Donkey Kong returns, this time with trusty sidekick Diddy Kong in tow. DK and Diddy follow the banana trail through jungle treetops, hidden caverns, snow-capped mountains, and industrial factories to get their precious banana hoard back from the evil King K. Rool.
Development
Released thirteen years after Jumpman thwarted Donkey Kong in the original Donkey Kong for arcades, Donkey Kong Country marked the revitalization of the Donkey Kong franchise. Development was taken up by British developer Rare rather than Nintendo and DK creator Shigeru Miyamoto, although Miyamoto advised and oversaw some aspects of development.
Graphics
Donkey Kong Country utilized pre-rendered 3-D graphics, a highly advanced and specialized technique called "Advanced Computer Modelling". One of the pioneering developers of this technique, Rare also used it for the fighting game Killer Instinct. This technique proved wildly popular; Indeed, when Nintendo EAD was developing a followup to the classic Super Mario World, Nintendo boss Hiroshi Yamauchi decreed that the game should borrow the same ACM technology (the decision was ultimately vetoed by producer Shigeru Miyamoto, who opted for distinctive storybook- or coloring book-style graphics)1.
Sound
DKC featured a distinctive, atmospheric soundtrack that gave the game a depth not commonly known in the sixteen-bit era. Game music composed by Robin Beanland, Eveline Fischer, and David Wise was compiled for a soundtrack, DK Jamz: The Original Donkey Kong Country Soundtrack, one of the first videogame soundtracks to receive commercial and critical success in North America.
