| Hot Air Balloon | |
 Artwork of a Hot Air Balloon from the game Donkey Kong Country 2. | |
| User(s) | Kong Family, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Animal Buddies, Rambi the Rhinoceros, Squitter the Spider (only in DKL 2), Neeks (only in DKC 2), Krunchas (only in DKC 2) Klobbers (only in DKC 2) |
| Purpose(s) | Serving as transportation for traversing over lava pits |
| Game(s) | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong Land 2 |
| First Appearance | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (for SNES) (1995) |
| Latest Appearance | Donkey Kong Country 2 (for GBA) (2004) |
Hot Air Balloons are mobile platforms used by the Kongs to traverse pits in the games Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2.
Overview
In the stages of both games where they are found, Hot Air Balloons are the only means of transportation over lava pits, and the player usually must use multiple balloons to traverse these sections between solid ground. In Donkey Kong Country 2, they only appear in the stage Red-Hot Ride of the world Crocodile Cauldron. In Donkey Kong Land 2, Hot Air Balloons are found in the stages Redhot Ride of the world Krem Cauldron, and Fiery Furnace of the Lost World.
Hot Air Balloons only appear floating in the air inside lava stages of both games. In Donkey Kong Country 2, they are blue balloons and will usually stay right above the steam streams over lava pits. As soon as the primates land on a Hot Air Balloon, the player can control the platform movement by using the "Left" and "Right" buttons. But these balloons will descend slowly when outside the steam range, forcing the player to advance quickly before the platforms sink in the lava pits, taking down the heroes too. Also in Donkey Kong Country 2, if another steam streams are found, the same balloons can be elevated again by the player using the streams to float upwards. However, in Donkey Kong Land 2, there are no steam streams, being impossible to elevate these balloons again. As soon as the Kongs ride on the Hot Air Balloons in the same game, they will just descend. While gliding, the player must also avoid harm from aerial enemies, such as Zingers and Flitters, flying on the way of the balloons.
The primates can leave the Hot Air Balloons by reaching solid ground or jumping between platforms and another balloons. If the player falls off or misplaces a Hot Air Balloon, they just need to leave and return to the screen where the mobile platform was present initially, making a new balloon to appear at the same location. It is also possible for the heroes to ride on the balloons while carrying objects. After the Kongs have found Rambi the Rhinoceros or being turned into the Animal Buddy, he is also capable of travelling on Hot Air Balloons. In Donkey Kong Country 2, enemies, such as Neeks and Krunchas, can be found walking back and forward over the balloons, but they cannot control these platforms. At that occasions, the primates must defeat the enemies first before taking control of the same Hot Air Balloons. In both versions of the same game, some barrels appear sitting on the balloons, and the player can grab these objects or even place them safely on these platforms. In Donkey Kong Country 2, the player can also use the "Team-Up" ability to throw the secondary Kong while riding on Hot Air Balloons in order to reach collectables or another vacant balloons. And considering how the secondary character follows the primary one more closer in the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country 2, when compared to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System version, Diddy and Dixie Kong ride on Hot Air Balloons together. While travelling on the balloons by foot in the same game version, they will also display an animation of being about to fall off the edge of platforms constantly, despite it not being a real risk.
Gallery
