After the rescue of Donkey and Diddy Kong from the Kremlings, things slowly quieted down. That is, until a rumor of a treasure-filled Lost World began to run around. Suddenly, Donkey Kong Island was infested with explorers looking for the lost land. Donkey and Diddy got the treasure fever too, and set off in search of the treasure, forgetting about poor Dixie who was left to babysit Kiddy. Dixie, angered that her friends left without her, decided she would find the Lost World herself. Grabbing Kiddy, she rushed off into the jungle and began her search.
Dixie Kong and
Kiddy Kong made the leap from the
Super NES's
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble to the
Super Game Boy (or, in
Japan, the
Game Boy Color) in
1997's
Donkey Kong Land 3. Following in the footsteps of its
16-bit cousin, the game follows the two Kongs as they travel across the land in an attempt to find the treasures of the
Lost World. Each of the apes brings along their usual array of attacks, the helicopter ponytail and the rolling bash, however the team-up option from the
Super NES version is not included as the system cannot handle two characters onscreen at the same time. Instead one can swap between apes with the Select button. Additionally, at times players can assume the guise of
Ellie the Elephant,
Squawks the Parrot,
Squitter the Spider, and
Enguarde the Swordfish who each have their own special moves and abilities Unplayable characters who offer assistance include
Wrinkley Kong (she saves your game), one of the
Brothers Bear (he runs the Sheepy Shop, a place to buy tips, transports, or play cards), and
Nid (he acts as a springboard).
As in past Donkey Kong Land games, the levels are based on levels from the 16-bit version, but are actually new levels. The world map has been redesigned and the levels created from scratch, but the basic feel and theme of past DKL's remains. Basic platformer hop-n-bop with occassional usage of barrels and bonus coins is the rule of the day as the apes jump and climb their way though different areas each comprised of several levels. And speaking of levels, the areas that the two Kongs will traverse in their quest are...
- Cape Codswallop
- Primate Plains
- Blackforest Plateau
- Great Ape Lakes
- Tin Can Valley
- The Lost World
Designed by Nintendo and Rareware, DKL3 is considered to be one of, if not the, best Donkey Kong Land game. As mentioned above, the Japanese market received a Game Boy Color version of the game in 1998, whereas the rest of the world received the 1997 Super Game Boy release (one of the last SGB releases, actually). The game is becoming harder to find in stores, but should still be available at use game shops or online auctions.
References:
Playing the game
http://www.GameFAQs.com
http://www.echosoftware.com/ofnstudios/dk/dkl3story.html