Donkey Kong Land III/103%

Current Fastest Time

Timing Note

RTA timing begins from file select, and ends when the 103% trophy appears after beating the last Time Trial. SDA timing would begin slightly later, with the endpoint being identical. The in-game timer is only accurate to the minute, and is therefore not used.

Preliminary Notes

This page is written out as a series of notes to complement someone as they run the game. In other words, it's meant to be glanced at in the short breaks between stages to jog your memory. Each stage has a quick indication of where the two bonus barrels and DK coin are, as well as anything else that might be useful to refer to immediately.
If a stage has a direction, eg. (L) next to its name, then that part of the stage starts by moving left. Otherwise it starts by moving right.
If a bullet point within a stage has a direction next to it: if it is before the note, then the bonus stage starts in that direction. If it is after the note, then the direction is for when you return to the stage.
Some bonus stages have instructions in brackets, namely those with barrels and the maze-type stages in the tree levels.

World 1: Cape Codswallop

1-1 Red Wharf

Bonus 1: backwards from down arrow in water
Bonus 2: above rope after drop on right side

(Barrels: U, UR)

DK: jump in cannon barrel just after 2

1-2 Seabed Shanty

Warp: long ascent, then top left corner(UL)
DK: up after W
1(D): after Enguarde barrel, down, then left through no entry sign
2: down and left after hidden barrel cannons

1-3 Ford Knocks

1: top path at start
2: drop down gap with balloon
DK: at end of stage

1-4 Total Rekoil

1: jump left immediately at the start
DK: left at fork, not up
W: turn around after DK, when route goes back down the stairs, jump instead
2: go right after W, at top of elevator(L)

1-5 Koco Channel

DK: off first bug and right
1: glide left from cannon platform (after halfway)
2: after no entry sign, drop into water and left

1-6 Liftshaft Lottery

1(L): go right after second elevator, underneath the bee
DK: after left arrow on elevator, secret third one going up
2: after porcupines, elevator up instead of down

Boss: Barbos Bastion

A good way to time the attacks here is to watch the Lurchin flash. After seven flashes you should attack, and that should time it just after it opens up.

World 2: Primate Plains

2-1 Coral Quarrel

1: down at fork with two tubes next to each other
DK: left at halfway barrel
2: down at fork after DK barrel, as Enguarde

2-2 Minky Mischief

1: down after no entry sign
2: up large tree shaft with right arrow

(Maze - jump over second rope, hold left at third)

DK: hidden cannon just before end, on left side

2-3 Jetty Jitters

DK: barrel in front, enemy behind at start
1: in gap below single rope
2: glide from high rope to upper platform, cannon on right

(Switch to Kiddy after bees in bonus)

2-4 Black Ice Blitz

1: drop into gap after G
2+DK: jump over goal post

2-5 Riverbank Riot (L)

DK: barrel behind at start
1: left in water after big double drop
2: down first gap after steel barrel

2-6 Miller Instinct

1: right at DK enemy, over cannon
DK: barrel one level above
2(L): up through shaft, right at end

(Barrels: UR, R, U, U)

Boss: Bleak Magic

World 3: Blackforest Plateau

3-1 Rocketeer Rally (L)

1(L): right after rocket barrel, when you see K on the right
DK: far top left
2(L): right underneath it

3-2 Vertigo Verge

1: far left of long rope
DK: just after halfway barrel
2: stay left and down at right arrow

3-3 Polar Pitfalls

1: next pit after O
DK: just after halfway, barrel is past it
2: down either pit with a bee in it

3-4 Surface Tension

2: next to banana under O
DK: take cannon, barrel to right, come back left
Complete stage, then re-enter
1: behind at start
Start-Select

3-5 Tundra Blunda

2: after single hut, bounce left off bug
DK: jump over goal post
Complete stage, then re-enter
1: behind at start
Start-Select

3-6 Redwood Rampage

1: down at start
DK: up two spider lifts after a long climb
2: down at fork(L)

(Enemies: 8)

Boss: Arich Attack

If you're not Kiddy already, switch to Kiddy at the start of the fight.
You can do the damage boost on any hit and it will save an equal amount of time. The video above demonstrates it on the third hit, and you should aim to get hit by the last shot as it comes into a vertical line with the rightmost of Arich's legs. Then hold A as the character switch occurs, and Arich should drop instantly into his diving attack.

World 4: Great Ape Lakes

4-1 Jungle Jeopardy

1: across second gap in the stage

(IMMEDIATELY jump when you enter)

2: run into gap after G
DK: near end, barrel after, throw it right

4-2 Footloose Falls

Damage boost through bee with Kiddy
1: left at right arrow (after O)
DK+2: top right at end

4-3 Deep Reef Grief

1: right past clam after long climb(L)
DK: right at down arrow (and big fish)
2: down at left arrow after N, as Enguarde(UL)

4-4 Karbine Kaos

1: get Squitter, go up shaft(L)
DK: go left at elevators
2: bounce off second spring Kremling

4-5 Simian Shimmy (L)

1: bounce off fat bird(L)
DK: find barrel, turn right and drop
2: bounce off bug above steel barrel(L)

(Maze - at second rope, up then left)

4-6 Rockface Chase

1: above ropes after cannon(L)
2: right at final rope (left arrow)(D)
DK: below rope at left

Boss: Krazy Kaos

Switch to Kiddy at the start of this fight. The fastest hit to skip is the second. After the first hit, Kaos will sweep across the bottom three times: just before Kaos gets all the way to the right on the third sweep, do a full jump and land on Kaos, then hold A as the character switch occurs and you should jump up to Kaos in its starting position and get another hit.

World 5: Tin Can Valley

5-1 Tropical Tightropes

DK: grab barrel in front, enemy is behind
1(L): jump off edge after second up-right cannon
2: jump over goal post

(Only get one attempt at this one!)

5-2 Clifftop Critters (L)

1: left after first vertical rope
DK: after 1, roll off right edge and back left
2: jump across two vertical ropes past a bee, past G and up

5-3 Rickety Rapids (L)

1: down gap with banana trail, left in T barrel(L)
2(L): go with first two banana arrows, at third go left instead of right
DK: behind goal post

5-4 Bazuka Bombard

1: right off right elevator

After returning to the stage, wait for the Karbine to fire before moving left

2: at second barrel blaster on a step, glide right and drop onto a barrel(L)
DK: on way to end. barrel in one pit, enemy in next

5-5 Ugly Ducting

1: all the way left after going up once
DK: right and up when you can from here
2: right after first shaft as Squawks(L)

(Enemies: 5)

5-6 Stalagmite Frights

1: get Squitter, up at gap in the ceiling
DK: another gap in the ceiling after halfway
2: jump over down-facing cannon, land in one facing left

Boss: K. Rool Duel

The K. Rool fight goes like so:

Round 1: 1 high laser from each side, run barrel to the right
Round 2: 3 lasers each side, from high to low, only need to jump over the low one, throw barrel to the right
Round 3: 3 low lasers from the right side only, throw barrel to the right
Round 4: High, low, low, high from each side, jump and throw barrel to the left

The barrel always appears in the same spot, near the right hand side.

World 6: The Lost World

6-1 Whiplash Dash

DK: go right after first sled
1+2: go right at final barrel. 2 is hidden next to 1 on the right(L after 2)

6-2 Kuchuka Karnage

1: right side of large elevator pit, below last banana
2: left at rotating barrel cannon
DK: barrel near end, enemy past goal post

6-3 Haunted Hollows (L)

1: up at first clam(L)
DK: up and left at water level
2: above second small pit - first has DK barrel above and bomb throwing enemy below

6-4 Rainforest Rumble (L)

1(L): behind at start
2(L): below barrel cannon after no entry sign
DK: after end of stage - throw from left of gap

After this stage, you go past the Sheepy Shop - go past it and come back after Ghoulish Grotto. You can't play this last game without all 77 bonus coins.

6-5 Barrel Boulevard (L)

1: after long elevator drop, glide left and land on a barrel
DK: after 1, get barrel and drop down on the right
2: drop down from long rope on the right side

(Barrels: UR, UR, UR)

6-6 Ghoulish Grotto

DK: jump over first barrel cannon
1: underneath two bees(L)
2: disappearing cannon after two large enemies

Remember to go back to the shop!

Boss: K. Rool's Last Stand

Time Trials

In order, the 12 time trial stages are:

1-3 Ford Knocks
1-6 Liftshaft Lottery
3-3 Polar Pitfalls
2-5 Riverbank Riot
1-2 Seabed Shanty
4-5 Simian Shimmy (L)
5-2 Clifftop Critters(L)
5-4 Bazuka Bombard
5-3 Rickety Rapids (L)
5-6 Stalagmite Frights
5-1 Tropical Tightropes
6-1 Whiplash Dash

Obviously the strategy for each stage is as it would be in an any% run.