When you really think about it, the original Donkey Kong Country was fairly basic, especially when the bosses were concerned.  I mean, there are two battles against a giant beaver that basically just jumps back and forth across the stage and two more skirmishes against an oversized vulture that somehow spits nuts at you.  (Considering Squawks’ abilities, I guess many birds in this universe can spew out projectiles….)  It wasn’t until the second game, Diddy’s Kong Quest, that the gameplay, and the boss battles, evolved into something that doesn’t feel so outdated, even by today’s standards.  So today, I thought it would be fun to rank all of the bosses in this game in order of difficulty…

7: Krow’s Nest – The first boss of the game throws its own eggs at you!  Just throw them right back, and you shouldn’t have much trouble.

6: Kudgel’s Kontest – This massively muscular Kremling wields a giant cudgel, which could have made him tough if he actually used it more.  Mostly, this guy just likes to jump.  Just keep your distance and make sure you jump right before he lands to avoid being stunned.

5: Kleever’s Kiln – This terrifying sword is being wielded by a fiery hand.  Not only can it shoot fireballs, but after a few hits, it starts flying freely to slash at you! Truly a stressful encounter!

4: Kreepy Krow – Considering the first boss’ penchant for throwing its own eggs at you, that might explain the plethora of little ghost birds present in this level.  (Man, that’s kind of dark when you really think about it.)  Anyway, you just need to jump on the living crow to make the barrel appear, hit the boss, then climb up the ropes while avoiding eggs flying at you from all directions!  You better be nimble if you want to survive this one!

3: Krocodile Kore – This optional boss can only be found after you finish every secret level in the Lost World.  You only need to throw one cannonball into K. Rool’s blunderbuss this time, but you won’t get a chance to do so until after you dodge a whole bunch of spiky cannonballs and gas clouds that cause different side effects.  It’s pretty tough, but fortunately, quite short-lived. 

2: King Zing Sting – Now this boss is a doozy!  This huge bee flies quickly about the stage, and you must figure out how to hit the stinger with Squawks’ projectiles.  It’s really tough hitting such a small part of the bee’s body with any real precision, plus it’s moving so quickly, you’re liable to bump right into it!  At the end, you better be prepared to defeat a few smaller, but still very aggressive, bees, and then the nightmare will finally be over!

1: K. Rool Duel – It should be no surprise that the final boss battle against Kaptain K. Rool is the toughest in the game.  It’s not too bad at first, but eventually, you’ll be dodging a quick succession of cannonballs with increasingly erratic movements, followed by gas clouds that affect your movement, such as slowing you down.  After all that trouble, you’re faced with a part of the battle that I used to find rather impossible, where K. Rool turns invisible, teleports randomly, and tries to suck you towards him with his blunderbuss (which apparently doubles as a handy vacuum).  Fortunately, I learned a trick where you just hug the left wall, which is more or less effective at keeping you safe.  Just watch out for that final cannonball!

DKC2 Title Screen from Official Nintendo Site