Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! - Gameplay

Gameplay

The third installment in the Donkey Kong Country series tracks the player's progress through the game using a percentage similar to the first 2. Following the tradition of the others, the total possible percentage is 100% plus the installment number; 103% in this case, the highest of the series. An additional 2% can be achieved when the cheat TUFST (toughest) is applied, which turns off the checkpoint barrels and DK barrels, making the gameplay much more difficult. Returning also are the collectible DK coins that first appeared in the second game, with one hidden in each level. Unlike Donkey Kong Country 2, rather than simply having to track down the hidden coin, the player must solve a small puzzle involving using a rolling barrel to strike an enemy using the coin as a shield from behind.

Dixie Kong retains essentially the same move set she had in the second game. Diddy Kong is replaced by Kiddy Kong, who plays more similarly to Donkey Kong. Kiddy also has a few new moves previously unseen in the series - he is able to repeatedly bounce along the surface of water during a roll by pressing the jump button with the correct timing, and he is able to throw Dixie significantly farther when he is carrying her on his shoulders than any other Kong family member combination. Dixie Kong can also ride on top of Kiddy Kong when he is thrown, much like riding on steel barrels.

The hub world is more open-ended when it comes to exploration, for the first time allowing the player to stray from set paths between established area or level markers. As a result, hidden areas can be found by traveling to the right location on the world map, also a first for the series. Most of these hidden areas have a collection of colored crystals that are arranged to mirror the button colors and locations on the traditional Super Nintendo controller; in a game very reminiscent of Simon, the player is required to repeat a series of tones that sound when a crystal lights up, using the buttons on the controller, to acquire hidden items. On the SNES, the buttons used are those that match the colors of the crystals (A B X and Y), while on GBA, the D-pad is used, matching the crystals positions on the screen, although the SNES colors remain. On virtual console the controls are exactly the same as the SNES and the control pad is identical to that of the SNES, just lacking the iconic colored buttons.

Also introduced in this game is an expanded inventory system, allowing the Kongs to hold up to 4 items at a time that can be exchanged for lives, coins, or other hidden items.