lockjaws, alongside a giant centipede, squid, and frog.

We've already covered the items as they are used by the racers in the game. Other than that we have various types of barrels along the tracks and bananas that give you boosts.

Let's see what we've got:

Characters:
Diddy Kong Racers (Diddy, Timber, Pipsy, Banjo, Conker, Bumper, Tiptup, Krunch, Drumstick, T.T.): drive, fly, boat, boosts, missiles, oil slick, mine, bubble, shield, magnet
Barrel Blast Racers (probably Kalypso): fly, boost, wild move, prop monkey, parrots, banana fairy, blazing banana, melons, coconuts, mini-necky, mini-zinger, whirlwind, backwards barrel, TNT barrel, pineapple launcher.
Wizpig: fly, run fast, lightning, teleport, lasers, missile, spaceship

Bosses:
Tricky
Bluey
Bubbler
Smokey

Stages:
Dino Domain
Snowflake Mountain
Sherbet Island
Dragon Forest
Future Fun Land
DK Jungle
Salty Sea
Mt. Dynamite
Scorching Canyon
Mammoth Glacier
Cranky's Temple

Items:
Balloons
Barrels
Bananas

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow, we'll cover another racing title, Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast!