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{{short description|1994 video game}} 
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{{Use British English|date=February 2025}}
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{{Infobox video game
| title = Donkey Kong Country
| image = Donkey Kong Country SNES cover.png
| alt = The North American box art of ''Donkey Kong Country'': a diorama featuring a number of animals following Donkey Kong, who is running while carrying a banana. The diorama is surrounded by the typical Western SNES box art border on the bottom and right-hand side; the rating ("KA") and words "SUPER NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM" are on the bottom, while a tagline, "An Incredible 3-D Adventure in the Kingdom of Kong!", is on the right. The upper right-hand corner features the words "Only for Nintendo".
| caption = North American box art
| developer = [[Rare (company)|Rare]]
| publisher = [[Nintendo]]
| series = ''[[Donkey Kong]]''
| platforms = [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Game Boy Color]], [[Game Boy Advance]]
| released = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|18 November 1994}}|
'''SNES'''{{Video game release|UK|18 November 1994|NA|21 November 1994|EU|24 November 1994|JP|26 November 1994}}'''Game Boy Color'''{{Video game release|EU|17 November 2000|NA|20 November 2000|JP|21 January 2001}}'''Game Boy Advance'''{{Video game release|AU|4 June 2003|EU|6 June 2003|NA|9 June 2003|JP|12 December 2003}}}}
| genre = [[Platformer|Platform]]
| modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
| director = [[Tim Stamper]]<br>[[Chris Stamper]]
| producer = 
| designer = [[Gregg Mayles]]
| programmer = [[Chris Sutherland (programmer)|Chris Sutherland]]
| artist = {{ubl|[[Steve Mayles]]|Kevin Bayliss|Mark Stevenson|Adrian Smith}}
| writer = Gregg Mayles<br>[[Daniel Owsen]]
| composer = {{ubl|[[David Wise (composer)|David Wise]]|[[Eveline Novakovic]]{{efn|Credited as Eveline Fischer}}|[[Robin Beanland]]}}
}}

'''''Donkey Kong Country''''', known in Japan as {{nihongo foot|'''''Super Donkey Kong''''',|スーパードンキーコング|Sūpā Donkī Kongu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=『スーパードンキーコング』が発売された日。3Dモデルを取り込んだ緻密で美しいグラフィックに思わずうっとり。現在も続く人気シリーズの初代作品【今日は何の日？】{{!}} ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com|url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/202011/26210090.html|magazine=[[Famitsu]]|trans-title=The day "Super Donkey Kong" was released. I was enchanted by the detailed and beautiful graphics that incorporated 3D models. The first work in the popular series that continues to this day [What day is it today?]|access-date=15 July 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514064511/https://www.famitsu.com/news/202011/26210090.html|archive-date=14 May 2022|language=ja|date=26 November 2020}}</ref> is a 1994 [[platform game]] developed by [[Rare (company)|Rare]] and published by [[Nintendo]] for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] (SNES). It follows the gorilla [[Donkey Kong (character)|Donkey Kong]] and his nephew [[Diddy Kong]] as they set out to recover their stolen banana hoard from the crocodile [[King K. Rool]] and his army, the [[Kremlings]]. The player traverses 40 [[side-scrolling]] [[Level (video games)|levels]] as they jump between platforms and avoid obstacles. They collect items, ride [[minecart]]s and animals, defeat enemies and [[Boss (video games)|bosses]], and find secret [[bonus stage]]s. In [[multiplayer]] modes, two players work [[Cooperative video game|cooperatively]] or race.

After developing [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] games in the 1980s, Rare, a British studio founded by [[Tim and Chris Stamper]], purchased [[Silicon Graphics]] workstations to render [[3D model]]s. Nintendo sought a game to compete with [[Sega]]'s ''[[Disney's Aladdin (Sega Genesis video game)|Aladdin]]'' (1993) and commissioned Rare to [[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]] the dormant ''[[Donkey Kong]]'' franchise. Rare assembled 12 developers to work on ''Donkey Kong Country'' over 18 months. ''Donkey Kong Country'' was inspired by the ''[[Super Mario]]'' series and was one of the first [[home console]] games to feature [[pre-rendering|pre-rendered]] graphics, achieved through a [[data compression|compression]] technique that converted 3D models into SNES [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]] with little loss of detail. It was the first ''Donkey Kong'' game neither produced nor directed by the franchise's creator, [[Shigeru Miyamoto]], though he contributed design ideas.

Following its announcement at the [[Consumer Electronics Show]] in June 1994, ''Donkey Kong Country'' was highly anticipated and backed by a major marketing campaign that cost {{US$|16 million|long=no}} in America alone. It was released in November 1994 to acclaim; critics hailed its visuals as groundbreaking and praised its gameplay and music. Its quality and design were favourably compared to the ''Super Mario'' series. ''Donkey Kong Country'' received several year-end accolades and set the record for the fastest-selling video game at the time. With 9.3 million copies sold worldwide, it is the [[List of best-selling Super Nintendo Entertainment System video games|third-bestselling SNES game]] and the bestselling ''Donkey Kong'' game. Following the success, Nintendo purchased a large [[minority interest|minority stake]] in Rare, which became a prominent [[second-party developer]] for Nintendo during the late 1990s.

''Donkey Kong Country'' re-established ''Donkey Kong'' as a popular Nintendo franchise and helped maintain the SNES's popularity into the [[fifth generation of video game consoles]]. It is considered one of the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest video games of all time]] and has been [[Video game port|ported]] to platforms such as the [[Game Boy Color]], [[Game Boy Advance]], and [[digital distribution]] services. Rare followed it with two sequels for the SNES, ''[[Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest]]'' (1995) and ''[[Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!]]'' (1996), and the [[Nintendo 64]] game ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'' (1999). After a hiatus, during which Rare was acquired by the Nintendo competitor [[Microsoft]], [[Retro Studios]] revived the series with ''[[Donkey Kong Country Returns]]'' (2010) for the [[Wii]] and ''[[Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze]]'' (2014) for the [[Wii U]].

==Gameplay==
[[File:Donkey Kong Country Shot 2.png|thumb|upright=1|alt=From a side-scrolling perspective, Diddy Kong jumps in the game's first level, Jungle Hijinks. Donkey Kong trails behind him to the left, while a Kremling enemy hobbles away from him on the right.|The [[player character]], [[Diddy Kong]] (behind him there is [[Donkey Kong (character)|Donkey Kong]]) jumps on a [[Kremling]] in the game's first [[Level (video games)|level]], Jungle Hijinks.]]

''Donkey Kong Country'' is a [[side-scrolling]] [[platform game]].<ref name="GSpotRev" /> A [[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]] of the ''[[Donkey Kong]]'' franchise,<ref name="ABC: Reboot" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Grubb|first=Jeff|title=Nintendo plans to release ''Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D'' on May 24|url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/03/15/donkey-kong-3d-may-24/|website=[[VentureBeat]]|accessdate=18 May 2020|date=15 March 2013|archive-date=15 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015151451/https://venturebeat.com/2013/03/15/donkey-kong-3d-may-24/|url-status=live}}</ref> its story begins when [[King K. Rool]] and his army of crocodiles, the [[Kremlings]], steal the [[List of Donkey Kong characters#Kongs|Kongs]]' banana hoard.<ref name="HG101: DKC" /><ref name="NLife: Review" /> The gorilla [[Donkey Kong (character)|Donkey Kong]] and his nephew [[Diddy Kong]] set out to reclaim the hoard and defeat the Kremlings.<ref name="NLife: Review" /> Donkey and Diddy serve as the [[player character]]s of the [[single-player]] game; they run alongside each other and the player can swap between them at will. Donkey is stronger and can defeat enemies more easily; Diddy is faster and more agile.<ref name="IGN: Review" /> Both can walk, run, jump, pick up and throw objects, and roll; Donkey can slap the terrain to defeat enemies or find items.{{sfn|Nintendo|1994a|p=12–15}}

The player begins in a [[Overworld#Platform games|world map]] that tracks their progress and provides access to the 40 [[Level (video games)|level]]s.{{sfn|Nintendo|1994a|p=8}}<ref name="DS: RetroCorner">{{Cite web|last=Langshaw|first=Mark|date=18 August 2012|title=Retro corner: {{'}}''Donkey Kong Country''{{'}}|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/retro-gaming/a400139/retro-corner-donkey-kong-country|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526034851/https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/retro-gaming/a400139/retro-corner-donkey-kong-country/|archive-date=26 May 2019|access-date=30 June 2020|publisher=[[Digital Spy]]}}</ref> The player attempts to complete each level while traversing the environment, jumping between platforms, and avoiding enemy and inanimate obstacles. Level themes include jungles, underwater reefs, caves, mines, mountains, and factories.{{sfn|''Nintendo Power'' staff|1994|p=8–17}} Some feature unique [[game mechanics]], such as rideable [[minecart]]s, blasting out of cannons resembling barrels, and swinging ropes.{{sfn|''CVG'' staff|1994|p=52–53}} Each area ends with a [[Boss (video games)|boss]] fight with a large enemy.{{sfn|Scary Larry|1994|p=51}} Donkey and Diddy can defeat enemies by jumping on, rolling into, or throwing barrels at them. If hit by an obstacle, one of the Kongs runs off and the player automatically takes control of the other. They will only be able to control that Kong unless they free the other Kong from a barrel.{{sfn|Scary Larry|1994|p=51}}

In certain levels, the player can free an animal that provides the Kongs with special abilities, similar to [[Yoshi]] from the ''[[Super Mario]]'' series.<ref name="IGN: Review" /> Buddies include Rambi, a rhino that can charge into enemies and find hidden entrances; Enguarde, a swordfish that can defeat enemies with its bill; Squawks, a parrot that carries a lantern; Expresso, an ostrich that flies; and Winky, a frog that can jump high.<ref name="NLife: Review" /><ref name="Jeux: SNESTest" /> Each level contains collectible bananas, letters that spell out K–O–N–G, balloons, and animal tokens.{{sfn|Nintendo|1994a|p=9; 18–19}} These items can be found within the main level or by discovering hidden [[bonus stage]]s, where they are earned via solving puzzles.{{sfn|Nintendo|1994a|p=31}}<ref name="USG: RetroReview" /> The player starts with six [[Life (video games)|lives]].<ref name="GSpotGBC" /> Collecting 100 bananas, all the K–O–N–G letters, a balloon, or three of the same animal token grants [[Life (video games)#Extra lives|extra lives]].<ref name="GSpotGBC" />{{sfn|Nintendo|1994a|p=18–19}}

The player can visit other members of the Kong family from the world map. [[Funky Kong]] operates a flight service allowing the player to travel across different areas of Donkey Kong Island; [[Cranky Kong]], the aged incarnation of Donkey Kong from the original [[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|''Donkey Kong'']] (1981), provides tips and [[fourth wall]]-breaking humour; and [[Candy Kong]] [[saved game|saves the player's progress]].<ref name="NLife: Review" />{{sfn|Scary Larry|1994|p=51}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Irving|first=Mike|title=Cranky Kong works out that new-fangled Twitter thing|url=https://www.vg247.com/cranky-kong-works-out-that-new-fangled-twitter-thing|website=[[VG247]]|access-date=19 June 2022|date=19 June 2022|archive-date=29 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629094540/https://www.vg247.com/cranky-kong-works-out-that-new-fangled-twitter-thing|url-status=live}}</ref> The player can increase their completion percentage by finding bonus stages. Reaching the maximum 101 per cent results in a different ending.<ref name="HG101: DKC" /> The game also features two [[multiplayer]] [[game mode]]s. In the [[Player versus player|competitive]] "Contest" mode, players take turns playing each level as quickly as possible. In the [[Cooperative video game|cooperative]] "Team" mode, they play as a tag team.<ref name="DS: RetroCorner" />{{sfn|''CVG'' staff|1994|p=52}}

==Development==
{{seealso|Rare (company)#History|l1=History of Rare}}
[[File:Tim and Chris Stamper outside the FortuneFish offices.jpg|thumb|upright=1|alt=Tim (right) and Chris (left) Stamper; the middle-aged men both wear black polos with red logos on the right of the buttons. Tim has a beard, while Chris is balding.|[[Rare (company)|Rare]] founders [[Tim and Chris Stamper]] (right to left) in 2015]]

In 1985, the British game developers [[Tim and Chris Stamper]] established [[Rare (company)|Rare Ltd.]] The brothers previously founded the British computer game studio [[Ultimate Play the Game]] and founded Rare to focus on the burgeoning Japanese [[video game console|console]] market.{{sfn|Hunt|2010|p=28–43}} After [[Nintendo]] rejected their efforts to form a partnership in 1983, Chris Stamper studied the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES) hardware for six months.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dawley|first=Heidi|date=29 May 1995|title=Killer Instinct for hire|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/1995-05-28/killer-instinct-for-hire|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170602125733/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/1995-05-28/killer-instinct-for-hire|archive-date=2 June 2017|access-date=17 July 2017|website=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]}}</ref> Rare demonstrated it was possible to [[reverse engineer|reverse-engineer]] the NES and showed several [[tech demo]]s to Nintendo executive [[Minoru Arakawa]]; impressed, Arakawa granted Rare a Nintendo developer licence.<ref name="IGN: GCDevProfile" /><ref name="IGN: History">{{Cite web|last=McLaughlin|first=Rus|date=28 July 2008|title=IGN presents the history of Rare|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/07/28/ign-presents-the-history-of-rare|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414013832/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/07/28/ign-presents-the-history-of-rare|archive-date=14 April 2013|access-date=4 June 2020|website=[[IGN]]}}</ref> Rare developed more than 60 NES games, including the ''[[Battletoads]]'' series.<ref name="IGN: History" /><ref name="DF Retro">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ7qtqqgTlo|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/GQ7qtqqgTlo| archive-date=11 December 2021|url-status=live|title=DF Retro: Donkey Kong Country + Killer Instinct - A 16-Bit CG Revolution!|date=16 December 2017|publisher=[[Digital Foundry]]|access-date=29 June 2020|medium=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

When Nintendo released their next console, the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] (SNES), in 1991, Rare decided to limit their output. Around 1992, Rare invested their NES profit in [[Silicon Graphics, Inc.]] (SGI) [[SGI Challenge|Challenge]] workstations with [[Alias Systems Corporation|Alias]] rendering software to render [[3D models]].<ref name="IGN: History" />{{sfn|Undercover Lover|1994|p=54}} It was a significant risk, as each workstation cost £80,000.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf">{{Cite news|last=McFerren|first=Damien|date=27 February 2014|title=Month of Kong: The making of Donkey Kong Country|work=[[Nintendo Life]]|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/month_of_kong_the_making_of_donkey_kong_country|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131130533/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/month_of_kong_the_making_of_donkey_kong_country|archive-date=31 January 2016}}</ref> The move made Rare the most technologically advanced UK developer and situated them high in the international market.<ref name="IGN: History" /> In 1993, Nintendo formed a partnership with SGI to develop the SNES's successor, the [[Nintendo 64]].<ref name="JXV: BTS" />

===Conception===
Though they had purchased the workstations to produce games for the Nintendo 64, Rare discovered it was possible to use them with the [[16-bit]] SNES.<ref name="IGN: GCDevProfile" /> Rare tested the SGI technology with ''[[Battletoads Arcade]]'' (1994) and began developing a boxing game, ''Brute Force'', using [[PowerAnimator]].<ref name="DF Retro" /><ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> Around this time, Nintendo was embroiled in a [[console war]] with [[Sega]], whose [[Mega Drive]] competed with the SNES.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> Nintendo wanted a game to compete with Sega's ''[[Disney's Aladdin (Sega Genesis video game)|Aladdin]]'' (1993), which featured graphics by [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney]] animators,<ref name="DF Retro" /><ref name="RG: MakingOf" /> when Nintendo of America's chairman [[Howard Lincoln]] learned of Rare's SGI experiments during a trip to Europe.<ref name="IGN: GCDevProfile" /> Nintendo sent several representatives, including the chief technology officer [[Genyo Takeda]]; they asked the Stampers if they could demonstrate ''Brute Force'' on the SNES hardware. Within two days, the Stampers developed a working build,<ref name="JXV: BTS">{{cite web |title=Les coulisses de Donkey Kong Country : Des gorilles et des hommes |trans-title=Behind the scenes of Donkey Kong Country: Gorillas and Men |url=https://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/651885/les-coulisses-de-donkey-kong-country-des-gorilles-et-des-hommes.htm |website=[[Jeuxvideo]] |access-date=February 2, 2025 |language=French |date=May 7, 2017}}</ref> impressing Nintendo.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" />

Tim Stamper—inspired by ''[[Mortal Kombat (1992 video game)|Mortal Kombat]]''{{'s}} (1992) use of digitised footage in place of hand-drawn art—suggested developing a platform game that used [[Pre-rendering|pre-rendered]] graphics.{{sfn|Undercover Lover|1994|p=54}}<ref name="Bloomberg: History" /> Nintendo granted the Stampers permission to use the ''Donkey Kong'' [[intellectual property]].<ref name="Bloomberg: History">{{Cite news|last=Waugh|first=Eric-Jon Rossel|date=30 August 2006|title=A short history of Rare|work=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2006-08-30/a-short-history-of-rarebusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice|url-status=live|access-date=17 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015142432/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2006-08-30/a-short-history-of-rarebusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice|archive-date=15 October 2016}}</ref> The franchise had been largely dormant since the unsuccessful ''[[Donkey Kong 3]]'' (1983),<ref name="1Up: 10">{{Cite web|last=Parish|first=Jeremy|title=10 interesting things about Donkey Kong|url=http://www.1up.com/features/10-interesting-donkey-kong|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623015927/http://www.1up.com/features/10-interesting-donkey-kong|archive-date=23 June 2012|access-date=19 May 2020|website=[[1Up.com]]}}</ref><ref name="USG: Bluff">{{Cite web|last=Parish|first=Jeremy|date=21 November 2019|title=Donkey Kong Country turns 25: Gaming's biggest bluff|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/reconsidering-donkey-kong-country-gamings-empty-handed-bluff|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120031051/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/reconsidering-donkey-kong-country-gamings-empty-handed-bluff|archive-date=20 November 2020|access-date=19 May 2020|website=[[USGamer]]}}</ref> so Nintendo figured that licensing it posed minimal risk.<ref name="Bloomberg: History" /> Some sources indicate that the Stampers obtained the licence after Nintendo offered them their catalogue of characters and they chose Donkey Kong.<ref name="IGN: History" /><ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> Conversely, the lead designer [[Gregg Mayles]] and his brother [[Steve Mayles|Steve]] recalled that it was Nintendo that requested a ''Donkey Kong'' game.<ref name="RG: MakingOf">{{cite web|last=Hunt|first=Stuart|title="Yes, we did go to the zoo and observe the gorillas": The making of ''Donkey Kong Country''|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-making-of-donkey-kong-country/|website=[[GamesRadar+]]|access-date=11 June 2022|date=22 June 2021|archive-date=11 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611165430/https://www.gamesradar.com/the-making-of-donkey-kong-country/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="JXV: BTS" /> ''Donkey Kong''{{'s}} creator, [[Shigeru Miyamoto]], said that Rare approached Nintendo and offered to handle ''Donkey Kong'' since other developers were preoccupied with franchises such as ''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]''.<ref name="MiyamotoNOM" />

Rare assembled a team of 12, the largest in their history at that point, and development began in mid-1993.<ref name="RG: MakingOf"/><ref name="JXV: BTS" /> Nintendo was sceptical of Rare's approach to graphics,<ref name="RG: MakingOf" /> concerned it would make the game unplayable.<ref name="Kotaku: Worried" /> Early in development, Mayles and other developers presented a demo to Nintendo staff in Japan. One in attendance, the [[Game Boy]] creator [[Gunpei Yokoi]], felt the game "looked too 3D", but Mayles said Miyamoto was supportive and gave Rare his approval.<ref name="RG: MakingOf" /> Nintendo codenamed the project "Country" (based on Rare's location in [[Twycross]]), leading to the title ''Donkey Kong Country''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reynolds |first1=Ollie |title=Random: Ex-Rare Dev Explains The Origin Of Donkey Kong Country's Name |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/04/random-ex-rare-dev-explains-the-origin-of-donkey-kong-countrys-name |website=[[Nintendo Life]] |access-date=22 February 2025 |date=5 April 2023}}</ref> Other titles considered included ''Rumble in the Jungle'', ''Monkey Mayhem'', and ''Donkey Kong and the Golden Bananas''.<ref name="JXV: BTS" /> ''Donkey Kong Country'' was the first ''Donkey Kong'' game that was neither directed nor produced by Miyamoto,<ref name="DS: RetroCorner" /> who was working on ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'' (1995).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sao|first=Akinori|date=2017|title=''Super Mario World'' & ''Yoshi's Island'' developer interview|url=https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-super-mario-world|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609090516/https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-super-mario-world/|archive-date=9 June 2021|access-date=6 June 2020|website=[[Super NES Classic Edition]]|publisher=[[Nintendo]]}}</ref> Miyamoto was still involved with the project and Rare said he provided crucial input.<ref name="Rare: DKC">{{cite web|title=Rarewhere: Donkey Kong Country|publisher=[[Rare (company)|Rare]]|url=http://rare.co.uk/recent/games/dkc/|access-date=5 June 2020|archive-date=29 May 1998|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980529161639/http://rare.co.uk/recent/games/dkc/}}</ref>

Nintendo is usually highly protective of their intellectual properties, but was relatively uninvolved with ''Donkey Kong Country'', leaving most of the work to Rare.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /><ref name="RG: MakingOf"/> Programmer Brendan Gunn noted that the Stampers worked to shield the team from outside influence.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> Rare spent 18 months developing ''Donkey Kong Country'' from an initial concept to a finished game,<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> and according to product manager [[Dan Owsen]], 20 people worked on it in total.{{sfn|Undercover Lover|1994|p=54}} It cost an estimated {{US$}}1 million to produce,{{sfn|Palumbo|Kalb|1996|p=92}} and Rare said that it had the most [[Man-hour|man hours]] ever invested in a video game at the time, 22 years.<ref name="Rare: DKC" /> The team worked 12–16-hours every day of the week.<ref name="Poly: Remaking" /> Gunn said that the team was under significant pressure from the Stampers and to finish the game in time for [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] due to Nintendo's competition with Sega.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" />

===Design===
{{Quote box|quote=The stages were painstakingly arranged so that the player could "go first time" past obstacles ([i.e.] if there was a swinging rope then when it came on screen it was swinging towards you so you could jump onto it straight away)... If you time everything correctly, you can get through the level efficiently and impressively.|source=[[Gregg Mayles]]<ref name="RG: MakingOf"/>|width=30em|quoted=1}}

Rare drew inspiration from the ''Super Mario'' series, Mayles citing ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' (1988) as the primary influence on the [[level design]]. Mayles wanted to make a game that was accessible but would flow seamlessly for a skilled player; as such, objects were placed so well-timed players could continually move through a level.<ref name="RG: MakingOf"/> Mayles noted that although the concept of [[speedrunning]] did not exist at the time, "the way the game was designed definitely supports it".<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last=Robinson|first=Andy|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' team reflects on the game's 25th anniversary|url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/donkey-kong-country-team-reflects-on-the-games-25th-anniversary|website=[[Video Games Chronicle]]|access-date=14 June 2022|date=21 November 2019|archive-date=31 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131170941/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/donkey-kong-country-team-reflects-on-the-games-25th-anniversary/|url-status=live}}</ref> The level locales were inspired by the films ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' (1983) and ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]]'' (1984).<ref name="JXV: BTS" />

The team designed levels using [[Post-it Note]]s; they conceived set pieces (such as swinging ropes), created every variation they could think of, drew them on Post-it Notes, and pieced them together.<ref name="Edge">{{cite magazine|title=Rare Vintage: Part One|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/rare-vintage-part-one?page=0%2C1|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|access-date=17 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017054242/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/rare-vintage-part-one?page=0%2C1|archive-date=17 October 2010|pages=1–2|date=11 October 2010}}</ref> Rare featured barrels as a primary game mechanic to pay homage to the original arcade game,{{sfn|Milne|2022|p=18}} and included hidden collectibles like coins and balloons to add depth.{{sfn|Milne|2022|p=20}} Diddy Kong originated from Rare's search for a game mechanic akin to ''Super Mario''{{'s}} [[power-up]] system in that he would serve as the player's [[Health (game terminology)|health]]. Mayles said: "We thought a second character could perform this function, look visually impressive, and give the player a feeling that they were not alone".<ref name="RG: MakingOf" />

''Donkey Kong Country'' did not have much scrapped content; Gunn said he only regretted that Donkey Kong walks across dotted lines instead of paths on the world map, which could not be implemented due to time constraints.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> One scrapped idea, a collectible that would evade the player by running or hiding, served as the basis for the [[Jinjo]]s in Rare's subsequent game ''[[Banjo-Kazooie (video game)|Banjo-Kazooie]]'' (1998).{{sfn|''Retro Gamer'' staff|2007|p=20}} Reviewing ''Donkey Kong Country'' for release, Nintendo directed Rare to reduce the difficulty to appeal to a broad audience, reasoning that the secrets would provide sufficient challenge for hardcore gamers. At this point, Miyamoto made some last-minute suggestions, such as Donkey Kong's terrain slap, that were incorporated.{{sfn|Undercover Lover|1994|p=55}} Nintendo's [[Kensuke Tanabe]] flew to Twycross to [[video game localization|localise]] the game with Rare.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Iwata|first=Satoru|date=1 December 2010|title=''Donkey Kong Country Returns'' - White-knuckled action|url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/donkey-kong-country-returns/0/3|access-date=4 July 2022|publisher=[[Iwata Asks]]|archive-date=5 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705190937/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/donkey-kong-country-returns/0/3/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Characters and story===
Kevin Bayliss was in charge of redesigning Donkey Kong. He wanted a character that looked believable and could perform animations like pounding his chest.{{sfn|Milne|2022|p=18}} His initial design was blocky and muscular to make Donkey Kong easy to animate, but it became more cartoonish when Nintendo [[fax]]ed reference material. Some of Bayliss' designs were in the style of his ''Battletoads'' work,<ref>{{cite web|last=Wood|first=Austin|title=Original ''Donkey Kong Country'' drafts reveal the characters that might have been|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/original-donkey-kong-country-drafts-reveal-the-characters-that-might-have-been|website=[[GamesRadar+]]|access-date=16 June 2022|date=19 January 2021|archive-date=16 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616191837/https://www.gamesradar.com/original-donkey-kong-country-drafts-reveal-the-characters-that-might-have-been/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the final design's eyes came from those of the [[Battletoads (characters)|Battletoads]].<ref name="Kotaku: Worried" /> Miyamoto provided some suggestions, including the red tie,<ref name="RG: MakingOf" /> but left the design's specifics to Bayliss.{{sfn|Milne|2022|p=18}}

Because ''Donkey Kong'' did not have much of an established universe, Rare was free to expand it with new characters. Mayles conceived Diddy as a redesign of [[Donkey Kong Jr. (character)|Donkey Kong Jr.]],<ref name="RG: MakingOf" /> and Bayliss designed him.<ref name="JXV: BTS" /> Unlike the original Donkey Kong Jr., Rare did not want Diddy to share his build with Donkey Kong, so Bayliss based the design on a [[spider monkey]] and made him agile to give him distinct moves.{{sfn|Milne|2022|p=18–20}} The redesign was also motivated by Bayliss' distaste for Donkey Kong Jr.<ref name="JXV: BTS" /> Nintendo considered the redesign too great a departure and asked it to be reworked or presented as a new character. Mayles felt the redesign suited the updated ''Donkey Kong'' universe, so he chose to make it a new character. Naming the character was a challenge; considered names included "Diet Donkey Kong", "Donkey Kong Lite", and "Titchy Kong".<ref name="JXV: BTS" /> Rare settled on "Dinky", but ultimately changed it to "Diddy" due to legal problems.<ref name="RG: MakingOf" />

Rare staff spent hours at the nearby [[Twycross Zoo]] recording gorillas for reference, which they described as "a complete waste of time".<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> They found their movements unsuitable for a fast game and their noises too quiet to be captured by a microphone, so they based Donkey Kong's running animation on a horse's [[Canter and gallop#Gallop|gallop]] and had programmer [[Mark Betteridge]] provide Donkey and Diddy's voice clips.<ref name="RG: MakingOf" /><ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> Rare positioned Cranky Kong as the original Donkey Kong character from the arcade games but avoided mentioning this in the game and marketing materials out of fear that Nintendo would disapprove of the idea,<ref name="Kotaku: Worried">{{Cite web|last=Zwiezen|first=Zack|date=25 November 2019|title=Nintendo was worried Donkey Kong Country was 'too 3D'|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/11/nintendo-was-worried-donkey-kong-country-was-too-3d/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923161416/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/11/nintendo-was-worried-donkey-kong-country-was-too-3d/|archive-date=23 September 2020|access-date=26 May 2020|website=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref> though it was mentioned in the instruction manual.{{sfn|Nintendo|1994a|p=27}} Rare created each character using Donkey Kong's model as a base and made the Kong designs consistent to reflect that they were relatives.<ref name="JXV: BTS" />

All story drafts centered on the theft of Donkey Kong's banana hoard.<ref name="JXV: BTS" /> According to Mayles, the team pitched the ''Super Mario'' character [[Wario]] as the antagonist,<ref>{{cite tweet|author-link=Gregg Mayles|last=Mayles|first=Gregg|user=Ghoulyboy|title=@TopherPutnam wanted more info on a disused concept we did for #DKC, so here it is! Mario invents a time machine, Wario uses it to acquire a fancy gun that he turns Mario to stone with, a parrot sees it all and flaps off to get DK's help |number=1177306565109518336|date=26 September 2019|access-date=2 February 2025}}</ref> but Nintendo asked them to use original characters.<ref>{{cite tweet|author-link=Gregg Mayles|last=Mayles|first=Gregg|user=Ghoulyboy|title=It's an early pitch we made to Nintendo that eventually became DKC. They wanted all new bad guys, so we used our reptile Kremlings instead. I still have the book somewhere, but I'm sure I tweeted a some images from inside a few years ago|number=1176830620137377792|date=25 September 2019|access-date=2 February 2025}}</ref> They recycled the Kremlings from ''Johnny Blastoff and the Kremling Armada'', a cancelled ''[[Monkey Island]]''-style [[adventure game]].<ref name="JXV: BTS" /> Their name is a play on the [[Moscow Kremlin]].<ref name="GI: Wise"/> Rare's initial story was extensive and spanned 15 pages, but Nintendo had it condensed to fit into an [[instruction manual]].{{sfn|Undercover Lover|1994|p=54}}

===Graphics===
[[File:SGI Power Challenge 10000 L (1).jpg|thumb|right|alt=A photo of an SGI Challenge workstation: a computer monitor sits atop its tower.|Rare used [[SGI Challenge]] workstations (pictured) to produce ''Donkey Kong Country''{{'s}} pre-rendered visuals.]]

''Donkey Kong Country'' was one of the first games for a mainstream home video game console to use pre-rendered 3D graphics,<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> a technique used in the earlier 1993 [[Finland|Finnish]] game ''[[Stardust (1993 video game)|Stardust]]'' for the [[Amiga]].{{sfn|Undercover Lover|1994|p=54}} Rare developed a [[Data compression|compression]] technique to incorporate more detail and animation for each [[spritesheet|sprite]] for a given memory footprint, which better preserved the pre-rendered graphics. Nintendo and Rare called the technique Advanced Computer Modelling (ACM).<ref name="RG: MakingOf"/> Rare briefly feared competition from [[DMA Design]]'s ''[[Uniracers]]'' (1994), which also featured pre-rendered graphics, but the staff was relieved upon learning that the player character was ''Uniracer''{{'s}} only element that was pre-rendered.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" />

The artists began by modelling the characters in [[NURBS]] using PowerAnimator and adding [[texture mapping|textures]]. They then created the animations and rendered them frame by frame before compressing them for the game. The ACM process was handled by a designated computer that had a proprietary utility similar to [[Deluxe Paint]].<ref name="DF Retro"/> Adapting to the cutting-edge SGI workstations was difficult;<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> Gregg Mayles' brother [[Steve Mayles|Steve]] said they had a steep learning curve. To help, Nintendo provided Rare with research material regarding apes, barrels, and caves.{{sfn|Undercover Lover|1994|p=54}} The pre-rendered graphics allowed for variety and detail uncommon at the time,<ref name="RG: MakingOf" /> and Tim Stamper constantly pushed the team to go further and incorporate weather and lighting effects.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" />

The game was Rare's first to require multiple programmers,<ref name=":0" /> and they worked with little guidance.<ref name="DF Retro"/> The ACM process pushed the SNES hardware to its limits;<ref name="RG: MakingOf"/> Betteridge said Rare wanted to do everything they could with the hardware similar to what they had done with the NES game ''[[Battletoads (1991 video game)|Battletoads]]'' (1991).<ref name="Edge" /> A single SGI screen took up more [[Computer memory|memory]] than an entire SNES cartridge, and Gregg Mayles described transferring the backgrounds into the game by splitting them into tiles as "the bane of the project".<ref name="RG: MakingOf"/> Models took hours to render,<ref name="DF Retro" /> so the team would leave the computers running overnight.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> Sometimes, artists would shut down other artists' computers in the middle of the process so they could render their own models.<ref name="DF Retro" /> The SGI machines required a massive [[air conditioning]] unit to prevent overheating, while the team worked in the summer heat without relief.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /> Programmer [[Chris Sutherland (programmer)|Chris Sutherland]] was responsible for implementing the graphics and found reducing the characters' frames of animation challenging.<ref name="DF Retro" />

===Music===
{{Listen
| filename = DKC Aquatic Ambience Sample.ogg
| title = "Aquatic Ambience"
| description = A 21-second excerpt from "[[Aquatic Ambience]]", the music that plays in ''Donkey Kong Country''{{'s}} underwater levels. The composition took five weeks to produce using a [[Korg Wavestation]] and Wise has called it his favourite track in the game.
}}

[[File:David Wise by Gage Skidmore.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[David Wise (composer)|David Wise]], ''Donkey Kong Country''{{'s}} primary composer]]

[[David Wise (composer)|David Wise]] composed most of the soundtrack.<ref name="Rare: Scribes"/> Wise initially worked as a [[freelancer]] and assumed his music would be replaced by [[Koji Kondo]] because of the importance of ''Donkey Kong'' to Nintendo.<ref name="NYT: Wise">{{cite web |last1=King |first1=Darryn |title=The Man Behind the Legendary Donkey Kong Country Soundtracks |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/arts/music/donkey-kong-country-soundtrack-david-wise.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 19, 2024 |date=November 19, 2024 |archive-date=19 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241119154630/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/arts/music/donkey-kong-country-soundtrack-david-wise.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="SEMO: Wise" /> Rare asked Wise to record three jungle [[demo (music)|demo]] tunes that were merged to become the "DK Island Swing", the first level's track.<ref name="SEMO: Wise" /> Miyamoto was impressed,<ref name="NYT: Wise" /> and Wise was enlisted to produce the final score.<ref name="SEMO: Wise">{{cite web|last=Greening|first=Chris|date=December 2010|title=Interview with David Wise|url=http://www.squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/davidwise.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115042157/http://www.squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/davidwise.shtml|archive-date=15 January 2012|publisher=Square Enix Music Online}}</ref> Before composing, Wise was shown the graphics and given an opportunity to play the level they would appear in, which gave him a sense of the music he would compose. He chose [[sampling (music)|samples]] and optimised the music to work on the SNES's [[SPC700]] sound chip.<ref name="Poly: Remaking" /><ref name="GI: Wise">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_RNM2QlujU|title=Composer David Wise Dissects Donkey Kong Country's Best Music|date=5 July 2019|last=Wise|first=David|medium=[[YouTube]]|access-date=22 June 2020|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/v_RNM2QlujU|archive-date=11 December 2021|url-status=live|website=[[Game Informer]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Wise worked separately from the team in a former cattle shed, visited occasionally by Tim Stamper.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /><ref name="GI: Wise"/>

''Donkey Kong Country'' features atmospheric music that mixes natural environmental sounds with prominent [[melody|melodic]] and percussive accompaniments.<ref name="RareWise">{{cite interview <!-- Interviewee is specific to the question.-->|last=Wise|first=David|date=December 2004|title=The Tepid Seat - Rare Music Team|publisher=Rare|url=http://www.rareware.com/extras/tepidseat/music/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070126102515/http://www.rareware.com/extras/tepidseat/music/index.html|archive-date=26 January 2007}}
</ref> Its soundtrack attempts to evoke the environments and includes music from levels set in Africa-inspired jungles, caverns, oceanic reefs, frozen landscapes, and industrial factories.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" /><ref name="RareWise" /> Wise cited Kondo's music for the ''Super Mario'' and ''Legend of Zelda'' games, [[Tim Follin|Tim]] and Geoff Follin's music for ''[[Plok!]]'' (1993), and 1980s [[synthesiser]] film soundtracks, rock, and dance music as influences,<ref name="SEMO: Wise" /> and wanted to imitate the sound of the [[Korg Wavestation]] synthesiser.<ref name="RareWise" /> He wrote lyrics for each melody, though ''[[The New York Times]]'' noted "no one is really meant to hear them".<ref name="NYT: Wise" />

Since ''Donkey Kong Country'' featured advanced pre-rendered graphics, Wise wanted to push the limits to create "equally impressive" music and make the most of the limited memory he was working with.<ref name="GI: Wise"/> Wise found Donkey Kong "a little more brutal" than [[Mario]], so departed from ''Super Mario''{{'s}} [[Latin music|Latin]] and [[calypso music|calypso]]-inspired sound.<ref name="NYT: Wise" /> He wanted to compose in the style of [[1940s jazz]], seeking to imitate the [[Glenn Miller Orchestra]] in the "DK Island Swing",<ref name="NYT: Wise" /> but was restricted by the SPC700's limitations; he "used a lot of small samples and made [the soundtrack] very synthesised" to work around them.<ref name="Poly: Remaking" /> His colleague [[Grant Kirkhope]] said that Wise's familiarity with the SNES hardware meant he could "make it do things that people hadn't heard before".<ref name="NYT: Wise" />

"[[Aquatic Ambience]]", the music that plays in the underwater levels, took five weeks to compose. Wise was inspired by a recent breakup, which made him feel as if he was drowning.<ref name="NYT: Wise" /> He considers the track his favourite and the game's biggest technological accomplishment in regards to the audio.<ref name="GI: Wise"/> The boss theme was inspired by the [[Nine Inch Nails]] song "[[March of the Pigs]]" (1994), and K. Rool's theme was influenced by [[sea shanties]], [[barrel organ]] music, and the work of [[Iron Maiden]].<ref name="NYT: Wise" /> For the title screen theme, Wise [[remix]]ed Nintendo's original ''Donkey Kong'' theme to demonstrate Donkey Kong's evolution.<ref name="GI: Wise"/> Wise said his primary focus was to make the most of the SPC700, and he input the music by hand to save memory. He noted the process was easier than composing for the NES due to the larger number of sound channels.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" />

[[Eveline Novakovic]] contributed seven tracks, including the world map theme, as her first SNES project.<ref name="Rare: Scribes">{{cite web|title=Rare: Scribes|url=http://www.rareware.com/extra/scribes/scribes_content.html|publisher=[[Rare (company)|Rare]]|access-date=13 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051227091731/http://www.rareware.com/extra/scribes/scribes_content.html|archive-date=27 December 2005|date=21 December 2005|quote=Let's see. Once he'd polished off the new DKC3 GBA score Dave found the time to dig up a full list, and it looks like this: Robin did Funky's Fugue, Eveline did Simian Segue, Candy's Love Song, Voices of the Temple, Forest Frenzy, Tree Top Rock, Northern Hemispheres and Ice Cave Chant, and the rest was the doing of Mr. Wise. Hot damn! It always makes me feel empowered when we can provide actual, genuine, non-fabricated information.}}</ref><ref name="FanByte: Novakovic">{{Cite web|last=Yarwood|first=Jack|date=22 June 2021|title=A 'Rare' interview with ''Donkey Kong Country'' composer Eveline Novakovic|url=https://www.fanbyte.com/features/a-rare-interview-with-donkey-kong-country-composer-eveline-novakovic|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120152552/https://www.fanbyte.com/features/a-rare-interview-with-donkey-kong-country-composer-eveline-novakovic/|archive-date=20 January 2022|access-date=22 May 2022|publisher=FanByte}}</ref> Novakovic was inexperienced with the SNES hardware and Wise helped teach her as they worked together. She attempted to provide the levels a sense of purpose and drew inspiration from film composers like [[Alan Silvestri]] and [[Klaus Doldinger]].<ref name="FanByte: Novakovic" /> Funky Kong's theme was originally written by [[Robin Beanland]].<ref name="Rare: Scribes" /> According to Beanland, the track was intended for an internal progress video about another Rare game, ''[[Killer Instinct (1994 video game)|Killer Instinct]]'' (1994), before Nintendo decided to use it in a ''Donkey Kong Country'' promotional trailer. Beanland said Tim Stamper liked it and wanted to include it in the game,<ref name="BeanlandFugue">{{cite tweet|number=1098977575341301762|last=Beanland|first=Robin|title=Thanks 🙂 Yes it was originally written for an internal update/progress video for KI. @NintendoAmerica liked the track enough to use it for DKC promotion at E3...Tim loved it on the promo video and wanted it on the game. Here's the original version 🙂|user=TheRealBeano|date=22 February 2019|access-date=13 June 2020}}</ref> so Wise adopted it.<ref name="NLife: MakingOf" />

==Release==
===Marketing===
Lincoln unveiled ''Donkey Kong Country'' at the [[Consumer Electronics Show]] in [[Chicago]], which took place from 23 to 25 June 1994.{{sfn|Gillen|1994|p=70}} The unveiling was the finale of Nintendo's conference and did not reveal that ''Donkey Kong Country'' was a SNES game until the end of the presentation, fooling the audience into believing that it was for the upcoming Nintendo 64. Gregg Mayles recalled the audience was stunned in silence before bursting into applause.<ref name="RG: MakingOf" />

As one of the flagship games of Nintendo's [[Nintendo marketing#Play It Loud!|Play It Loud!]] promotion,<ref name="DF Retro"/> ''Donkey Kong Country'' was backed by an exceptionally large marketing campaign—"marketing [[blitzkrieg]]", as ''[[Hardcore Gaming 101]]'' put it.<ref name="HG101: DKC"/> According to the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', Nintendo spent {{US$}}16 million on marketing ''Donkey Kong Country'' in America alone; at the time, major games typically had an average marketing budget of {{US$}}5 million.<ref name="LAT: Battle" /> Marketing materials emphasised the revolutionary graphics—often noting that Rare's SGI workstations had been used to create the ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'' (1993) film's dinosaurs<ref name="Kotaku: 25Yrs">{{Cite web|last=Rogers|first=Tim|author-link=Tim Rogers (writer)|date=27 November 2019|title=Let's remember ''Donkey Kong Country'', 25 years later|url=https://kotaku.com/lets-remember-donkey-kong-country-25-years-later-1840069307|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602182711/https://kotaku.com/lets-remember-donkey-kong-country-25-years-later-1840069307|archive-date=2 June 2022|access-date=2 June 2022|website=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref>—and positioned ''Donkey Kong Country'' as a direct competitor to Sega's [[Mega-CD]] and [[32X]] platforms to remind players it was not for next-generation hardware.<ref name="NWR: Exposed" />

Nintendo sent a promotional [[VHS]] tape, ''Donkey Kong Country: Exposed'', to subscribers of the magazine ''[[Nintendo Power]]''.<ref name="DS: RetroCorner" /><ref name="NWR: Exposed">{{cite web|last=Berube|first=Justin|title=Remembering ''Donkey Kong Country'' Exposed|url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/38417/remembering-donkey-kong-country-exposed|website=Nintendo World Report|access-date=5 June 2020|date=9 September 2014|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122212621/https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/38417/remembering-donkey-kong-country-exposed|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Exposed'', hosted by comedian [[Josh Wolf (comedian)|Josh Wolf]], provides a "behind-the-scenes" glimpse of the Treehouse, the Nintendo of America division where games are tested.<ref name="DS: RetroCorner" /><ref name="NWR: Exposed"/> ''Nintendo World Report'' wrote that ''Exposed'' was "probably the first time most people outside of Nintendo learned about the [Treehouse]" and the promotion allowed players to see the game for themselves at home, rather than having to learn about it secondhand from a magazine.<ref name="NWR: Exposed"/> ''Exposed'' also features gameplay tips and interviews with localisers, [[playtester]]s, and Tim Stamper.<ref name="DS: RetroCorner" /><ref name="NWR: Exposed"/>

In October 1994, Nintendo of America held an online promotional campaign through the internet service [[CompuServe]]. The campaign included downloadable video samples of the game, a trivia contest in which 800 people participated, and an hour-long [[online chat]] conference attended by 80 people, in which Lincoln, Arakawa, and vice-president of marketing Peter Main answered questions. Nintendo's CompuServe promotion marked an early instance of a major video game company using the internet to promote its products.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fitzgerald|first=Kate|date=14 November 1994|title=Videogames vie for online eyes: Sega, Nintendo, Acclaim finding target audience in front of computer screen|url=http://adage.com/article/news/videogames-vie-online-eyes-sega-nintendo-acclaim-finding-target-audience-front-computer-screen/89320/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309011652/http://adage.com/article/news/videogames-vie-online-eyes-sega-nintendo-acclaim-finding-target-audience-front-computer-screen/89320/|archive-date=9 March 2018|website=[[Ad Age]]}}</ref> Nintendo gave away ''Donkey Kong'' T-shirts as a pre-order bonus,<ref name="Kotaku: 25Yrs" /> and partnered with [[Kellogg's]] for a promotional campaign in which the packaging for Kellogg's [[breakfast cereal]]s featured ''Donkey Kong Country'' character art and announced a prize giveaway. The campaign ran from November 1994 to April 1995.{{sfn|''EGM'' staff|1995|p=66}} [[Fleetway Publications]] published a promotional comic in the UK in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|date=30 September 2021|title=Check out this forgotten Donkey Kong Country comic from the UK|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/09/check_out_this_forgotten_donkey_kong_country_comic_from_the_uk|access-date=20 July 2022|website=[[Nintendo Life]]|archive-date=20 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720115950/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/09/check_out_this_forgotten_donkey_kong_country_comic_from_the_uk|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Context===
{{see also|1994 in video games}}
[[File:Wikipedia SNES PAL.jpg|alt=A Super Nintendo Entertainment System PAL-region console (a grey video game console with two grey buttons for "Power" and "Reset" and a grey one for "Eject") and its controller (a gamepad with a D-pad on the left, "Start" and "Select" buttons in the middle, four buttons on the right, and two shoulder buttons on top).|thumb|''Donkey Kong Country'' was released for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] (pictured) when it was beginning to face competition from [[fifth generation of video game consoles|next-generation hardware]].]]
By October 1994, Nintendo was still in fierce competition with Sega and its popular ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' franchise. ''Donkey Kong Country'' was released a month after ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'' for the Mega Drive. The ''Los Angeles Times'' characterised the coinciding releases as a battle; both featured company mascots, boasted "[[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]-sized" marketing budgets, and advertised revolutionary technological advances ([[lock-on technology]] for ''Sonic & Knuckles'' and 3D-rendered graphics for ''Donkey Kong Country'').<ref name="LAT: Battle">{{Cite web|last=Kronke|first=David|date=15 October 1994|title=It's gonna be a video jungle out there: Video-game stars Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog will battle it out with new games backed by tech advances and mega-marketing.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-15-ca-50485-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918185341/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-10-15/entertainment/ca-50485_1_video-game-technology|archive-date=18 September 2015|access-date=26 May 2020|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

''Donkey Kong Country'' was highly anticipated. ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' wrote: "It was everywhere. You couldn't escape it. It was on the cover of every magazine. It was on gigantic, imposing displays and marquees at [[Wal-Mart]] and [[GameStop|Babbages]]... For kids of the era, November 20th seemed like the eve of a revolution".<ref name="HG101: DKC"/> The ''Exposed'' VHS tape contributed significantly to the hype.{{sfn|''GamePro'' staff|1996|p=12}} ''Donkey Kong Country'' was expected to gross at least {{US$}}140 million in the US if it matched sales projections.<ref name="LAT: Battle" /> Nintendo anticipated that it would sell two million copies in a month, an expectation that Main acknowledged was unprecedented but was "based on the off-the-chart reactions we've received from game players and retailers".<ref name="LAT: Battle" />

''[[USGamer]]'' noted that Nintendo, at the time of ''Donkey Kong Country''{{'s}} release, faced difficulty to keep the SNES profitable. The [[fifth generation of video game consoles]] was on the horizon, the [[32-bit]] prowess of [[Sony Interactive Entertainment|Sony]]'s [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] and the [[Sega Saturn]] far exceeding the SNES's capabilities. The Nintendo 64 was not due for release until 1996, so ''Donkey Kong Country'', wrote ''USGamer'', served as Nintendo's "bluff" to make it seem that the SNES could hold its ground against next-generation hardware.<ref name="USG: Bluff" />

===Sales===
''Donkey Kong Country'' was released worldwide in November 1994, two weeks ahead of schedule and around the [[Black Friday (shopping)|Black Friday]] shopping season.<ref name="Rare: DKC"/><ref name="Kotaku: 25Yrs" /> It was released in the UK on 18 November,<ref name="Rare: DKC"/> in North America on 21 November, in Europe on 24 November, and in Japan on 26 November.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McFerren|first=Damien|date=21 November 2014|title=Anniversary: 20 years ago today, Rare resurrected the Donkey Kong brand|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/11/anniversary_20_years_ago_today_rare_resurrected_the_donkey_kong_brand|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605174352/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/11/anniversary_20_years_ago_today_rare_resurrected_the_donkey_kong_brand|archive-date=5 June 2020|access-date=5 June 2020|website=[[Nintendo Life]]}}</ref> In Japan, the game was released under the title ''Super Donkey Kong''.<ref name="NWR: Mini">{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Zachary|date=30 March 2015|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' (Wii U VC) review mini|url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewmini/39952/donkey-kong-country-wii-u-vc-review-mini|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605174442/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewmini/39952/donkey-kong-country-wii-u-vc-review-mini|archive-date=5 June 2020|access-date=5 June 2020|website=Nintendo World Report}}</ref> ''Donkey Kong Country'' set the record for the fastest-selling video game at the time:{{sfn|''Next Generation'' staff|1996|p=45}} it sold over 500,000 copies within a week,{{sfn|''Billboard''|1995|p=77}} and sales reached one million copies in the US alone in two weeks. In its second week on sale in the US, the game grossed {{US$}}15 million, outpacing the week's highest-grossing film (''[[The Santa Clause]]'', {{US$}}11.5 million) and album (''[[Miracles: The Holiday Album]]'', {{US$}}5.2 million).{{sfn|Nintendo|1994b|p=12120032}} In the UK, it was the top-selling SNES game in November 1994.{{sfn|''CVG'' staff|1995|p=115}} ''Donkey Kong Country'' sold six million copies worldwide in its first holiday season,<ref name="IGN: SNESvsGen">{{Cite web|last=Buchanan|first=Levi|date=20 March 2009|title=Genesis vs. SNES: By the numbers|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/20/genesis-vs-snes-by-the-numbers|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918231636/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/20/genesis-vs-snes-by-the-numbers|archive-date=18 September 2018|access-date=12 June 2022|website=[[IGN]]}}</ref> grossing {{US$|400 million|long=no}} in worldwide sales revenue.{{sfn|Nintendo|1995|p=01030008}} Cumulative sales reached 9.3 million copies. Based on available sales figures, it is the [[List of best-selling Super Nintendo Entertainment System video games|third-bestselling SNES game]]<ref name="DF Retro"/><ref name="Vice: Xanax" /> and the bestselling ''Donkey Kong'' game.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gray|first=Kate|date=25 April 2022|title=Feature: The best (and worst) selling games of Nintendo's biggest franchises|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/features/the-best-and-worst-selling-games-of-nintendos-biggest-franchises|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530175807/https://www.nintendolife.com/features/the-best-and-worst-selling-games-of-nintendos-biggest-franchises|archive-date=30 May 2022|access-date=29 June 2022|website=[[Nintendo Life]]}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| CVG = 90/100{{sfn|''CVG'' staff|1994|p=54}}
| EGM = 10/9/9/9{{efn|''EGM''{{'s}} four reviewers gave ''Donkey Kong Country'' one 10/10 score and three 9/10 scores.{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}}}{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}
| Fam = 7/8/8/8{{efn|''[[Famitsu|Weekly Famitsu]]''{{'s}} four reviewers gave ''Donkey Kong Country'' one 7/10 score and three 8/10 scores.{{sfn|Tsūshin|Doitsu|Watanabe|Chuji|1994}}}}{{sfn|Tsūshin|Doitsu|Watanabe|Chuji|1994}}
| GameFan = 100/100{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=33}}
| NGen = 4/5{{sfn|McDonnell|1995|p=102}}
| TOT = 97/100{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=39}}
| rev1 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev1Score = A+<ref name="EW: Review" />
| rev2 = ''[[Top Secret (magazine)|Top Secret]]''
| rev2Score = 5/5{{Sfn|Kopalny|1995|p=58}}
| award1Pub = [[1995 Kids' Choice Awards]]
| award1 = Favourite Video Game<ref name="GWRKidsChoice" />
| award2Pub = ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly|EGM]]''
| award2 = Game of the Year, SNES Game of the Year, Best Animation, Best Game Duo{{sfn|''EGM'' staff|1994|p=12–22}}
| award3Pub = ''[[GamePro]]''
| award3 = Best Graphic Achievement{{sfn|''GamePro'' staff|1994}}
| award4Pub = ''[[Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine]]''
| award4 = Game of the Year, Best SNES Game, Best Action Game, Best Graphics, Best Gameplay{{sfn|''Video Games'' staff|1995|p=44–46}}
}}

''Donkey Kong Country'' received critical acclaim and was lauded as a paradigm shift that set new standards for video games.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}<ref name="EW: Review" />{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=76}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}}}} It received perfect scores from several outlets.{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=33}}<ref name="EW: Review" />{{Sfn|Kopalny|1995|p=58}} ''[[Diehard GameFan]]'' and ''[[Total!]]'' said it changed expectations for 16-bit and platform games,{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=76}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}} and ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' wrote it "is to most 16-bit games what most 16-bit games are to their [[Atari 2600|Atari]] forebears. Once you've played it, everything else before it seems like a peewee".<ref name="EW: Review">{{cite web|last=Strauss|first=Bob|title=''Donkey Kong Country''|url=https://ew.com/article/1994/12/09/donkey-kong-country/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=4 June 2022|date=9 December 1994|archive-date=4 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904084629/https://ew.com/article/1994/12/09/donkey-kong-country/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' (''EGM'') called ''Donkey Kong Country'' "one of the few games that is actually as good as the hype",{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}} and ''Total!'' declared it the best game of 1994.{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}} ''GameFan'' said that ''Donkey Kong Country'' set a new quality standard that many developers would attempt to imitate.{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=79}}

The visuals were considered the best aspect. Reviewers considered them a major technological achievement, their detail unprecedented for a 16-bit game.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|McDonnell|1995|p=102}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=78–80}}}} ''EGM'' said that the graphical quality prompted questions about the purpose of 32- and [[64-bit computing|64-bit]] hardware.{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}} ''Total!'' said the character animations surpassed those of a Disney film and applauded the [[parallax scrolling]].{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37}} Several critics said the graphics were the best on available hardware,{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|McDonnell|1995|p=102}}{{sfn|''Nintendo Power'' staff|1994|p=102}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=78–80}}}} with ''Entertainment Weekly'' writing that they were comparable to [[matte painting]]s.<ref name="EW: Review" /> The soundtrack and audio were also lauded.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="EW: Review" />{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=81}}}} ''Total!'' said the music built atmosphere,{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}} ''[[Top Secret (magazine)|Top Secret]]'' wrote the "captivating" soundtrack asserted itself as a masterpiece in its own right,{{sfn|Kopalny|1995|p=58}} and ''EGM'' and ''Entertainment Weekly'' said the audio quality was unprecedented for the SNES and on par with a CD's.{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}<ref name="EW: Review" />

Reviewers praised the gameplay for its variety and depth;{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=80}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37–38}} ''Entertainment Weekly'' appreciated that it did not build upon the original arcade game's design.<ref name="EW: Review" /> ''Total!'' described ''Donkey Kong Country'' as addictive, accessible and exciting, with humour, imagination, puzzles and secrets, that proved there was still potential in the platform game genre.{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37–38}} ''EGM'' and ''GameFan'' wrote that the game was lengthy and offered plenty of technique,{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=80–81}} and ''[[GamePro]]'' commended the [[replay value]] that searching for bonus stages provided.{{sfn|Scary Larry|1994|p=51}} ''EGM'' and ''GamePro'' found searching for bonus stages was challenging,{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Scary Larry|1994|p=52}} though ''GamePro'' said it was easy to "breeze through the game" without them and criticised the boss fights as simplistic.{{sfn|Scary Larry|1994|p=52}} The four reviewers in ''[[Famitsu]]'' complimented the gameplay, with one reivewer, [[Hirokazu Hamamura]]; finding it too difficult.{{sfn|Tsūshin|Doitsu|Watanabe|Chuji|1994}} 

Critics frequently compared ''Donkey Kong Country'' to the ''Super Mario'' series,{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37–38}} particularly ''[[Super Mario World]]'' (1990).{{sfn|''CVG'' staff|1994|p=54}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=80}} Some considered ''Donkey Kong Country'' an improvement upon the ''Mario'' formula.{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=80}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37–38}} ''GameFan'' said it would be a worthy successor to ''Super Mario World'' even without the graphics{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=80}} and ''Total!'' wrote that it took ''Mario''{{'s}} best elements, increased the speed, and presented them better.{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37–38}} ''Next Generation'' felt the gameplay, though good, did not meet the standards of previous SNES games such as the ''Mario'' and ''Legend of Zelda'' series and prevented it from being a "typical Nintendo blockbuster".{{sfn|McDonnell|1995|p=102}} ''CVG'' wrote that ''Donkey Kong Country'' was the only SNES game that matched ''Super Mario World'', but that it would be a conventional platformer without its graphics. It warned that experienced players may find the game, designed for a broad audience, unoriginal.{{sfn|''CVG'' staff|1994|p=54}}

===Accolades===
''Donkey Kong Country'' received many [[List of Game of the Year awards|Game of the Year]] awards.<ref name="IGN: History" /> For ''EGM''{{'s}} Best and Worst of 1994, it won Game of the Year, Best SNES Game, and Best Animation; Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong won Best Game Duo.{{sfn|''EGM'' staff|1994|p=12–22}} It also received ''[[Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine]]''{{'s}} awards for Game of the Year, Best SNES Game, Best Action Game, and Best Graphics.{{sfn|''Video Games'' staff|1995|p=44–46}} ''Donkey Kong Country'' was the only video game included in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'s}} Best Products of 1994 list, coming in second behind the [[Chrysler Neon]],{{sfn|''GamePro'' staff|1995|p=155}} and it became the first game to win the [[Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Video Game|Favourite Video Game]] [[Kids' Choice Award]] at the [[1995 Kids' Choice Awards]].<ref name="GWRKidsChoice">{{cite web|title=First winner of "Favorite Video Game" in Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/397184-first-winner-of-favorite-video-game-in-nickelodeons-kids-choice-awards|website=[[Guinness World Records]]|access-date=9 June 2022|date=20 May 1995|archive-date=4 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404001216/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/397184-first-winner-of-favorite-video-game-in-nickelodeons-kids-choice-awards|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Post-release==
In April 1995, following ''Donkey Kong Country''{{'s}} success, Nintendo purchased a 25% [[minority interest|minority stake]] in Rare,<ref name="IGN: GCDevProfile">{{Cite web|last=''IGN'' staff|date=1 March 2001|title=GameCube developer profile: Rare|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/01/gamecube-developer-profile-rare|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125192614/http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/01/gamecube-developer-profile-rare|archive-date=25 January 2013|access-date=14 June 2022|website=[[IGN]]}}</ref> which increased to 49% over time.<ref name="IGN: History" /> Rare was the first non-Japanese studio to enter such a relationship with Nintendo, making them a [[second-party developer]]; Nintendo published Rare's subsequent games and allowed them to expand their staff from 84 to over 250 and move out of the farmhouse to an advanced development site elsewhere in Twycross.<ref name="IGN: GCDevProfile" /> Rare was one of the first developers to receive Nintendo 64 [[software development kits]] and decided to start spending more time developing fewer games.<ref name="IGN: GCDevProfile" /><ref name="Bloomberg: History" /> Nintendo and Rare's partnership produced acclaimed Nintendo 64 games such as ''[[GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)|GoldenEye 007]]'' (1997), ''Banjo-Kazooie'' (1998), ''[[Perfect Dark]]'' (2000), and ''[[Conker's Bad Fur Day]]'' (2001).<ref name="IGN: GCDevProfile" /><ref name="IGN: History" />

A proposed Game Boy port of ''Donkey Kong Country'' was repurposed as a separate game, ''[[Donkey Kong Land]]'' (1995), after the programmer Paul Machacek convinced Rare that it would be a better use of resources and expand the potential audience.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Machacek|first1=Paul|title=Scribes|url=http://www.rareware.com/extra/scribes/11mar05/index.html|publisher=[[Rare (company)|Rare]]|access-date=18 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060511025515/http://www.rareware.com/extra/scribes/11mar05/index.html|archive-date=11 May 2006|date=11 March 2005}}</ref> Rare began developing concepts for a ''Donkey Kong Country'' sequel during production,{{sfn|Milne|2018|p=64}} and Nintendo [[green-light|green-lit]] the project immediately after the success.<ref name="NWR: Years">{{Cite web|last=Goergen|first=Andy|date=12 February 2014|title=Donkey Kong Country, through the years|url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/36539/donkey-kong-country-through-the-years|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703015857/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/36539/donkey-kong-country-through-the-years|archive-date=3 July 2020|access-date=29 May 2022|website=Nintendo World Report}}</ref> ''[[Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest]]'', released in 1995, features Diddy rescuing a kidnapped Donkey Kong from K. Rool and introduces Diddy's girlfriend [[Dixie Kong]]. ''Diddy's Kong Quest'' was designed to be less linear and more challenging,{{sfn|The Feature Creature|1996|p=41}}{{sfn|Milne|2018|p=66}} with a theme reflecting Gregg Mayles' fascination with pirates.{{sfn|Milne|2018|p=66}} Like its predecessor, ''Diddy's Kong Quest'' was a major critical and commercial success.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Antista|first1=Chris|title=New screens honor the legacy of Donkey Kong Country - but WHY?|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/new-screens-honor-the-legacy-of-donkey-kong-country-but-why/?page=2|website=[[GamesRadar+]]|access-date=7 February 2016|date=14 October 2010|archive-date=5 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105194618/https://www.gamesradar.com/new-screens-honor-the-legacy-of-donkey-kong-country-but-why/?page=2|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other teams at Rare used ''Donkey Kong Country''{{'s}} technology in the fighting game ''Killer Instinct'' and ''Donkey Kong Land'', ''[[Donkey Kong Land 2]]'' (1996) and ''[[Donkey Kong Land III]]'' (1997), which attempted to replicate ''Donkey Kong Country''{{'s}} visuals and gameplay on the handheld Game Boy.<ref name="DF Retro" /> Following ''Diddy's Kong Quest'', the ''Donkey Kong Country'' team split in two:<ref name="FanByte: Novakovic" /> one half began working on ''[[Project Dream]]'', a [[role-playing video game|role-playing game]] that used the ''Donkey Kong Country'' technology,{{efn|''Project Dream'' was eventually retooled into ''Banjo-Kazooie''.{{sfn|''Retro Gamer'' staff|2007|p=19}}}}{{sfn|''Retro Gamer'' staff|2007|p=19}} and the other on ''[[Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!]]'' (1996).<ref name="FanByte: Novakovic" /> Rare followed ''Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!'' with ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'' (1999), the first ''Donkey Kong'' game to feature 3D gameplay.<ref name="DF Retro" /> In 2002, Rare was acquired by Nintendo's competitor [[Microsoft]] and the ''Donkey Kong'' rights reverted to Nintendo.<ref name="IGN: History" /><ref name="NWR: Years" />

===Other media===
A [[Video game music|soundtrack]] CD, ''DK Jamz'', was released in North America via news media and retailers in November 1994,{{sfn|''EGM'' staff|1995|p=68}} with a standalone release in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kombo|title=Donkey Kong Country, Streets of Rage, New Adventure Island, The Legend of Kage|url=https://www.gamezone.com/originals/donkey-kong-country-streets-of-rage-new-adventure-island-the-legend-of-kage|website=GameZone|access-date=6 June 2020|date=4 May 2012|archive-date=6 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606141719/https://www.gamezone.com/originals/donkey-kong-country-streets-of-rage-new-adventure-island-the-legend-of-kage/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was one of the earliest video game soundtrack albums released in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|last=Elston|first=Brett|title=17 videogame soundtracks ahead of their time|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/17-videogame-soundtracks-ahead-of-their-time/3|website=[[GamesRadar+]]|access-date=6 June 2020|page=3|date=28 April 2009|archive-date=13 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013033223/https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/17-videogame-soundtracks-ahead-of-their-time/3/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Japanese soundtrack CD, {{nihongo foot|''Super Donkey Kong Game Music CD ~ Jungle Fantasy'',|[[Japanese language|Japanese]]: スーパードンキーコング ゲームミュージックCD ジャングル・ファンタジー|Sūpā donkī kongu gēmu myūjikku CD janguru fantajī|group=lower-alpha}} was released in January 1995. In addition to the game music, it features seven rearrangements by Yoshiyuki Ito, who previously composed rearrangements for Nintendo's ''Zelda'' and ''[[Metroid]]'' soundtrack releases.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Greening |first1=Chris |title=Super Donkey Kong Game Music CD - Jungle Fantasy :: Review by Chris |url=https://www.squareenixmusic.com/reviews/chris/donkeykongcountryarr.shtml |website=Square Enix Music Online |access-date=November 20, 2024 |archive-date=18 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618055005/https://www.squareenixmusic.com/reviews/chris/donkeykongcountryarr.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> The soundtrack was rereleased through the ''Donkey Kong Country Trilogy'' [[compilation album]] in November 1996 and via [[Nintendo Music]], Nintendo's [[music streaming service]], when it launched in October 2024.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Greening |first1=Chris |title=Donkey Kong Country Trilogy :: Review by Chris |url=https://www.squareenixmusic.com/reviews/chris/donkeykongcountrytrilogy.shtml |website=Square Enix Music Online |access-date=November 20, 2024 |archive-date=21 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621211520/https://www.squareenixmusic.com/reviews/chris/donkeykongcountrytrilogy.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/nintendo-music-app-the-full-list-of-game-soundtracks-available-so-far/ |title=Nintendo Music app: The full list of game soundtracks available so far |last=Scullion |first=Chris |work=[[Video Games Chronicle]] |date=November 1, 2024 |accessdate=November 2, 2024 |archive-date=13 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113013526/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/nintendo-music-app-the-full-list-of-game-soundtracks-available-so-far/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

A competition-oriented version of ''Donkey Kong Country'' was sold through [[Blockbuster Video]]. Its changes include a [[time limit]] for the playable levels and a [[score (game)|scoring]] system, which had been used in the [[Nintendo PowerFest '94]] and Blockbuster World Video Game Championships II competitions. It was later distributed in limited quantities through ''Nintendo Power''. The competition version of ''Donkey Kong Country'' is the rarest licensed SNES game; only 2,500 cartridges are known to exist.<ref name="HG101: DKC"/>

===Rereleases===
[[File:DKCRereleaseComparison.png|thumb|upright=1.25|right|alt=Diddy Kong rides a rhino, Rambi, and rams into a beaver enemy, Gnawty. The upper left screenshot shows the SNES version, the upper right shows the GBC version, and the bottom shows the GBA version.|Different versions of ''Donkey Kong Country'': the SNES original (top left), the [[Game Boy Color]] version (top right), and the [[Game Boy Advance]] version (bottom).]]

In 2000, Rare developed a port of ''Donkey Kong Country'' for Nintendo's [[Game Boy Color]] (GBC) handheld console. It was released in North America on 4 November 2000, in Europe on 17 November, and in Japan on 21 January 2001.<ref>{{Cite web|date=31 May 2021|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' (GBC / Game Boy Color) game profile I News, reviews, videos & screenshots|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/games/gbc/donkey_kong_country|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610151258/https://www.nintendolife.com/games/gbc/donkey_kong_country|archive-date=10 June 2022|access-date=15 July 2022|website=[[Nintendo Life]]}}</ref> The port was developed alongside the [[Perfect Dark (Game Boy Color video game)|GBC version of ''Perfect Dark'']]<ref name="IGN: Interrogating">{{Cite web|last=''IGN'' staff|date=25 July 2000|title=Interrogating Rare's Game Boy team|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/07/26/interrogating-rares-game-boy-team|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025035108/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/07/26/interrogating-rares-game-boy-team|archive-date=25 October 2013|access-date=5 June 2020|website=[[IGN]]}}</ref> and many assets, including graphics and audio, were re-used from the ''Donkey Kong Land'' games.<ref name="HG101: DKC">{{cite web|last=DiRienzo|first=David|title=''Donkey Kong Country''|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country|website=[[Hardcore Gaming 101]]|access-date=6 June 2020|date=25 January 2015|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225224451/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country/|url-status=live}}</ref> Aside from graphical and sound-related downgrades due to the GBC's weaker [[8-bit]] hardware, the port is mostly identical to the original release.<ref name="IGN: GBCRev"/> One level was redesigned and another was added.<ref name="HG101: DKC"/> It also adds bonus modes, including two [[minigame]]s that supplement the main quest and support multiplayer via the [[Game Link Cable]], as well as [[Game Boy Printer]] support.<ref name="IGN: GBCRev">{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Craig|title=Donkey Kong Country|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/23/donkey-kong-country-8|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=6 June 2020|date=22 November 2000|archive-date=6 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606113034/https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/23/donkey-kong-country-8|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="GSpot: GBCRev">{{Cite web|last=Provo|first=Frank|date=17 May 2006|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' review|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-review/1900-2657317/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126185554/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-review/1900-2657317/|archive-date=26 January 2018|access-date=6 June 2020|website=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> The GBC version was a runner-up for ''[[GameSpot]]''{{'}}s annual Best Game Boy Color Game and Best Platform Game awards,<ref name="bestworst2000">{{Cite web|last=''GameSpot'' Staff|date=5 January 2001|title=Best and worst of 2000|url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2000/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020213041653/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2000/|archive-date=13 February 2002|website=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> and during the [[4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards]], the [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]] nominated it for the "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Family Game of the Year|Console Family]]" award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2001&idGame=607|title=D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details ''Donkey Kong Country''|publisher=[[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]]|access-date=24 July 2023|archive-date=24 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724205007/https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2001&idGame=607|url-status=live}}</ref> It sold 2.19 million copies worldwide.{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=167}}

Despite its acquisition by Microsoft, Rare continued to produce games for Nintendo's [[Game Boy Advance]] (GBA) since Microsoft did not have a competing handheld.<ref name="IGN: History" /> It ported ''Donkey Kong Country'' as part of Nintendo's line of SNES rereleases for the GBA.<ref name="GSpot: GBARev">{{Cite web|last=Provo|first=Frank|date=11 June 2003|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' review|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-review/1900-6029844/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001035319/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-review/1900-6029844/|archive-date=1 October 2019|access-date=4 June 2020|website=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> The GBA version was released in Australia on 4 June 2003, Europe on 6 June, in North America on 9 June, and in Japan on 12 December.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 4, 2003 |title=Go Banana's on Game Boy Advance |url=http://nintendo.com.au:80/nintendo/news/index.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030628171629/http://nintendo.com.au:80/nintendo/news/index.php |archive-date=June 28, 2003 |access-date=May 23, 2024 |website=[[Nintendo|Nintendo Australia]]}}</ref><ref name="NWR: GBARev" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=21 March 2021|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' (GBA / Game Boy Advance) game profile I News, reviews, videos & screenshots|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/games/gba/donkey_kong_country|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711141621/https://www.nintendolife.com/games/gba/donkey_kong_country|archive-date=11 July 2022|access-date=15 July 2022|website=[[Nintendo Life]]}}</ref> It adds a new animated introductory cutscene,<ref name="IGN: GBARev" /> redesigned [[user interface]]s and world maps,<ref name="HG101: DKC"/> the ability to save progress anywhere, minigames, and a [[time trial]] mode.<ref name="IGN: GBARev"/> It features downgraded graphics and sound,<ref name="HG101: DKC"/><ref name="IGN: GBARev"/> the former due to the GBA's lack of a [[backlight|backlit]] screen.<ref name="DF Retro"/> The GBA version sold 1.82 million copies,{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=168}} including 960,000 in the US by August 2006. Between January 2000 and August 2006, it was the 19th highest-selling game for a Nintendo handheld console in the US.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Keiser|first=Joe|date=2 August 2006|title=The century's top 50 handheld games|work=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3557&Itemid=2&pop=1&page=0|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010052300/http://www.next-gen.biz/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3557&Itemid=2&pop=1&page=0|archive-date=10 October 2007}}</ref>

The SNES version of ''Donkey Kong Country'' has been digitally rereleased for later Nintendo consoles via Nintendo's [[Virtual Console]] service. It was released for the [[Wii]] Virtual Console in Japan and Europe in December 2006, and in North America in February 2007.<ref name="NLife">{{Cite web|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' (SNES / Super Nintendo) game profile I News, reviews, videos & screenshots|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/games/snes/donkey_kong_country|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705190929/https://www.nintendolife.com/games/snes/donkey_kong_country|archive-date=5 July 2020|access-date=6 June 2020|website=[[Nintendo Life]]}}</ref> In September 2012, the game was delisted from the Virtual Console for unknown reasons, though ''[[Kotaku]]''{{'s}} [[Jason Schreier]] suggested it may have been related to licensing problems with Rare.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schreier|first=Jason|date=26 February 2015|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' back on Wii U after mysterious two-year absence|url=https://kotaku.com/donkey-kong-country-back-on-wii-u-after-mysterious-two-1688194495|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126185157/https://kotaku.com/donkey-kong-country-back-on-wii-u-after-mysterious-two-1688194495|archive-date=26 January 2018|access-date=6 June 2020|website=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref> ''Donkey Kong Country'' returned to the [[Wii U]]'s Virtual Console in February 2015<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sirani|first=Jordan|date=26 February 2015|title=Six ''Donkey Kong'' games arrive on Virtual Console|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/02/26/six-donkey-kong-games-arrive-on-virtual-console|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606114703/https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/02/26/six-donkey-kong-games-arrive-on-virtual-console|archive-date=6 June 2020|access-date=6 June 2020|website=[[IGN]]}}</ref> and was added to the [[New Nintendo 3DS]]' Virtual Console in March 2016.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hillier|first=Brenna|title=3DS Virtual Console gets SNES classics – Earthbound Donkey Kong Country, more|url=https://www.vg247.com/2016/03/04/3ds-virtual-console-gets-snes-classics-earthbound-donkey-kong-country-more/|website=[[VG247]]|access-date=6 June 2020|date=6 March 2016|archive-date=24 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924234417/https://www.vg247.com/2016/03/04/3ds-virtual-console-gets-snes-classics-earthbound-donkey-kong-country-more/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was included in the [[Super NES Classic Edition]], a [[dedicated console]] released by Nintendo in September 2017,<ref>{{cite web|last=Soupporis|first=Aaron|title=SNES Classic Edition review: Worth it for the games alone|url=https://www.engadget.com/2017-09-27-snes-classic-edition-review.html|website=[[Engadget]]|access-date=6 June 2020|date=27 September 2017|archive-date=31 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531113738/https://www.engadget.com/2017-09-27-snes-classic-edition-review.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and was released on the [[Nintendo Switch]] via the [[Nintendo Classics]] service in July 2020.<ref>{{cite web|last=Moon|first=Mariella|title=Nintendo Switch Online is adding {{'}}''Donkey Kong Country''{{'}} this month|url=https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-switch-online-adds-donkey-kong-country-for-july-053119477.html|website=[[Engadget]]|access-date=12 June 2022|date=8 July 2020|archive-date=12 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612231740/https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-switch-online-adds-donkey-kong-country-for-july-053119477.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Legacy==
''Donkey Kong Country''{{'}}s visual appeal helped the SNES remain popular in a period of uncertainty for cartridge-based games.<ref name="USG: RetroReview" /> Consumers were unfamiliar with 3D graphics at the time.<ref name="USG: Bluff" /> According to ''[[Official Nintendo Magazine]]'', by bringing next-generation graphics to the SNES just 12 days before the PlayStation's Japanese launch, ''Donkey Kong Country'' persuaded consumers that an immediate upgrade was unnecessary.{{Sfn|Castle|2014|p=100–101}} ''[[IGN]]'' wrote that the game "saved the SNES" and revitalised sales by bringing back lapsed fans.<ref name="IGN: Review" /> ''Donkey Kong Country'' also helped Nintendo pull ahead of Sega and win the [[console wars]] of the 1990s.<ref name="BBC: CWs">{{cite web|last=Kelion|first=Leo|title=Sega v Nintendo: Sonic, Mario and the 1990's console war|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27373587|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=26 April 2022|date=13 May 2014|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702174225/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27373587|url-status=live}}</ref> Whereas Nintendo continued to release [[AAA (video game industry)|AAA]] games such as ''Donkey Kong Country'', Sega had alienated audiences with add-ons such as the Mega-CD and 32X,<ref name="IGN: SNESvsGen" /> and its subsequent console, the Saturn, failed.<ref name="BBC: CWs" />

The ''Donkey Kong Country'' series re-established ''Donkey Kong'' as one of Nintendo's most popular and profitable franchises.<ref name="NWR: Years" /> ''Donkey Kong Country'' heralded Donkey Kong's transition from villain to hero;<ref name="NWR: Years" /><ref name="GSpot: DK64" /> Rare's redesign became his standard appearance,<ref name="GSpy: Overrated" /> and its gameplay format was followed by sequels.<ref name="NWR: Years" /> The game inspired [[Donkey Kong Country (TV series)|an animated series]] that ran for [[List of Donkey Kong Country episodes|40 episodes]] from 1997 to 2000,<ref>{{cite web|last=DiRienzo|first=David|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' (Cartoon)|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-cartoon|website=[[Hardcore Gaming 101]]|access-date=2 June 2022|date=18 May 2014|archive-date=1 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601155700/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-cartoon/|url-status=live}}</ref> and Diddy Kong starred in a Nintendo 64 [[racing game]] spin-off, ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'' (1997).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Watts|first=Martin|date=23 February 2014|title=Month of Kong: The making of Diddy Kong Racing|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/month_of_kong_the_making_of_diddy_kong_racing|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601155608/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/month_of_kong_the_making_of_diddy_kong_racing|archive-date=1 June 2022|access-date=1 June 2022|website=[[Nintendo Life]]}}</ref> Following ''Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!'', the ''Country'' series went on a hiatus until ''[[Donkey Kong Country Returns]]'', developed by [[Retro Studios]], was released for the Wii on ''Donkey Kong Country''{{'s}} 16th anniversary in 2010. A sequel, ''[[Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze]]'', was released for the Wii U in 2014.<ref name="NWR: Years" /> Wise, who left Rare in 2009, returned to compose ''Tropical Freeze''{{'s}} score.<ref name="Poly: Remaking">{{cite web|last=Gera|first=Emily|title=Synth, big band jazz and the remaking of Donkey Kong Country's amazing sound|url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/3/5/5456852/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-music|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|access-date=2 June 2022|date=5 March 2014|archive-date=31 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531023549/https://www.polygon.com/2014/3/5/5456852/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-music|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Retrospective assessments===
[[File:Shigeru Miyamoto at E3 2013 1 (cropped).JPG|thumb|upright=0.75|alt=Shigeru Miyamoto, a middle-aged Japanese man wearing a herringbone blazer and white shirt.|False rumours spread that ''Donkey Kong''{{'s}} creator, [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] (pictured in 2013), disliked ''Donkey Kong Country''.<ref name="USG: Bluff" />]]

Reviewing the Virtual Console rerelease, ''[[Nintendo Life]]'' felt the visuals were still among the SNES's best,<ref name="NLife: Review">{{Cite web|last=Olney|first=Alex|date=24 October 2014|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' review (Wii U eShop / SNES)|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/donkey_kong_country_snes|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303022649/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/donkey_kong_country_snes|archive-date=3 March 2021|access-date=10 June 2022|website=[[Nintendo Life]]}}</ref> and ''[[Jeuxvideo.com]]'' said they had offered a new depth of realism.<ref name="Jeux: SNESTest">{{cite news|last=Garnier|first=Michel|title=Test du jeu ''Donkey Kong Country'' sur SNES|url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00012136-donkey-kong-country-test.htm|access-date=4 June 2020|work=[[Jeuxvideo.com]]|date=22 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030083735/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00012136-donkey-kong-country-test.htm|archive-date=30 October 2019|language=fr}}</ref> ''IGN'' and ''[[AllGame]]'' said the visuals remained impressive for the SNES (though ''IGN'' thought they were no longer as significant a draw),<ref name="IGN: Review">{{Cite news|last=Thomas|first=Lucas M.|date=20 February 2007|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' review|work=[[IGN]]|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/20/donkey-kong-country-review|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823012726/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/20/donkey-kong-country|archive-date=23 August 2012}}</ref><ref name="AllGameRev">{{Cite web|last=Marriott|first=Scott Alan|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' review (SNES)|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2475&tab=review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114125055/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2475&tab=review|archive-date=14 November 2014|publisher=[[AllGame]]}}</ref> while ''GameSpot'' thought the graphics rivalled 32-bit consoles.<ref name="GSpotRev">{{Cite web|last=Provo|first=Frank|date=23 February 2007|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' review|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-review/1900-6166362|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401224009/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-review/1900-6166362/|archive-date=1 April 2019|access-date=4 June 2020|website=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> Conversely, ''USGamer'' said that, though technically impressive, they did not age well, with "cringe-inducing", "paper-thin backgrounds".<ref name="USG: RetroReview">{{Cite web|last=Oxford|first=Nadia|date=23 January 2019|title=Super NES retro review: ''Donkey Kong Country''|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/super-nes-classic-reviews-game-by-game-15-donkey-kong-country|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120063355/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/super-nes-classic-reviews-game-by-game-15-donkey-kong-country|archive-date=20 November 2020|access-date=5 June 2020|website=[[US Gamer]]}}</ref> ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' agreed, writing that the visuals looked plastic-like, did not hold up well once the novelty of pre-rendering had worn off, and were clearly experimental, even if their detail was admirable.<ref name="HG101: DKC" /> Critics praised the GBC version for attempting to preserve the visuals in spite of hardware limitations,<ref name="GSpotGBC">{{Cite web|last=Provo|first=Frank|date=17 May 2006|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' review|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-review/1900-2657317|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126185554/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-review/1900-2657317/|archive-date=26 January 2018|access-date=11 June 2022|website=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Craig|title=''Donkey Kong Country''|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/23/donkey-kong-country-8|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=11 June 2022|date=22 November 2000|archive-date=28 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528162857/https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/23/donkey-kong-country-8|url-status=live}}</ref> but criticised the GBA version's downgrades,<ref name="NWR: GBARev">{{cite web|last=Kosmina|first=Ben|title=''Donkey Kong Country''|url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4124/donkey-kong-country-game-boy-advance|website=Nintendo World Report|access-date=11 June 2022|date=5 September 2003|archive-date=11 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911112852/https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4124/donkey-kong-country-game-boy-advance|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Mariott|first=Scott|title=''Donkey Kong Country''|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=42630&tab=review|publisher=[[AllGame]]|access-date=11 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114211741/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=42630&tab=review|archive-date=14 November 2014}}</ref> which ''IGN'' considered detrimental to the experience.<ref name="IGN: GBARev" />

''Donkey Kong Country'' became divisive in the years following its release.<ref name="USG: Bluff" /> ''Eurogamer'' wrote that it became popular to dislike it in the early 2000s,<ref name="Euro: GBARev">{{cite web|last=Bramwell|first=Tom|title=''Donkey Kong Country''|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_dkc_gba|website=[[Eurogamer]]|access-date=11 June 2022|date=3 June 2003|archive-date=1 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001035319/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_dkc_gba|url-status=live}}</ref> and it was often described as one of the most overrated video games.<ref name="GSpy: Overrated">{{Cite web|last=''GameSpy'' staff|date=19 September 2003|title=25 most overrated games of all time|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/september03/25overrated/index18.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508010107/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/september03/25overrated/index.shtml|archive-date=8 May 2006|access-date=11 June 2022|website=[[GameSpy]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=DiRienzo|first=David|title=''Donkey Kong Jungle Beat''|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-jungle-beat|website=[[Hardcore Gaming 101]]|access-date=12 July 2020|date=17 April 2015|archive-date=13 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813023826/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-jungle-beat/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' staff|title=The 10 most overrated games|url=http://www.1up.com/features/10-overrated-games|website=[[1Up.com]]|access-date=11 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512073328/http://www.1up.com/features/10-overrated-games|archive-date=12 May 2012|date=4 April 2005}}</ref> For example, ''[[Vice Media|Vice]]'' wrote that it did not deserve to be considered a classic and, alongside ''[[GameSpy]]'', called its gameplay unremarkable and lacking depth.<ref name="GSpy: Overrated" /><ref name="Vice: Terrible">{{cite web|last=Dransfield|first=Ian|title=Twenty years on, 'Donkey Kong Country' is still as terrible as it ever was|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/donkey-kong-at-20-years-old-442/|website=[[Vice Media|Vice]]|access-date=31 May 2022|date=2 December 2014|archive-date=31 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531001349/https://www.vice.com/en/article/exm9bn/donkey-kong-at-20-years-old-442|url-status=live}}</ref> According to ''IGN'', critics accused ''Donkey Kong Country'' of "sacrificing gameplay for the sake of a short-run attention grab and quick impulse sales",<ref name="IGN: Review" /> which ''USGamer'' attributed to the "flimflammery of its visuals and the relative mundanity of its actual game design".<ref name="USG: Bluff" /> ''USGamer'' wrote the game was often criticised as an example of [[style over substance]], with gameplay that was arguably inferior to SNES [[launch game]]s such as ''Super Mario World'' and ''[[Super Castlevania IV]]'' (1991).<ref name="USG: Bluff" /> ''GameSpy'' complained that ''Donkey Kong Country'' overshadowed games such as ''Yoshi's Island'', which it considered superior.<ref name="GSpy: Overrated" />

''Donkey Kong Country'' has been described as one of the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest video games of all time]].{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref>{{cite web|title=The 100 greatest games|url=http://www.empireonline.com/100greatestgames/default.asp?p=76|website=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|access-date=11 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706102359/http://www.empireonline.com/100greatestgames/default.asp?p=76|archive-date=6 July 2011|page=76|date=2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Moore|first1=Bo|last2=Schubak|first2=Adam|title=The 100 greatest video games of all time|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/g134/the-100-greatest-video-games-of-all-time/?slide=37|website=[[Popular Mechanics]]|access-date=11 June 2022|page=37|date=15 March 2022|archive-date=11 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611135725/https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/g134/the-100-greatest-video-games-of-all-time/?slide=37|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=''Polygon'' staff|title=The 500 best games of all time: 300-201|url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/29/16693094/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-300-201|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|access-date=11 June 2022|date=29 November 2017|archive-date=30 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330211534/https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/29/16693094/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-300-201|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=''Slant'' staff|title=100 greatest video games of all time|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/100-greatest-video-games-of-all-time/P4|website=[[Slant (magazine)|Slant]]|access-date=11 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717084539/http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/100-greatest-video-games-of-all-time/P4|archive-date=17 July 2015|page=4|date=9 June 2014}}</ref>}} ''USGamer'' wrote that the criticism was unfair because it "exudes craftsmanship ... Rare went to great pains to create a consistent, seamless world that managed to convey [[trompe-l'œil|trompe-l'oeil]] immersion", something few developers could replicate.<ref name="USG: Bluff" /> Though retrospective reviewers criticised the boss fights,<ref name="HG101: DKC" /><ref name="NLife: Review" /><ref name="USG: RetroReview" /> they praised the rhythm, variety, and replay value.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="GSpotRev" /><ref name="NLife: Review" /><ref name="IGN: Review" /><ref name="USG: RetroReview" /><ref name="AllGameRev" />}} ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' said that although some aspects had not aged well, ''Donkey Kong Country'' remained among the best ''Donkey Kong'' games and deserved praise for resurrecting the franchise.<ref>{{cite web|last=Parish|first=Jeremy|title=The definitive ranking of ''Donkey Kong'' games|url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/5/10/17333228/donkey-kong-rankings|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|access-date=31 May 2022|date=10 May 2018|archive-date=3 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403080041/https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/5/10/17333228/donkey-kong-rankings|url-status=live}}</ref> Its soundtrack is considered one of the best in games,<ref name="Vice: Xanax">{{cite web|last=Pollack|first=Hilary|title=The {{'}}''Donkey Kong Country''{{'}} soundtrack is better than Xanax|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-donkey-kong-country-soundtrack-is-better-than-xanax/|website=[[Vice Media|Vice]]|access-date=11 June 2022|date=17 July 2020|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129173429/https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxqp5n/the-donkey-kong-country-soundtrack-is-better-than-xanax|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="IGN: GBARev">{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Craig|title=''Donkey Kong Country''|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/06/06/donkey-kong-country-4|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=11 June 2022|date=6 June 2003|archive-date=29 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529232142/https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/06/06/donkey-kong-country-4|url-status=live}}</ref> praised for its atmosphere and diversity.<ref name="HG101: DKC" /><ref name="Jeux: SNESTest" /><ref name="USG: RetroReview" /> ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' said it was the one element that had unquestionably aged well and contained some of the [[16-bit era]]'s most memorable music.<ref name="HG101: DKC" />

In the years following its release, rumours spread that Miyamoto disliked ''Donkey Kong Country'' and found it amateurish,<ref name="USG: Bluff" /> and had created the hand-drawn art style of ''Yoshi's Island'' in retaliation for its pre-rendered visuals.<ref name="USG: Bluff" /><ref name="Shack: 21Facts" /> Miyamoto spoke highly of ''Donkey Kong Country'' in a 2000 interview; he said that Rare "breathed new life into" Donkey Kong, had demonstrated excellent research into what made a Nintendo game work, and proved they could be trusted with the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise.<ref name="MiyamotoNOM">{{cite web |title="ドンキーコングの生みの親" 宮本茂独占インタビュー |trans-title=Exclusive Interview with Donkey Kong Creator Shigeru Miyamoto |url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0002/01/miyamoto.html |website=Nintendo Online Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040212000129/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0002/01/miyamoto.html |archive-date=February 12, 2004 |access-date=January 22, 2025 |language=Japanese |date=February 2000}} ([https://themushroomkingdom.net/interview_miyamoto_nom18_feb2000.shtml Translation])</ref> However, the author [[Steven L. Kent]] claimed Miyamoto said that "''Donkey Kong Country'' proves gamers will put up with mediocre gameplay if the art is good" in a 1995 ''[[Electronic Games]]'' interview.<ref name="Shack: 21Facts" /> Kent said that Nintendo's marketing department had rejected ''Yoshi's Island'' as it lacked ''Donkey Kong Country''{{'s}} pre-rendered graphics, and that this had possibly motivated Miyamoto's remark.<ref name="Shack: 21Facts">{{cite web|last=Craddock|first=David|title=21 facts you might not know about all the games on the SNES Classic|url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/100456/21-facts-you-might-not-know-about-all-the-games-on-the-snes-classic|website=[[Shacknews]]|access-date=16 June 2022|date=27 June 2017|archive-date=16 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616235458/https://www.shacknews.com/article/100456/21-facts-you-might-not-know-about-all-the-games-on-the-snes-classic|url-status=live}}</ref> Miyamoto denied this in 2010, noting he "was very involved" in ''Donkey Kong Country'' and had corresponded with Stamper throughout development.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Craig|title=E3 2010: Shigeru Miyamoto likes ''Donkey Kong Country'' after all|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/06/17/e3-2010-shigeru-miyamoto-likes-donkey-kong-country-after-all|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=11 June 2022|date=17 June 2010|archive-date=27 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627062028/https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/06/17/e3-2010-shigeru-miyamoto-likes-donkey-kong-country-after-all|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, ''USGamer'' described Kent's claims as "seemingly apocryphal",<ref name="USG: Bluff" /> and in 2019, the video game historian [[Frank Cifaldi]] found that the ''Electronic Games'' interview did not contain the alleged quote from Miyamoto.<ref>{{cite tweet|last=Cifaldi|first=Frank|title=Sorry, they do talk about tech but there's nothing remotely like that in here.|user=frankcifaldi|number=1144373230364266496|date=27 June 2019|access-date=13 June 2020}}</ref>

===Influence===
''Donkey Kong Country'' exerted "revolutionary influence", according to ''GameSpot''.<ref name="GSpot: DK64">{{Cite web|last=Taruc|first=Nelson|date=22 November 1999|title=''Donkey Kong 64'' review|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-64-review/1900-2543651|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126185623/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-64-review/1900-2543651/|archive-date=26 January 2018|access-date=26 April 2022|website=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> ''Kotaku'' said its unprecedented graphics represented the future of games and ''Nintendo World Report'' wrote that it set standards for how platform games could look and play.<ref name="Kotaku: 25Yrs" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Hernandez|first=Pedro|title=''Donkey Kong Country 1'' & ''2''|url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/27421/the-snes-20-donkey-kong-country-1-namp-2|website=Nintendo World Report|access-date=1 June 2022|date=17 August 2011|archive-date=21 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221151814/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/27421/the-snes-20-donkey-kong-country-1-namp-2|url-status=live}}</ref> Sega commissioned [[BlueSky Software]] to develop the Mega Drive game ''[[Vectorman]]'' (1995) in response to ''Donkey Kong Country''{{'s}} popularity.<ref>{{cite web|last=Elston|first=Brett|title=Game music of the day: Vectorman|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/game-music-of-the-day-vectorman|website=[[GamesRadar+]]|access-date=20 August 2022|date=30 September 2010|archive-date=15 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715232447/https://www.gamesradar.com/game-music-of-the-day-vectorman/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Taborda|first=Zillion|title=Vectorman|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/vectorman/|website=[[Hardcore Gaming 101]]|access-date=20 August 2022|date=27 December 2015|archive-date=27 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927222036/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/vectorman/|url-status=live}}</ref> Many developers imitated the visuals;<ref name="USG: Bluff" /> ''IGN'' identified the Saturn games ''[[Clockwork Knight]]'' (1994) and ''[[Bug!]]'' (1995) as examples.<ref>{{cite web|last=Buchanan|first=Levi|title=What hath Sonic wrought? Vol. 10|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/02/02/what-hath-sonic-wrought-vol-10|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=11 June 2022|date=2 February 2009|archive-date=11 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611180258/https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/02/02/what-hath-sonic-wrought-vol-10|url-status=live}}</ref> ''USGamer'' wrote that few games achieved the same quality and that [[2.5D]] games, such as [[Crystal Dynamics]]' ''[[Pandemonium! (video game)|Pandemonium!]]'' (1996), exposed the "illusion upon which [''Donkey Kong Country''] was built".<ref name="USG: Bluff" /> ''Kotaku'' said ''Donkey Kong Country'' was an event that could not be replicated in modern times due to the game industry's growth.<ref name="Kotaku: 25Yrs" />

[[Naughty Dog]]'s founders [[Andy Gavin]] and [[Jason Rubin]] cited ''Donkey Kong Country'' as the primary influence on their break-out game ''[[Crash Bandicoot (video game)|Crash Bandicoot]]'' (1996).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/04/rising-to-greatness-the-history-of-naughty-dog|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126015810/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/04/rising-to-greatness-the-history-of-naughty-dog|title=Rising to greatness: The history of Naughty Dog|last=Moriarty|first=Colin|date=4 October 2013|archive-date=26 November 2013|work=[[IGN]]|access-date=31 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Crash''{{'s}} first functional levels drew upon techniques employed by ''Donkey Kong Country'', such as steam vents, drop platforms, bouncy pads, heated pipes, and enemies that move back and forth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/02/05/making-crash-bandicoot-part-4|title=Making Crash Bandicoot - part 4|last=Gavin|first=Andy|author-link=Andy Gavin|date=5 February 2011|publisher=All Things Andy Gavin|access-date=2 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707112809/http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/02/05/making-crash-bandicoot-part-4/|archive-date=7 July 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> The pre-rendered visuals inspired other games, including ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'' (1996) and ''[[Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island]]'' (1996),<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sao|first1=Akinori|title=Kirby Super Star developer interview - SNES Classic Edition|url=https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-kirby|publisher=[[Nintendo]]|date=10 October 2017|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817122322/https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-kirby/|archive-date=17 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|''Mean Machines Sega'' staff|1996|p=25}} and critics have identified ''Donkey Kong Country'' references or influence in games such as the Mega-CD version of ''[[Earthworm Jim (video game)|Earthworm Jim]]'' (1995),<ref>{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Mike|title=Nothing wrong with playing it again|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/starting-screen-nothing-wrong-with-playing-it-again|website=[[USgamer]]|access-date=17 June 2022|date=29 May 2020|archive-date=22 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022175352/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/starting-screen-nothing-wrong-with-playing-it-again|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Sonic Blast]]'' (1996),<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ronaghan|first1=Neal|title=Grinding Game Gears: An overview of Sonic's portable origins|url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/34741/grinding-game-gears-an-overview-of-sonics-portable-origins|website=Nintendo World Report|access-date=19 June 2022|date=21 June 2013|archive-date=9 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509194307/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/34741/grinding-game-gears-an-overview-of-sonics-portable-origins|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Rayman Origins]]'' (2011),<ref>{{Cite web|last=Parkin|first=Simon|date=14 November 2011|title=''Rayman Origins'' review|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/rayman-origins-review|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617170353/https://www.eurogamer.net/rayman-origins-review|archive-date=17 June 2022|access-date=17 June 2022|website=[[Eurogamer]]}}</ref> ''[[Mekazoo]]'' (2016),<ref>{{cite web|last=Priestman|first=Chris|title=''Donkey Kong Country''-inspired platformer ''Mekazoo'' will have tag team-style local co-op|url=https://www.siliconera.com/donkey-kong-country-inspired-platformer-mekazoo-will-have-tag-team-style-local-co-op/|website=[[Siliconera]]|access-date=17 June 2022|date=28 July 2015|archive-date=17 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617170357/https://www.siliconera.com/donkey-kong-country-inspired-platformer-mekazoo-will-have-tag-team-style-local-co-op/|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Kaze and the Wild Masks]]'' (2021).<ref>{{cite web|last=Peeples|first=Jeremy|title=Review: Kaze and the Wild Masks|url=https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-kaze-and-the-wild-masks/401033/|website=Hardcore Gamer|access-date=17 June 2022|date=26 March 2021|archive-date=17 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617170353/https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-kaze-and-the-wild-masks/401033/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] credited ''Donkey Kong Country'' for maintaining the popularity of 2D games and ensuring the development of new entries in the ''Mario'', ''[[Kirby (series)|Kirby]]'', and ''[[List of Yoshi video games|Yoshi]]'' series.<ref name="ABC: Reboot">{{cite web|title=Good Game Stores - Feature: Reboots|url=https://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s3698754.htm|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=1 June 2022|date=26 February 2013|archive-date=1 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601153323/https://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s3698754.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Wise's soundtrack was considered highly influential, developing a [[cult following]] for his work.<ref name="Kotaku: Tunes">{{cite web|last=Hopkins|first=Matt|title=Gaming tunes that whip sack both in and out of their virtual worlds|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/11/gaming-tunes-that-whip-sack-both-in-and-out-of-their-virtual-worlds/|website=[[Kotaku]]|access-date=11 June 2022|date=29 November 2019|archive-date=10 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610153959/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/11/gaming-tunes-that-whip-sack-both-in-and-out-of-their-virtual-worlds/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''IGN'' said ''Donkey Kong Country'' contributed to an increased appreciation for [[video game music]] as an art form,<ref name="IGN: AquaticAmbience">{{cite AV media|title=The Most Emotional Video Game Music in the Unlikeliest of Places|author=''[[IGN]]''|via=[[YouTube]]|date=6 August 2023|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwFJdaxM89c|access-date=12 August 2023|archive-date=11 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811115820/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwFJdaxM89c&feature=youtu.be|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''The New York Times'' called it the video game equivalent to [[the Beatles]]' ''[[Revolver (Beatles album)|Revolver]]'' (1966).<ref name="NYT: Wise" /> Rearrangements of the music appear in ''Donkey Kong 64'', ''Donkey Kong Country Returns'', and ''Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Power|first=Tom|title=As ''Donkey Kong 64'' turns 20, the devs reflect on its design, the infamous DK Rap, and how a shocked Shigeru Miyamoto created the Coconut Shooter|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/making-of-donkey-kong-64|website=[[GamesRadar+]]|access-date=14 June 2022|date=7 December 2019|archive-date=14 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614132033/https://www.gamesradar.com/making-of-donkey-kong-64/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=DiRienzo|first=David|title=''Donkey Kong Country Returns''|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-returns|website=[[Hardcore Gaming 101]]|access-date=14 June 2022|date=17 April 2015|archive-date=21 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421174045/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-returns/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Mejia|first=Ozzie|date=1 May 2018|title=''Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze'' (Nintendo Switch) review: Funky like a monkey|url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/104677/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-nintendo-switch-review-funky-like-a-monkey|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417103301/https://www.shacknews.com/article/104677/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-nintendo-switch-review-funky-like-a-monkey|archive-date=17 April 2021|access-date=14 June 2022|website=[[Shacknews]]}}</ref> and in [[Crossover (fiction)|crossover]] games such as Nintendo's ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' fighting series.<ref>{{cite web|last=Green|first=Jake|title=''Super Smash Bros Ultimate'' music list - every song in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, full soundtrack|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/17-12-18-super-smash-bros-ultimate-song-list-every-music-track-in-ultimate-full-soundtrack|website=[[USGamer]]|access-date=14 June 2022|date=17 April 2019|archive-date=15 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115162830/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/17-12-18-super-smash-bros-ultimate-song-list-every-music-track-in-ultimate-full-soundtrack|url-status=live}}</ref> Its tracks are often remixed, Wise contributing to an [[OverClocked ReMix]] album in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|last=Reynolds|first=Shawn|title=New ''Donkey Kong'' Aquatic Ambience remix composed for video game music awards|url=https://hardcoregamer.com/videos/new-donkey-kong-aquatic-ambience-remix-composed-for-video-game-music-awards/232903/|website=Hardcore Gamer|access-date=11 June 2022|date=29 October 2016|archive-date=11 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611140409/https://hardcoregamer.com/videos/new-donkey-kong-aquatic-ambience-remix-composed-for-video-game-music-awards/232903/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sorlie|first=Audun|title=Original ''Donkey Kong Country'' composers contribute to OverClocked ReMix's Serious Monkey Business|url=http://www.originalsoundversion.com/serious-monkey-business-needs-serious-human-cash|publisher=Original Sound Version|access-date=11 June 2022|date=6 November 2009|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907021936/http://www.originalsoundversion.com/serious-monkey-business-needs-serious-human-cash/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sofka|first=Samantha|title=GameChops releases Club Kong: A modern jazz remix of Donkey Kong music|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/gamechops_releases_club_kong_a_modern_jazz_remix_of_donkey_kong_music|website=[[Nintendo Life]]|access-date=11 June 2022|date=10 February 2014|archive-date=11 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611140409/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/gamechops_releases_club_kong_a_modern_jazz_remix_of_donkey_kong_music|url-status=live}}</ref> "Aquatic Ambience" has been particularly influential. It has been described as "the '[[Eleanor Rigby]]' of video game music", praised by artists such as [[Trent Reznor]] and [[Donald Glover]],<ref name="IGN: AquaticAmbience" /> and ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' wrote that it spawned a "minor cult" dedicated to remixes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Vishnevetsky|first=Ignatiy|title=Chill out with ''Donkey Kong Country''|url=https://www.avclub.com/chill-out-with-donkey-kong-country-1798242884|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=29 June 2022|date=7 January 2016|archive-date=29 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629094540/https://www.avclub.com/chill-out-with-donkey-kong-country-1798242884|url-status=live}}</ref> Glover sampled it in his 2012 song "Eat Your Vegetables", to which Wise expressed approval.<ref>{{cite web|last=Reseigh-Lincoln|first=Dom|title=Random: Childish Gambino sampled ''Donkey Kong Country'' and David Wise definitely approves|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/05/random_childish_gambino_sampled_donkey_kong_country_and_david_wise_definitely_approves|website=[[Nintendo Life]]|access-date=11 June 2022|date=24 May 2018|archive-date=11 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611140232/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/05/random_childish_gambino_sampled_donkey_kong_country_and_david_wise_definitely_approves|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Donkey Kong Country'' established Rare as one of the leading video game developers<ref name="IGN: History" /> and set the standard for its work.<ref name="Vice: Terrible" /> It originated conventions characteristic of Rare's later output, including an emphasis on collecting items,<ref name="HG101: DKC" /> irreverent humour,<ref>{{cite web|last=Gilbert|first=Henry|title=Nintendo trivia - 64 little known facts about the gaming giant|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/nintendo-trivia-20-little-known-facts-about-gaming-giant|website=[[GamesRadar+]]|access-date=15 November 2023|date=23 September 2014|archive-date=15 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115133612/https://www.gamesradar.com/nintendo-trivia-20-little-known-facts-about-gaming-giant/|url-status=live}}</ref> visual appeal, and tech demo-like design.<ref name="Vice: Terrible" /> Nintendo and Rare's partnership continued until ''[[Star Fox Adventures]]'' (2002) for the [[GameCube]], after which Rare was acquired by Microsoft.<ref name="IGN: History" /> The 2019 game ''[[Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair]]''—developed by [[Playtonic Games]], whose staff includes Rare alumni that worked on ''Donkey Kong Country''—was noted for its gameplay similarities to ''Donkey Kong Country'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Davenport|first=James|title=''Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair'' is basically ''Donkey Kong Country'' on PC|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/yooka-laylee-and-the-impossible-lair-is-basically-donkey-kong-country-on-pc|website=[[PC Gamer]]|access-date=1 June 2022|date=28 June 2019|archive-date=31 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531214617/https://www.pcgamer.com/yooka-laylee-and-the-impossible-lair-is-basically-donkey-kong-country-on-pc/|url-status=live}}</ref> though Playtonic's head Gavin Price declined to label it a [[spiritual successor]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Dring|first=Christopher|title=Playtonic: "We are never using the term spiritual successor again"|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-06-08-playtonic-we-are-never-using-the-term-spiritual-successor-again|website=[[GamesIndustry.biz]]|access-date=1 June 2022|date=14 June 2019|archive-date=16 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616141249/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-06-08-playtonic-we-are-never-using-the-term-spiritual-successor-again|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Nintendo Life'' also identified similarities between ''Donkey Kong Country'' and ''Kroko Bongo: Tap to the Beat!'' (2017), a platform game developed by the Stampers' [[mobile game]] studio [[FortuneFish]].<ref>{{cite web|last=McFerran|first=Damien|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/09/the_latest_game_from_the_stamper_brothers_feels_like_a_donkey_kong_country_sequel|title=The latest game from the Stamper brothers feels like a Donkey Kong Country sequel|website=[[Nintendo Life]]|access-date=16 June 2022|date=5 September 2017|archive-date=16 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616184027/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/09/the_latest_game_from_the_stamper_brothers_feels_like_a_donkey_kong_country_sequel|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
{{refbegin|35em}}
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{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Donkey Kong Country}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980705003317/http://www.rare.co.uk/recent/games/dkc/ |title=Official website |date=dmy}}
* [https://www.mariowiki.com/Donkey_Kong_Country ''Donkey Kong Country'' at the Super Mario Wiki]

{{Donkey Kong}}
{{Rare}}
{{Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Video Game}}
{{Portal bar|Video games|1990s|United Kingdom}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Donkey Kong Country| ]]
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