Being my least favorite Donkey Kong Country game in the original trilogy, I could still admit in my previous list that this game has plenty of fun and memorable levels.  It also has plenty of evil ones that I despise to varying degrees of white-hot hatred.  Whether it’s dealing with a level that doesn’t even fit the game in the slightest to dealing with an almost comical number of swooping birdies, this list has quite the variety of ways DKC3 has caused me pain in the past.

10: Creepy Caverns – Starting out, we have some caverns infested by the ghosts of barrels long since departed…wait, barrels have souls?  (I mean, the game’s first boss, Belcha, is a sentient barrel, and the second game featured ghostly ropes, so…)  Um, bizarre implications aside, these barrels like to appear in annoying places, and you’ll need to either avoid them entirely or jump into them only when they’re facing the exact right direction, or else you’ll get launched right into some bees!  They are truly inconsiderate dead barrels.  I’m glad I never attended their funerals. 

9: Rocket Rush – This level is just weird.  Unlike any other level in the game, you need to navigate this dumb rocket.  At first, it heads downwards to collect fuel, but whether or not hitting the ground kills you is very inconsistent.  The second half sees you launching upwards with all that fuel you accumulated, but they give you very little time to react, and hitting the rocks overhead too many times means you’ll fail to reach the goal before your fuel runs out.  I didn’t enjoy this one bit!

8: Ripsaw Rage – I’m sure we all knew this stage would be on the list.  The whole time, you’re scaling the inside of a hollowed out tree while a massive saw is following you.  It’s stressful and horrifying, especially when you take into consideration what monstrosity must be large enough to even wield such an enormous blade…

7: Kong-Fused Cliffs – Last time I played the game, I forgot what stage this was and looked away to drink some water and promptly died.  That’s because someone, presumably the freak with the saw, thought it would be funny to light the end of the rope I’m on, forcing me to climb frantically upward to avoid being singed.  But I can’t move too fast because I’ll end up running into bees or Kopters along the way!  What manner of sadism is this!

6: Tyrant Twin Tussle – I’ve never been fond of the enemy designs in this game, least of all the twins Kuff and Klout.  The way their chests expand when they breathe makes them resemble some sort of rubbery toy for children or pets that would squeak when you squeeze it.  Well, this area is filled with these guys, either running about or playing leapfrog.  And it’s not always very clear when you can pass them.  So after years of playing, I still have to sacrifice a Kong in certain places just to proceed.  It’s not fun, and it never will be.

5: Stampede Sprint – I often don’t enjoy levels where you must move quickly because it hurts my eyes to look at the screen with such fast moving objects, plus you pretty much can’t blink or you’ll hit something.  In this stage, you play as Ellie the elephant, and as soon as she gets scared by some rats, she’ll take off running.  You better have quick reflexes or you’re sure to bump into a lot of enemies.  And good luck keeping Parry alive until the end….

4: Swoopy Salvo – This nightmare of a level is filled with an endless barrage of Swoopies.  They’re fast, and it’s difficult to pass through the gaps in their ranks whether you’re playing as the Kongs or as Squawks.  This stage also features some of the worst bonus levels in the whole trilogy, which shouldn’t exactly be part of the ranking, but I’ve still never forgiven Rareware for the suffering they’ve caused me….

3: Koindozer Klamber – This is a bit like Klobber Karnage from DKC2, but I think the Koindozers are a little harder to recover from once they start pushing you.  Basically, you need to traverse this level by landing on these guys’ shields or else they’ll run at you and try to push you into a void.  This level has no redeeming qualities. 

2: Lightning Look-Out – This is probably the Toxic Tower of DKC3, the infamous stage where some scarily sentient lightning tries to zap you dead.  You can’t run because it will anticipate your movements and hit you with frightening precision.  Your only hope is moving forward with caution and making sure you don’t stand beneath the warning flashes that come before the real thing.  Oh, and stay out of the water…

1: Barrel Drop Bounce – While Lightning Look-Out might be a worse level in general, I still hate this one even more.  You need to climb ever upward by crossing these barrels that float down on the waterfalls.  The problem is, these really fast Klaptrap-esque enemies like to come out of nowhere, and for some reason, if I’m just a little too slow in climbing the barrels, it’s way too easy to slide off the ledge I’m aiming for and fall, losing tons of progress.  The worst thing of all, however, is this one section where you must climb up a bunch of barrels quickly to proceed.  It’s not a horrible feat now, but as a kid, I could get stuck on this one part for long periods of time, hopelessly hopping about, but always finding myself too slow.  I hate this level, and I dread it every time I play the game!  At least once I finish it, I’m rewarded with my very favorite level…

It’s your turn, dear readers.  What level of DKC3 did you find to be the most horrible!  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

DKC3 Title Screen from Official Nintendo Site