DONKEY KONG 64 BOSS STRATEGY GUIDE V1.0 Kirk Israel - Jan 15 2000 ---INTRO--- At the writing of this, there are already a few Boss FAQs on GameFAQs, but none of them were quite what I was looking for when I was playing the game. In particular, this guide, written by a so-so gamer for so-so gamers, is meant to save some time and frustration as you battle your way through the hugeness that is DK64. It started as a King K.Rool guide, but then I decided I had a few things to say about the Factory and Galleon Bosses as well, so I decided to make a detailed all-Boss guide. I do have to admit Rare does a pretty good job with its difficulty curves. Usually, a minigame or Boss seems well nigh impossible at the first run through. Then after a few failed attempts you start to gain some skills, pick up a few strategies and finally win, and feel proud of yourself for doing so. So in some ways, strategy guides like this are pointless. On the other hand, if you're like me, you want as much help as possible to avoid wasting time and feeling frustrated. This guide is meant for people like that. ---PLUG--- Check out my website, http://www.alienbill.com , especially if you're interested in "Classic" Video Games for Windows and the PalmPilot. ---THANKS--- Thanks to Mojo [masterofyourdomain@yada-yada.com] and his Boss FAQ for advice on King Kut Out, the Nintendo Power strategy guide, without which I wouldn't have had the patience to see half of these guys, and GameFAQs, the canonical FAQ resource. ---THE BOSSES--- **Jungle Japes - Army Dillo** This guy just isn't that tough. Except for the fact that you can only take 4 hits, there's nothing tricky about him, which I guess is appropriate for a first boss. Dodge the fireballs, but try not to get too far away from the TNT barrel. When he takes a breather, grab and throw the TNT- and remember, aim for the face! His rolling attack is pretty easy to dodge, though it looks pretty cool. **Angry Aztec - Dogadon** Jeez, this guy looks cool, but basically just has one of Army Dillo's attacks- that's it! And HE doesn't know to "lead his target" any better than the last boss! So this round should be no sweat. Grab and throw the TNT as he takes a break (to give you a stern lecture, it looks like) 3 times and you'll be out of here. (You know, Diddy does seem like a jerk. Here's this beautiful, inoffensive creature, a mystical blend of entomology and mythology, which Diddy can only relate to by smacking down and stomping. Sheesh.) **Frantic Factory - Mad Jack** Mad Jack is the most annoying boss in the entire game. Having to zap him 5 times is just overkill, man. Half the challenge is just hoping that the switches will show up where you can see them. Luckily there are a few tricks you can use that make life much easier. To start the match, just start running around the squares. The rest of the board will drop, and you'll have to ponytail twirl from square to square. That deranged jack-in-the-box (with a voice suspiciously like that of Donald Duck) will come after you. For the first few "rounds", he won't be able to jump back to the square he just jumped from. For instance, if he jumps from square A to square B, he can't jump back to A immediately. This makes planning a little easier. An even more useful strategy however, is to stopping running away! Wait for him to come to you, and then jump UNDER his leap. This lets you rest three times out of every four, instead of being always on the run. (Eventually, he gains the ability to jump back and forth, or even jump twice on the same square, and you will have to move more often.) Finally the guy will stop and start shooting at you. He's as bad a shot as the rest, but it's harder to dodge fireballs when you're twirling all the time. Find the switch that's the same color as the square he's on and Z-slam it. (Note that any fireball he sends out is destroyed if you zap him before it hits, but your Z-slam is SO sloooooooow you're likely to get hit if you rely on this fact) Here's an important hint: if you fall off the squares, you can wait as long as you want on that little elevator platform! Not only that, you can leap off of the platform and land on the square diagonally across- you don't have to jump on the nearest square. One excellent strategy is to purposefully not jump off the elevator until he starts his fireball attack-- just watch him as he impotently rages. This makes a tedious boss a little less hectic. Besides not having to dodge, you have the advantage of being able to see almost all of the board's squares-- that way you will know where the switches are. After you zap him three times, he moves faster, and gains the ability to stay jumping on the same square. When he stops, he shoots a laser that makes an entire square a danger zone, instead of a wimpy fireball. After you zap him a fourth time, he goes into stealth mode, visible only by his sparkly trail. I suggest you stick with my strategy of waiting on the elevator platform (even jumping off to the floor on purpose if you have to) until you hear him come out of his box, or you see the switches appear. Then run for the final switch to bring him to his well-deserved doom. Good riddance for such an irritating boss! **Gloomy Galleon - Puftoss** I find this boss to be the most fun of the bunch. You control Lanky in a speedboat- Z is the gas, A jumps (not very useful), and the shoulder-R button lets you have tighter turns (possibly useful when you overshoot your target.) You have to collect a set of 5 DK stars to raise some electrodes to zap the pufferfish. (Just like that boss in Quake, he hangs around the one electrical element that can kill him... go figure.) The first time, you have 30 seconds for each star. The second time you have 25 seconds, (and he starts doing shockwave stomps, forcing you to stay to the outer edge of the pond), then 20, then 15, and finally 10. Despite the tight time limits, this boss never felt like much of a challenge- if you constantly circle him, you should always be able to find the DK star before the time expires. Try to position yourself so that you can see both the fish and the outer edge of the Pond. If you miss a star, turn and pick it up (using the R button if you have to) and then start circling that direction instead (no need to turn around twice.) This guy should be a piece of cake (his fireballs are just as lame as everyone else's) at least for a monkey who is as on the move as Lanky in his coconut boat! **Fungi Forest - Return of Dogadon** The dragonfly dragon returns. (That's the trouble with this game- it's huge, but half of the hugeness is a repeat of the first half.) Dragadon's tougher than before, but no match for a brave ape like Chunky. Chunky has to be a good shot with the TNT barrel- and quick too, when dodging fireballs be sure not to stray far from the center. After a few traditional attacks, and some earthshakers, which definitely require quick doses of dynamite, and a firewall I don't know how to avoid, the dragon will start stomping the ground, slowly driving the ground closer and closer to the lava. There's not much room for error- he'll shoot a small number of fireballs, then go to rest, and you have to TNT him right away. Make sure you're right at the center AFTER you throw the barrel, so that you can IMMEDIATELY jump into the barrel that shows up. Once you're huge, repeatedly primate punch to pummel the pyromaniac to a pulp. You should be able to get in 2 or 3 mighty swings per round, which seem to be more effect than the usual attack. (Some people disagree, preferring the regular puny punches. Youse payse yer dime and youse takes yer chances.) Take care to ensure that you're facing the dragon before each punch, no sense hitting the air (this isn't pro wrestling, you know.) If you miss too many times (either with the TNT or with the Primate Punches) you'll meet a fiery doom in the lava. So don't do that. Over all, this guy isn't too hard the second time either. **Crystal Caves - Return of Army Dillo** The return of Army Dillo. His first series of attacks are much like before, with the exception of a shockwave attack (looks like he's been taking some flying lessons from Diddy Kong) The shockwave attack is pretty easy to avoid, you don't even have to backflip. His rolling action is a little more persistent- try running in tight circles, since his turning radius is lousy. After three TNT hits, he'll bring out the BIG gun. The 5 or 6 fireballs are no major problem. The heat seeking missile on the other hand... well, it's a little tough to avoid. Just think of it as the bull and you as the matador. And frankly, even if it hits you once or twice it doesn't matter, because almost no other attack with this Boss will, and by now you have a healthy 3 melons. As with the fireball attack, stay near the TNT barrel as you dodge, because you won't have much time to pick it up, aim, and throw it as the Army Dillo stays vulnerable. One more hit after he starts with the homing missiles and you should be all set. **Creepy Castle - King Kut Out** I think the setup of this, the penultimate boss, is hilarious. It reminds me of something out of the Muppet Movie. You need to place yourself in the cannon and be launched at the K.Rool- imposter. As a rule, if the cutout is there when you are fired from the cannon, you are guaranteed a hit. But you have to be careful, because the cutout can go away as your jump progresses. And don't jump when the cutout is firing its Star Wars like laser beams, or you'll be swatted down faster than Porkins above the Death Star. The first three hits are pretty easy. The second three aren't much harder. The kremlings project a ghost image that can mean your doom if you launch at it, but if you're not blind (Hmm- DK64 in Braille?) you can see which one is real and which is the mirage. The Ghost wandering around the island is actually your friend, by the way- hit him to recharge your melons if you start taking laser hits. (All the Kongs share the same melon set, so recharging is crucial.) The final three hits are the toughest. I lost many primates trying to hit the cutout just before it started firing its laser. As far as I know it can't be done, so make sure you follow the following strategy. The cutout appears 6 times in rapid succession (with a shriek each time, and always going counter-clockwise) and then twice. The second two are when it fires its laser. The secret (and I give thanks to Mojo [masterofyourdomain@yada-yada.com] and his Boss FAQ that suggested this alternate strategy) is that you need to hit him on one of the initial 6 hops. You can do this as long as you are near a cannon that happens to be facing his first or second appearance. That way, you can be ready to hit him on his fifth or sixth appearance, since it will be in the same direction. Let's say you listen, and know you've just seen him on appearance #2. That means on #6 he'll show up in the same place. Just after your hear appearance #5 (you HAVE to listen; in this case being deaf is almost as bad as being blind was earlier) jump into the cannon, and you will launch just as he makes his final quick hop appearance. (Similarly, jump after shriek #4 if you are facing where he showed up for #1, and you'll hit him as he returns for #5.) Sorry this sounds so confusing, it's pretty obvious once you see it in action. ---KING K.ROOL--- So you've gotten through almost all of DK64, collected Bananas until you're at risk for potassium poisoning, fought past enemies innumerable, and now you just want the dang thing to END... **Donkey Kong** This round is probably the easiest of the lot. After a few seconds and about three K. Rool stomps, blast barrels will appear over the 4 turnbuckles. Climb each in turn and jump into the barrels. One useful trick is that to avoid the initial three stomps you can just climb the nearest corner immediately- that way you minimize risk to your precious melons, and only have to dodge a single shockwave as you run to each barrel. (Given the camera angle, you should probably let go of the stick once you've begin the jump to the corner, waiting until you've safely landed ON the turnbuckle before climbing- otherwise you might accidentally start running right towards K.Rool.) So now you're in the barrel facing the King. The trick is to shoot the King as he's cheering himself on. He'll look off to the side before cheering, which is helpful- make sure the barrel is just low enough so you don't fly over his head. The first two shots are a piece of cake, and can be safely taken the first time he lets his guard down. He then gets tricky, dropping his guard and then immediately putting it back up a few times. Usually you can take the third shot on his second guard drop, and the final shot on the third. Sometimes the final shot is not really able to be taken until the fourth time he looks to the crowd, so you have to pay attention. For those final shots, fire as soon as the barrel is low enough to graze his head, otherwise you'll be too late. Over all, this battle's pretty easy. **Diddy Kong** This one was probably the most frustrating of the five, but after a while I got so I could beat it 4/5 of the time. When you're in the ring it's generally easiest to dodge the boomerang glove by running forwards or backwards, out of harm's way-- jumping will likely get you hit. It might be possible to use Diddy's "double somersault" to get to the barrel when it finally appears, but you'll probably have to use the standard crouch jump (as you will with Tiny and Chunky.) When you finally get in the barrel- zoom out of there! The targets will be on both sides of the lamp directly above K.Rool. They're just a tad lower than the "maximum altitude" of the jetpack. Since the targets are fairly big, probably the easiest thing to do is shoot a constant stream of peanuts as you're flying up or down past the target. Unfortunately you can only have a small number of shots on the screen at once, so you'll need a slow and steady pattern. I find it easier to change my grip on the controller so that my pointer and middle fingers press A and B. (I never use Hover in this round, and kind of wish Z was mapped to thrust, not hover- it would make it easier to set up that stream of peanuts.) Make sure you don't land on a light or back on the canvas! Having to jump back into the barrel will make life difficult. Personally, I would usually get hit by the glove once or twice while trying to get in the barrel, and then about once for every two targets- and that suited me fine, I had enough melon, and wasn't seeking perfection anyway. **Lanky Kong** This round is pretty easy, almost as easy as DK's. Dodge the stumbling K.Rool until the numbered switches show up. (Incidentally, the numbers don't matter, you can hit the switches in any order, but doing them numerically might make it easier to keep track of what you've done. Possibly not, given all the camera swerving that goes on.) Use your long punch at the edge of the squared circle to hit the switch- remember that you can change the angle of your arms even while you are punching. Be careful not to be moving when you punch, or else you'll do your spin attack- useless in this case. You then use the exact same move to pick up the barrel that will be raised to you- be sure to only tap the button once, or else you'll throw the barrel without aiming it. Turn to the center of the ring, (Use the R-shoulder button to readjust your view if you need it) and throw the barrel to release a slippery banana peel. (Make sure K.Rool isn't about to stomp on you as you do this- if the barrel busts on the side of the ring it's going to be more difficult.) Now you need to anticipate when K.Rool will be on the opposite side of the banana from you and the trombone pad. Make sure to give yourself enough time to get to the pad- if you're going to be late, look to position yourself to catch the next corner. Play the trombone to attract the attention of K.Rool, who will charge at you. If you've done everything right, he'll run over the banana and fall on his butt. Hilarity ensues. Do this 4 times and color it done- it some ways it's almost easier as use trombone pads go away, since you're forced to wait for K.Rool to get into position instead of running around like a naughty monkey. **Tiny Kong** You know, I never noticed the hole in K.Rool's shoe until after this round- it's present throughout all the fights I believe. You'll have to use Tiny's spin jump to avoid the delayed shockwaves. Keep in mind that you need to be a fair distance above the floor as the shockwave passes, since each blast has a bit of height. Also, make sure that his swinging fists don't hit you as he runs past. Once your barrel appears crouch-jump into it and run into his shoe. Try not to think of what that must smell like. At first dodging the "Toe Jams" seems difficult, but it's actually pretty easy. Keep lose and keep moving and you should be fine- the Toes aren't quite random, and after a while you should get a feel for the patterns. (For example, the two middle toes striking will often be followed by the two outer toes.) As you will soon learn, each attack toe shakes before it reaches out. Eventually, the leftmost toe will raise up, becoming exposed (how convenient for you! My girlfriend asks so why doesn't K.Rool just use all his toes at once- just one of those game things I suppose) Shoot it with your feather weapon, which should be automatically armed for you already- and don't spare the ammo, unlike with Diddy it usually makes sense to quickly unload. Each toe needs one more shot to fully redden it than the one before, and the toes become vulnerable in left to right order. They squeak just Mario 64 ghosts when you hit 'em- figure that out. **Chunky Kong** After the relative ease of Lanky and Tiny, things get a bit tough again with the big guy. First use his jump/Z-stomp to hit the switch, and get the 4 pads. Use a pad to become invisible (and make K.Rool visible again- not that it matters all that much, his shadow is pretty obvious) and to make the barrel show up. It's nice that you don't have to kill time waiting for the barrel, like you do with Diddy and Tiny. Crouch-jump into the barrel as always- but be careful, he's slow to stop running, so it's easy to longjump when you mean to jump straight up. (His Z-stomp is easier (and looks cool, like a bad wrestling move,) but his Z-jump more difficult, than the others. Go figure.) So the perspective will change, and you'll see K.Rool charge at you. It's easiest just to stay crouched (the big sissy) and then hit B to primate punch. The timing of the punch is the trickiest part, and took me a while to figure out. (And if you mess it up too often, you'll have to redo the math with all 5 Kongs- sheesh!) You are trying to hit him in the split second AFTER he finishes his charge, but before he winds up and smacks you. You don't have to catch him in the charge directly. Basically, wait until the last possible second, and then swing batta batta! (Man, didn't we go through this in Mike Tyson's Punch Out on the NES? Is this Bald Bull?) By now you should find it pretty easy to hit the switch, touch the pad and get in the barrel. The second charge is much the same, timing wise. The third time, when he turns invisible, is different, because he runs much faster. You should primate punch just as he begins his charge. The final time he'll run right and left, and that makes it the easiest to time of them all! He'll run right, left, right, left (from Chunky's perspective that is) and the last move of the game is to Primate Punch just as he runs to the left that final time. ---THE END--- Copyright 2000 By Kirk Israel . Not to be posted, published, or modified without explicit permission.