Originally written to accompany an underwater level, “Stickerbush Symphony” arguably doesn’t deviate much stylistically from DKC’s “Aquatic Ambience”. Take “Stickerbush Symphony”, inspiration to many electronic music artists and the reason why a decades-old SNES soundtrack still receives coverage in mainstream music publications, including the Rolling Stone (even if that coverage isn’t always very well-researched). The stage tracks on Diddy’s Kong Quest are less hypnotic, but arguably more immediately accessible – and just as memorable.
On that earlier game, many of the level themes had a beguilingly stark mood. Ultimately though, what has made the Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest soundtrack a fan favourite is its continuation and expansion of Donkey Kong Country’s soundscaping. The metallic percussion on “Crocodile Cacophony” couldn’t sound anymore heavy and forceful on this platform. Here and elsewhere on this score, Wise pushes the SNES sound chip as hard as one could possibly imagine. “Crocodile Cacophony” equally relies on the antagonist’s theme, which ends up being the soundtrack’s most prominent thematic construct. Rool Returns” with a sea chantey mood that feels entirely appropriate. On the Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest soundtrack, these tracks largely maintain the score’s level of excellence. On Donkey Kong Country, they were the soundtrack’s weakest link, repetitive and heavy-handed. These confidently expressed dramatic gestures particularly benefit the boss tracks. Despite the fluidity of its orchestrations, the composition’s structure remains admirably coherent. Rool Returns”’ theatrical mood, but soon enough Wise lets the orchestral drama disintegrate into a surprisingly lean passage for solo bassoon against string pizzicati and glockenspiel.
Most impressive of all is “Krook’s March”, as multi-faceted and sophisticated as any top shelf SNES JRPG composition. Clearly, the stakes have been raised and it’s not just the game’s sombre colour palette that is telling us so. Determined and driven, map theme “Welcome to Crocodile Isle” could hardly be more different from DKC’s “Simian Segue”’s sunny demeanour. Wise isn’t often thought of as an orchestral composer, but his work here shows his undeniable talent in this area. The biggest stylistic addition to the palette of the Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest soundtrack is the much larger presence of orchestral pieces. It’s a stunning example of musical world-building that pushes the ageing SNES sound hardware to its very limits. In short, this might well be his career-defining masterpiece.
For the Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest soundtrack, Wise returned and wrote the entire score on his own.
Collaborating with Eveline Fischer, David Wise created a haunting, minimalist opus that underscored the lavish graphics with understated grace. The one component of Donkey Kong Country that has arguably aged best is its soundtrack. Polished and bursting at the seams with ideas, Diddy’s Kong Quest remains one of the best 2d platformers ever created. While Donkey Kong Country remains the most historically important (and best-selling) entry in the franchise, it is Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest that is usually most fondly remembered among gamers. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest Soundtrack (SNES), David Wise, 1995
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