Donkey Kong Country #21 - Monkey Mines

1. Winky's Walkway, Monkey Mines

Winky's Walkway is the first stage of Monkey Mines, and the first mine stage in the game. It is named after Winky the Frog, an Animal Buddy who also makes his debut here, and he is found inside an Animal Crate in the early portion of the stage. Winky is capable of jumping very high, being used to reach objects in high places, usually unreachable by the Kongs on foot. The frog can also bounce safely on strong enemies, such as Zingers. This stage contains series of walkways riddled with regular Kritters and a few Neckies. It is also the first location to feature Oil Drums capable of summoning multiple Gnawties. The same stage is also longer in the Game Boy Color version, with more walkways at the final section, some special collectables placed further within the location, and containing more enemies, including a single Mini-Necky near the end of it.

Overview

Winky's Walkway is the first stage of Monkey Mines and is named after Winky, who also makes his first appearance here and is prominently featured in the stage. The stage is an odd series of walkways, riddled with Kritters, Gnawties, and a few Neckies as well. Winky appears in an animal crate early in the stage, beyond the first series of walkways- simply jump on one of the two Neckies to reach his crate. Winky is best used to reach Bananas as well as some K-O-N-G Letters, and even bonus stages. It is also is the first walkway stage.

There are four Kritters, seven Neckies, a lone Zinger, Oil Drums which spew out Gnawties and a Mini-Necky which can only be found in the Game Boy Color version.

Walkthrough

Start by defeating the Kremling to the east, then after that, jump on the Necky enemy (bird) that's in the air and use it to reach the "K." After that, use the DK Barrel if you lost a kong, but either way, continue your progression through the level. Dispatch the two Kremlings you come across, then use the Necky floating above the cliff to gain access to the platform to the east (you can do with this with Diddy or Donkey Kong too, but it is easier and less riskier using the Necky).

When you reach the platform the Necky was before you defeated it, continue going through the level and you will come across two Necky enemies flying up and down, guarding what appears to be Animal Buddy Box. Hmm... Use one of the Necky's to jump up onto the platform with the Animal Buddy Box. Break the box to reveal the Animal Buddy named Winky (hence the name of the level). Mount Winky, then continue your progression through the level.

Shortly after mounting Winky, you will come across the "O," so grab it, since Winky can jump extremely high. After getting the "O," keep going and you will eventually reach a Star Barrel, followed by a barrel-like thing with a skull and crossbone symbol on it that is sending Gnawty enemies in rapid succession to attack you. You can dispose of them easily with Winky, so after you pass the skull and crossbone barrel, keep going and then jump into the Bonus Barrel that the Necky is guarding (defeat the Necky first).

Inside the bonus, you will find the "N." After exiting the bonus, keep going through the level to find an Expresso Token guarded by a Zinger. Grab it, then continue through the level, grabbing the "G" when you see it. After getting the "G," keep going through the level until you reach the end.

Bonus Rooms

Shortly after the the crate that contains Winky, There is a platform that spawns Gnawty, beside it has a Necky with a short banana trail above it. The banana trail leads to a Bonus Barrel. In the Game Boy Color version, it is located before the Star Barrel and after the second DK Barrel is found, the monkeys must jump on the right on a nearby Necky to reach the bonus area. They can alternatively use Winky.

Animal Buddies

Winky the Frog: Found near the beginning of the stage, guarded by two Neckies which can be jumped to reach his crate.

K-O-N-G Letters

• Go right at the start of the level, and run up the slope to the next platform, watching out for the oncoming Kritter. Jump up and collect the bananas, and then land on the stationary Mini-necky to get the K.
• There will be two more Kritters on the platform on the way to the next stationary Mini-necky. Jump on or over the Mini-necky and land on the slope with the bananas. Run up the slope to find two vertically moving Mini-neckys at the top. High above, between the two Mini-neckys, is a Winky the Frog crate. Although you do not need Winky to complete the level, it makes things a lot easier, and also means you can access otherwise unreachable bonus levels. So jump on either Mini-necky, and then land on the small platform with the crate. Jump on the crate, and once on Winky, jump down off the platform and continue to the right. At the end of the platform, the O will be high above and to the right. Using Winky, jump up to collect the O.
• After collecting the O, jump over to the platform with bananas, and then jump over to the platform with the continue barrel. After the barrel launching Gnawtys out of it, there will be a flying Mini-necky moving horizontally under a cannon barrel. Jump up to hit the Mini-necky, and then use the extra height gained from hitting the Mini-necky to land in the barrel. In the bonus level, there will be heaps of bananas to collect, as well as the N placed conveniently in the middle. After collecting the N, exit the room to the right.
• After exiting the room, jump over to the metal platform on the right, and then jump down the next two platforms to land on a platform with a red Zinger orbiting an Expresso token. You can only get this token if you have Winky. Continuing on, run to the right to find a vertically moving Mini-necky. Jump on the Mini-necky, and then jump over to the right to collect the G. After landing, run up the slope and watch out for the Gnawty barrel. Jump over to the next slope with the bananas going up it, and then exit the level on the right.

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2. Mine Cart Carnage, Monkey Mines

Mine Cart Carnage is the second stage in Monkey Mines. It is the first mine cart stage of the game, and will have the player riding a single unstoppable mine cart through a long series of tracks, most of which are torn apart. The vehicle is capable of jumping and several mine carts will also be found derailed over the tracks at the second half of the location as well. They act as obstacles for Donkey and Diddy Kong to jump over them. There are also a few Krashes, invincible Kremling enemies also riding mine carts, which collision against them must be avoided by jumping over them.

Overview

Mine Cart Carnage is the first Mine Cart stage having Donkey and Diddy Kong ride an unstoppable Mine Cart through a long series of track rails, most of which are torn apart, meaning the two have to jump alongside their vehicle to the other side. The stage is laid out for the Mine Cart to collect items at high risk of falling off the tracks. Also, several Mine Carts can be found derailed on the tracks as well, which causes a Kong to be harmed on contact. There are also a few Krashes, Kremling enemies also riding on Mine Carts towards the opposite direction of the primates. Any contact with them must be avoided at all costs.

Except for the Game Boy Color version of the game, a convenient shortcut involves the heroes jumping over the Autofire Barrel at the beginning of the stage, and falling to the left into a Warp Barrel. The barrel shoots them near the end of the stage, before the last Krash.

Walkthrough

You travel in a minecart until you reach the end of the level. You have to jump to other railings too at times, in order to progess further through the level. Anyway, when you start this level, break the DK Barrel if you need it, then get in the minecart, via the barrel.

Ride the minecart until you come across a gap in the railway. At that point, jump to the other side, then keep going and jump across the next gap and try and get the "K." Keep going through the level until you come across the "O," though be sure to jump at the precise moment on each gap you come across, since you will have to jump across more gaps along the way to the "O." Once you get the "O," continue your ride through the level, jumping across all gaps you come across.

Be warned that the gaps from this point on begin to get further and further apart, thus making it excessively more difficult for you to jump across. Eventually, you will come across overturned minecarts as you keep going across each railway. you will come across two overturned minecarts eventually, with the letter "N" in between them. it is hard, but try and get it, though you will most likely die, so do not do if it you have only have one kong. After that, keep going through the level, jumping over the minecarts and gaps.

This is definitely one of the harder levels in the game, because you have to time everything just right. Eventually, after passing the overturned mine carts, you will come across a Krash enemy, who is riding his own minecart, so jump on him to defeat him. After you pass Krash, keep going through the level and try and grab the Red Balloon you come across. Keep riding through the level, avoiding even more Krash enemies that come at you quite often. Eventually, you will come across the letter "G," which is easy enough to get.

Shortly after that, you will come across the end of the level. On your way there you should be sure to jump over any mine carts you come across, and try to defeat or avoid any Krash enemies.

Bonus Stages

The first Bonus Stage can be found immediately after the Letter "O." To reach this Bonus Stage, the Kongs must jump off the treetops into an autofire barrel cannon that is slightly below the screen, and in between the treetops after the Letter "O." The barrel cannon then shoots through a wall and into the Bonus Stage. This Bonus Stage has Donkey and Diddy climbing and swinging from rope to rope, collecting bananas. The Letter "N" is at the Bonus Stage's exit.

The second Bonus Stage can be accessed by jumping into an autofire barrel cannon that is covering a bottomless pit shortly before the Stage's exit. This Bonus Stage contains a red Extra Life Balloon that jumps between four barrels. The primates must carefully watch where the balloon goes until it stops and disappears in a quick motion. To receive the extra life, they must choose the barrel where the balloon last appeared. If they choose the incorrect barrel, they leave the Bonus Stage without the extra life.

K-O-N-G Letters

• The "K" can be found by jumping the first gap on the Mine Cart.
• The "O" is after an early slanted sideways gap.
• The "N" is found along the way of the first few derailed Mine Carts.
• The "G" is a short distance after the fifth Krash.

Extra Life Balloons

Red Extra Life Balloon: the red balloon is gotten by jumping over the first Krash and making an early jump to the next track to land on the below one.

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3. Bouncy Bonanza, Monkey Mines

Bouncy Bonanza is the third stage of the current world. As the name implies, there are several bouncy tires throughout it. Most of them are half-buried on the ground, but the heroes can push the other type around in order to reach high places. Many leaping Kritters are regular enemies, jumping at the same location at regular patterns. Zingers are also found here, usually flying around collectables and above pits. An Animal Crate containing Winky the Frog can be found inside a room after the first half of the stage.

Overview

As the name implies, there are several bouncy tires throughout the stage. Also in the stage are the usual Kritters, but some possess a good jumping ability. This makes them annoying, considering that this is a cave stage where the ceiling is limited, and they often jump right in the way of the Kongs. Winky appears later in the stage.

it is worth noting that thirteen Kritters and sixteen Zingers (making twenty nine total) are the enemies appearing in the stage.

Walkthrough

Defeat the nearby Kremling, then defeat the Zinger that you come across, via the barrel. After that, get on the platform that the Zinger was flying around, and keep going through the level (ignore the tire on the platform the Zinger was guarding, since there is no real reason to get it, since you cannot take it very far), and you will come across two Kremlings, as well as the letter "K" very shortly.

defeat the Kremlings, but be careful not to lose a kong, since that's pretty possible here. After the Kremlings are gone, take the letter "K" and continue on, defeating all the enemies you come across, avoiding the Zingers, and being careful not to fall off any cliffs you come across. Eventually, you will reach the "O," so grab it and continue on through the level until you come across a Star Barrel in an enclosed area with a crawlspace on each side.

Use the tire to get the Star Barrel (you will come across the tire before you get to the Star Barrel, so just push it along with you), then after getting the Star Barrel, crawl through the eastern crawlspace and continue onward. You will come across a platform that moves up and down very shortly after the Star Barrel (be sure to push the tire along with you, since you can use it for this part). Push the tire onto that platform when you come to it, then when the platform elevates to its highest, quickly jump up to the platform above, via the use of the tire.

You could also take the area below this one, in which case you do not need the tire. I do not recommend that though, since this way is easier, and grants you the letter "N." Anyway, once you bounce from the tire onto the upper platform, keep going through the level, grabbing the "N" you come across. Also, be sure to defeat all of the Kremling enemies you come across, since they can get in your way and get annoying after awhile.

When you come to a cliff overlooking a platform with a hole in the wall, jump down onto that platform and go through the cave entrance. Inside, break the Animal Buddy Box and mount Winky, then get out of there. Now, keep going east through the level, defeating all the enemies you come across. Note that if you do not have Winky, you will have to use the tires that the Zingers are flying above in each of the cliffs you come across to make it to where you need to go, which is much harder, which is also why I led you to Winky.

You can use the tires as Winky too, since you will more than likely have to, but you can bounce off the Zingers with Winky, thus making things much easier on yourself. Anyway, eventually you will come across the letter "G" in an alcove below the Kremlings that keep jumping back and forth (be sure to dispatch them, since they can easily defeat you if you aren't careful, and even make you possibly lose Winky).

After that, contine your progressing through the level until you reach the end. The end comes very shortly after getting the "G," just be careful not to fall off, since you still have one more cliff coming up.

Bonus Stages

The first bonus area can be reached by taking a barrel to an area below the first pair of zingers after the first DK Barrel and hitting the right wall. In this area, the player can match up three barrels to win bananas, a Winky Animal Token, or a Red Extra Life Balloon.

The second bonus area can be found by bouncing on a tire after the second DK barrel to a platform; this platform has an entrance to the bonus area. This bonus area contains a Winky the Frog box.

The final bonus area can be found above the final moving platform just before the exit. In this bonus area, the player starts in a barrel which must be fired upwards to reach tires which must be bounced off to collect bananas.

K-O-N-G Letters

• The "K" can be found shortly after the first Zinger, guarded by two jumping Kritters.
• The "O" is guarded by a lone Zinger a short walk after the first bonus stage.
• The "N" is In the secret pass-through area guarded by a Zinger. To access this, one must bring the movable tire shortly after the Star Barrel onto the moving platform, ride it up and jump on the tire, moving right.
• The "G" is located above the arrow sign; guarded by three jumping Kritters in a row.

Animal Buddies

Winky the Frog: found in a secret bonus area halfway through the stage, after the Star Barrel.

Rambi: found by getting Winky in the bonus area, going back inside the bonus area while riding Winky, open the Winky crate and place Winky on top of the exit door then exit.

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4. Stop & Go Station, Monkey Mines

During the fourth stage of this world, the Kongs must pass Rockkrocs, most invulnerable rock enemies, by hitting the Stop & Go Barrels. When the barrels are switched to "Stop," lights on the stage will become red, and these enemies will cease movement, curl up into rocks and become harmless temporarily. The opposite happens when the barrels are switched to "Go," activating green lights. Rockkrocs makes their only appearances in the entire game here. In the Game Boy Advance version, when the same enemies are curled up, they can be defeated by Donkey Kong's Hand Slap move. Klaptraps, tiny Kremling enemies with big jaws, also make their debut appearance as well.

Overview

Stop & Go Station is a very unique stage. It only features two different enemies, Klaptraps and Rockkrocs. The Rockkrocs make their only appearances in the entire game in this stage. Among the Rockkrocs are Stop & Go Barrels, which have an odd connection with them - by jumping on them, one can make them stop moving and curl up into rocks. The Rockkrocs are invincible otherwise (except in the Game Boy Advance version of the game). In order to get out successfully, one must rush through to get to the end before the Rockkrocs can awake. There is also a shortcut in which the player simply turns around at the start of the stage, going back through the entrance. The Kongs are dropped near the end of the stage, next to the "G" of the K-O-N-G Letters.

Walkthrough

Coral Capers begins with a couple Bitsizes swimming toward the Kongs. Simply swim around them to avoid them. Keep swimming up in the long, vertical section after the Bitsizes to find the Letter "K." After collecting it, continue to find the first Croctopus. As it begins to spin and swim, swim behind it until a single banana can be seen at the bottom of its path. This is the first secret area. Collect the banana and swim downwards to find many, many bananas and a single banana bunch. Once they are collected, swim back up and continue forward, being careful to avoid the Croctopus, which is constantly probing the area. Next, swim down under the arrow of bananas to find Enguarde. Swim up with him to reach the second Croctopus. As soon as the Croctopus spins up and swims, go right and up to find a red Extra Life Balloon. Quickly collect it, then swim down, avoiding the approaching Croctopus. Swim to the left-hand corner to escape the incoming Croctopus and find another DK Barrel. Continue forward, using Enguarde to bash the Bitsizes away. The Star Barrel can be seen now.

Above the Star Barrel are a couple collectibles, including the Letter "O"; be careful of the Chomps Jr., however. If Enguarde gets hit, he will quickly swim away, and the Kongs will have to chase him to ride him again. Follow the arrow of bananas downwards to find another Croctopus. If the Kongs lost Enguarde, they can find him again at the bottom right-hand corner of the Croctopus's path. Continue left to escape the Croctopus. After another Chomps Jr., swim up to find two Chomps. As they swim back and forth, swim to their right to find another secret area containing some bananas and an Expresso token. Swim left to exit the secret area, but be weary of one of the Chomps stil swimming back and forth. Next, swim up, similar to the Letter "K," to find the Letter "N." Swim back down and right once it is collected. The next area contains many Bitsizes swimming toward the Kongs. With Enguarde, it is easy to bash them away with his sword-like bill. After the Bitsizes, there is a Clambo releasing pearls to the northwest and northeast directions. Dodge them to continue. As the stage nears its end, one final Croctopus swims in a "figure-8" pattern around the Letter "G." Snag the "G," being watchful of the Croctopus's swim pattern.

Bonus Rooms

The first Bonus Room can be entered by throwing a barrel at a wall to the right of the second Rockkroc after the Star Barrel.

The second Bonus Room can be reached by using a tire to reach the Autofire Barrel or Bonus Barrel (in the GBA version of the game).

K-O-N-G Letters

• The "K" is In the air shortly after second Klaptrap.
• The "O is found in the middle of a gap after the two Rockkrocs going upwards and a Klaptrap.
• The "N" is found on a platform sticking out guarded by a Klaptrap.
• The "G" is right before the "EXIT" sign.

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5. Millstone Mayhem, Monkey Mines

A temple-based ruins stage, Millstone Mayhem is the final regular stage of Monkey Mines. Regular Krushas, strong Kremling enemies, make their appearance as the very first enemies of the stage, and can be defeated by throwing barrels at them or having Donkey Kong to jump on them. Diddy Kong cannot defeat them by jumping due to his small size, and both primates cannot defeat Krushas with their roll attacks. Special variants of Gnawties can also be first found here, moving by riding large wheels and patrolling around at regular patterns. These enemies being invulnerable against all attacks force the player to just avoid them. Winky the Frog is inside an Animal Crate placed on an upper floor and midway through the stage. Millstone Mayhem is a rather long stage, with leaping Kritters, Slippas and some Neckies on the ground throwing coconuts.

Overview

The level takes place in a temple area, which is full of Krushas, millstones (controlled by Gnawties), and tires to bounce on. The Krushas can only be defeated with a Barrel being thrown an it, or getting jumped on by Donkey Kong. The tires are used to jump over the millstones, and also reach high areas. There is an Animal Crate containing Winky.

Walkthrough

NOTE: The Krusha enemies in here can only be defeated by jumping on them with Donkey Kong, or by using a barrel with Diddy. Diddy cannot fight them without a weapon.

Bounce off the nearby tire, onto the platform above the entrance to this level. Up there, jump into the Bonus Barrel, which you can barely see. Inside, get the "K," located at the eastmost area you can blast off at. After getting the "K," just let yourself die in the bonus. Back in the actual level, keep going until you see a barrel below the first cliff you come across (just look closely and you will find it).

Go down into that barrel, and then move slightly east to bust open a hole in the ground to the east that reveals a tire. Keep going after getting the tire, being sure to bring the tire with you, as well as defeating any enemies you come across. When you come across the "O," use the tire to get it. After getting the "O," keep progressing through the level until you come across a DK Barrel, followed by a Star Barrel (be sure to watch out for the Kremlings you come across, as well as the Millstone Gnawties.

After breaking the Star Barrel, keep going and defeat the Slippa you come across using the TNT Barrel in the area (be sure to break the floor to reveal a tire after you pass the cliff after the Millstone Gnawty before reaching the Slippa enemy). After that, progress further and you will come to a Millstone Gnawty, followed by two more Slippas. Dispose of them, then continue on, pushing the tire along with you.

When you reach a cliff with a Millstone Gnawty moving up and down, as well as a platform moving left to right, try and push the tire onto the moving platform. it is difficult, but doable. You do not HAVE to push the tire onto the platform, but doing so allows you to get Winky, which really helps us in this dungeon. To reach Winky, use the tire to bounce up to the platforms above the Millstone Gnawty (you may have to sacrifice a kong for this if you have two of them).

Once on those platforms, jump to the east platform, which is a much bigger platform and without a cliff below it, thankfully, and go and mount Winky. Now that we have Winky, this level is much easier. As Winky, drop off the platform when you have the chance, then claim the "N." After getting the "N," continue on through the level, jumping over the Millstone Gnawty you encounter, as well as defeating the Necky enemy you encounter (the one that throws nuts at you).

After defeating the Necky, keep going through the level and in a short time, you will come across a Millstone Gnawty that moves back and forth over alcoves in the ground, and in those alcoves are Slippa enemies. If you do not have Winky, roll into an alcove while avoiding the Millstone Gnawty. Once in the pit, be sure to defeat the first Slippa, jump into the next alcove (wait until the Millstone Gnawty moves to the right before you do this), defeat the Slippa in there, rinse and repeat until you reach the other side.

With Winky, things are easier, though it is still possible to lose him quite easily, so be careful. At any rate, once you reach the other side, keep going and you will come across a Necky throwing nuts at you. Dispatch it, take the "G," and continue on to find a pit with a Millstone Gnawty moving left to right, as well as a few Slippa enemies in the pit. Wait until the Millstone Gnawty moves, then roll across the Slippas to defeat them.

With Winky, you can jump over the Millstone Gnawty, though you might lose Winky regardless of what you do for this part. When you reach the other side, continue your progress through the level, getting past the next couple of Millstone Gnawties that you come across. Before you reach the end of the level, you will come to a pit with a Zinger floating below two Banana Bunches. If you want to get them, preform a Roll Jump, then jump up to the platform to the east after Roll Jumping.

You have to go quite a few steps left of the pit before you can do the Roll Jump without losing a kong, however. Whether or not you get the Banana Bunches at the cliff, keep going and you will be at the exit of this level very shortly. NOTE: After this level, you can visit Cranky's Cabin if you want to.

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6. Monkey-Mines, Monkey Mines

Like other boss stages in the game, this one is also located nearby banana hoards. Master Necky, a large vulture, is the boss present here. He only shows his head, randomly appearing from both sides of the small arena at different heights. Master Necky attacks by spitting single coconuts at the heroes and leaving the screen soon afterwards. The projectiles can harm the Kongs even after bouncing once on the ground. And before each attack, the boss will be invincible temporarily. Additionally, in the GBA version, Master Necky will become invincible again just before leaving the screen. After avoiding each coconut attack by using good timing and jumping, the primates must use the half-buried tire on the middle of the arena in order to jump high and reach the top of the head of boss before he leaves, harming him once. Master Necky will be taken down after receiving a total of five hits, and the heroes will receive a Giant Banana.

After that, the player will be able to enter the world Vine Valley on the overworld map of the Donkey Kong Island.

Necky's Nuts Stage

Here, you will fight a boss, so read the Bosses section to see how to defeat the second boss of the game, Master Necky. After defeating Master Necky, you get 1/7th of the Bananas from DK's Banana Hoard back, and are one step closer to stopping our crocodile friend, King K. Rool. You now advance to World 3, Vine Valley.

The boss is just a larger version of the nut throwing Mini-necky seen in some previous levels. Master Necky will appear from the sides of the screen, and will chuck large nuts at you. Use the tire in the middle of the area to jump up and land on Master Necky's beak. Do this five times to defeat Necky.

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