5/5 ★ – kabobby's review of Donkey Kong Country 2.

96/100 Beaten 4/10/24. An improvement in every way. It takes a lot for a 2D Platformer to catch my attention in the same way Mario can. While DKC1 was quite good, there wasn’t much notable to me outside of its extreme difficulty. Donkey Kong Country 2 continues with what the first established, and also gives itself much more of its own identity. There’s still the difficulty, and it still has that unique “realistic” art style, but there’s also just a lot more personality. I really enjoy the pirate theme that all the enemies and a lot of environments have. It makes it immediately clear when you’re looking at an enemy from DKC2 vs the other games (can’t say the same for NSMB). There’s also a lot more small things that really make this sequel feel like it’s got more heart and charm to it. The ending of each level is no longer a boring walk off screen, but a little game, followed by a monkey absolutely jamming. The environments also feel more standout than in DKC1. The music also is a step up. DKC1 already has really good music, but 2 takes it to another level. It’s already been mentioned a hundred times, but Stickerbush Symphony and Forest Interlude are pure bliss. We also get more depth to some unique mechanics introduced in DKC1. The two character party system returns. But whereas it didn’t add a lot in the first game, there is more noticeable differences in 2. Namely, Dixie Kong’s float ability, reminiscent of the Mario tanooki or cape. The two characters can also pick each other up and throw, meaning there is now an obvious benefit to having both characters alive (besides the second hit). The animal friends also return, but are more common, more useful, and more fun. They feel like a proper power up system, something I felt was lacking in the previous game. The difficulty scaling is also much better. Whereas DKC1 had some hard levels all over the place, DKC2 does a much better job starting easier and getting harder as you progress. I also found it far less frustrating. Overall DKC2 is a blast throughout. Fun and varied, interesting mechanically, great music, feels good to control. Would play again. 10/10.