Hiding the puzzle piece behind the banana counter.
You can play as the other Kongs in hard mode. Cranky throws his teeth to stun enemies.
Jelly.
Snowflakes hurt in this game.
This level in hard mode.
Good:
- No gimmick shake controls. Press button to roll. It just works.
- More Kong buddies with different (useful) abilities. Cranky is my favorite. Bouncing off enemies to retain speed is hard to control but satisfying.
- Good level design with smart enemy placement and variety of gimmicks.
- Pretty looking environments.
- Soundtrack by David Wise.
Bad:
- Many of the optional puzzle pieces are hidden in bonus rooms where you have to collect all bananas in 30 seconds, just like in Returns. I don't get it. It's the same minigame recycled 100 times. Why didn't they take lessons from DKC2/3?
- Boring boss fights. They are all on rails, lasting about 3 minutes each, and half of the time is spent waiting until you get an opportunity to attack. Missed the opportunity? Add another minute of waiting.
- Little details and inconsistencies about the controls that become more annoying in hard mode. Examples: Some moving platforms add to your horizontal speed, some don't. Jump height is not affected.
Occasionally, Cranky's cane fails to bounce off an enemy properly for no reason, which is almost always fatal. When turning around, DK needs a long time until he can roll again, but the input isn't buffered. Spam the roll button like a maniac or fall into a pit and die.
Overall, this game is a clear improvement over Returns.