Donkey Kong Adventure Mode

ADVENTURE MODE

Opening scene: We zoom in on Cranky’s Cabin. Inside, we can see that the Kong family are having a big family reunion. In attendance are Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, Kiddy, Tiny, Lanky, Chunky, Funky, Candy, Cranky, and Wrinkly, as well as the alien banana Xananab. As they are hanging out and having a good time, a fleet of ships appear on the horizon. Zooming onto the deck, we see King K. Rool stand, flanked by Lord Fredrik, Tiki Tong, Wizpig, and the four Evil Kings. The villains have joined forces in one big bid to take over the island. They open fire. The Kong family rushes out to see what is happening, Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky hopping into Funky’s plane to go after them. Before they can get close however, K. Rool sends out Tiki Tong and his Tikis to attack the Kong family, taking them all captive and stealing Donkey’s banana horde. Tong himself slaps the plane out of the air, sending the apes crashing to the ground below. When they come to, they immediately head out on their adventure to save their family.

World 1: Kongo Jungle

Just like the Mario adventure mode before, this should likewise be able to stand as a solid Donkey Kong game in its own right, while still being a Smash game. Each world will be made up of levels that will unlock one of the captured characters. Each world will have one mini-boss, as well as a final boss at the end.

This first one is a basic Donkey Kong jungle world, leading up to the volcano in the center of the island, where Tiki Tong resides. Dread Kong will fight you as the world’s mini-boss while Tiki Tong will act as the final boss.

World 2: Timber’s Island

Upon Tiki Tong’s defeat, he will cast one last spell that scatters everyone again, especially the main four. When Diddy wakes up, he finds himself alone on Timber’s Island, where he had once helped an old friend fight off an evil Pig Wizard. The genie Taj tells him that Wizpig has returned and enslaved the island once again. Diddy works through the levels, unlocking each of his old friends as he does so. Karate Kong appears as the mid-boss and Wizpig fights you as the final boss.

An intermediary level will occur here with Cranky waking up back in time and encountering his son Donkey Kong Jr.

World 3: Kongo Bongo

Dixie wakes up in a strange world that seems like her own, but is different in a lot of ways. She meets versions of Donkey, Diddy, Cranky, Candy, and Funky who all seem like her friends, but who have an entirely different history with her, and seem to be focused on protecting a magical Crystal Coconut. When the coconut is stolen by a pirate named Kaptain Skurvy, Dixie teams up with these new versions of her friends as well as new friends such as a lecherous egotist named Bluster and a mean old yeti named Eddie to get it back. Ninja Kong appears as the mini-boss, recruiting Skurvy to help the alliance, while Skurvy himself acts as the final boss.

Another intermediary level shows Cranky and Donkey Kong Jr. encountering Stanley the Bugman.

World 3: Frozen Hijinxs

Having lost Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky, Donkey and his remaining companions fight through the fleet of Snowmad ships that Lord Fredrik had brought to the alliance, fighting Tucks and other enemies, challenging Sumo Kong as the mini-boss and Lord Fredrik as the final boss. As they face Lord Fredrik, Diddy, Dixie, Cranky, and all of their new companions return and join the fight again.

World 4: Gangplank Galleon

Having defeated all of K. Rool’s allies and now joined by an army of family and friends, the Kongs storm K. Rool’s galleon by plane and wage war on the Kremling Krew. For a mini-boss, Tiki Tong, Lord Fredrik, Wizpig, and Kaptain Skurvy join forces against you, all leading up to a final fight with King K. Rool.

Ending scene: King K. Rool and his allies go down with the ship. Donkey Kong and his allies all return to the cabin to continue the party, introducing themselves to the new friends from other worlds. (A quick funny scene of the game and show counterpart characters looking each other over, and a scene of Cranky introducing Donkey Kong to Donkey Kong Jr.). In the middle of the celebration, a portal opens up and an invitation flies out. Donkey Kong picks it up to see Peach’s insignia on it, an invitation to the party she had been hosting.

Cranky Kong

For a while, the Donkey Kong franchise remained not quite dormant but stagnant, largely only seeing re-releases of the old arcade games on new systems while the Mario series got bigger and bigger. That was until Rare came along and completely overhauled the series, setting it in the jungle and effectively breaking it free of the Mario series. The first game would open on an elderly ape in a rocking chair, letting the player know this wasn’t your grandpa’s Donkey Kong.

This old ape was Cranky Kong, the grandfather of the new Donkey Kong and the original ape from the arcade games. He’d apparently retired in the years since his battles with Mario, and now spent his time talking about “kids these days” and how much better he is than them, effectively setting up the plot of the new games by challenging Donkey to go on an adventure of his own. He would appear throughout the series, mostly in supporting roles, but would get his chance to shine again in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

As a fighter, he will be slower and weaker than Donkey Kong, having let himself go a bit in his old age. His moveset will pull both from the old arcade games he took part in, as well as his abilities in Tropical Freeze and the various ways he helps Donkey Kong throughout the series.

Likelihood rating: Good possibility

Donkey Kong Country, Season Two

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY, SEASON TWO

Today, let's cover the second and final season of the Donkey Kong animated series, and definitely the worse of the two, with a distinct and rather jarring drop in the animation quality and significantly weaker writing (most of the episodes basically boiling down to "Everyone is mad at Donkey Kong for reasons they really shouldn't be mad at him specifically for"). It's also significantly shorter than the first season, likely meaning it was cancelled about halfway through.

Donkey, Diddy, Cranky, Candy, Funky, and Dixie all return, not bringing too much new to the table, as do Bluster Kong and Eddie the Mean Old Yeti, with Bluster developing the ability to shoot lightning from his eyes at one point and Eddie acting as the guardian angel in an "It's a Wonderful Life" parody episode. King K. Rool, Klump, and Krusha all return, all mostly being as awesome as they were before, as do Captain Skurvy and his crewmates.

The most notable one-off character appearing this time, is from what seems to have become the most meme-able episode of the series, in which Donkey Kong gets his brain swapped into the body of a robot he dubs Metal Head. The Metal Head robot can walk around, use a hammer, put together a barrel really fast, stomp heavily, walk on his hands, hop around, and remove his head and toss it around.

Most of the standard locations of the series return, including Cranky's Cabin, Donkey Kong's Cabin, Funky and Candy's boardwalk, Barrel Works, King K. Rool's lair, Skurvy's pirate ship, and the White Mountains.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

TV Mario: plungers, wrenches, plumber's snakes, climb with plungers, pizza cutters, pizzas, spaghetti, fire flowers, fireballs, growing giant, invincibility, raccoon tail, frog suit, handstands, toss, chisels, fire flower, spring, cape, inflate, tennis

TV Luigi: plungers, wrenches, plumber's snakes, climb with plungers, pizza cutters, pizzas, spaghetti, fire flowers, fireballs, growing giant, invincibility, raccoon tail, frog suit, handstands, toss, chisels, fire flower, spring, cape, inflate, tennis

Donkey Kong: punch, beat up, booby traps

Diddy Kong: shoot bananas, booby traps

Tommy Treehugger: roller blade, yo-yo, throw trash, golf, destroy set, remote

Co-MC: roller blade, yo-yo, throw trash, golf, destroy set, remote

Cranky Kong: spells, potions, teleport

Princess Toadstool: flowers, sled, vegetables, float, shrinking wand, surfing, paraglider, P-Wing, tennis

TV Toad: flowers, snowboard, biker, hat parachute, vegetables, surfs, disguises as plant, powerful wand, giant pipe creatures, P-Wing.

Candy Kong: punch, banana pie, barrel works

Yoshi: tongue, wings, breathe fire, extendable tail, eat everything.

Oogtar: swing, rope, wheel, berries, hoe, club.

Funky: surf, plane

Dixie Kong

Bluster Kong: barrel works, cake, super potion, love potion, eye lightning

King Koopa: snowmobile, cage, Piranha Plant gun, door potion, magic carpet, net, vampire, turn people to stone, flies a plane, freezes people, hat shield, catapult, pesticide, grow gigantic, giant shoe, magic, Klown Kar, Ratso.

King K. Rool: schemes, traps, cannon

General Klump: mostly the same, Klaptrap guns

Krusha

Cheatsy: magic wand, transform, pull things from TV, booby traps.

Big Mouth: tornado breath, bo staff.

Kootie Pie: tantrum, throws things, wrap in a scarf.

Bully: nunchaku, fire hose, garbage.

Kooky: time travel machine, rain machine, Lame Brainer, nice spray, Koopa Doopa raiser-upper, Goopa, Mega Mechanisaur

Hip and Hop: ball.

Robo Koopa: bullet bills, bombs from the toe, laser cage, stomp, fist from the chest, rocket pack.

Captain Skurvy: cannon, cannonballs, dig, barrels, Kutlass, Green Kroc, Polly Roger

Mouser: bombs, Cobrats, BMX bike, mace, spinning hat, dinosaur

Tryclyde: spits fireballs, poison, net, trident, sword, BMX bike

Koopa: spin in shell, BMX bike, Werekoopa

Wizenheimer: lightning, fog, create bombs, hypnotize, vanish, egg transformation

Dino Riders: motorcycles, graffiti, throw bowls, stink bob-omb

Evil Eric: knock out, tie up, puppets, same as Co-MC

Tammy Treehugger: knock out, tie up, puppets, same as Co-MC

Eddie the Mean Old Yeti: stick, fire, roar, snowballs, giant ice block, angel

Birdo: wings

Flurries: ski, ice skate, carve up blocks of ice, ice wands

Beezos: fly, spears, lances, swords, rope, nets

Rex: spears, pies, other things from the previous games

Mervin the Magician: teleport, vanish, see the future, golden plunger, plumber's snake

Genie: trampoline, stink spell, flying spell, lamp, magic carpet

Mark Twang: steamboat, rope, cannon

Brutius Maximus Grouchimus: throws shells, lions

Queen Rotunda: strength, love potion

Captain Clump: peg leg, parrot, barrel, club, rigging launch

Bunsen: hacks into computers, drills, Plumbinator, plunger sword, flyswatter, shoots eggs

Sheldon the Witch Doctor: brews potion

Mermushroom: swim, whale

Hercufleas: great fireball, launch fire, race really fast, swing a pillar

Salvado Drainaro: plumbing focus

Hooded Robin: flies, shoots plunger arrows

Flab Boys: throwing discs, zapping, boosting, bouncing on their large bellies, exploding disc launcher, rolling around

James Blonde: wrench phone, explosive drain cleaner, atomic screwdriver, laser drill, plumber missiles, pummel gun, hose nozzle with a mini plunger

Vampa White, fireballs, fangs, turn into bat, werekoopa

Zero: whip, rapier, fly with cape, cacti, turnips

Captain Abidab: harpoon, plunger shooter, rope, bucket, catapult, divers' suit

Mugga the Medicine Woman: bone, torch, brews potions, swings on vines, dropes bones

Misaki: punches, kicks, jumping kicks, throws, chops, staffs, plunger staff, nunchaku

The Three Mushrooms: pie catapult

Pronto: plumber gun, lasso, Ostro

Sergeant Kooperman: also plumbing focus

Waldo the Wizard: shrinking potion, growing potion, floats, disappears, uses magic, enchants a flying boot

Old Gray Wolf

Quirks: horns, strong sounds, fly spaceships, shoot lasers, use magnets

Queen Mushroomkhamen: staff, stomps, wrap up in tape, smash through wall

The Wizard King of the West: powerful wand, snail steed, pipe monsters.

Junior: dropping vase, boomerang, other messes, boulder catapult.

Mighty Plumber: plunger  rope, wrench, burst of water, plumber's snake, rafting on a grate, pipe battering ram

Crime Wave Clyde: tuck  into a basketball, bob-omb chain, see some Koopalings above.

King Windbag: dog

Kong Fu: martial arts, dance, swing around, karate chop, throw

Baby Kong: vacuum, punch, grab and throw, cry, bite, throw objects

Metal Head: walk, hammer, put together a barrel, stomp, walk on hands, hop, toss head

Stages:

Snow Land

Wild West

Cramalot

Forest of Perpetual Night and Terrible Dangers

Sultan's Palace

River World

Sinister Star

Linguini Empire

Beanstalk

Rotundaland

Kingdom of Youth

Planet Quirk

Pirate Ship

Roboland

Chateau Koopula

Jungle Land

Aqualand

Mythus

Sayonara

Land of Romance

Lava Land

Snow World

Victoria

Sherwood Forest

Carland

Pasta Land

Rap Land

Spyland

Fort Hardknox

Tunnel of Doom

Cloudland

Shamrock Kingdom

Toadstool Castle

El Desert Land

Ocean World

Mighty Peapod

Koopalus

Delawide River

Swiss Cheese Alps

Caveman Land

Crime Land

Sockhop Land

Parsley Land

North Pole

Pyramid Land

Red Sauce Sea

Double Cross Ranch

Plumbers Academy

Down Under Land

King Koopa's Summer Castle

Kooplyn

Temple of Koopa

Koopatraz

Far Off Woods

Castle Koopa

Doomship

Giant Land

Desert Land

Pipe Maze

Dark Land

Sky Land

Mushroom House

Ace Magic Wand Factory

Temple of Gloom

Mertropolis

Hawaii

Brooklyn

Hollywood

Miami

Venice

Paris

Dome City

Neon Castle

Lava Pits

Enchanted Forest

Haunted House

Star Path

Club Mario

King Koopa's Kool Kartoons

Cranky's Cabin

Donkey Kong's cabin

King K. Rool's Lair

Bluster's Barrel Works

Captain Skurvy's galleon

Mellow Yellow Banana Plantation

White Mountains

Forbidden Forest

Temple of Inka Dinka Doo

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover a live action segment connected to the Donkey Kong Country series, Donkey Kong Planet!

Donkey Kong Country, Season One

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY, SEASON ONE

Today, let's cover the first season of the 3D-animated Donkey Kong Country television series, animated using the same type of engine you might know from Beast Wars or ReBoot. It is likewise pretty batshit insane most of the time, but it does stick to the game source material more than the other series we've covered. That said, it does add in the plot element of Donkey Kong being a sort of chosen one designated to protect a magical relic called the Crystal Coconut, which King K. Rool and his minions intend to steal in order to take over the island.

Donkey Kong is our main character. He can for sure talk in this, instead of just being a big dumb ape as he often is in some games here and there, and he has a laid-back, friendly personality. He is considered the strongest on the island, using his strength to punch and beat up the Kremlings and set off a number of booby traps guarding the coconut. Diddy Kong is his main companion, helping him set off the booby traps and is seen being able to shoot bananas from their peels.

A number of secondary characters appear frequently. Cranky Kong is Donkey Kong's mentor and keeper of the Crystal Coconut, and he is seen being able to perform spells, concoct potions, and teleport himself from place to place. Candy Kong is likewise a strong presence in the series, certainly with more of a personality than the games ever gave her (at least, when she's actually being written well and doesn't exist just to be pissed off at Donkey Kong for flimsy and/or massively unfair reasons). She is shown punching, throwing banana pies in people's faces, and working at the barrel factory, running most of the equipment there.

Funky Kong is also a prominent presence, mostly seen flying his plane around or surfing, which makes him pretty handy when the main characters need to get from place to place. Dixie Kong makes sparse appearances here and there, mostly as another member of the friend group. Last but certainly least, we have the single worst character to ever grace any screen, Sexual Harassment Kong (his name's actually Bluster, but I don't care). S.H. is an egotistical idiot who runs the barrel factory, thus being able to use anything in it. He also smashes a cake onto Candy's head, wields a gun, gains super strength with a potion, and at one point . . . creates a love potion to administer to Candy. He is THE worst.

As for our villains, we have King K. Rool and his two minions Klump and Krusha. King K. Rool frequently employs multiple harebrained schemes to try to get the coconut, with several devices included for the job, including a cannon for firing minions attached to a rope. Klump is, frankly, one of my favorite characters ever, every scene of him made the show just that little bit better, and he more than made up for the existence of Ape-who-shall-not-be-named above. He mostly uses everything K. Rool uses, being that he's in charge of setting it all up. I should note here that they have literal guns that shoot hundreds of tiny Klaptraps. Finally, we have Krusha, who is a precious baby and I love him. He is mostly the muscle of the group. I am really glad I went with my gut to add Klump and Krusha to the roster preemptively. Having now seen the show, it would be really empty without them.

Other recurring characters include Captain Skurvy and his pirate crew, basically stand-ins for Kaptain K. Rool of the second game. His crewmates include Kutlass, Green Kroc, and the parrot Polly Roger. Between them, they can fire cannonballs, use cutlasses, wheel out big old cannons, and use barrels. Another common sighting is Eddie the Mean Old Yeti who lives up in the icy mountains, who swings around a stick, makes fire, roars really loudly, bats snowballs like baseballs, and sends giant ice blocks down the mountain by punching them. There's also Inka Dinka Doo, the idol that chose Donkey Kong to become the coconut's protector.

Finally, I'd like to mention two (sort of) one-off characters. One is Kong Fu, a martial arts master who I thought for sure was Sexual Harassment Kong in disguise until the episode ended and he didn't reveal himself. During the episode, he performs a number of martial arts, swings people around, throws them, and performs karate chops. Then, we have Baby Kong, who appears in one episode as Donkey Kong turned into a baby, then in another episode as a completely different character that Donkey has to babysit (my headcanon is that that episode was supposed to debut Kiddy Kong, but probably due to budget constraints, they weren't allowed to create a new character model, so they had to use an existing one and hope nobody noticed. We noticed). Across these two episodes, Baby Kong rides around on a vacuum, throws things, cries loudly, bites, grabs things and throws them, and punches really hard.

Given the limited nature of the animation, the series only had a handful of locations that most episodes took place on. These include: Cranky's Cabin, where the Crystal Coconut is kept (my pick for a single stage rep if there ever was one); Donkey Kong's cabin in a separate location; King K. Rool's Lair (another good single stage rep); Bluster's Barrel Works; the boardwalk where Funky and Candy both live; Captain Skurvy's galleon; the Mellow Yellow Banana Plantation; the White Mountains where Eddie lives; the Forbidden Forest; and the Temple of Inka Dinka Doo.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

TV Mario: plungers, wrenches, plumber's snakes, climb with plungers, pizza cutters, pizzas, spaghetti, fire flowers, fireballs, growing giant, invincibility, raccoon tail, frog suit, handstands, toss, chisels, fire flower, spring, cape, inflate, tennis

TV Luigi: plungers, wrenches, plumber's snakes, climb with plungers, pizza cutters, pizzas, spaghetti, fire flowers, fireballs, growing giant, invincibility, raccoon tail, frog suit, handstands, toss, chisels, fire flower, spring, cape, inflate, tennis

Donkey Kong: punch, beat up, booby traps

Diddy Kong: shoot bananas, booby traps

Tommy Treehugger: roller blade, yo-yo, throw trash, golf, destroy set, remote

Co-MC: roller blade, yo-yo, throw trash, golf, destroy set, remote

Cranky Kong: spells, potions, teleport

Princess Toadstool: flowers, sled, vegetables, float, shrinking wand, surfing, paraglider, P-Wing, tennis

TV Toad: flowers, snowboard, biker, hat parachute, vegetables, surfs, disguises as plant, powerful wand, giant pipe creatures, P-Wing.

Candy Kong: punch, banana pie, barrel works

Yoshi: tongue, wings, breathe fire, extendable tail, eat everything.

Oogtar: swing, rope, wheel, berries, hoe, club.

Funky: surf, plane

Dixie Kong

Bluster Kong: barrel works, cake, super potion, love potion

King Koopa: snowmobile, cage, Piranha Plant gun, door potion, magic carpet, net, vampire, turn people to stone, flies a plane, freezes people, hat shield, catapult, pesticide, grow gigantic, giant shoe, magic, Klown Kar, Ratso.

King K. Rool: schemes, traps, cannon

General Klump: mostly the same, Klaptrap guns

Krusha

Cheatsy: magic wand, transform, pull things from TV, booby traps.

Big Mouth: tornado breath, bo staff.

Kootie Pie: tantrum, throws things, wrap in a scarf.

Bully: nunchaku, fire hose, garbage.

Kooky: time travel machine, rain machine, Lame Brainer, nice spray, Koopa Doopa raiser-upper, Goopa, Mega Mechanisaur

Hip and Hop: ball.

Robo Koopa: bullet bills, bombs from the toe, laser cage, stomp, fist from the chest, rocket pack.

Captain Skurvy: cannon, cannonballs, dig, barrels, Kutlass, Green Kroc, Polly Roger

Mouser: bombs, Cobrats, BMX bike, mace, spinning hat, dinosaur

Tryclyde: spits fireballs, poison, net, trident, sword, BMX bike

Koopa: spin in shell, BMX bike, Werekoopa

Wizenheimer: lightning, fog, create bombs, hypnotize, vanish, egg transformation

Dino Riders: motorcycles, graffiti, throw bowls, stink bob-omb

Evil Eric: knock out, tie up, puppets, same as Co-MC

Tammy Treehugger: knock out, tie up, puppets, same as Co-MC

Eddie the Mean Old Yeti: stick, fire, roar, snowballs, giant ice block

Birdo: wings

Flurries: ski, ice skate, carve up blocks of ice, ice wands

Beezos: fly, spears, lances, swords, rope, nets

Rex: spears, pies, other things from the previous games

Mervin the Magician: teleport, vanish, see the future, golden plunger, plumber's snake

Genie: trampoline, stink spell, flying spell, lamp, magic carpet

Mark Twang: steamboat, rope, cannon

Brutius Maximus Grouchimus: throws shells, lions

Queen Rotunda: strength, love potion

Captain Clump: peg leg, parrot, barrel, club, rigging launch

Bunsen: hacks into computers, drills, Plumbinator, plunger sword, flyswatter, shoots eggs

Sheldon the Witch Doctor: brews potion

Mermushroom: swim, whale

Hercufleas: great fireball, launch fire, race really fast, swing a pillar

Salvado Drainaro: plumbing focus

Hooded Robin: flies, shoots plunger arrows

Flab Boys: throwing discs, zapping, boosting, bouncing on their large bellies, exploding disc launcher, rolling around

James Blonde: wrench phone, explosive drain cleaner, atomic screwdriver, laser drill, plumber missiles, pummel gun, hose nozzle with a mini plunger

Vampa White, fireballs, fangs, turn into bat, werekoopa

Zero: whip, rapier, fly with cape, cacti, turnips

Captain Abidab: harpoon, plunger shooter, rope, bucket, catapult, divers' suit

Mugga the Medicine Woman: bone, torch, brews potions, swings on vines, dropes bones

Misaki: punches, kicks, jumping kicks, throws, chops, staffs, plunger staff, nunchaku

The Three Mushrooms: pie catapult

Pronto: plumber gun, lasso, Ostro

Sergeant Kooperman: also plumbing focus

Waldo the Wizard: shrinking potion, growing potion, floats, disappears, uses magic, enchants a flying boot

Old Gray Wolf

Quirks: horns, strong sounds, fly spaceships, shoot lasers, use magnets

Queen Mushroomkhamen: staff, stomps, wrap up in tape, smash through wall

The Wizard King of the West: powerful wand, snail steed, pipe monsters.

Junior: dropping vase, boomerang, other messes, boulder catapult.

Mighty Plumber: plunger  rope, wrench, burst of water, plumber's snake, rafting on a grate, pipe battering ram

Crime Wave Clyde: tuck  into a basketball, bob-omb chain, see some Koopalings above.

King Windbag: dog

Kong Fu: martial arts, dance, swing around, karate chop, throw

Baby Kong: vacuum, punch, grab and throw, cry, bite, throw objects

Stages:

Snow Land

Wild West

Cramalot

Forest of Perpetual Night and Terrible Dangers

Sultan's Palace

River World

Sinister Star

Linguini Empire

Beanstalk

Rotundaland

Kingdom of Youth

Planet Quirk

Pirate Ship

Roboland

Chateau Koopula

Jungle Land

Aqualand

Mythus

Sayonara

Land of Romance

Lava Land

Snow World

Victoria

Sherwood Forest

Carland

Pasta Land

Rap Land

Spyland

Fort Hardknox

Tunnel of Doom

Cloudland

Shamrock Kingdom

Toadstool Castle

El Desert Land

Ocean World

Mighty Peapod

Koopalus

Delawide River

Swiss Cheese Alps

Caveman Land

Crime Land

Sockhop Land

Parsley Land

North Pole

Pyramid Land

Red Sauce Sea

Double Cross Ranch

Plumbers Academy

Down Under Land

King Koopa's Summer Castle

Kooplyn

Temple of Koopa

Koopatraz

Far Off Woods

Castle Koopa

Doomship

Giant Land

Desert Land

Pipe Maze

Dark Land

Sky Land

Mushroom House

Ace Magic Wand Factory

Temple of Gloom

Mertropolis

Hawaii

Brooklyn

Hollywood

Miami

Venice

Paris

Dome City

Neon Castle

Lava Pits

Enchanted Forest

Haunted House

Star Path

Club Mario

King Koopa's Kool Kartoons

Cranky's Cabin

Donkey Kong's cabin

King K. Rool's Lair

Bluster's Barrel Works

Captain Skurvy's galleon

Mellow Yellow Banana Plantation

White Mountains

Forbidden Forest

Temple of Inka Dinka Doo

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover the series' second season!

Character Sheet: Cranky Kong (DK Miscellaneous)

CRANKY KONG

Let's kick off this final round of DK revisions. We have a few old ones to go over, mostly for thoroughness's sake, alongside four new additions to the roster. Let's see what we've got!

1. Donkey Kong (Revision)
2. Diddy Kong (Revision)
3. Dixie Kong (Revision)
4. King K. Rool (Revision)
5. Cranky Kong (Revision)
6. Funky Kong (Revision)
7. Wrinkly Kong (Revision)
8. Tiny Kong (Revision)
9. Lanky Kong (Revision)
10. Kritter (Revision)
11. Krusha (Revision)
12. Klump (Revision)
13. Timber
14. Kalypso
15. Wizpig
16. The Evil Kings

Lightning round! Cranky only appears this time around as a playable character in Barrel Blast, and in the handful of cutscenes in the Donkey Konga games, mostly just acting as a brief tutorial. That's it.

Here's his moveset:

Standard B: Dynamite

Side B: Barrel

Up B: Pogo Stick

Down B: Dentures

Final Smash: Mad Scientist

Entrance: Cranky could break out of a barrel like the rest of them, though he could just be sitting on stage, cranking his gramophone like in the first game's cutscene. 

Taunts: Waving his stick around like a grumpy old man, making some comment about "kids these days." Maybe a secret taunt where he gives out hints.

Next up: We cover our boy Funky Kong!

Character Sheet: Cranky Kong (DK Handhelds)

CRANKY KONG

And now, it's time to go through our characters once again. This time, most of them will just be a token effort as there really isn't anything new to add to most of the characters. However, for the sake of thoroughness, and to give myself the chance to get ahead on watching and taking notes on upcoming games so that I don't get behind, let's go through them anyway.

1. Donkey Kong (Revision)
2. Diddy Kong (Revision)
3. Dixie Kong (Revision)
4. King K. Rool (Revision)
5. Cranky Kong (Revision)
6. Funky Kong (Revision)
7. Kiddy Kong (Revision)
8. Kritter (Revision)
9. Krusha (Revision)
10. Klump (Revision)
11. Wrinkly Kong
12. Xananab

I find it a rather amusing bit of irony that the year should end on the cranky old monkey constantly talking about "back in his day." In fact, the only thing that would make it even better is if Kiddy Kong were to be the one to start the new year. (To be honest, I'm really tempted to go out of order tomorrow just to make that happen). But I digress. Cranky actually doesn't appear much in the Land games outside of his role in the setup of Land 1, but he acts as the game's mentor and tutorial throughout both DK games, I suppose implying that he can do most of it, but as Wrinkly and Xananab will cover most of those mechanics, I'm not too worried about it.

So here's what I came up with:

Standard B: Dynamite

Side B: Barrel

Up B: Pogo Stick

Down B: Dentures

Final Smash: Mad Scientist

Entrance: Cranky could break out of a barrel like the rest of them, though he could just be sitting on stage, cranking his gramophone like in the first game's cutscene. 

Taunts: Waving his stick around like a grumpy old man, making some comment about "kids these days." Maybe a secret taunt where he gives out hints.

Next up: Let's cover Funky Kong (or Kiddy Kong if I give in to my own sense of humor)!

DK: Jungle Climber

DK: JUNGLE CLIMBER

DK: Jungle Climber is a sequel to DK: King of Swing, and likewise features the Donkey Kong characters in a gameplay based on the old NES game Clu Clu Land. This game features a banana alien ( . . . okay?) named Xananab, who's power source, the Crystal Banana ( . . . . . . okay?), has been stolen by King K. Rool, who uses it to mutate his Kremling minions. ( . . . . . . . . . okay?). Needless to say, I think a few drugs went into the plot of this game, but hey, it's fun either way.

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are our main playable characters, with much the same mechanics as before, though with a few new mechanics available. Donkey Kong can fly around the stage using special golden and silver wings. He can also throw Diddy Kong to grab items, and through Diddy Kong, he can swing around a hammer and blow fire with a torch. Dixie and Funky are also playable in the challenge modes.

Cranky Kong acts as a tutorial character for the most part, and Candy hosts the challenge modes. Wrinkly only appears in the intro this time around. Xananab is an odd case, as he acts as a major ally throughout the game. He is the first boss, his giant banana ship flying overhead and dropping carrot bombs. After that, he can be found in several levels and uses a special wormhole thing to transport himself and the Kongs to a special crystal world.

King K. Rool is the main villain as always, accompanied by a gang of Kritters, running away from the Kongs and Xananab with Xananab's crystal bananas in tow. They warp away each time they are caught, leaving one behind as a boss battle each time. During King K. Rool's final battle, he grows into a giant with the pegs covering his belly, grabbing at you and spitting meteors and fireballs at you. The other bosses include Lizard-head Kremling, a giant floating kremling head that floats around and shoots missile and crystal swords at you; two Mega Amps, giant robots that drop bombs and swipe at you; and Dragon Kremling, a giant draconic kremling who flies around, burrows underground, and breathes fire.

Neeks, Flipflaps, Flitters, Neckies, Zingers, Lockjaws, Shuris, Click-Clacks, Powans, and Puftups all return, each one acting much as they always do, and as they did in the previous game.

The stages are split up into separate worlds, as before, this time split up into: Sun Sun Island, a beach world; Lost Island, a jungle world; Ghost Island, a haunted world; Chill n' Char Island, a fire-and-ice world; High High Island, a mountainous world leading up to the King Kruiser IV, which leads to a wormhole taking you to Xananab's homeworld of Planet Plantaen.

Most of the items remain the same as in the previous game, though now with things like the hammer item, the feathers, and the blowtorch.

Let's see what we've got!

Characters:
Donkey Kong: everything from Country, climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas, special, gold and silver wings
Diddy Kong: everything from Country and Country 2, climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas, hammer, blow torch
Dixie Kong: everything from Country 2 and Country 3, climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas
Kiddy Kong: everything from Country 3
Funky Kong: climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas, biplane
Wrinkly Kong: climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas
Cranky Kong: tutorial for King of Swing
Xananab: banana ship, drop bombs, wormhole
King K. Rool: throw crown, charge, blunderbuss, float, throw bombs, bounce, electric beam, climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas, grow giant, swipe, breathe fire, meteor
Kritter/Klomp/Kobble: walk forward, Kaboing, Klinger, Rekoil, Skidda, climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas, warp, steal bananas
Krusha/Kruncha/Krumple: walk forward
Kannon: shoot blunderbuss
SPECIAL GUEST: Bubbles

Assist Trophies:
Klaptrap
Rambi
Expresso
Enguarde
Rattly
Squitter
Clapper
Squawks
Ellie

Bosses:
Wild Sting
Giant Clam
Hard Hat
Krow
Kleever
King Zing
Kreepy Krow
Barbos
Bleak
Arich
KAOS
Kongazuma
Fire Necky
Davy Bones
Sassy Squatch
Lizard-head Kremling
Mega Amp
Dragon Kremling

Stages:
Gangplank Galleon Ahoy
Kremlantis
Monkey Mountains & Chimpanzee Clouds
Big Ape City
Gangplank Galleon
Krem Cauldron
Kremland
Gloomy Gulch
K. Rool's Keep
Cape Codswallop
Primate Plain
Blackforest Plateau
Great Ape Lakes
Tin Can Valley
The Lost World
Jungle World
Desert World
Underwater World
Snow World
K. Kruiser III
Sun Sun Island
Lost Island
Ghost Island
Chill n' Char Island
High High Island
King Kruiser IV
Planet Plantaen
Crystal World

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover the game's sequel, Jungle Climber!

DK: King of Swing

DK: KING OF SWING

This should probably be more in the "spinoffs" section than anything, but as they were Donkey Kong's main handheld entries for a little while there, and separating out the DK titles into three clean groups makes them fit more here than anywhere else, I guess its okay. DK: King of Swing is the first of two titles created as spiritual successors to the NES game Clu Clu Land, featuring Donkey and his friends rather than a little red fish.

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong act as the main principal players in the game, though Dixie Kong, Funky Kong, Wrinkly Kong, King K. Rool, Kritter, and Bubbles (the fish from Clu Clu Land) are all playable in the game's challenge mode, functioning under the same basic mechanics of the game. Cranky and Candy also appear in supporting roles, Cranky running the tutorial with Wrinkly demonstrating, and Candy basically just showing up in the cutscenes.

The main mechanic of the game is massive sections of pegs floating in the sky that Donkey and Diddy must hang from and spin around on in order to navigate through a course. Other mechanics used include the ability to pull back on two pegs and launch yourself high into the air, throw rocks and bombs by grabbing it while spinning around and throwing it at enemies. They can also "go bananas" which is basically a Donkey Kong version of the Starman item. King K. Rool also has an airship that he uses, but his boss battle is mostly just him and DK crawling around on the pegs fighting each other with those mechanics.

Other enemies that appear are generally series regulars, though reworked a bit to fit this specific playstyle. Flitters buzz back and forth across the map, Neeks crawl around on the pegs, Flipflaps and Neckies fly around, Click-Clacks crawl on the pegs, Lockjaws swim around and leap from the water while Shuris spin toward you, Zingers buzz around as they do, and Powans are new ghost enemies who float around in haunted house levels. As for bosses, we have Congazuma, a giant statue that tromps around, Fire Necky, a firebird that flies around and spits fireballs, Davy Bones, a skeletal sea monster that will bite at you, and Sassy Squatch, an abominable snowman who chases you up a ravine and spits ice.

We have a number of levels, though each is generally built around a theme. The first generally has a jungle theme, the second with a desert theme, the third with a water theme, the fourth with a snow theme, and finally K. Rool's airship, the K. Kruiser III. The K. Kruiser III is getting in for sure if I have anything to say about it. As for items, we have rocks and bombs, and the pegs themselves, but that's about it for now.

Let's see what we've got!

Characters:
Donkey Kong: everything from Country, climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas
Diddy Kong: everything from Country and Country 2, climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas
Dixie Kong: everything from Country 2 and Country 3, climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas
Kiddy Kong: everything from Country 3
Funky Kong: climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas
Wrinkly Kong: climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas
Cranky Kong: tutorial for King of Swing
King K. Rool: throw crown, charge, blunderbuss, float, throw bombs, bounce, electric beam, climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas
Kritter/Klomp/Kobble: walk forward, Kaboing, Klinger, Rekoil, Skidda, climb and swing around pegs, launch from pegs, throw rocks and bombs, go bananas
Krusha/Kruncha/Krumple: walk forward
Kannon: shoot blunderbuss
SPECIAL GUEST: Bubbles

Assist Trophies:
Klaptrap
Rambi
Expresso
Enguarde
Rattly
Squitter
Clapper
Squawks
Ellie

Bosses:
Wild Sting
Giant Clam
Hard Hat
Krow
Kleever
King Zing
Kreepy Krow
Barbos
Bleak
Arich
KAOS
Kongazuma
Fire Necky
Davy Bones
Sassy Squatch

Stages:
Gangplank Galleon Ahoy
Kremlantis
Monkey Mountains & Chimpanzee Clouds
Big Ape City
Gangplank Galleon
Krem Cauldron
Kremland
Gloomy Gulch
K. Rool's Keep
Cape Codswallop
Primate Plain
Blackforest Plateau
Great Ape Lakes
Tin Can Valley
The Lost World
Jungle World
Desert World
Underwater World
Snow World
K. Kruiser III

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover the game's sequel, Jungle Climber!

Character Sheet: Cranky Kong (DK Main Series)

CRANKY KONG

Here we, here we, here we go! So they're finally here, a-smashing for you. If you know their moves, you can join in too. Put your hands together if you want to clap, as we take you through this monkey roster:

1. Donkey Kong (Revision 1)
2. Diddy Kong
3. Dixie Kong
4. King K. Rool
5. Cranky Kong
6. Funky Kong
7. Tiny Kong
8. Lanky Kong
9. Chunky Kong
10. Kiddy Kong
11. Kritter
12. Krusha
13. Klump
14. Tucks
15. Tiki Tong
16. Lord Fredrik

Come on, Cranky! Take it to the fridge! Cranky Kong is Donkey Kong's grandfather and something of a mentor character to our heroes. All of his mentoring is filled with Boomer-style "kids these days don't know real blah-blah-blah" grouching, but it's there. Technically speaking, Cranky Kong is supposed to be the original Donkey Kong, whereas the current Donkey Kong is his grandson, giving the games a good way to talk about their arcade history and why these new games are different. It's clever, I must admit. Cranky is probably the only character after Donkey and Diddy to appear in all six games, though Tropical Freeze is the only game where he is playable.

Despite his single playable appearance, the old ape actually does quite a bit across all of his appearances. He uses a walking stick which he uses both to whack enemies with and as a pogo stick to bounce across dangerous terrain. In the very first cutscene of the first game, he uses dynamite against Donkey and Diddy. In Country 3, he throws rocks as part of a minigame hosted by Swanky Kong. In 64, he takes up being a mad scientist and supplies the heroes with potions that give them new abilities, and in Tropical Freeze, he can, um, shoot his dentures at people. Yeah.

So here's what I came up with:

Standard B: Dynamite

Being just a little bit too old to pull of a giant punch any more, Cranky will instead resort to tossing a live stick of dynamite at his opponents, which will then explode, blasting them away.

Side B: Barrel

I figure he has to keep something from his original iconic appearance. Cranky will throw out a large barrel, this barrel being distinctly designed to look like one from the original arcade game, rather than the basic ones of the modern Country franchise.

Up B: Pogo Stick

Cranky will bounce up and down on his pogo stick, being able to reach some impressive heights for an old man with a cane.

Down B: Dentures

Cranky will throw out his teeth which will clack open and closed, latching onto an opponent and biting them, doing some damage with every bite.

Final Smash: Mad Scientist

Cranky will hold up one of his ingenious potions, leading to a cutscene wherein he gives an opponent the potion, they drink it, and as a result experience the weird warping spasms the heroes went through in 64 upon drinking them.

Entrance: Cranky could break out of a barrel like the rest of them, though he could just be sitting on stage, cranking his gramophone like in the first game's cutscene. 

Taunts: Waving his stick around like a grumpy old man, making some comment about "kids these days." Maybe a secret taunt where he gives out hints.

Next up: Let's cover the coolest ape this side of the Northern Kremisphere, Funky Kong!

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY: TROPICAL FREEZE

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is the most recent game to come out in the series, the sequel to Donkey Kong Country Returns, and considered by many to be one of the finest 2D platformers ever made. Much as I said with the New Super Mario Bros. U post, I will only be covering the original version of the game and not later editions as those will be covered in their own group. So, sadly, nothing of Funky's playable appearance. (Don't worrry, he's done plenty already to land him a spot).

Tropical Freeze follows Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky as their island is invaded by a horde of viking raiders with ice powers led by the evil Lord Fredrik. You mainly play as Donkey, with the other three acting almost more as power-ups than secondary characters, at least in single-player mode. They can do most of the basic Donkey Kong mechanics, running, jumping, ground pounding, using barrels, climbing and swinging, and so on. It's mostly a continuation of the mechanics from the previous game. Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky each add a new ability to the mix, with Diddy using his rocketbarrel pack, Dixie using her ponytail to flick enemies and spin it like a helicopter, and Cranky using his cane to bounce like a pogo stick. They all also have popguns that shoot peanuts, bubble gum, and . . . Cranky's dentures respectively.

Funky takes over Cranky's role as the shop owner for this game, while the Tutorial Pig returns in his same basic function. Rambi returns, charging as he always does, and Squawks will fly around and alert you of items.

Lord Fredrik is the leader of the Snowmads and the final boss of the game. He is very clearly supposed to be a spiritual successor to King K. Rool as he inherits many of the character quirks and appeal of his predecessor. Fredrik is a member of the Walrus subspecies of Snowmad, thus most anything they can do can also be applied to him as well. In the opening cutscene, he blows a giant horn that summons an ice dragon capable of freezing their whole island (final smaaaaash!!), and during his boss battle, he will jump and charge around, and use his horn to blow out more dragons, spike balls, and various enemies onto the field.

The Snowmads, much like the Kremlings, come in multiple varieties and species, the main subgroups being Tucks, Fluffs, Hootzes, and Waldoughs (Penguins, Rabbits, Owls, and Walruses respectively). Tucks, the penguins, walk around, charge, wear helmets, wear spiky helmets, carry shields, use a bow and arrow to shoot fish or fire, throw a giant melon bomb, use a fishbone spear to jab you, fly, bounce on springs, use a horn to blow fish out of it, and even drive a giant mech to attack you with. Huh, I see we have at least one volunteer for this round's surprise inclusion. Hmm. Welcome aboard, I guess.

Fluffs, the rabbits, can jump, wear helmets, create ice waves, and throw the same bombs. I guess they weren't as eager to get in. Hootzes, the owls, fly, light on fire, and sometimes wear helmets. Also not as eager. And Waldoughs, the walruses (and also the same species as Lord Fredrik), walks around, wears a helmet, uses a shield, tosses chum at you, fires a snowball cannon at you, and attacks you with a spear tipped with spiky pufferfish. Again, same species as Fredrik, so I suppose already in. Neat.

Finally, the Snowmads also include a handful of bosses, including: Pompy the Presumptuous, a seal who will slide and roll around on his belly and throw fish; Skowl the Startling, a giant owl who with fly around, using feathery darts, eggs, and ice balls as projectiles and whipping up some serious wind; Baboom the Boisterous, a trio of baboons who will throw bombs, swing on ropes, and roll around; Fugu the Frightening, a pufferfish who will inflate himself, roll around, and spit out smaller fish; and Bashmaster the Unbreakable, a polar bear with a giant hammer who will slam it down, create ice waves, jump around, and send ice blocks sliding along the stage.

We do have a scattering of other enemies to consider, including: Finley and Gordo, fish; Snaggles, the shark; Dozy, a basic bird; Mimics, who pretend to be bushes; Monocle Monica, a dragonfly; Punchy Paddy, a jumping grasshopper; Thug Slug, a slug; Wild Wendell, basically a Koopa Troopa; Cheesy Chester, a rat; Schnautzel, a pig that breathes fire; Buffaloafer, a buffalo that will charge at you; Chomps, basically Piranha Plants; Porcupal, a porcupine that lights itself on fire; Swooper Dooper, a flying enemy; Fritz, an electric eel; Jellyfish; Mama Saw, a sawfish enemy; Puftups, puffer fish; Sea Urchins; Squiddicus, the giant octopus from before; Bouncelisks, lizards carrying bouncy fruit on their backs; Bucky, a poisonous caterpillar; Buzzy, a bee; Chompasaur, a living plant that can crawl along the ground; and Toucan't, a bird who rolls on top of a spiky ball.

The levels in this world are certainly some of the most creative. The Lost Mangroves is your basic jungle level, not much to cover. Autumn Heights is a serene fall-leaves setting full of windmills and such. Bright Savannah is heavily based on the African savannah. Sea Breeze Cove is a beach/underwater level. Juicy Jungle is literally a whole series of levels built around the idea of food as a level (see drug-fueled dream sequence in the last game). And finally we have DK Isle, which is a series of levels based on every world from the last game, but covered in ice this time around (I'm just saying, that is so cool). Topping it all off with a final battle against Lord Fredrik in the volcano.

We have a lot of the same basic items from the previous game, as they were obviously made by the same developers, a la Retro Studios. So not much to add in here.

All right, let's see what we've got so far:

Characters:
Donkey Kong: run, jump, roll, swing, launch from barrels, bounce on tires, swim, ride minecarts, throw barrels, kick, punch, invincibility, pull levers, coconut gun, bongos, orange grenades, slam, ground pound, giant punch, rocket barrel, multiple punches
Diddy Kong: run, jump, roll, swing, launch from barrels, bounce on tires, swim, ride minecarts, throw barrels, throw Dixie, dynamite, spin with tail, bounce on tail, rocketbarrel pack, charge headfirst, peanut popgun, guitar, orange grenade, slam, rocket barrel, multiple punches
Dixie Kong: run, jump, roll, swing, launch from barrels, bounce on tires, swim, ride minecarts, throw barrels, throw Diddy, dynamite, flick with hair, fly with ponytail, hang from hook, rocket barrel, boat, plane, throw rocks, bubblegum popgun
Kiddy Kong: run, jump, roll, swing, launch from barrels, bounce on tires, swim, ride minecarts, throw barrels, hang from hook, rocket barrel, boat, plane, throw rocks
Tiny Kong: run, jump, roll, swim, throw barrels, climb, swing, flick with ponytails, teleport, fly, shrink, feather arrows, saxophone, slam, orange grenades
Lanky Kong: run, jump, roll, swim, throw barrels, climb, swing, stretch arms, multi-slap, jump rope, inflate, walk on hands, grape shooter, trombone, slam, orange grenades
Chunky Kong: run, jump, roll, swim, throw barrels, climb, swing, pick up giant rocks, punch, turn invisible, grow giant, roundhouse punch, slam, orange grenades
Cranky Kong: walking stick, dynamite, hints, museum, throw rocks, potions, shop, run, jump, roll, climb, etc., pogo stick cane, wack with cane, dentures popgun
Candy Kong: save, musical instruments, flirt
Funky Kong: airplane, boat, weapons, boot-bazooka, shop
Wrinkly Kong: college, hints, save, workout, ghost
Swanky Kong: quiz show, extra balloons, target mini-game
King K. Rool: throw crown, charge, jump high, cannonballs, blunderbuss, suck, various items, propeller jetpack, fireballs, electricity, KAOS, Klaptrap, shockwave slap, giant punch, bounce off ropes, Blast-o-Matic
Lord Fredrik: ice dragon horn, jump, charge, blow out spike balls, enemies, throw fish, shield, giant snowballs, giant mace
Kremlings/Kritter: walk forward (Klomp/Kobble), jump (Kaboing/Re-Koil), ride minecart (Krash/Klank), Krusha/Kruncha/Krumple (maybe his own, run, jump, bazooka, punch, roll, orange grenades, etc.), Klump/Kannon/Kuff n' Klout? (maybe his own, blunderbuss, jump, orange grenades), hide in barrel (Klobber/Knocka/Kracka/Kuchuka/ Klasp/Kaboom), climb ropes (Klinger), Kutlass, Krook, Kloak, Kackle, Klubba, Koin, Kopter, Bazuka, Kasplat, Kosha, Robokremlings, Ghosts, Shrooms, Bones
Tiki Tong/Various Tikis: spew lava, slap left and right, down, together, hypnotize, back and forth, fly, boing, light on fire, razor blades, tank, explode, wormhole, spit blades
Tucks: walk around, charge, wear helmets, wear spiky helmets, carry shields, use a bow and arrow to shoot fish or fire, throw a giant melon bomb, use a fishbone spear to jab you, fly, bounce on springs, use a horn to blow fish out of it, drive a giant mech
Animal Buddies:
Rambi: charge forward, jump
Enguarde: swim, stab
Expresso: jump, run fast, glide
Winky: leap
Squawks: fly, flashlight, carry Kongs, peanuts, find stuff
Rattly: bounce
Squitter: crawl, spit webs, walk on webs
Clapper: cool things
Glimmer: flashlight
Quawks: fly, carry Kongs
Ellie: charge, jump, pick up barrels, squirt water
Parry: mimic
<Tentative> Moles: balloons, pickaxes, burrow, train, bombs, minecarts? (sounds a whole lot of derivative. Maybe a color swap for Monty?)

Bosses:
Very Gnawty
Master Necky
Queen B
Really Gnawty
Dumb Drum
Master Necky Sr.
Krow
Kleever
Kudgel
King Zing
Kreepy Krow
Belcha
Arich
Squirt
Bleak
Barbos
KAOS
Army Dillo
Dogadon
Mad Jack
Puftoss
King Kut Out
Mugly
Scurvy Crew
Stu
Mole Miner Max
Mangoruby
Thugly
Stompybot 3000
Squiddicus
Big Squeekly
Pompy the Presumptuous
Skowl the Startling
Baboom the Boisterous
Fugu the Frightening
Bashmaster the Unbreakable

Stages:
Jungle Level
Forest/Trees Level
Mine/Cave Level
Underwater Level
Snow Level
Factory Level
Gangplank Galleon
Volcano Level
Theme Park Level
Ghostly Level
Bramble/Hive Level
K. Rool's Keep
Flying Krock
Cliff/Waterfall Level
KAOS Core
Jungle Japes
Angry Aztec
Frantic Factory
Gloomy Galleon
Fungi Forest
Crystal Caves
Creepy Castle
Hideout Helm
DK Isle
Jungle Hijinx
Beach Level
Golden Temple
Food-Themed Level
Lost Mangroves
Autumn Heights
Bright Savannah
Sea Breeze Cove
Juicy Jungle
Frozen DK Island

Items:
Barrels
Barrel Cannons
Bananas
Banana Coins
Tires
Banana Birds
Cogs
Presents
Boat
Plane
Oranges
Banana Fairy
Golden Banana
Puzzle Pieces
Letter Panels

Thanks for reading! Now, let's break this all down and put ourselves together a roster.

Donkey Kong Country

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY

Donkey Kong Country is the first game of what we now know as the Donkey Kong series, revitalized by Rare and turned into its own thing apart from that handful of arcade games tied to Mario. The game starred Donkey Kong (the grandson of the arcade's Donkey Kong), and his sidekick Diddy Kong as they journey to take back their banana horde from the evil King K. Rool.

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong act as the first and second player characters, and as such both function on more or less the same game mechanics, the difference being Donkey Kong is larger and stronger, whereas Diddy is smaller and more agile. They could both run, jump, roll, swing on vines and ropes, launch themselves from barrels, bounce on tires, swim, ride minecarts, and throw barrels. There's not a whole lot of variation here in this first game between them, the way there will be in future installments.

There are three supporting characters in this game. Cranky Kong is Donkey's grandfather and the original Donkey Kong. He has a cane that he swings around and throws dynamite in the opening cutscene. Other than that, he mostly gives out hints and complains about "kids these days." Candy Kong is Donkey's girlfriend and saves your game for you. Funky Kong is a chill, laid-back surfer dude who lets you use his plane to travel between worlds you've already visited.

After the supporting characters, we also have a set of Animal Buddies who help out Donkey and Diddy throughout their journey. Rambi is a rhinoceros who charges forward at high speed and can jump. Enguarde is a swordfish who swims more quickly through water and can stab enemies with his nose. Expresso is an ostrich who can leap high and can float some distance. Winky is a frog who can hop really high. Squawks is a green parrot who, in this game at least, follows you around with a torchlight. That's it.

King K. Rool is the villain of the game, a rotund crocodile who leads the Kremlings in taking Donkey Kong's bananas all for themselves. Donkey and Diddy fight him once during their journey, as the final battle. During the battle, he will throw his crown, charge around, jump up really high, and drop cannonballs from above. As the leader of the Kremlings, a lot of their stuff can also be applied to him of course, but there is enough for them to be their own thing as well.

The Kremlings are an interesting bunch. As I've covered this series, I've come to discover that the developers seemed to give them a different name if they did anything slightly different. And each subsequent game gave the same basic enemies different names. So, let's sort through it all, shall we? Kritters are the first and most basic version of the Kremlings, and would likely be the most basic character model's name for a Smash character. Just as Kritters, they mostly just walk around, but a few jump. Others include: Krash, which is a Kritter riding a minecart; Klump, a big, fat Kremling that can't be defeated by ordinary means; Krusha, a musclebound Kremling that also can't be defeated by ordinary means; Klaptrap, a small crocodile that crawls along the ground and bites you; and Rock Kroc, a golem of sorts that comes alive under a certain type of light.

Several other enemies exist in this world. These include: Gnawties, beaver things that serve as your Goomba stand-ins; Neckies and Mini-Neckies, vultures that fly around and spit nuts; Armies, armadillos who roll up into a ball to attack; Zingers, giant bees who buzz up and down and back and forth; Slippas, snakes who slither across the ground; Manky Kongs, evil apes who throw barrels; Bitesizes, who are fish; Chomps and Chomps Jr., sharks; Clambos, clams who spit pearls; Choctopuses (Choctopi?), who spin really fast and chase you; and Squidges, squids who dart around really fast. None offer up much in terms of moveset.

Of course, we have a selection of bosses that Donkey and Diddy have to deal with. These include: Very Gnawty, basically just a really big Gnawty; Master Necky, a really big Necky who spits nuts and pecks at you; Queen B, a really big Zinger who will try to sting you; Really Gnawty, Very Gnawty all over again; Dumb Drum, an . . . oil drum that hops around and spits out enemies; and Master Necky Sr., the first Master Necky all over again.

The stages for this game are a bit difficult to categorize. They all appear as a set of stages within various worlds, but the themes of each world are loose at best, and most stages fall into general stereotypes across the board. Technically, you have Kongo Jungle, a jungle world, Monkey Mines, a cavernous world, Vine Valley, a forest world, Gorilla Glacier, an ice world, Kremcroc Industries, a factory world, Chimp Caverns, another cavernous world, and Gangplank Galleon, King K. Rool's pirate ship. Yet, the stages within these worlds tend to be a massive conglomeration of all these worlds, plus the game's iconic water levels. I think I'd be best served just including a basic stage to represent all of these.

And as for our items, of course we have barrels, and bananas, and coins, and rocket barrels, and tires, all of which could function very well in the role of items.

All right, let's see what we've got so far:

Characters:
Donkey Kong: run, jump, roll, swing, launch from barrels, bounce on tires, swim, ride minecarts, throw barrels
Diddy Kong: run, jump, roll, swing, launch from barrels, bounce on tires, swim, ride minecarts, throw barrels
Cranky Kong: walking stick, dynamite, hints
Candy Kong: save
Funky Kong: airplane
King K. Rool: throw crown, charge, jump high, cannonballs
Kremlings/Kritter: walk forward, jump, ride minecart, Krusha (maybe his own), Klump (maybe his own)
Animal Buddies:
Rambi: charge forward, jump
Enguarde: swim, stab
Expresso: jump, run fast, glide
Winky: leap
Squawks: fly, flashlight

Bosses:
Very Gnawty
Master Necky
Queen B
Really Gnawty
Dumb Drum
Master Necky Sr.

Stages:
Jungle Level
Forest/Trees Level
Mine/Cave Level
Underwater Level
Snow Level
Factory Level
Gangplank Galleon

Items:
Barrels
Barrel Cannons
Bananas
Banana Coins
Tires

Thanks for reading! Next time, we'll cover Donkey Kong Country 2!