Gorilla Glacier

Gorilla Glacier
The world map of Gorilla Glacier as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country for GBA.
Number of Stages	7
Boss(es)	Really Gnawty
Greater Location	Donkey Kong Island
Game(s)	Donkey Kong Country
First Appearance	Donkey Kong Country (for SFC/SNES) (1994)
Latest Appearance	Donkey Kong Country (for GBA) (2003)
Adjacent World(s)	<< Donkey Kong Country >>

"The snowcapped peaks of Donkey Kong Country are rarely climbed due to the hazardous conditions found at such high elevations. The solid ground is like solid ice and does not offer a firm foothold for the explorer."

—Donkey Kong Country Instruction Booklet (SNES version)

Gorilla Glacier is the fourth world of the Donkey Kong Island in the game Donkey Kong Country. It is located at the top of island. This snowy wasteland contains many stages, including a frozen river and a very dark cave. The ice often reduces the traction of the Kongs, making it harder to traverse in this world. In external stages of the Super Family Computer/Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy Advance versions, snow usually falls on the foreground, and there are also dynamic backgrounds. Gorilla Glacier can be viewed as one of the most challenging worlds in the game, due to its slippery ground and difficult platforming. Really Gnawty is the boss of this world.

Adjacent Worlds

• Previous: Vine Valley
• Next: Kremkroc Industries

Stages

Snow Barrel Blast

The first snow stage of the game is mostly about timing. The terrain is slippery making harder to walk, run or stop moving. The presence of small platforms and slopes above pits will require the player to adjust their jumps. The "roll-jump" move could help the heroes to negate some of the terrain physics and reaching further. The main method of transportation of the stage are rotating Barrel Cannons, with good timing being necessary when activating them in order to avoid falling into pits or collisions against Zingers. And regular Neckies flying towards the Kongs can be used as stepping platforms by bouncing on them. Common enemies also found here are Klaptraps and some Gnawties.

Slipslide Ride

The second stage of Gorilla Glacier, Slipside Ride, takes place inside an crystal cave. The terrain traction is noticeably bad, being not different from snow stages. Throughout it, the primates must climb on many vertical ropes in order to progress. However, these ropes are unique to the stage for being slippery. By holding on blue ropes in the Super Family Computer/Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy Advance versions, or white ropes in the Game Boy Color version, the heroes will automatically ascend. By grabbing on red/pink ropes in the SFC/SNES and GBA versions, or blue ropes in the GBC version, they will descend. The player holding the respective directional button of the opposite direction of the rope will slow down the ascending or descending, and, by also holding the "Run" button, it will allow to move downwards on ascending ropes slowly, and stop completely on descending ropes. When moving on the same ropes during some sections of the stage, the Kongs must avoid falling into pits or being harmed by aerial enemies on the way, such as Zingers. And, usually, the primates must move forward by jumping between two or more of the slippery ropes placed in parallel. Leaping Kritters and Armies are also enemies in the stage.

Ice Age Alley

Stage swapped with Croctopus Chase in the Game Boy Advance version of the game Donkey Kong Country.
It is the second snow stage of this world. Considering the slippery terrain with small platforms and slopes, the traversal over pits is made by using swinging ropes. Most of these ropes are already moving, requiring good timing when jumping towards them in order to grab on them safely. At the beginning of the location, by moving left and going past a Mini-Necky, there is a hidden location containing an Animal Crate for Expresso the Ostrich. Another similar Animal Crate is also located inside the first Bonus Room of the stage in the SFC/SNES and GBA versions. The Animal Buddy's ability of gliding usually allows him to move over wide pits and enemies, and reach some collectables and Barrel Cannons in high places. Besides Mini-Neckies, the stage also features Neckies, Klaptraps and Manky Kongs as enemies.

Croctopus Chase

Stage swapped with Ice Age Alley in the Game Boy Advance version of the game Donkey Kong Country.
The third underwater stage of the game. It takes place inside an icy river, debuting Squidges, jellyfish enemies capable of swimming quickly at single directions and through the environments. During many short sections of the stage, the primates will move past new variants of Croctopuses which will pursue them through narrow tunnels, usually forcing the heroes to swim fast and run from these invincible octopus enemies. The courses of these sections are placed between small alcoves for the Croctopuses to stay in. In the SFC/SNES and GBA versions, Enguarde the Swordfish can found inside an Animal Crate at the third fourth of the stage. Chomps Jr. and Chomps are also aquatic enemies appearing here.

Torchlight Trouble

Stage swapped with Rope Bridge Rumble in the Game Boy Advance version of the game Donkey Kong Country.
Torchlight Trouble starts off as a dark cave stage without any ice or snow. In the SFC/SNES and GBC versions of the game, by the Kongs breaking open an Animal Crate at the beginning of it, Squawks the Parrot will be released. The small Animal Buddy only appears here in the game, and he carries a lantern while following the primates around, helping to illuminate the path forward for them. During the first half of the stage, there are many Oil Drums on fire, forcing the heroes to jump over them and avoid landing on the hazards, including when traversing over pits. The second half of the stage debuts Mincers, spinning wheels covered in spikes. Despite most of these hazards staying at the same place, some of them move around at regular patterns. Any contact with Mincers must be avoided by the Kongs. Enemies found in the stage are Klumps and regular Krushas.

Rope Bridge Rumble

Stage swapped with Torchlight Trouble in the Game Boy Advance version of the game Donkey Kong Country.
Rope Bridge Rumble is the last treehouse village stage of the game. Many tires can found across the location, with most of them floating in the air and, sometimes, also moving at regular patterns. Despite their function still being to reach high places, these bouncing platforms must be used here for most of the traversal over pits. When bouncing on them, good timing is required to avoid falling into pits or harm from touching Zingers on the way. Winky the Frog can be found inside an Animal Crate in the first Bonus Room of the stage. Some Armies, and regular and leaping variants of Kritters are also enemies here.

Really Gnawty Rampage

Like the previous boss stages in the game, this arena is also located next to banana hoards. The boss Really Gnawty, another giant beaver, must be faced here. The boss' fur is brown in the SFC/SNES and GBC versions of the game, and green in the GBA version. Similar to the very first boss, Really Gnawty will just leap around the arena, ignoring Donkey and Diddy Kong initially. In the SFC/SNES and GBC versions, after they bouncing once on his head, the boss will stop, stare at the screen, laugh, execute a very high jump towards the primates and resume his patrol of leaping. Really Gnawty will become invincible during these sequences, and the number of high jumps will be the same current number of hits inflicted upon him. However, in the GBA version, after being hit once, the boss will jump towards the right or left edge of the arena immediately, stare at the screen and laugh, while series of stalactites will fall from the ceiling across the location. There will be small gaps between the falling hazards, allowing the heroes to avoid them. During these sequences in this version, Really Gnawty will lose any collision physics temporarily. And, as opposed to the SFC/SNES and GBC versions, where the boss will become faster and more aggressive, more hits Really Gnawty takes, he will keep the same movement pattern during the entire battle in the GBA version. In all game versions, Really Gnawty will be defeated after receiving a total of five hits, and the Kongs will gain a Giant Banana.

After that, the next location on the overworld map of the Donkey Kong Island, the world Kremkroc Industries, will become accessible by the player.

Supporting Locations

• SFC/SNES version:
  • Cranky's Cabin
  • Candy's Save Point
  • Funky's Flights

• GBC version:
  • Cranky's Cabin
  • Candy's Challenge (replaces Candy's Save Point)
  • Funky's Flights

• GBA version:
  • Candy's Dance Studio (replaces Candy's Challenge)
  • Cranky's Cabin
  • Funky's Fishing (replaces Funky's Flights)

Gallery

The world map of Gorilla Glacier as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country for SFC/SNES.

The world map of Gorilla Glacier as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country for GBC.

Artwork of Donkey and Diddy Kong being pursued by a Necky at a snow location, from the game Donkey Kong Country.

Artwork of Donkey and Diddy Kong underwater and being stalked by a Chomps and a blue Croctopus, from the game Donkey Kong Country for SFC/SNES.

Background of the stages Snow Barrel Blast and Ice Age Alley from the game Donkey Kong Country for SFC/SNES.

Background of the stage Slipslide Ride from the game Donkey Kong Country for SFC/SNES.

Background of the stage Slipslide Ride from the game Donkey Kong Country for GBA.

A glitched map showing Kongo Jungle and Gorilla Glacier as uncleared worlds simultaneously, a result of the Kongo Jungle world warp glitch, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country for SNES.

Trivia

• In the Kongo Bongo Island, the main setting of the Donkey Kong Country animated series, based on the game of the same name, there is also a snow mountainous location called White Mountains.
• It is speculated that the mountain range seen in the background during some external stages of this world in the game Donkey Kong Country is actually the world Monkey Mountains and Chimpanzee Clouds from the game Donkey Kong Land, considering how both locations take place on the Donkey Kong Island.
• In the games Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, according to Kynan Pearson, one of the main designers of Donkey Kong Country Returns, the Volcano world replaced the Gorilla Glacier.