Rope

Artwork of Kiddy Kong climbing on a horizontal rope from the game Donkey Kong Country 3.

Ropes act as means of transportation for the Kongs commonly found in the Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Land series, introduced in the first game, Donkey Kong Country. Vines, used to swing across pits, are similar to ropes.

Overview

In order to grab on ropes or similar objects, the primates just need to jump towards them, hanging automatically upon contact. If the main characters are carrying any items, it is impossible to climb on ropes. Animal Buddies cannot interact with ropes either. By the player holding the run button while the heroes are climbing on the ropes, they can move quickly towards any direction. The Kongs can drop down from horizontal ropes by the player pressing the Jump button while holding the "Down" button.

Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Land

In the games Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Land, vertical ropes are used to go over large pits cannot be traversed by jumping. Some ropes are stationary while others swing.

In the Vine Valley stage Forest Frenzy of Donkey Kong Country, vertical ropes move horizontally over gaps, and some of them even allow the heroes to progress across large pits in the stage.

In Donkey Kong Country, blue and red ropes are found in the Gorilla Glacier stage Slipslide Ride, and they are slippery. Blue ropes slip Donkey and Diddy Kong up, and red ones slip them down. When clinging on these rope types, by holding the respective and opposite directional button, the primates will stop slipping.

Inside some jungle, snow, ruins and factory stages of Donkey Kong Country, there are swinging ropes. They usually appear over pits, and some of these ropes stay still until the heroes interact with them. After the Kongs grab on them, they will hang on the lower end of the swinging ropes. Even if the primates try to grab on the top of these ropes, they will slip down towards the bottom immediately. When these ropes are moving, they will swing back and forward, moving in an arc constantly. It is impossible for the player to control the speed of the swinging, and the only way to leave these ropes is by pressing the Jump button. In some cases, the heroes must move between multiple swinging ropes, forcing the player to use good timing to match the movement of these ropes in order to jump and grab the next one, avoiding to fall down or being harmed by aerial enemies nearby.

In the game Donkey Kong Land, some vertical ropes can be found inside hidden holes on the ground. As soon as the player reveals these ropes, they will float away upwards until leaving the screen. If the primates grab on them, they will be take away to a Bonus Room. Inside some stages of the same game, there are also ropes with square-shaped knots. They can be used by the primates for climbing up.

Also in Donkey Kong Land, Slippas, snake enemies, are capable of slithering down by moving around on vertical ropes.

Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2

In the games Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2, horizontal ropes were added. In some stages, there are also knotted ropes composing square-like webs, where Diddy and Dixie Kong can climb them at horizontal and vertical directions.

In Bramble Scramble and Screech's Sprint, both bramble stages, straight vines replace ropes, having the same function. In the K. Rool's Keep stage Chain Link Chamber, ropes are replaced by chains, and they also possess the same function. Usually, inside the swamp stages of both games, there are large cattails growing above the bog water. The primates can climb on these plants in similar way to vertical ropes.

Klingers, Kremling enemies found in both games, are capable of climbing vertical ropes, vines, chains and cattails. These enemies' behavior is climbing up a rope until certain height and sliding downwards quickly, repeating the cycle. If the Kongs are on the way of a Klinger, they will be harmed upon contact with the enemy. Klingers can be defeated by the primates throwing objects at them or by jumping on them very carefully without climbing the same vertical rope the enemies are on. This is easier to accomplish when the Kremling is hanging on single ropes, or at the top or edges of squared-knotted ropes. Using the "Team-Up" move to throw the secondary character at a Klinger will defeat the enemy in Donkey Kong Country 2. However, in Donkey Kong Land 2, it is possible to defeat a Klinger by the heroes moving horizontally towards the enemy on square-knotted ropes and just making lateral contact with the Kremling, and without the Kongs being harmed in the process.

In both games, there are also enemies called Ghost Ropes. They appear in some forest stages of the world Gloomy Gulch, and the primates must climb on them in order to reach high places or traverse pits. The Ghost Ropes are harmless enemies for the Kongs to touch, however they disappear and reappear at regular intervals. If the heroes are holding on a Ghost Rope, and the enemy disappears, they will be dropped. If it happens above a pit, both primates will probably be defeated. In Donkey Kong Country 2, the Ghost Ropes indicate that they are about to disappear by blinking their red eyes, and, in Donkey Kong Land 2, by blinking their entire body, instead.

During some cutscenes of both games where Kaptain K. Rool appears alongside Donkey Kong, the kidnapped gorilla is seen tied down and suspended by some kind of rope. Taking in consideration the metallic color of the rope and the great strength of Donkey, it can be assumed that the rope is made out of steel, being a strong material to be able tie down the hero successfully. Later, in Donkey Kong Country 2, when K. Rool is confronted by Diddy and Dixie Kong in The Flying Krock, the villain can be seen harming a tied Donkey Kong by shooting Kannonballs at him before the boss battle. After Kaptain K. Rool is defeated (for the first time) in both games, Donkey is able to struggle enough in order to finally break free from the ropes and uppercuts K. Rool, throwing him down the Crocodile Isle and saving Diddy and Dixie.

Donkey Kong Country 3 and Donkey Kong Land III

Vertical and horizontal ropes were carried onto in the games Donkey Kong Country 3 (as pictured above) and Donkey Kong Land III.

In Donkey Kong Country 3, inside both stages Kreeping Klasps and Krevice Kreepers, many horizontal ropes are patrolled by Klasps, enemies inside TNT Barrels capable of defeating the primates instantly upon contact.

In the Razor Ridge stage Kong-Fused Cliffs of Donkey Kong Country 3, there are vertical ropes litten by a small flame at the bottom end. Dixie and Kiddy Kong must climb them quickly, while avoiding incoming enemies, and before the heroes are harmed by the flame. These ropes are consumed by the fire eventually.

Also in Donkey Kong Country 3, a new type of automatic rope is present inside the KAOS Kore stage Konveyor Rope Klash. They are constantly moving left or right like a conveyor belt. When climbed, these ropes make navigation tricky by moving the Kongs towards enemies. However, it is possible to quickly move at the opposite direction.

Gallery

Artwork of Donkey and Diddy Kong climbling on a vertical rope from the game Donkey Kong Country.

Diddy and Donkey Kong climbing on a moving, vertical rope while many Neckies fly towards them inside the stage Forest Frenzy, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country for SNES.

Donkey and Diddy Kong jumping between slippery ropes inside the stage Slipslide Ride, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country for SNES. The blue ropes make the Kongs to slip upwards, and the red ones to slip downwards.

Donkey and Diddy Kong hanging on a swinging rope, moving back and forward, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country for SNES.

Donkey Kong climbing on an ascending rope for accessing Bonus Rooms, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Land for Game Boy.

Donkey Kong moving towards some ropes where two Slippas sliding down by moving around ropes, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Land for Game Boy.

Dixie and Diddy Kong climbing up on some knotted ropes next to a Klinger, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for SNES. These square-like webs of ropes allow the primates to climb vertical or horizontally.

Diddy and Dixie Kong moving between vertical and horizontal vines inside a bramble stage, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for SNES.

Dixie and Diddy Kong moving between multiple types of chains inside the stage Chain Link Chamber, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for SNES.

Diddy and Dixie Kong climbing on a cattail next to the "O" of the K-O-N-G Letters, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for SNES.

Dixie Kong jumping towards a Ghost Rope, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for SNES.

Dixie and Diddy Kong confronting Kaptain K. Rool in The Flying Krock while the villain tortures a tied Donkey Kong, as seen in the game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for SNES. Notice the color of the rope implying that it is made out of a strong material, such as steel, in order to keep the powerful hero tied down.