Donkey Kong Land III

Donkey Kong Land III is a platform game released for the Nintendo Game Boy in 1997. Just like the previous two games, it was developed by Rare and published by Nintendo. It is the third and final installment in the Donkey Kong Land trilogy for the Game Boy. There is also a Game Boy Color version only released in Japan in 2000 called Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong. Like its predecessors, it was enhanced with the Super Gameboy and has the Banana Yellow cartridge. It is heavily based on Donkey Kong Country 3, which came out a year earlier.

This game is the only Rare Donkey Kong game where Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong don't make an appearance in-game. Unless you count the 1-up balloons, which have Diddy's face on them.

Plot
Some time after the events of Donkey Kong Country 3, A contest is being held at the Northern Kremisphere with big prizes for whoever can discover the Lost World first. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong had already set off to find it, leaving Dixie Kong behind. Wanting to prove that she is just as worthy as the others, she once again partners up with her cousin, Kiddy Kong and sets off to win the race! Meanwhile, Baron K. Roolenstein and his Kremling Krew has been searching high and low for the Lost World as well and will do anything to thwart the Kongs' progress.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The gameplay is much improved from the first Donkey Kong Land, but has much more originality than Donkey Kong Land 2, with more unique music compositions, and different level design, despite sharing similar themes from Donkey Kong Country 3.
 * 2) Like the first game, it has a fun plot.
 * 3) Great level design.
 * 4) While all of the music in the game are remixes from DKC3, they are excellent and much catchier and upbeat than before.
 * 5) While the bosses are the same characters as in the third DKC installment, the fights themselves are quite different, so they stand out.
 * 6) Great pre-rendered graphics, just like its predecessors.
 * 7) The camera and screen are much improved over the first two DKL games.
 * 8) Ellie the Elephant is much better, as she is no longer afraid of Sneeks and she has unlimited ammo. Unfortunately she can no longer carry barrels, but it's hardly a deal breaker.
 * 9) You don't have to collect pointless Banana Birds like in the SNES game.
 * 10) A good card-matching mini game where you get a DK coin and a watch for completing each one.
 * 11) There is now a time-trial mode, which you unlock for completing the game.
 * 12) The Game Boy Color version is even better with even more colors than the Super Game Boy version.
 * 13) The worlds and the levels have interesting and funny names, like Miller Instinct, for example.
 * 14) Like its predecessors, playing this game on the Super Game Boy allows for more colors and a decent background.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) It would be nice to see new level themes, like the first Donkey Kong Land.
 * 2) Practically nonexistent endings, even if you 103% the game. At least DKC3 had a cutscene.
 * 3) The sledding stages are awful.