The biggest Donkey Kong adventure ever… for Game Boy!
"K. Rool has kidnapped Donkey Kong, and he's demanding the entire banana hoard as ransom! It's up to Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong to rescue their kidnapped pal."
— Nintendo eShop description of Donkey Kong Land 2.
Donkey Kong Land 2 is a 1996 Platform Game developed by Rare for the Game Boy. A sequel to the first Donkey Kong Land, the game follows Diddy Kong and his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, as they attempt to rescue Donkey Kong from Kaptain K. Rool.
Rather than attempting to create a full-blown spin-off like its predecessor, Donkey Kong Land 2 is instead more-or-less an official Video Game Demake of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, complete with the exact same plot and and level themes as its SNES counterpart. The game sold well and received positive reviews, resulting in another sequel, Donkey Kong Land III.
Donkey Kong Land 2 contains examples of:
- Adapted Out:
- Cranky Kong is nowhere to be found in this game. The manual makes a mention of Cranky's services, but that was copied from the SNES manual.
- The boss of Krem Quay, Kudgel does not make an appearance here. The boss of Krem Cauldron is instead Kleever.
- Link does not appear at the Video Game Heroes segment.
- All There in the Manual: Much like the first game, hardly anything about the plot is explained in-game, with most of the backstory being relegated to the manual.
- Amusement Park of Doom: Krazy Kremland takes place in a dangerously unsafe amusement park, as does "Krazy Koaster" in the following world.
- Art Evolution: Or devolution, in this case. This game's sprites are smaller and the backgrounds are much less detailed than those of the first Donkey Kong Land, likely to accommodate for the Game Boy's small screen and monochromatic graphics.
- Big Bad: "Kaptain" K. Rool, the leader of the Kremlings who has captured Donkey Kong.
- Big Boo's Haunt: "Ghostly Grove", a wooded area haunted by spectral ropes.
- Bubblegloop Swamp: Gloomy Gulch, a muddy marsh filled with crocodiles and inescapable swamp water.
- Final Boss: Kaptain K. Rool is the ultimate enemy once again.
- Gangplank Galleon: The Trope Namer is the first world in the game, featuring Diddy and Dixie raiding the titular pirate ship after it was sunken at the end of Donkey Kong Country.
- Grimy Water: Because Snapjaw could not be implemented, any levels that had that enemy instead have water that damages the Kongs.
- Gusty Glade: Much like the Trope Namer, this level features strong winds that can blow the Kongs back and forth through the air.
- Hailfire Peaks: The second world has Crocodile Cauldron and Krem Quay from DKC2, volcanic and swamp lands, fused to one world.
- The Hedge of Thorns: "Bramble Blast" and "Bramble Scramble" make their returns, once again being thick thorn bushes that the Kongs must navigate.
- Lethal Lava Land: Crocodile Cauldron, a volcanic area filled with boiling magma.
- Lost World: The game's world full of Brutal Bonus Levels is outright called this.
- Pirate Episode: Much like Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong Land 2 features heavy pirate theming, from the levels to the designs of the Kremlings.
- Rise to the Challenge: Much like Country 2, both Slime Climb and Toxic Tower involves rising grimy water that damages the Kongs if they touch it.
- Same Plot Sequel: The game features the exact same story as Diddy's Kong Quest.
- Super Drowning Skills: Swamp water is nothing but a bottomless pit that will cause the Kongs to lose a life if they fall in it.
- Video Game Demake: A rare official example. Donkey Land 2 is essentially just Donkey Kong Country 2 heavily compressed and shoved into an 8-bit cartridge. It features the same levels and music as Country 2, just with lower visual and audio quality.
