User:Czar/drafts/DKC2

Gameplay
Donkey Kong Country 2, like its predecessor, is a 2D side-scrolling platform game in which the player controls a character who moves towards the right side of the screen and jumps to avoid obstacles, pits, and enemies. Though the game's visual elements appear to have depth, like 3D objects, the game is played in two dimensions and the active character can only move in the cardinal directions. The two main characters, Diddy and Dixie Kong, journey through 52 levels across eight themed worlds to rescue Donkey Kong from Kaptain K. Rool. Enemies include lizardlike Kremlings, giant rats, porcupines, bees with spikes, vultures, and underwater pufferfish, eels, and piranhas—nearly forty types in all. Some enemies lie dormant until Diddy and Dixie come into view, and others pace or fly in set patterns. Each world ends with a boss fight. Diddy and Dixie can dispose of some enemies by jumping on their heads, cartwheeling through them, or throwing a barrel or object at them. Likewise, when hit by an enemy, the active character leaves the screen and control switches to the other character. The player can reclaim the partner character from marked barrels scattered throughout the level, but if both characters die, the player will lose a life and restart the attempt from the last checkpoint.

Diddy and Dixie appear as a side-by-side pair on-screen, though the player only controls one at a time. The player alternates between the two characters, who each each have special abilities: Diddy runs faster and leaps farther than Dixie, who has a higher vertical jump and can spin her ponytail to slow her descent through the air. The active character can also pick up, carry, and throw its partner. This "team throw", new to the series, lets the player reach items and platforms and find secrets that are otherwise out of reach. In addition to the mountable rhino, swordfish, and parrot of the original, the sequel adds a web-shooting spider and high-bouncing snake into which the active character can transform in certain areas of the game.

The sequel is darker in tone than the original, with moody environments and music and more feral enemies and hazards. Fog and rain effects, which were used sparingly in the original for a sense of atmosphere, appear in almost all of the sequel's levels. Like the first game, some levels do not involve running and jumping but other activities like swimming, riding a mine cart, and leaping between vines. A honey level has sticky surfaces and thus the character is limited to movement by jumping. Some sequences use cannon-like barrels to launch the character ahead. Some cannon barrels are timed, some rotate on their own, and some can be controlled by the player. Other barrels mark checkpoints, grant temporary invincibility, or contain one of the mountable animals. Some barrels break to reveal banana or coin collectibles. Bonus barrels hidden throughout the levels transport the character to a timed minigame challenge such as clearing all enemies to earn a special coin. The player can earn extra lives by accumulating bananas, 1-up balloons, and collectible letters that spell "KONG". As a secondary challenge, the player can hunt down kremcoins hidden throughout the game to unlock secret levels and the final ending.

The Wii Virtual Console release requires an advanced controller with more buttons than the standard nunchuk controller.

Development
The sequel uses the same computer-based rendering as the original game: images are modeled as 3D objects and then exported as 2D sprites and backgrounds. So while the game's elements appear to have three-dimensional depth, the game is played in two-dimensions and the characters can only move in the cardinal directions.

It was later released on the Wii Virtual Console.

Reception
The Game Boy Advance release received "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. Reviewers considered the game an improvement upon its predecessor and noted its added difficulty. Frank Provo (GameSpot) said that the game was difficult without being unfair, and that most hard areas could be solved with trial and error. He was harsher in an earlier review in which he said the game caters to those "who enjoy clawing their way to the end of a level" and those who are willing to be surprised by a new game mechanic mid-level, lose a life, and try again. Provo added that the boss fights require more memorization than dexterity.

Frank Provo (GameSpot) appreciated the game's emphasis on climbing and riding animals. He wrote that the sequel's levels were larger and more vertically oriented than the original's. Provo thought the "team throw" added a new exploration feature to the game.

Reviewers found the sequel's darker in tone than its predecessor. Frank Provo (GameSpot) wrote that while they similarly use computer-generated images and realistic sounds, the sequel was "moodier" with swamps, shipwrecks, and caves to the original's "bright and inviting" island. The sequel has more feral enemies (vultures, rats, porcupines) atop the first game's bees and lizards, and it uses the original's fog, heat distortion, and rain effects to make the backgrounds appear more ominous. Similarly, the sequel's tropical instrumentation is less upbeat and more emotional, matching feelings of tension and joy. Provo (GameSpot) added that the game was rich in background detail.

Critics praised the game's audio and visuals. Frank Provo (GameSpot) found numerous imperfections when playing the game on a high-definition screen, though he did not find any framerate or audio issues.

Legacy
Many retrospective reviewers considered Donkey Kong Country 2 the best game of the series.