The Center Network

    Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have gone missing while vacationing in the Northern Kremisphere, prompting Dixie Kong and her toddler cousin Kiddy Kong to try and battle through the Kremlings and the robot KAOS in order to find them.

    Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble continues with the style that made the series so successful. Dixie Kong returns from the previous game and is joined by Kiddy, who plays much like Donkey Kong while adding the ability to bounce on water via his rolling attack.

   As with the previous game, some old animal buddies return and some new ones are introduced. Squitter the Spider, Engarde the Swordfish and Squawks the Parrot retain their abilities from the previous game. Flapper the Parrot also returns, but this time he can fly normally and use barrels. New to the game is Ellie the Elephant, whose trunk can shoot water and lift barrels, and Parry the Bird, who flies above the Kongs and collects out of reach items.

    The Kong family also makes their return. Wrinkly Kong still saves your game, and will also house rescued Banana Birds. Funky Kong now provides a boat rental shop, and he can upgrade and build new vehicles with the correct parts. Swanky Kong allows you to bet bonus coins on games of skill where you compete against Cranky Kong. The Brothers Bear, family of bears who will offer assistance during the game, also make their debut.

    Kremkoins and Banana Coins are replaced by Bonus Coins and Bear Coins, respectively, and serve similar functions. DK Coins are used as a shield by Koin, an enemy who must be defeated by figuring out how to redirect a keg barrel into him. The Coins again lead to a hidden world and are involved in the completion percentage of the game.

    The overworld is altered from the past two games, now focusing more on exploring for hidden caves. Each hidden cave contains a memory game that unlocks a Banana Bird, which are necessary for full percentage completion of the game.

- Designs: Ugly, ugly, ugly. Many of the new characters look awful, a step down from Diddy’s Kong Quest.
- Kiddy Kong: Really should have been Donkey Kong.
- Music: Not necessarily bad, but not at the same high standards of the previous two games.

- Bonus Barrels: Bonus barrels are more streamlined, with most levels having two. More exploring and less blind luck than previous games.
- Experimentation: In an effort to not become stale, some of the levels and boss fights experiment a little and provide interesting new wrinkles, such as a level where swimming controls are reversed. The game also includes collectables and side-quests to keep things interesting.
- Difficulty: A nice balance was achieved in this game, with nothing being as hard as Bramble Blast from the second game. This could be a con for those looking for more of a challenge.

    Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble lost a few of the successful DKC elements, just as it was lost in the shuffle of the Nintendo 64 when it was first released. It still manages to be a solid platformer with some interesting new elements, but with a bit of extra work, it could have been just as good as its predecessors.