 Players take control of the series 's protagonist Donkey Kong , as well as his friend Diddy Kong in certain situations , with many traditional elements of the Donkey Kong Country series returning , including mine cart levels , the ability to swing between vines and collect bananas , and the golden " KONG " puzzle pieces . New gameplay elements include levels in which the characters and foreground environments appear as silhouettes , spawning several new gameplay mechanics . In single @-@ player mode , players can only play as Donkey Kong , although Diddy Kong rides on Donkey Kong 's back , and Donkey Kong can use Diddy 's jetpack to jump further . Multiplayer mode enables a second player to control Diddy Kong . If a player 's character dies in two @-@ player mode , it can be brought back by using the other character to hit a " DK Barrel " that floats into view , a mechanic similar to the one used in New Super Mario Bros. Wii . To avoid problems arising from differences in the players ' skills , Diddy can hop on Donkey 's back to take on a more passive role , while his jetpack can be used to make his partner 's jumps easier . Both Donkey and Diddy can pound the ground to defeat enemies and unveil secret items . 
