Top 10 Levels in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Bramble scramble is really cool - I love how you can play as a spider and a parrot! There's so many hidden parts in this level and it was really useful for finishing the first levels in the next realm because I could get coins there to use funky flights.

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

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!

Chainlink Chamber is my favourite castle level in this game. It's the only one of that doesn't have a game-changing gimmick like Toxic Tower or Castle Crush, and is instead, just a nice and simple vertical level you climb on chains. You get to traverse the castle at your own pace, and for this reason, I've always kind of preffered this one to the other two, as you kind of get to immerse yourself more with the enviroment. It feels more natural and it leaves a stronger impression, which is strange coming from the one castle level without a major gimmick. But that's why it's the best one, in my opinion.

As we reach the top five we say goodbye to the final animal buddy level, Web Woods. Out of the forest levels, Web Woods gives off the most unique vibe. Ghostly Grove is the typical enchanted forest, Gusty Glade is the ethereal nighttime forest, and Web Woods is the autumn forest. Everything in this level is bathed in a sunset red, and it's so atmospheric! And of course, as I've already said on Hot Head Hop, Squitter is one of my favourite animal buddies in the entire series, and him getting his own level in this forest is everything I could ask for. Most of the level has you traversing wide pits with zingers everywhere, and with Squitter's versatility, you must find a way to get past them. It's easily one of the greatest levels of the franchise!

In my opinion, Rambi Rumble takes what worked in Hornet Hole, and makes it even better! The first half is pretty similar to Hornet Hole, you traverse through a beehive. The second half though is a little different. You transform into Rambi the Rhino, and pave everything out of your way, until karma hits you. Yes, you get chased by the boss battle of this world. He's pretty slow, but nevertheless, it's a really cool feature. As you can see, Rambi Rhino is basically an even better Hornet Hole, with added features and gimmicks. For this reason, it's quite obviously better.

Normally, a castle isn't something that comes up in mind when you hear Donkey Kong. In the Mario series, it's the obligatory nest of every world boss, and sometimes with a lot of lava as well. Donkey Kong typically instead just has you fighting bosses in their respective enviroments. So to see actual levels that are castle-based, without boss battles infesting the end of them, is quite a unique experience. Not only that, there's no lava hallelujah! Castle Crush is the first castle level and it goes all out. This is an auto-scroller, where you're standing on a screen-wide platform that slowly goes up, and on the way you need to avoid enemies and getting crushed. As someone who grew up with flash games, this level always reminded me of Level 8 in Super Mario Flash 2, so seeing its original source, that was amazing! You'd think this level is meh, because it's an auto-scroller, and it's long, however, it's got enough things up its sleeze to make it rather one of the best levels! Castle ...more

We bid farewell to our last Lost World level in DKC2, Klobber Karnage. In my opinion, Klobber Karnage has multiple things that make it the best Lost World level, so good in fact that it makes it to the top ten list. For starters, it's another Jungle level, and in my opinion, it has a slightly nicer colour palette than the rather greyish Jungle Jinx. And secondly, it feels more jungle-ly. I mean since when did bouncy tyres roam the Congo Basin? Instead of those, this level is infested with Klobbers of all kinds, and as annoying as they are, I've always had a soft spot for them. And thirdly, out of all the barrel blasting levels in DKC, this one does it the best. Sure it's not my favourite barrel blasting level in general, however, it handles the gimmick the best. Long stretches of this level are spiky pits, and you must use this moving barrel to blast yourself, and then land in it again, while avoiding zingers that are blocking your path. There's a lot more strategy than just timing. ...more

The overall vibe of this level is cool and it's a level that really incorporates a lot of my favourite things from other levels. It has a the reeds and the vultures - plus you get to see the blue hedgehogs for the first time. I love how much they're blatant Sonic ripoffs!

As the first level in the second realm, this is when we really get to see DKC2's potential. The crocodile heads are a really cool way of getting around and the sustained threat of the lava makes the level more fun.

This level was a great introduction to the underwater levels and was really fun to play when I was new to the game.

This would just be your basic underwater level if it wasn't for the seals. They're so awesome! I love how it's a collision of fire and water and the noise the seals make is really funny too.

Arctic Abyss is the single only good underwater level in DKC2. While the other underwater levels were set inside of ship holds, Arctic Abyss pulls a U-turn and goes back to the ice age. You're swimming inside of an ice cave, while playing as Enguarde the Swordfish, my personal favourite animal buddy. Honestly, this level has always just kind of resonated with me. I mentioned my love for the soundtrack in Clapper's Cavern, and here, it fits. Moreso than most songs do with their levels. Just swimming through these caverns, mauling enemies to defeat, and dashing through corridors..., this level is truly one of a kind.

Such an enjoyable fast paced level that introduces us to the cart levels. Has an absolutely killer soundtrack!

I love the underwater levels in DKC2 and the anglerfish that follows you is a really nice touch.

Ghostly grove is so fun! I love the eerie vibe and the disappearing ghost ropes are really cool. Also has a nice soundtrack