Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kongs Quest #26 - K. Rool's Keep

1. Arctic Abyss, K. Rool's Keep

Enemies: Kaboom, Puftup, Flotsam, Lockjaw, Shuri

"K": Along with the first DK Barrel, the "K" is guarded from below by a single Kaboom, so use caution in collecting this letter as you Cartwheel Jump or Helicopter Spin from the starting point to his position.

"O": Be sure to take out the two Orange Shuris first!

"N": Clear out the first three Pink Shuris past the Continue Barrel, position Enguarde slightly above the ground ahead, and execute a Super Dash. If your aim is true, you will collect the Hero Coin automatically, reach the letter "N", and knock out the Pink Shuri above it. Just watch out for a second Pink Shuri right beneath you when you hit the wall!

"G": When you are blocked by the stationary Puftup beyond an icy platform with a Banana Bunch on it, Super Dash right through him as well as any unlucky Shuris who get in your way. Dart back to the right as fast as you can to avoid any Shuris left over from your charge, and swim straight up as soon as you can. There's the letter! If you want to play it safe, get rid of the four Orange Shuris prior to searching for the "G."

DK COIN: See "N."

ENGUARDE BARREL: Blocks the way onwards.

BONUS AREA 1: Spear the first Lockjaw, then swim up and left as the water rises to a pair of Bananas at a left wall. With a Super Dash, you will crack open the Bonus Area entrance in this wall. TO COMPLETE: Nab 100 Stars before you reach the bottom of the chamber by using B or Y to dash back and forth and snatch up Stars. do not use the Super Dash here!

BONUS AREA 2: Get past the four Shuris shown in "G," and swim forward until the water recedes a little bit. With a Super Dash, surge forward until you see a Red Balloon. Stop your charge with Right on the Control Pad, get the 1-Up, then dive down and jab away the Puftup nearby. Park at the lower-left corner and center yourself for a final Super Dash to the right. This way, you can take Lockjaw by surprise and skewer him lickety-split as you charge forward. you will eventually go right through a fake wall and hit a hidden "No Enguarde" Sign. Beyond this is the plainly visible Bonus Area doorway. TO COMPLETE: Bash the Chest against every Zinger until you snag the Kremkoin.

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Enemies: Click-Clack, Zinger, Kutlass, Kannon, Krook, Kruncha, Spiny, Klobber

WARNING: At certain points, the wind will float you upward, so use the Control Pad to steer Left and Right to move in either direction, Up to rise faster, and Down to slow down. When you enter a select area, you will fall back down to the floor and move like you normally do.

"K": In the first pitfall, directly above an Arrow Barrel. Use this to shoot back into the fray, but watch out for Click-Clack as you land on his catwalk!

"O": Hold Down while flying through this to avoid getting stung by the twin Zingers protecting it.

"N": If you lack a partner, jump up and use the wind to get this, but be careful evading the Zingers. If you have a partner, you can throw him/her straight up to it without getting caught in the gusts. Massively useful to know.

"G": On the Exit Target. Leap right from the Hook next to the "No Squawks" Sign to start floating. Float above the target and drop down at the right time to grab this letter. Glide above the prize itself to plunge downward, falling to the left to hit the target. If you are unsure where or when you will land, fall to the right, then Cartwheel Jump or Helicopter Spin back to the catwalk with the Hook and try again.

DK COIN: Once you get the "N" and sneak past the twin Krooks after it, jump right and hold Down as you swoop under three Zingers and bag the Hero Coin. If you soar through the catwalk without the Hero Coin, run left and leap off the edge and slowly glide left until you fall back down into position again. Now you can retry.

SQUAWKS: In Bonus Area 2.

BONUS AREA 1: Once past the first Krook, harness the wind to glide under the first Zinger you see afterwards and reach the catwalk where the Bonus Barrel is positioned. TO COMPLETE: Follow the Bananas to the Hook, then you need to squash every Flitter in sight. When finished, fall through another line of Bananas and onto the Kremkoin!

BONUS AREA 2: Right before the Exit Target, lure the Yellow Klobber away from the Bonus Barrel, stun him, and use him to destroy Kutlass. Now charge on into the Bonus Barrel! TO COMPLETE: Careful flying with Squawks is necessary for completion of this Bonus. When the Stars have been harvested, the Kremkoin will appear on the right boardwalk.

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3. Castle Crush, K. Rool's Keep

Enemies: Neek, Spiny, Kutlass, Kruncha, Klampons, Krook, Zinger, Mini-Necky

WARNING: The floor rises in this stage, and will smoosh anyone, bad guy or good guy, caught between it and the ceiling! If a Zinger is hit by this floor from below, that'll be the last of him!

"K": Not long after you find the first Pink Kruncha, head as far right as you can, but watch out for double Spiny resistance as the floor climbs higher! If you are as far right as you can go, the elevating floor will not crush you while you are waiting to nab the "K" above you.

"O": Once shot out of the Auto-Fire Barrel, get rid of Spiny, run right, and drop back down, feeling along the left wall, and get your letter before the floor rises too high and covers it up.

"N": When you get Squawks, fly high and then right until you see a lower gap marked by a Banana Bunch. Scarf this up, dive down the left shaft below, and zoom right at the bottom to claim the Hero Coin. Now fly up and back on track again before the flattening floor can catch up. From where you got the Hero Coin, flap rapidly up the right-hand shaft to find the third KONG Letter.

"G": Tucked into an alcove after you locate the third and last DK Barrel, which you must use on the Pink Kruncha ahead. Can you get the letter without being crushed by him (not to mention the floor)?

DK COIN: See "N."

RAMBI BARREL: Smash the level's only Kutlass with the DK Barrel, then go left to find Rambi. You cannot get Bonus Area 1 without him.

SQUAWKS BARREL: Right after the first Zinger past the Star Barrel, jump through the left wall with a lone Banana in it. Squawks is to your left as you enter the secret passage. Without Squawks, it is impossible to open up the last Bonus Area doorway.

BONUS AREA 1: At the first Banana arrow formation, use a Super Charge to crack open the doorway leading to the Bonus Area before the floor takes you too far upward. TO COMPLETE: Take out all six Zingers without getting spiked to earn the Kremkoin at the top of the chamber.

BONUS AREA 2: Get the TNT Barrel from Squawks and blast open the left wall marked by an arrow of Bananas. TO COMPLETE: As the floor rises, scurry around to below the narrow shafts to avoid being flattened, and your Kremkoin will be at the summit. If you do not know where to go, follow the Bananas.

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4. Clapper's Cavern, K. Rool's Keep

Enemies: Snapjaw, Spiny, Klampon, Kruncha, Neek, Click-Clack, Zinger, Flotsam, Shuri, Puftup, Flitter

"K": Get it after coming out of Bonus Area 1 (it is way safer). Press B, as the Bananas direct you, to Team Throw Jump up to a Hook. To the right, you will find the Hero Coin as well. If you go the normal route for the "K," you can be sure you will have to leap over a Zinger. If you go under the Zinger, just Team Throw Attack the first Blue Kruncha and Helicopter Spin back to the left. As soon as you grab the "K," head back to the right while still spinning to keep from being skewered.

"O": With a careful jump over the double Zingers, this shouldn't be too much trouble unless you are an amateur jumper.

"N": Jump over the Pink Kruncha and wait for him to go away before sliding under the Zinger ahead.

"G": When you see it just above the last vertical passage, employ a masterful Helicopter Spin to it and then back onto the main path. If Diddy tries to get this letter, he will most likely get eaten by Snapjaw, so avoid this letter unless you have Dixie with you.

DK COIN: See "K."

ENGUARDE CRATE: When the level is flooded and Snapjaw is scared away, swim right to find Enguarde on the normal path.

CLAPPER: Turns water to ice temporarily, protecting you from Snapjaw. When you are running on the ice and suddenly duck down, you can use your momentum to slide under pesky Zingers. Diddy excels at this, as his quick-to-start Cartwheel move gives him a lot of speed on the frozen waters. Dixie's Spin Attack is not effective from a speed standpoint, but her Helicopter Spin can more easily sail over obstacles than Diddy can. The rule of thumb is: use Diddy to glide under enemies, and use Dixie to glide over enemies. When you are on the ice itself, NEVER use Team Throw Attacks, as this makes it harder to make it to the other side before the ice turns back into water again.

BONUS AREA 1: At the start, Team Throw to a Hook high above you. Now jump to the right and whack away four Spinys and a Klampon before entering the doorway all the way on the right end of the passage. TO COMPLETE: Find the Kremkoin without sliding off the platforms, as this will waste time.

BONUS AREA 2: At the main upper passage above the triple Shuris, take Enguarde down the left path all the way to the only moving Puftup, who is guarding the ceiling with a single Banana on the right side and a Banana Coin on the left. Spear him to dispose of him, drift into his upper alcove, and Super Dash through the right wall. TO COMPLETE: Get Enguarde to the right end of the passage for a Kremkoin, but do so before the water level drops too far!

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5. Chain Link Chamber, K. Rool's Keep

Enemies: Klinger, Zinger, Krook, Klobber, Kutlass, Mini-Necky, Kannon

"K": There are two methods for retrieving this letter, depending on which Kong you've selected. Diddy Method: climb left past the Klingers and dart down the first long chain until you see the "K" on your left. Dixie Method: use a well-timed Helicopter Spin to sneak underneath the Klingers and grab the long chain at the bottom. Go get the "K" and carefully get back on the chain.

"O": At the top of either the left shaft of Hooks or the right shaft with a Rotatable Barrel sequence. Both of these shafts come right after the second DK Barrel (you also get dumped here upon leaving Bonus Area 1). Just do not get stung by Zinger when grabbing the "O!"

"N": When you pass the second Zinger swarm (the first past the Continue Barrel and the first flock of Mini-Neckys), climb the twin chains as you dodge the falling Kannonballs and leap through the wall to the right of the lone Banana between the chains to find not only the "N," but also the Hero Coin farther to the right in another secret nook.

"G": In a crevice up and to the right of the Exit Target. Be sure to evade the final Black Klobber on your way up to the Exit Target!

DK COIN: See "N."

BONUS AREA 1: Stomp the second and third Krooks after passing them up, then climb back up to where the top Krook was. Run left, trick the Yellow Klobber into charging into oblivion, and take his Kannonball all the way to the right, where the middle Krook parked himself. The Bonus Kannon is all the way to the right in a secret passage. TO COMPLETE: Without Dixie's famed Helicopter Spin, you are in a lot of trouble in this Bonus Area, as you must vault over every Zinger to reach the Kremkoin prize. Can Diddy get this Kremkoin? Yes, if he is very, very, VERY careful.

BONUS AREA 2: After reaching the top of the twin chains I showed in "N", zoom to the right, then up another vertical chain. Go through the left wall, where the pair of Kannons are firing downward, standing next to the Bonus Area doorway to their left. With a careful Cartwheel or Spin Attack, take out the dreaded duo and charge through the doorway. TO COMPLETE: Let the Bananas guide you through the Rotatable Barrel chain until you land in the final Rotatable Barrel. Once inside, fire up and over to the Kremkoin just before the Barrel Cannon slides too far to the right.

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6. Toxic Tower, K. Rool's Keep

Enemies: Klampon, Kaboing, Zinger, Kannon

WARNING!!!: do not touch the green sea flooding the level or you will be in big trouble. It is possible to get out of the ooze at some spots, in case you do fall into it. At the start of the level, leap up to the level's first step to cause the dangerous liquid to start creeping upward. If you come out of the Continue Barrel, fly to the right to start the fiendish flood again. When you pass the "No Squitter" Sign and see the oozy nastiness surge upward, do not worry — the liquid will stop flowing just below the "No Squitter" Sign, and can be drained away a little by heading to the right of the Exit Target.

"K": Squash the third Yellow Zinger to land on the first platform with a lonely little Banana. From here, jump up and right until you snatch up the "K". Once you get the letter, do not get distracted and just keep springing upward through the level.

"O": At the two-way Zinger staircase, have Rattly jump on the third Zinger of the right path.

"N": When you see four rotating Zingers (two Yellow, two Red), bean the two Yellow Zingers with eggs to make it easier to nab the "N" on the right side of the chamber.

"G": From the level's final Red Zinger (who has a vertical two-Banana line above him), eliminate six stationary Zingers in a row, then flap up and to the left to face the last four moving Yellow Zingers in the level. Destroy them to safely get your letter.

DK COIN: When you see a single Zinger blocking one of the narrow shafts, crush him and fall against the right wall to your Coin, using the Arrow Barrel to shoot back up ahead of the hazardous liquid.

RATTLY BARREL: cannot miss it.

SQUAWKS BARREL: you will know when you see it.

SQUITTER BARREL: cannot go around it.

BONUS AREA: Take your web-slinging spider and climb up the giant chamber with one last Yellow Zinger guarding the Bonus Barrel, which is behind the right wall. Blow away the Zinger, run through the wall, and enter the Bonus Barrel before the ooze gets to you first. TO COMPLETE: With angled platform webs, lead Squitter to the top for a Kremkoin!

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7. Stronghold Showdown, K. Rool's Keep

All you do here is get a Kremkoin at Donkey Kong, and then, Donkey is taken away.

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