How To Speedrun Donkey Kong Country

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*To the tune of DK Rap* It's finally back, it's not a dream
Welcome to Donkey Kong Month 2018.
Oh-ho, look at that fancy new logo, thanks WhaddupNico *ding*.
This is the fifth anniversary of celebrating all things DK, so I wanted to try something
totally different this year.
Obviously I love the games to death and have played them countless times, so something
that keeps them refreshing to me is speedrunning.
DKC1 was one of my first speedgames that I took seriously and allowed me to plunge deeper
into the hobby in general.
So I thought it might be cool to give you a resource that can help you to get into speedrunning
yourself.
Whether you're a huge fan of the Donkey Kong series or not, DKC1 is almost the perfect
game to get your feet wet.
It's a pretty short run (World Record is 32 minutes long, but it's easily beatable
in under an hour), and it has almost zero RNG, it's all about execution.
It's a simple platformer with a lot of really cool tricks and skips throughout, so at the
very least, I thought it might be interesting just to see what the average speedrun looks like.
So welcome to the beginner's guide of how to speedrun Donkey Kong Country.
Because this is an elementary level tutorial, I won't go in depth with every single trick
you should learn to run this game at a highly competitive level, I'll only be laying the
foundation to get you started here.
If you enjoy it and think you want to dive in yourself, I'll include some great resources
at the end to improve your skill even further.
Let's kick it off with some overall basics you need to know about the game.
As you may already be aware, Diddy is much faster than Donkey Kong and is more versatile
in his movement, so generally speaking you always want to have him out in front.
There are a few times when DK comes in handy, but for the most part, if you get hit and
lose Diddy, your speed and recovery options become pretty limited.
You can also move even faster by rolling through waves of enemies.
Anytime there's a group lined up in a row, it's a good option to cartwheel through
them, and you can even do what's called an extended roll by letting go of Y and repressing
it to gain optimal speed.
In between every level you can mash the A, B, X and Y buttons to skip the completion
fanfare which can save a huge chunk of time over the course of a run.
Instead of celebrating yourself when you finish a stage, make sure to mash.
This might sound stupid, but avoid collecting bonus tokens whenever you can.
Sometimes they'll be directly in your path, but if you collect 3 of the same animal buddy
it'll put you into a bonus room that wastes a ridiculous amount of time, I accidently
did this on a former PB a long time ago, it was not pretty.
Finally, as I said this is a walkthrough of the fundamentals, so if I skip over a particular
level, it just means that there isn't any crazy tricks worth mentioning and you just
need to move as fast as you can.
Cool?
I'll have all my button inputs on the screen so you can have an easy check of what exactly
I'm pressing to pull off these maneuvers.
Oh, also, this is a guide for the All Levels category, which is the most popular for DKC1,
which just means you need to finish every stage.
It's different from any% because there are glitches you can do to skip entire worlds
and beat the game in under 10 minutes, it's kinda crazy.
Make sure you're playing on either version 1.0 or 1.1 as well, because some of the major
skips you'll be doing are patched out in the 1.2 version of the game.
Let's start with the Kongo Jungle.
In Jungle Hijinx, things start off with a bang as you want to open the DK barrel to
get Diddy, take damage as DK because it's faster than swapping partners, then line yourself
up in position for an extended roll through some baddies.
When you reach this first banana, quickly tap Y and let go until you reach the 3rd banana,
then hold down Y again to begin the extendo.
If you let go in the middle of this line of Klumps and press Y again you can do an even
crazier roll, but anything is better than simply going through it regularly.
Like I said in the beginning, rolling is key in this game.
If you're just walking, you could be moving faster.
Ropey Rampage has an easy little skip if you roll off the tree near the O letter.
You'll enter a bonus room with these ropes, but instead quickly fall off the ledge to
be put back into the level via a blast barrel that lands you really close to the ending,
saving quite a bit of time.
Coral Capers is our first water level and in all of these it's best to get Enguarde
not only because he moves faster and helps you dispatch enemies but because he's an
extra hit in case you take damage.
Buck with him as often as you can for extra speed.
Barrel Cannon Canyon has a very convenient method to skip the entire stage.
No really, right off the bat go up and to the left to skip the first half, rolling on
treetops to stay up there.
Then after the midway point, extended roll through some kremlings (by letting go of Y
after the 2nd, and repressing Y at the 3rd) until you get to this ledge and hop on one
more kremling to reach the trees to the left and finish the stage in style.
Keeping this kremling alive is crucial, make sure you don't screw up and enter the barrel
or kill him by accident.
Well-worth it skip though.
Finish things off with the Very Gnawty boss battle, it'll be over before you know it.
Hit him at the apex of his jumps for optimal time save.
Straight into Monkey Mines our first big skip here is in Mine Cart Carnage, I can't believe
I didn't know about this as a kid but there's a barrel right here at the very beginning
of the stage.
Make sure to hug the wall to the left otherwise you might miss, and also be weary of the final
kremling in a cart that'll try to kill you before reaching the exit.
Bouncy Bonanza is an example of a level that doesn't have anything crazy, but it is important
to know that if you press jump repeatedly as you enter the crawling sections you can
move through them much faster.
This is used in almost every single cave stage.
Stop and Go Station is REALLY HAR-oh wait, nope just go left through the entrance to
skip all the way to the ending.
Sorry krocks that look like nightmare fuel, see ya!
Alright now Millstone Mayhem is really interesting, make sure you have both kongs entering the level.
Start by getting rid of these TNT barrels, I prefer using Diddy because Donkey has the
wind up throw that might kill the Krusha and you need him to stay alive.
Once the barrels are dealt with, swap and have DK in front, then run directly into the
Krusha on the slope, that's really important, you'll know you did it right if Donkey runs
away by jumping off the top of the screen instead of going to the right.
Next go forward and grab the DK barrel, open it on another Krusha then take damage with
Diddy to swap kongs and have Donkey jump on one last Krusha to the left of this pillar
in the background to reach an invisible warp barrel that's off screen.
Keep holding jump until you hear the barrel noise.
You just did something called the infinite jump glitch.
Donkey Kong can't reach this barrel normally, but with the extra boost of this glitch he
was able to enter it and then finish the level with ease.
This trick is even more important for a skip coming up in world 3.
Master Necky is basically the only element of RNG in the entire game as he'll pop his
head in from 4 different spots, but he's super basic, just make sure not to jump too
early or he won't take the hit.
Vine Valley has some of the craziest skips in the game, and there's a lot of them.
I hope you kept DK out in front as you enter Vulture Culture because there's a warp barrel
placed within the first quarter of the stage that only appears if you're controlling
Donkey Kong and reach it within a certain time limit.
Basically just rush through as fast as you can and jump in the lower barrel to skip
to the end.
Now is a good place to swap to Diddy as you enter Tree Top Town because there's a hidden
tire floating just off the edge of the screen above this Necky.
You can sort of see it there.
Quickly jump onto the Necky and bounce on the tire to reach another barrel that shoots
you all the way to the exit.
I guess Rare really didn't like to play through these stages when they were testing.
Okay, now Forest Frenzy has probably the toughest trick that we'll cover in this video but
is totally worth it if you can pull it off.
Begin with Diddy in front until you reach this patch on the ground containing a DK barrel.
Open the patch and jump up into a Kremling while hugging the wall to the right, much
like before you'll know you did it correctly if Diddy leaves toward the ceiling instead
of running away.
Open the DK barrel with Donkey Kong and proceed until the letter O. Jump low onto the platform
and take damage as DK from the first kremling.
As soon as this happens, hold jump and Y then fall as Diddy, bouncing on the head of the
lower kremling and continuing to hold right, B and Y, and you should have pulled off another
infinite jump glitch that skips the entire rest of this long level.
Now this is important - make sure you touch the ground as Diddy before bouncing on the
head of the kremling, you don't need to jump, he will bring his head to your feet
as you come off the platform, otherwise Diddy will have the infinite jump but he will grab
the rope like normal and be forced to complete it regularly.
It's a tricky maneuver, but once you pull it off, keep holding until you reach this
kremling after the midway barrel.
As he exits the left of the screen, let go of jump and Diddy will slowly descend and
you should re-enter the screen right as you're about to exit the stage.
Make sure not to hit these kremlings as you're coming back though, since you may not be exactly
sure where Diddy will land.
We're not done yet - instead of entering Orang-utan Gang like normal, go back to the
Funky Kong outpost and fast travel to world 1.
Don't ask me how this works but when you're over a bend in the trail on the map screen,
if you press any face button on the exact frame you change direction, it'll warp you
into a different level.
What you want to do, is mash A, B, X and Y really fast as you're crossing the 2nd bend
on the map in between Cranky's Cabin and Reptile Rumble.
If you do it correctly, it'll transport you right to the end of Orang-utan Gang.
In the All Levels category you just have to exit all the stages, it doesn't specify
where you have to enter from.
Clam City is pretty straightforward, just make sure to grab the Enguarde in the top
left of the beginning.
If you press up and B right as you hop onto him, you'll start moving even faster.
Finally Bumble B Rumble is no problem, just make sure not to throw a barrel too early
otherwise you'll miss the hit, and the left barrel gives you 1 frame of lag when you pick
it up for some reason, so avoid that one and go for the right barrel if you can.
Onto Gorilla Glacier, we kick things off with Snow Barrel Blast which is one of the hardest
levels in the game casually.
Luckily there's a few methods that can make it pretty simple.
When you reach this metal barrel, pick it up with Diddy, then jump as you're on the
slope to the right to get a big speed boost and clear the row of Gwnatys.
Then, jump on the slope past them again to get another big boost to bounce on all of
these Neckys and enter this barrel.
For some reason when you're holding a metal barrel you gain a lot more jumping speed on
slopes. Go figure.
Finally, once you pass this Rambi token just after the midway barrel, roll onto the Necky
and fall just below the lower barrel to reach a secret trail that'll skip the entire last
greuling section.
If you do enter the other barrels by accident you can just shoot straight down from this one
to reach it. There I just saved you a headache.
In Slipside Ride, you may know that you can bounce on this kremling to reach the entrance
of a bonus area, but you might also notice that there's a barrel just hanging out in
the wall.
It's a little tricky, but if you hold down and left and press jump off the rope, then
quickly move back to the right while still holding down, you can get on top of the rope
and then jump all the way to the left to reach the barrel, which will teleport you near the
end of the stage.
Getting the jump right takes some practice, but it's pretty easy once you get the hang
of it.
Work on your single rope jumping skills and you have another level down!
Ice Age Alley can be very punishing normally, but if you hop to the left at the start you
can ride an Expresso.
Holding left and jump WITHOUT holding Y will ensure you kill the Mini-Necky right as the
level fades in.
The trick here is keeping Expresso alive.
She can make you fly great distances and go super speedy, but there's a lot of roadblocks
in your way.
Some of the Necky's you can clip right through without jumping, but others you can't which
is really weird.
If you do get hit, often it will cause you to fall down a pit and die yourself.
All I'll say is to follow and memorize this pattern to make it to the exit more or less
unscathed.
Ahh, Croctopus Chase.
There's no way to skip this stage, but it's really linear and serene.
Take in the beautiful music and realize that you're about halfway through the run.
High five!
Torchlight Trouble lags quite a bit if you use Squawks' light, so it's better to
just not take it.
It might be a little scary, but I promise the level is pretty straightforward and you'll
be fine to beat it in the dark.
Finally, there's a way to negate Really Gnawtys last invulnerable phase by running
right into it after hitting it 4 times.
Instead of jumping high into the air, it'll just revert to its basic state where Donkey
can finish the job cleanly.
The last two worlds are where the game gets especially brutal if you're not prepared,
so make sure to practice them often.
Kremkroc Industries begins with Oil Drum Alley, which isn't a difficult level on its own,
but going through the final gauntlet of blazing drums quickly can be a challenge - or at least
it would be except that the fire only hurts you when its at its maximum size and if you're
in the middle of the drum.
So if you make some extra large jumps to ensure you aren't landing when the flames are strongest,
you should be able to clear them without wasting too much time.
Just like Stop and Go Station, Trick Track Trek is one of the hardest levels in the-oh
wait no there's a barrel you can roll into right at the beginning to pass over it all.
Elevator Antics has another bonus skip like Ropey Rampage.
Enter by jumping above the third bee in this section to the right, and then just drop straight
down immediately to exit back into the stage at the midway point.
You can also cut out a cycle on the last section of elevators by keeping the screen from scrolling
on the first platform and then rolling underneath the 3rd.
A little tricky and not a big time save, but important to know nonetheless.
Poison Pond is probably my least favorite level in the game, there's enemies everywhere
and the mincers can be hard to avoid.
Good thing there's an Enguarde right at the beginning to the left, and another one
after the midway point in case you lost the first one.
Enguarde can help you go through certain mincers with his invincibility frames after a charge
stab, and be sure to go to the left when you reach this group of 3 tires to reach a secret
area that skips past some of the obstacles.
The final screen can be particularly cruel without a swordfish, but protip - if you hug
the ceiling you won't get hit.
Okay, Mine Cart Madness has probably the coolest looking trick and it's not even that hard
to pull off.
Swap Donkey Kong in front and run directly into the first minecart without jumping.
You might need to start a little further back on the platform, around this bright plank,
but make sure you don't jump.
Then take damage from the first Necky by simply running into it, and now you should be able
to cartwheel freely in the air as Diddy.
Rotate between pressing B and Y to jump and roll your way across the stage without having
to use a cart at all.
After the midway point when you reach this platform with a tire on it however, the trick
will stop working so make sure you jump into the cart before you cross it, or bounce on
the tire to bring your regular physics back and finish the level.
There's actually a slightly faster way to beat it by doing what's called a Jumproll,
but it's a frame perfect trick that requires you to press Y exactly as you bounce on a
Necky and I definitely don't recommend trying it when you're just starting out.
If you're too late you'll just bounce off to your death and have to start the level
over again.
Dumb Drum is a boss fight you'll want to enter with Donkey Kong since he can kill the
bigger threats with one hit.
You also won't take damage from the baddies he shakes out when you're in the air bouncing
off another enemy, so the optimal way to clear the waves is by stomping the first guy and
then just being near the 2nd one when it spawns to defeat it.
Easy peasy.
Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of crazy things going on in Chimp Caverns, it's sort
of a last test of your skill before the final boss.
There's a small damage boost skip you can do with Rambi in Manic Mincers by jumping
into the tire from this moving platform, but the real problem is keeping the rhino alive
to reach it.
He's weighty and clunky, so really just not getting hit is the real triumph.
Loopy Lights, similar to Torchlight Trouble is faster without turning the lights on, but
this level in particular is very hard to see what's coming at you without them, so attempt
that at your own risk.
Finally, Platform Perils has a couple tiny skips where you can jump to further platforms
that you weren't meant to reach yet, like here and here, but again the real danger is
just surviving since it's mostly full of enemies that Diddy specifically struggles with.
Finishing strong with Necky Sr. and King K. Rool can be deceptively tricky, but keep your
cool, take a deep breath at the fake credits and don't jump too early and you'll be
just fine.
Last but not least, enjoy the credits and the reward of finishing a Donkey Kong Country
speedrun.
There are a couple things I hadn't mentioned yet, but they're probably the most crucial
to practice - simply not dying or taking damage will save you a ton of time over the course
of a run.
Think about it, every time you get hit as Diddy, you have to break open a DK barrel
and swap partners, that's like 4 seconds right there, not to mention how much you lose
with a death.
In fact I wouldn't be surprised if early on you might struggle with making sure you
have enough lives to avoid getting a game over.
I know that's a big problem I had.
You only start with 5 and you don't want to waste time collecting bananas to stock
up, so memorizing patterns of levels and the best routes to take are vital in keeping a
run alive.
I wish there was an easy way through Blackout Basement, Rope Bridge Rumble or Poison Pond
but it's really just about staying out of danger and knowing the right times to act.
It may seem like a big hurdle to overcome at first, but once you do make it that far,
it's actually a very rewarding and entertaining speedrun.
If you want to learn more about running the DKC trilogy or look at some of the even harder
skips that I didn't mention here, the best place to go is dkcspeedruns.com.
It has leaderboards, community races and a Discord, but most importantly, thorough walkthroughs
of how to do each and every trick in every stage, with diagrams and videos to help you out.
I can't tell you how valuable this site is if you're just starting out, and the
community is very eager to help and teach you new things as you learn.
I honestly hope you give it a go.
Speedrunning certainly isn't for everyone, but if you've ever thought about trying
it out for yourself, I think the DKC games are a wonderful place to start.
In fact, if I had to pick a true love, it would be DKC2, but maybe we'll save that
one for next time.
Thanks for watching, I hope you enjoyed something a little new today, and stay frosty my friends!
Huge shoutout to my pal Nico for helping make the new Donkey Kong Month logo, you can follow
him on Twitter at @WhaddupNico.
If you ever need an artist, he's a great resource to have.
Finally check out my personal best run of DKC1 here to see all these crazy tricks in action.
I'll see you guys next time.
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How To Speedrun Donkey Kong Country - Beginner's Guide

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