Game profile
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
This SNES sequel is considered by many the best entry in the series and is playable today through Nintendo Switch Online. Pre rendered graphics, tight level design and a steep difficulty make it a genre classic.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Platformer, set in a fantasy world. Visually it is built on pixel art, and the overall tone stays light and upbeat. The structure is guided rather than open, so you are moved along instead of dropped into a map. It is built around short sessions, which makes it easy to pick up for half an hour.
It is genuinely demanding, and repeated failure is part of how it is designed. Story exists mostly as background texture rather than a reason to keep going. Co-op is supported, so you can bring someone along. It is available on one platform. It sits in the budget bracket.
What stands out
- Pre rendered CGI graphics
- Diddy and Dixie duo
- Demanding level design
This fits you if
- you want to wind down rather than be tested
- you are after a proper adrenaline rush
- you usually have thirty to sixty minutes and want that to be enough
- you want real resistance and are fine with dying a lot
- you have someone to play with
- you are watching your budget
Look elsewhere if
- you want to relax and not be punished for mistakes
- you want something that lasts, this is over after 8 hours
- pixel art puts you off
- you want something with real weight to it
How long is Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest?
About 8 hours in total. At two hours per evening that is around 4 evenings, so about a week of casual play.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 92 out of 100, which puts it above 93 percent of the 1276 games here and at rank 67 overall. That is a strong score, comfortably above what most releases manage.
For comparison, Platformer averages 83 points across the database, so this one sits 9 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 514 collected ratings.
Released in 1995, which makes it 31 years old. A genuine classic, and worth checking how the version you buy holds up today.
The facts
- Release year
- 1995
- Genres
- Platformer
- Playtime
- approx. 8 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Demanding, punishing
- Story weight
- Background flavour
- Play with
- Solo, Co-op
- Setting
- Fantasy
- Visual style
- Pixel art
- Price bracket
- Budget
- Platforms
- Switch
- Critic rating
- 92 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest | 1995 | approx. 8 hrs. | 92 | Budget |
| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze | 2018 | approx. 12 hrs. | 88 | Mid price |
| Rayman Legends | 2013 | approx. 10 hrs. | 90 | Mid price |
| Spelunky | 2012 | approx. 25 hrs. | 91 | Budget |
If you liked this, try these
- 88/100 Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Shared: Platformer, Fantasy, longer
- 90/100 Rayman Legends Shared: Platformer, Fantasy
- 91/100 Spelunky Shared: Platformer, Fantasy, longer
- 86/100 Kirby Super Star Shared: Platformer, Fantasy
- 92/100 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Shared: Platformer, Fantasy
- n/a Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Shared: Platformer, Fantasy