Version Differences

This is a sub-page of Donkey Kong Land 2.

Regional Differences#

Title Screen#

In a chronologically confused moment, Donkey Kong Land 2 is known as ドンキーコングランド (Donkey Kong Land) in Japan (when the first game was released in Japan, it was titled Super Donkey Kong GB.)

In addition, the Japanese version also has the "Diddy's Kong Quest" subtitle that was present in the English DKC2. This subtitle pushes the rest of the title screen up, causing coloring errors on Diddy and Dixie that weren't present in the international version.

International	Japanese

Enemy Names#

Like in Donkey Kong Country 2, some enemies have had their names changed. Unlike in DKC2, their names are in plain English, as opposed to katakana. In addition, the ボス (Boss) prefix isn't present in this game, and Mini-Necky is named Necky in all versions of DKL2.

• Click-Clack is called Beetle in Japan, which is unfortunately less creative.

International	Japanese

• Krow has the unique name of Zocky in Japan.

International	Japanese

• Interestingly, in Japan, King Zing is called King B instead. This can be interpreted as being in relationship with Queen B in Donkey Kong Country.

International	Japanese

Level Changes#

The Japanese version of the game features several level design changes, by and large to make the game slightly easier.

• In Bramble Blast, there is a section before the Star Barrel where there are two Blast Barrels pointing diagonally down and to the right. In this section, there are two Zingers in the International version, but only one in the Japanese version.

International	Japanese

• In Parrot Chute Panic, in a section shortly after the Star Barrel, two Zingers were removed in the Japanese version. This was probably done to prevent sprite overload -- in the International version, if too many Zingers appear on the screen in this part, the DK Barrel won't appear.

International	Japanese

• In Kreepy Krow, when hitting Krow twice, two hooks appear. In the Japanese version, the top hook appears higher up. The platform above is also higher, and the rope climbing section is a bit shorter.

International	Japanese

Cheat Codes#

In the English version, there exist cheat codes to make the game easier. All of these are done on the file select screen.

• Hold Left or Right, then press A, A, B, B to start with 50 lives.
• Hold Left or Right, then press B, B, A, A to start with 40 Banana Coins.
• Hold Left or Right, then press A, B, A, B to start with 47 Kremkoins.

These cheat codes do not work in the Japanese version. They still exist in the ROM from 1411D to 1412B, and the routine to handle the cheat codes still exists at 140A6, but this code is never executed in the Japanese version, leaving these cheats unused. They can be activated with GameShark code 01xxF9FF, where xx is one of the below:

01: 50 Lives
02: 40 Banana Coins
03: 50 Lives and 40 Banana Coins
04: 47 Kremkoins
05: 50 Lives and 47 Kremkoins
06: 40 Banana Coins and 47 Kremkoins
07: 50 Lives, 40 Banana Coins, and 47 Kremkoins

Bonus Counter Glitch#

In the English version, there is a glitch that involves the counter used in bonus stages. For the Destroy Them All and Collect The Stars bonus stages, the game keeps track of how many enemies (or stars) are remaining in the bonus stage by using a counter (stored at C5F9 in RAM, and shared across all types of bonus stages). However, when losing a bonus stage, the counter does not reset to zero, so in a main level, this counter can continue to decrease upon collecting bananas or defeating enemies. When the counter reaches zero, the chime that plays when a Kremkoin appears is heard, but no Kremkoin is actually present.

The Japanese version fixes this glitch by resetting the counter to zero every time a main level is entered, so that the sound effect does not play in a main level. Oddly, this change did not carry over to any version of Donkey Kong Land III, suggesting that the coding for that game was based on the English version of DKL2. Therefore, the glitch reappears in DKL3, although the glitch was partially re-fixed so that the counter doesn't decrease when collecting bananas. However, it still decreases when defeating enemies, so the Bonus Coin chime can still play in the latter situation.

Revisional Differences#

In the levels Lava Lagoon, Glimmer's Galleon, and Clapper's Cavern, there are certain situations where part or all of the screen flashes for a few seconds (such as when Glimmer's Galleon is about to become dark). The 3DS Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online versions reduce the blinking rate to half of that on the original Game Boy, likely in an attempt to reduce the risk of seizures.

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: The flashing in Lava Lagoon and Clapper's Cavern might actually differ between the 3DS and Switch versions (Glimmer's Galleon seems to be the same between 3DS / Switch)

The following content may induce seizures and has been hidden by default. Click to reveal:
Lava Lagoon# Game Boy Nintendo 3DS / Switch Glimmer's Galleon# Game Boy Nintendo 3DS / Switch Clapper's Cavern# Game Boy Nintendo 3DS / Switch