Donkey Kong Remix tips and strategies

[Sock Master]

With the influx of new players playing Donkey Kong Remix and Donkey Kong Christmas Remix, I thought it would be good to start a thread for gameplay strategies, tips and tricks.

I'll start with some of the screens where new players might have trouble.  DK Remix has tons of new logic and I don't want to spoil learning a new game, so if you like to experience the game fresh and learn the tricks on your own - stop reading!


Falling Floors Rivets stage:

Many first timers have trouble with the 2nd rivets screen with floors that collapse when the rivets from both sides are pulled.
Jumpman has to collapse floors so he can then walk over the pile to reach a ledge on the right side of the screen.  It's not required that the rivets be pulled in any particular order but dangers can be reduced if care is taken not to leave Jumpman vulnerable with no escape route.
Sometimes players knock out the two bottom floors and leave Jumpman vulnerable to climbing fireballs on the ledge at the right.   If the player pulls out the two bottom right rivets first, this can't happen.  Another strategy is to leave the bottom left rivet intact and pull it 2nd last.  Another strategy is to make sure the falling floor crushes any firefoxes that might block Jumpman's path.  It just takes some planning not to leave Jumpman vulnerable - change the order you pull the rivets if you keep getting stuck in the same way.


Alternate Pies stage:

Unlike regular DK, the fireballs can go both up and down from the top conveyor.  They actually actively seek out the opposite side of the screen that Jumpman is on - even the freezers!  If there are fireballs above Jumpman and he needs to go up, give them some time.  Do not move from side to side of the screen as that keeps them milling around above.


Reverse Elevators stage:

In DK Remix, touching the elevators is not deadly like it is in DK.  They're like moving platforms in Super Mario.  Jumpman can jump UP into them from below.  That means the timing for jumping onto them is much more forgiving and it's possible to jump onto them much sooner.  It is possible to reach the top shelf on this stage (but not the bottom shelf!).   This also makes reaching the top shelf in the regular elevators stage much easier.

 

[QAOP Spaceman]

Thanks for the hints and tips sock, I may well consult these next year when I finally get past the first screen

[creech]

I really just started playing DK seriously about 6 months ago, and have played the prior remix. Have been playing the xmas version for a day and a half, so I only made it to level 4 or just about and was able to figure these hints out. I'm sure most of you here will be able to really do great. It should be fun to watch the streams during the xmas season. Good stuff.

[krehztim]

Thanks for the hints and tips sock, I may well consult these next year when I finally get past the first screen

 

Save states are my best friend right now. 

Is there any logic in terms of which direction the barrels roll, once they fall through the middle hole on the redesigned barrel board?

[mrvaya]

Run away from the middle = steers barrels towards you
Run against the middle = steers the barrels away from you

[Sock Master]

Run away from the middle = steers barrels towards you
Run against the middle = steers the barrels away from you

Funnel/Barrel+Spring stage:


For some first time players the 1st screen might seem overwhelming - barrels all over the place!

The player actually has a lot of control over where the barrels go.  I'm not going to get super technical about it but the general gist is that when a barrel is just about to fall through the center gap between girders, the direction it takes is influenced by Jumpman.

If you push the joystick to the left, the barrel is more likely to fall to the left.
If you push the joystick to the right, the barrel is more likely to fall to the right.

This applies to both barrels above and below Jumpman.  With a bit of planning you can make barrels exit the screen, or recycle them back to the top.. Nudge them away from an area you want to cross, or nudge them into that area so you can score points jumping/smashing them.  Lots of control but it's difficult to mentally process the path of each and every barrel on the screen simultaneously.

For someone just starting, I'd suggest using this logic to keep the screen clear.  If you're aiming to point press - then keep the screen populated, keep blue barrels in circulation, etc... but the screen gets more dangerous as more barrels accumulate on the screen.

[f_symbols]

As an anecdote to what John just posted, you can "read" the direction a barrel is heading as it goes down the "funnel" within the first few frames it crosses over the edge, also, from my experience the steering point is a few pixels before the barrel reaches the edge.

The red and green lines show the relative deviations in the steering paths. A barrel wrapping back toward the side it came from (red in this image) will appear to fall straight down as soon as it hits the edge, whereas a barrel headed the other way (green) will immediately move towards the center; because steering is not 100%, this is a good way to read where it's going and ideally be able to react in time accordingly.

The yellow line represents the location I believe to be the "steering point".

NOTE: My placement of the yellow line is speculative, based solely on visual experience, for all I know the steering point is a pixel or two in either direction, but it's relatively close.

[Sock Master]

Level 4 Elevators:

Players seem to have trouble figuring out how to get across the spring zones.   There's a couple of rules that make it pretty easy.  Jump across the spring zone as a spring that is further away from Jumpman is crossing (short or long spring depending which direction you're crossing) and you get a bit more leeway in timing & clearance.  And you don't have to take multiple jumps all in a row because you can stop at the safe spots and wait for the next good opportunity to continue further.

Alternate Pies stage (also regular Pies):

If a fireball follows Jumpman up the retractable ladder, there's an easy way to avoid it.  Just push Jumpman into the edge of the screen.  The fireball will always go left after climbing a ladder and the fireball's upper conveyor logic will make it keep going to the other side.

Funnel/Barrels+Spring stage:

Another important thing to remember is that barrels never go down certain ladders in the game.  This isn't actually new logic added to DK Remix, it's original DK logic but it never comes into play in DK.  If a barrel happens to still be bouncing if it crosses over a ladder, it's up in the air - not rolling!  That means it won't roll down the ladder.  This can also apply to other stages in the game.
Whiskey Barrels (the barrels that have a different color than usual) bounce higher than regular barrels and there are some additional ladders that these barrels never go down.

Elevators Rivets stage:

Just a little detail I forgot to mention before.  There is a tiny ladder below the elevator reversing switch.  This is a one-way ladder.  Jumpman can take that ladder to go down instead of crossing over the fallen girders.  You can use it to avoid fireballs that might be in Jumpman's way.