Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble is a Platform Game made by Rare for the Super Nintendo, released in 1996 (though it has since been ported, with some changes and additional content, to the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance). It's Rare's last Donkey Kong Country game and, of course, the third in the series.
After the events of Donkey Kong Country 2, the Kong clan goes on vacation to the Northern Kremisphere to celebrate their victory over K. Rool and the Kremlings. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong decide to go exploring together, leaving Dixie to nap alone on the beach. But the pair has not returned by the next morning, and Dixie suspects there's evil afoot. Along with her enormous baby cousin Kiddy, she ventures into the wilds of the Kremisphere and discovers that the Kremlings are up to no good once again, this time under the rule of an unseen, mysterious leader named KAOS.
The game featured better graphics than its predecessors (it is a gorgeous game), but also made several changes. It had a broad, cartoon-like art style that disappointed many fans of the previous games' realism, and instead of a piratical/nautical theme, it featured motifs from the Industrial Revolution. It even took some musical and aesthetic cues from James Bond (Rare was also working on Golden Eye 1997 at the time).
Fondly remembered by fans of the series, the game was sadly overshadowed by the Nintendo 64 and Super Mario 64 at the time of its release.
- Art Evolution: This game features a much broader, cartoonier art style than its predecessors. It's a point of contention for many fans of the series. Retro Studios more or less perpetuated this style in Donkey Kong Country Returns.
- Bamboo Technology: All of Funky's inventions.
- Blackout Basement: The stage Floodlit Fish. It's a dark coral reef stage, and all illumination comes from bio-luminescent fish.
- Crosshair Aware: The Krack-Shot Kroc, an unseen enemy that shoots fireballs at you. Luckily, the crosshairs stay still for a second right before each shot is fired.
- Elite Mook: Krumple, this iteration's "strong" Kremling. Dixie is completely powerless against him; Kiddy can trounce him with a Goomba Stomp.
- Everything's Better with Penguins: Not this time. Lemguins are enemies, and irritating ones at that.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Funky Kong is portrayed like this. He'll use discarded items the Kongs pick up to create vehicles for them to travel around in, from a simple motorboat to a helicopter.
- Gasshole: Belcha, the boss of Lake Orangatanga, and a gigantic living barrel. His name speaks for itself.
- Harder Than Hard: Available via a secret cheat code. It removes all checkpoint barrels and DK barrels from the game, but allows you to attain up to 105% completion, the title of Immortal Monkey, and a Cranky Kong trophy on your stats screen.
- Human Cannonball
- Interface Screw: Remember the purple liquid Kaptain K. Rool shot out of his musket in the previous game? The one that reversed your controls? In this game, there's a stage called Poisonous Pipeline completely filled with it. It's the final stage before you get to Kastle KAOS. Have fun with that.
- King Mook: Barbos, the boss of Razor Ridge. A giant version of the smaller Lurchin (urchin) enemies.
- Live Item: The Banana Birds.
- Living Battery: K. Rool uses Donkey Kong and Diddy as such, forcing them to fuel the robotic KAOS.
- Minecart Madness
- Nintendo Hard: It wouldn't be Donkey Kong Country if it didn't make you want to pull your hair out. Notoriously fun stages include Lightning Look-Out, Poisonous Pipeline, Rocket Rush and Kong-Fused Cliffs.
- Powerup Mount: The animal buddies, as usual, including newcomer Ellie the Elephant.
- Ring Out Boss: Belcha. Squirt is an interesting variation, as he tries to ring you out by shooting jets of water.
- The Spiny: Bristles, a hedgehog mook that can also curl up into a ball and roll into you.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: None of the original Kremlings or animal mooks from the first two Donkey Kong Countrys~ make a reappearance here. In their place is an entirely new army of baddies, a handful of whom share more than a few of their predecessors' characteristics. Some examples:
- Throw a Barrel At It
- Unexpected Gameplay Change: Rocket Rush, the final stage of the game, contains next to zero platforming. Instead, you control a faulty old rocket as it rises to the top of the volcano Krematoa. You have extremely limited fuel, so a single mistake usually means death.
- Unique Enemy: Loads of them. Some Mooks have entire stages dedicated to them, only to disappear entirely once you beat said stages.
- Volcano Lair: Krematoa, the secret hideout of KAOS and K. Rool.