Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong – Official Manual Details Game Boy Color Gameplay

Controls and On-Foot Basics

On the Game Boy Color, basic movement in Donkey Kong GB uses the D-pad for left and right travel. Jumping is mapped to the A button, while crouching is handled by the B button. Holding the D-pad while moving also triggers running, so the same directional input covers both walking and faster travel. The layout keeps a small set of inputs repeating across actions: A also serves swimming when the character is in water, according to the manual's operation table.

The two Kongs differ in what the B button does beyond crouching. Dinky Kong has a rolling attack, while Dixie Kong has a ponytail spin, both listed as B-button actions. Barrels add a hold-and-release layer: holding B picks up a barrel, releasing B throws it, and releasing B while pressing down places it. Character switching is listed among the controls. Water changes A from jumping to swimming, so the button's function depends on whether the character is submerged.

Collecting Coins, Bananas, and Letters

The manual's item section assigns distinct functions to each pickup. DK Coins drop after defeating an enemy that holds one, and the manual notes they may also be hidden within an area. Bear Coins are spent at the bear's shop to obtain information. Bonus Coins are acquired in bonus stages; the manual states that collecting them may cause something to happen. Bananas and life balloons both increase life hearts: gathering 100 bananas raises the life heart count by one, and a life balloon does the same directly.

Letter panels and the clock tie collection to progression. Collecting the K, O, N, and G character panels within a single area adds one life heart. The clock is required to go to the Lost World. Separately, the manual groups K-O-N-G letter panels and time pieces under item-based upgrades that enhance abilities. These rules sit alongside the DK Coin drop condition, the Bear Coin shop spending, and the banana and life balloon life-heart increases described in the same item list.

Throwing Barrels and Using Dk Barrels

Barrels in Donkey Kong GB come in several types, each tied to a distinct action. The standard barrel can be held and thrown to attack enemies, or carried while body-slamming into them; the steel barrel behaves the same way but does not break when thrown. A DK Barrel is destroyed to enable switching between characters, and it cannot be broken if a switch is already available. The Continue Barrel is destroyed in advance so that after a miss, play resumes from the spot where that Continue Barrel stood.

The control layout is built around movement and barrel handling. Dinko Kong uses a rolling attack and Dixie Kong uses a ponytail spin as their character-specific moves. A barrel is picked up by holding the button and thrown when the button is released, or set down by pressing down while holding it. Holding a barrel lets the character body-slam enemies, and a separate input changes the character. These same inputs support running during movement, jumping, crouching, and swimming in water.

Animal Friends and Transformation

Across the manual's pages, two Kongs share on-foot basics but diverge in their special moves. Dinko Kong performs a rolling attack, while Dixie Kong uses a ponytail spin; both run by holding the dash input while moving, jump with the jump button, crouch, swim underwater, and can pick up, throw, or set down barrels. Holding the barrel button grabs one, releasing throws it, and pressing down while releasing places it. The character-change input is listed on this methods page as well.

Animal Friends arrive through animal-themed barrels: leaping into a barrel marked with an Animal Friend transforms the Kong, opening a set of special techniques, and reaching an Animal Friend prohibition sign restores the original form. Enguard the marlin dashes while attacking; Squawks the parrot rises upward and spits eggs to attack; Squitter the spider spits webs that can be converted into footing; and Ellie the elephant sprays water, sending it diagonally up or down with direction plus the attack button.

World Map, Level Goals, and Save Cabins

From the title screen, pressing a button opens the file selection screen, which displays five pieces of save data per file. The first entry shows play time, the second the number of bonus coins, the third the game completion rate, the fourth the number of clocks, and the fifth the number of DK coins. To begin a new game, you select a file with no data; to continue, you select a file whose progress has been saved. When you continue, the collected bear coins, bananas, and life hearts all reset to their initial state.

On the world map you choose which level map to enter, and within a level map you select the area to adventure through. Defeating the boss of a level map lets you progress to another level map, and some locations offer help with your adventure. Collecting a DK coin in an area makes one icon appear, while gathering all bonus coins makes another icon appear. In Linkly's hideout you can save your progress, and at the bear shop you spend bear coins to receive information or move to a level map you have already cleared. Inside an area, you defeat enemies and use barrels while heading for the goal flag; touching the goal flag clears the stage. If a switchable character is available, you can swap between Dinky Kong and Dixie Kong. Jumping into a bonus barrel takes you to a bonus stage, where you clear it by fulfilling the objective within the time limit and obtaining a bonus coin. A miss costs one life heart when you fall into a place with no footing, or when you touch an enemy with no switchable character remaining; with a switchable character, touching an enemy instead swaps characters rather than causing a miss, and losing all life hearts ends the game.

Losing Lives, Continuing, and Bonus Stages

On page 20, the manual lists the two situations that count as a miss and reduce the life heart count by one. Falling into a spot with no footing, such as a pit, triggers a miss. Being hit by an enemy also triggers a miss, but only while no switchable character is available. When a switchable character is present, an enemy hit does not cause a miss; instead the active Kong switches. Once no life hearts remain, the next miss ends the game. The area is otherwise cleared by reaching and touching the goal flag while defeating enemies and using barrels along the way.

Page 20 also covers the bonus barrel: jumping into one takes the player to a bonus stage. There, the task must be completed within the time limit, and obtaining a bonus coin clears the stage. Separately, page 24 documents the Continue Barrel. If the player breaks it beforehand, then after a miss the game can be resumed from the place where that Continue Barrel stood. The same page groups it with other barrels that are carried and thrown at enemies, and with the steel barrel, which behaves like a normal barrel but does not break when thrown.

First published Oct 16, 2026.