| Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! | |
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| Developer(s) | Rareware |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Main Development Staff | {{{devteam}}} |
| Platform(s) | Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Console, Game Boy Advance |
| Release Date(s) | SNES November 22, 1996  November 23, 1996  December 19, 1996 Game Boy Advance November 4, 2005 November 7, 2005 December 1, 2005 Virtual Console December 24, 2007 December 25, 2007 October 21, 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Ratings | ESRB:  Kids to Adults
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| Mode(s) | 1-2 players |
| Media(s) | 32-megabit Cartridge |
| Input(s) | {{{input}}} |
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (スーパードンキーコング３～謎のクレミス島～, Sūpā Donkī Kongu Surī ~Nazo no Kuremisu Tō~, Super Donkey Kong Three: Mysterious Isle Kremis in Japan ) is the third and final game for the popular Super Nintendo Entertainment System game series Donkey Kong Country. It is the sequel to Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. The game stars Dixie Kong and her little cousin Kiddy Kong as they travel through the numerous lands of the Northern Kremisphere in order to rescue Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong from the Kremling Krew and their new leader, KAOS.
A remake of the game was released for the Game Boy Advance on November 7, 2005 with new features, most noticeably six new stages and an all-new soundtrack designed for the Game Boy Advance sound system. Also, on December 24, 2007, the game was released on the Virtual Console for the Wii in North America. On December 25, in was released in Europe and Australia.
Donkey Kong Country 3, as with the previous two games, had a follow up game for the Game Boy, Donkey Kong Land III. It would be over a decade, however, until the game would get a full-fledged sequel, Donkey Kong Country Returns.
Story
Months after the Kong's second triumph over the Kremling Krew, they continue to celebrate. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, slept in hammocks and chilled out with banana milkshakes. Dixie Kong would sometimes join them. During these events, one day, Dixie cannot find DK or Diddy, and assumed they were out exploring the island again.
However, several days pass without their return, and Dixie knows something is up. She takes matters into her own hands, and without a second thought, made her way to the southern shores of Donkey Kong Island, to the landmass Northern Kremisphere. There shes meets Wrinkly Kong again, and Wrinkly said that the Kongs had passed by. Dixie then made her way to Funky's Rentals. Funky suggests (or had a "certain amount of pleading", according to the manual itself) to take her cousin Kiddy Kong along with her in the search. Funky lends them a boat and the two were off to find Donkey and Diddy Kong.
Game Overview
Gameplay
Demolition Drain-Pipe, a pipeline level
Gameplay combines elements from Donkey Kong Country and its sequel, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. As with the previous two games, the gameplay has a "tag team" system with two Kongs, Dixie Kong, who returns from DKC2 as the main character in this game, and new character Kiddy Kong. Dixie Kong is more agile than her younger cousin and retains her Helicopter Spin technique, while Kiddy acts somewhat like DK where he is the stronger one (due to being a young ape to Dixie being a spidermonkey) and less agile. Kiddy can use his Water Skip ability to bounce on water to reach far areas. The "Team-up" ability carries over from DKC2, but has more uses. When Kiddy carries Dixie she can be thrown upwards to reach higher areas, while when Dixie carries Kiddy, Kiddy can break through cracked or loose areas in the ground when thrown.
Various new additions to level layouts are present. For example, the level Demolition Drain-Pipe (pictured) requires the Kongs to ride on a kart through a large pipe line, and must jump over pits, enemies, and can latch onto the ceiling. The level Ripsaw Rage has the Kongs racing to the top of the tree against a very large saw that slowly cuts down the tree below them. The level Riverside Race is a timed level where Kongs are chased by bees. Low-G Labyrinth levels are also pipe-related, and act as a water level where the Kongs can walk on the floor (but move and falls slower and jump higher).
Star Barrels and DK Barrels return, with new sound effects, and so do Steel Kegs, which were absent from DKC2. Steel Kegs are needed to defeat the new enemy Koin.
Items
Banana Birds are key items in-game.
- Bananas and Banana Bunches return from the previous two game, unchanged. A banana bunch is worth ten bananas and collecting 100 of them gives a free life.
- Extra Life Balloons return as well, with Dixie's face on them. Red is worth one life, green is worth two, blue is worth three lives.
- Bear Coins act much like Banana Coins from Donkey Kong Country 2. They are the main currency of the game, needed to pay for Swanky Kong's bonus games and the Brothers Bear, as well as Cranky's Dojo.
- Bonus Coins are the basic Kremkoins of DKC3. Bonus Coins are found at the end of each Bonus Level and can be used to unlock levels in Krematoa.
- DK Coins return from DKC2, except getting them and their usage is different. Each level has one Koin enemy, which must be defeated via Steel Keg in order to get the DK Coin. After collecting all of them, Funky will give them a Gyrocopter vital to finishing the game.
- K-O-N-G Letters act exactly has they did in the previous games, upon collecting all of them at the end of a level gives one life.
- Animal Crates act as a prison for Animal Buddies and must be broken to free the buddy inside. They are rarer in DKC3 than in DKC and DKC2.
- Regular Crates come back from DKC2, where they break upon thrown contact with anything. There is only one in total in the entire game.
- Cogs are used in Krematoa to unlock the final boss battle.
- Banana Birds are a type of bird shaped oddly like a banana found all over the Northern Kremisphere. Banana Birds are found in Banana Bird Caves or with the people of the NK.
- Level Flag, whose color coordinates with the Kong that finished the level (pink is Dixie, blue is Kiddy).
In addition, the game has various types of tradeable items introduced, obtained by talking to Brothers Bears or via boss battle. The role and how to get some of these items was tweaked in the remake:
- Bowling Ball
- Box of Chocolates
- Flupperius Petallus Pongus
- Mirror
- No. 6 Wrench
- Patch
- Present
- Rose
- Shell
- Skis
Barrels
An Animal Barrel of Enguarde.
- Wooden Barrels make their usual appearance, they are simply wooden or "normal" barrels that can be thrown and rolled on the ground.
- DK Barrels also make their usual appearance, reviving a lost Kong.
- TNT Barrels are destructive, explosive barrels that can be used on many enemies.
- Steel Kegs return from the original Donkey Kong Country, and are found in every single level. Fans find this ironic how they were in the original DKC, never returned in DKC2, and reappeared in every level of DKC3. Steel Kegs are key items to defeating the Koin enemy.
- Invincibility Barrels grant temporary invincibility much like a "starman". Also known as the "! Barrel".
- Warp Barrels act as secret, well hidden ways to teleport to the end of the level very quickly.
- Animal Barrels, when entered, turn the Kong into the animal on it.
- Blast Barrels are somewhat related to Auto-Fire Barrels, except they only fire upwards or horizontally, and are commonly found in waterfall levels.
- Tracker Barrels are rare barrels found in two levels, "Tracker Barrel Trek" and "Barrel Drop Bounce". Trackers always follow the Kong's descent downwards and launch them back up, but are often near Buzzes.
- Switch Barrels are another type of rare barrel exclusive to levels "Blazing Bazukas" and "Criss Kross Cliffs". They turn steel kegs into TNT Barrels or wooden barrels (or vice versa).
- Ghost Barrels are tricky barrels somewhat like Auto Fire Barrels, except they aim in random directions and randomly disappear and reappear.
- Booster Barrels act somewhat like rockets that launch upwards and then fire the Kongs, usually found in waterfall levels.
- Rocket Barrel are exclusive to the "final" level, Rocket Rush. They slowly go down and need fuel to keep going safely.
- Fuel Barrels kept the Rocket Barrel flying.
- Ignition Barrel ignites the main engine of Rocket Barrel.
Vehicles
The Turbo Ski.
Allies
Kong Family
Swanky Kong's updated look.
- Cranky Kong makes his third appearance in the DKC series in cameos of Swanky Kong's bonus games in the Super Nintendo version. In the game's Game Boy Advance remake he runs his own dojo, Cranky's Dojo.
- Funky Kong continues his transportation services by running Funky's Rentals, where the Kongs can use his boats to travel the waters of the Northern Kremisphere.
- Swanky Kong returns from DKC2, running mini-games yet again. He has an updated look as well. Swanky runs his own Sideshow in the Super Nintendo version and Swanky's Dash in the remake.
- Wrinkly Kong has two different roles depending on which version of Donkey Kong Country 3; in the Super Nintendo version, she ran her own Save Cave, where as the name suggests, saves the game, while in the Game Boy Advance remake she cared for Banana Birds in her own Retreat.
Animal Buddies
- Ellie the Elephant acts as a replacement for Rambi, and she is also found in the very first level. Ellie is not as strong as Rambi, and in fact has a Sneek phobia, but she can suck barrels towards her via her trunk and absorb nearby water as a projectile.
- Enguarde the Swordfish is completely unchanged from the previous two games, where his bill acts as the ultimate weapon against underwater foes.
- Parry the Parallel Bird is a rare animal buddy that follows the Kongs from overhead. He flies parallel to them. Parry is usually used to get bonuses.
- Squawks the Parrot can shoot coconuts from his mouth as a projectile and can fly. He is often used against tougher foes like Buzz.
- Quawks the Parrot is a rare purple sub-species of Squawks. He can fly like him, but cannot shoot coconut. He can however carry barrels.
- Squitter the Spider returns from DKC2. He retains his unique web ability, where it can be used as a projectile weapon or platform.
Brothers Bear
The Northern Kremisphere is home to the "Brothers Bear" group, a large family of bears that live in log cabins all over the land. They are friendly and often offer items and other services. They all have a unique personality as well.
- Bachelor
- Baffle
- Barnacle
- Barter
- Bazaar
- Bazooka
- Benny and Björn
- Blizzard
- Blue
- Blunder
- Boomer
- Bramble
- Brash
Enemies
Sneek is a basic enemy.
Lemguin, an enemy found exclusively in one level.
There is a large cast of enemies, many are unique while most replace old enemies from the previous two games.
- Bazuka
- Bazza
- Booty Bird
- Bounty Bass
- Bristles
- Buzz
- Gleamin' Bream
- Karbine
- Klasp
- Knik-Knak
- Knocka
- Kobble
- Koco
- Koin
- Koindozer
- Kopter
- Krimp
- Krosshair
- Krumple
- Kuchuka
- Kuff 'n' Klout
- Lemguin
- Minkey
- Nibbla
- Re-Koil
- Sneek
- Skidda
- Swoopy
- TNT Knocka
Bosses
As with the previous two games, a boss is fought at the end of each world. The Game Boy Advance remake added a new world and thus a new boss. The boss of Razor Ridge was changed to the new boss, Kroctopus, and Pacifica now has Barbos. They are in order of appearance:
- Belcha
- Arich
- Squirt
- KAOS
- Bleak
- Barbos (swapped with Kroctopus in GBA)
- Kroctopus (swapped with Barbos in GBA)
- Baron K. Roolenstein
Full List of Areas and Levels
All of the areas of the game in The Northern Kremisphere.
World 1 - Lake Orangatanga
World 2 - Kremwood Forest
- Barrel Shield Bust-Up (SNES version)/Springin' Spiders (GBA version)
- Riverside Race
- Squeals on Wheels
- Springin' Spiders (SNES version)/Barrel Shield Bust-Up (GBA version)
- Bobbing Barrel Brawl
- Arich's Ambush
World 3 - Cotton Top Cove
- Bazza's Blockade
- Rocket Barrel Ride
- Kreeping Klasps
- Tracker Barrel Trek
- Fish Food Frenzy
- Squirt's Showdown
World 4 - Mekanos
World 5 - K3
World 6 - Razor Ridge
- Buzzer Barrage
- Kong-Fused Cliffs
- Floodlit Fish
- Pot Hole Panic
- Ropey Rumpus
- Barbos' Barrier (SNES version)/Kroctopus Krush (GBA version)
World 7 - Pacifica (GBA version only)
- Dingy Drain-Pipe
- Stormy Seas
- Sunken Spruce
- Cliffside Blast
- Ripcurl Reef
- Surf's Up
- Barbos' Barrier
World 7 (8 in GBA version) - KAOS Kore
- Konveyor Rope Klash
- Creepy Caverns
- Lightning Lookout
- Koindozer Klamber
- Poisonous Pipeline
- Kastle KAOS
World 8 (9 in GBA version) - Krematoa
Differences between the original version
There are many differences between the SNES version and the GBA version.
- The overall maps has been tweaked in some areas due to new additions and changes to them (i.e. there are no Save Caves so maps lack them and were replaced).
- Wrinkly Kong can only be found in Wrinkly's Retreat between Funky's Rentals and Bazaar's General Store.
- The other areas where Wrinkly was are now replaced by Cranky's Dojo, where the player can play a minigame to earn a Banana Bird.
- There is a new soundtrack for the remake.
- The game introduces a new world: Pacifica.
- Barnacle is relocated to Pacifica while Bachelor now takes residence in Lake Orangatanga.
- After completing Mekanos, the player can visit Bramble anytime to receive a Banana Bird.
- Funky Kong now has four minigames, depending on how many vehicles the player can rent.
- Swanky Kong now runs a virtual reality machine that only Dixie Kong can play. The player has to collect a certain number of stars to earn a Banana Bird.
- Swanky's sprite was recycled from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
- When defeating a Koin, the DK Coin is obtained automatically after defeating it.
- After beating Mekanos and Cotton-Top Cove, the player now has the option of being in either K3, Razor Ridge, and Pacifica.
- Barbos has been relocated to Pacifica while Kroctopus now inhabits Razor Ridge.
- The houses that the Brothers Bear live in and the bears themselves have been redesigned. Also, the same music is heard in every house and no longer changes according to the bear. (The music piece is also shared with Funky's Rentals, Swanky's Dash, and Wrinkly's Retreat.)
- In addition, a new bear called Bachelor was added, and some new items were added and the trading pattern was tweaked.
- Oddly, Blizzard is now a grizzly bear, as opposed to the original, where he is a polar bear.
- Unlike the the GBA remakes of Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, this game doesn't feature the Scrapbook and the pictures for the player to collect.
- There are now five extra Banana Birds to collect, increasing the total to twenty.
- The outside of Kastle KAOS is redesigned, and it no longer has a pink glow emitting from its highest tower.
- The world maps show a closer view of the Kongs than in the original.
- When Knautilus is unlocked in the Super Nintendo version, the background of areas in Krematoa turns red. However, this does not happen in the Game Boy Advance version. Also missing is the small bridge connecting the Knautilus to the ground.
- The final level, Rocket Rush, has an increased difficulty, as red Buzzes damage the Rocket Barrel when touched, and there is no Star Barrel at any point of the stage.
- Enemies now have recycled sound effects from the previous two games instead of their deeper ones in the original DKC3 (for example, a Kobble when defeated in the SNES version sounds somewhat like Krusha, but in the remake the sound effect is a recycled Kritter noise).
Gallery
Boxarts
Title screens
Kongs
Animal Buddies
Bosses
Trivia
- In this game, Wrinkly Kong is sometimes playing Super Mario 64 on her Nintendo 64. A remixed version of the song "Inside the Castle Walls" from Super Mario 64 can be heard while she plays it.
- Many enemies from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest have been replaced with new but similar enemies.
- Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!'s Game Boy Advance remake is the only remake to feature an entirely different soundtrack from it's original. Given this, and an entirely new world, many tweaked roles and features of NPC allies and new sound effects for characters, could make the game's Game Boy Advance remake the most drastic change in the remakes of the Donkey Kong Country series.
- The Game Boy Advance remake is the only Donkey Kong Country remake to not feature a Scrapbook.
- The concept of Dixie rolling on Kiddy like a Steel Keg seems to have inspired the ability to do so with Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong in Donkey Kong Country Returns.
- Cranky Kong makes his first playable role in the Donkey Kong series in the Game Boy Advance version in Cranky's Dojo.
- This is the first and only Donkey Kong Country game that does not feature Donkey Kong or Diddy, but focuses on Dixie instead.
- Originally, it was intended that Donkey and Dixie would be playable in this game together and mechanically enhanced Diddy Kong would be the sixth boss. However, for unknown reasons, Donkey is missing with Diddy and Dixie is accompanied by her cousin Kiddy, who acts very much like Donkey.
- This is the only game in the Donkey Kong Country series to not feature Rambi at all.