Best Donkey Kong Country 2 Levels in Krem Quay

The Top Ten
1 Bramble Blast

Slime Climb is the level when DKC2 starts to get more difficult. So far, both of the first two worlds of DKC2 have a total of five levels, and Slime Climb, being the fifth level of Krem Quay, seems like a decent end to the third world, being painfully difficult. But to your surprise, when you first beat the level, you noticed there was a sixth level, Bramble Blast, and playing through it, after suffering through Slime Climb, was one of the best feelings of all time. I already talked about the bramble theme in Screech's Sprint, and Bramble Blast, being the first one, is by far one of the best experiences in the entire game. You feel so much at peace, as you simply just blast from barrel to barrel. Normally this isn't the gimmick you think of when I mention eternal relaxation, but strangely enough, there is nothing more relaxing in DKC2, than just traversing barrels, and it's thanks to the theme and music, kinda of similarly with Kannon's Klaim. It's splendid. And yet, it's not #1 on ...more

2 Krockhead Klamber

Krockhead Klamber opens the top three best on this ranking, and is the ultimate swamp level of this game. Barrel Bayou is nice but you don't interact enough with the terrain. Mudhole Marsh is better for obvious reasons, and Krockhead Klamber is basically Mudhole Marsh on steroids! You've got krockheads, you've got vines to swing through, you have zingers, you have a DK Coin where you need to go left at the start, it's got everything. The main gimmick are the krockheads, which will lift their heads up whenever you use a Krockhead barrel. I'm telling you, the sound they make when they lift their heads up, or when you jump on them, is one of the most satisfying in the entire series, don't ask why. What makes this level work so well though, is how easy it is to dash through. It's one of the most satisfying things to do in the game. You don't have to, but you can, and it feels amazing! Krockhead Klamber, what an excellent level!

3 Rattle Battle

One of the best things DKC2 to did was improve on the animal buddies. In the original DKC, they were companions you could ride and who had special powers, for example Rambi could pave everything in your way, Enguarde made swimming easier, etc. DKC2 not only gives these animal buddies super powers, but they also get their own signature levels, in which you transform into the animal buddies and beat the levels as them, and it's amazing! Rattle Battle is the first one of these, and arguably the most iconic level of this type, being set on a shipwreck in a shiny swamp, with a remix of Gangplank Galleon playing. It's easy, but for being the first level to show off this kind of gimmick, it works so well! Honestly, how could you hate this level? It's great!

4 Slime Climb

Now Slime Climb is by far one of the most exhilerating and stressful levels in DKC2. Now this game was quite revolutionary in that it was the first DKC game to have vertical-based levels. However, most of these levels are simply just vertical, and don't really utilize the verticality very much. Until you get to Slime Climb. You have to get to the top of a ship mast, because the sea level is rising. Oh but it's just water. What's stopping me from swimming in it? This indestructible killing machine. You can't just slack off, this sea is rising fast! I had numerous problems with it as a kid, because I was never fast enough. It's always fun to play this level and try to make sure the sea level doesn't catch up with you. By far one of the stronger sides of DKC2.

5 Barrel Bayou

I don't know if I'm alone on this, but I love the Swamp theme in video games. Take a green lush forest and add water to it. The thought just feels so organic, so natural. Sure I wouldn't want to be in a swamp myself, but the biome nevertheless is one of the most beautiful ones for me. Barrel Bayou is the weakest swamp level, but it would be a stretch to call it bad. Out of the three swamp levels though, I have to say this is by far the best looking. The background is a very clear dark green which screams vegetation, and likewise is the ground. The reason it's the worst Swamp level mostly has to do with the gimmick. It's not bad, however, I think the blasting barrels get redundant, especially when I'd rather want to interact with the Swampy terrain than just fly past it.

6 Glimmer's Galleon

Starting off the ranking we have Glimmer's Galleon from Krem Quay. Overall the level selection in DKC2 is much better than the one in DKC1, so much so that none of the levels are downright awful. Glimmer's Galleon, despite being last on my list, in my opinion, a much more bearing level than Mine Cart Carnage in DKC1. Alas, it's still a bad level. The only downright bad one in this game, I'd say. And there's no reason to wonder why. Firstly, it's an Underwater stage. That on itself isn't the issue though, as DKC is the only example where underwater levels are actually fun. No, the real issue, is this thing. If you remember Torchlight Trouble from the original DKC, this is basically it, but worse. The entire level is shrouded in darkness, and Glimmer is your only source of light, and even then, it's just a third of the screen. And unlike Torchlight Trouble where Squawk's always moved consistently with you, Glimmer is constantly moving wherever he feels like, making you unable to see ...more

7 Kudgel's Kontest

In my opinion, Kudgel is the only truly bad boss of DKC2. Kind of the opposite of DKC1 where there was only one single great boss. Kudgel's only saving grace is the music, which is in my opinion, the best boss theme of the DKC trilogy. It's epic yet easy-going and fits the adventurous pirate theme of this game. Anyways, Kudgel is presumabely Klubba's evil twin brother who..., jumps. Yeah that's all he does. Jump high, cause shockwaves, jump..., and he does it for a long time before he spawns a TNT barrel so we can destroy him. Yeah seems legit. Not only is it stupid, but it's not fun just waiting for him to spawn that barrel. And if you stand too close to him, he'll destroy the barrel and you have to go through that procedure one more time. It's not fun, and I'd honestly consider him one of the worst bosses of the trilogy.