Collectible Items

There are many types of items in Donkey Kong Country, so without further ado, let’s get on with it!

Bananas

Besides the massive amount of potassium that bananas carry, these yellow beacons of nutrition are the life blood of the Kongs. If you think about it, they are integral the plot of just about every Donkey Kong game ever made! It always seems to start with an enemy provoking DK into a fight by stealing his banana horde, and this game is no different. Bananas are scattered throughout every level in ones, fives, and bunches of ten! Collect 100 of them and gain an extra life, an essential aid to your progress.

Banana Coins

Banana coins are the currency of the islands in Donkey Kong Country, and collecting them can make your adventure far more manageable. Having the ability to purchase anything from extra heart containers to Squawks (the feathered Puzzle Piece finder) makes it far easier to complete the game. Performing death-defying feats to collect these coins is very much worth it.

Hearts

Hearts represent how many hits Donkey Kong can take before he fails a level. On Normal mode, Donkey Kong has only two hearts; however, when you break open a Kong Barrel to produce a supportive character, you’ve doubled your hearts, so things are looking up! To make things even easier, you can buy an extra heart from Funky Kong, which can mean the difference between victory in one try versus twenty tries.

KONG Letters

KONG Letters can be maddening to collect. However, unlike Puzzle Pieces, KONG Letters are almost always in plain view. It’s getting to them that’s the problem. KONG Letters are required to unlock the temple levels on each island, so do anything possible to grab them all.

Puzzle Pieces

Does your body get all warm and fuzzy inside when you collect a hard-earned Puzzle Piece? Well, if it does, that is a natural feeling, so do not be ashamed. These items can be frustrating to collect, and collecting every one from every level is a feat all in itself. Each level has five, seven, or even nine Puzzle Pieces just waiting to be recovered. If you have trouble, do not be ashamed to call in Squawks to help locate any stragglers.

Relics

Ah, relics. Those beautiful items are waiting patiently at the end of every insane, hair-pulling, teeth-gritting, pacemaker-stopping, tear-jerking temple level. But, oh, does it feel good to finally collect these small statues. In the end it really doesn’t matter how many lives it took you to get to that point—10, 20…50?—or if you’re that lucky one who got through it in one try (stop gloating); collecting all the relics in the game is important for everyone. To unlock the final hidden island, collect every relic that you can. Even if you have to pull out a few chunks of hair to do it.