User Summary:
Donkey Kong Country is developed by Rare and released by Nintendo for the SNES in 1994. DKC is a 2D platform game in which the player controls either Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong, with the other one following his every move when he's present. Whenever the player gets hit by an enemy, his monkey (Donkey or Diddy) leaves and the player can continue with the other one. If there is no second monkey, the player looses a life. The game also allows for cooperative play, where one player is Donkey and the other is Diddy, resulting in alternate gameplay.
In the game, all Donkey Kong's bananas have been stolen by the villain King K. Rool. It's up to the player to clear all levels and eventually defeat King K. Rool and get the bananas back. For this the player has to clear a number of areas on the island, each consisting of multiple levels. Throughout the different areas, there are Kong family members helping the player on his quest by offering transportation, save points and hints. In various levels the player can find helper animals: a parrot, a rhino, an ostrich, a swordfish and a frog. Each of them have their own special abilities.
The game is known for being the first game to extensively use pre-rendered 3D graphics.
There are many secret areas hidden throughout the levels, where bonus bananas and lives can be found. The game keeps track of which bonus levels have been found, and by doing so encourages players to try to find everything resulting in a 100% score. Beside the graphical style the game is also known for it's speed. An experienced player can rush through many of the levels, grabbing bananas, bonuses and passing obstacles. However the choice is with the player, as the fast pace is not mandatory.