Donkey Kong Country/Controls

Basic Controls

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SNES GBC GBA Function
D-Pad D-Pad D-Pad
Menus
  • SNES: D-Pad (Up) and D-Pad (Down) scroll through selections.
  • GBC: D-Pad (Left and Right) scroll through selections.
  • GBA: D-Pad scrolls through selections.
Map Screen
  • Move your character.
In-game
  • Move your character.
  • On ground: D-Pad (Down) ducks.
  • Underwater: D-Pad (Down) dives faster.
A None L
Menus and Map Screen
  • SNES: Make a selection.
In-game
  • Get off your animal buddy.
  • Switch from Donkey Kong to Diddy and vice versa.
  • Switch between players in two player team mode (SNES).
B A A
Menus and Map Screen
  • SNES: Make a selection.
In-game
  • Jump (this will also mount your animal buddy if you land on them).
  • Swim upward.
X None None
Menus and Map Screen
  • Make a selection.
Y B B or R*
Menus
  • SNES: Make a selection.
  • GBC and GBA: Cancel a selection.
Map Screen
  • SNES: Make a selection.
In-game
  • Press to roll or cartwheel.
  • Hold down to run.
  • Press to pick up a barrel, release to throw.
  • Hold down to climb vines faster.
  • Press while holding D-Pad (Down) to perform Donkey Kong's hand slap.
start start start
Menus
  • Make a selection.
Map Screen
  • SNES and GBC: Make a selection.
  • GBA: Open up map menu.
In-game
  • Pause.
select select select
Menus
  • SNES: Make a selection.
Map Screen
  • GBA: Quit game.
In-game
  • Get off your animal buddy (GBC and GBA).
  • Switch from Donkey Kong to Diddy and vice versa.
  • Switch between players in two player team mode (SNES).
  • Press after pausing to exit a level you have previously finished.
L R None None
  • No function.

In-game combinations

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SNES GBC GBA Effect
D-Pad (Down) + Y D-Pad (Down) + B D-Pad (Down) + B / R* Performs Donkey Kong hand slap attack, which defeats most ground enemies and
reveals hidden bananas.
Y + B B + A B / R* + A If done over a gap, performs a midair jump, effectively allowing your character to jump
much farther than before.
start + select start + select start + select L Quits a previously completed level.

* In the Game Boy Advance version, B is recommended over R because R is used for other functions in the rest of the trilogy.