Buy each Kong’s basic gun and instrument as soon as their route becomes available. Later shop upgrades often apply to the team, while character-specific abilities must be bought for the relevant Kong. Return to earlier worlds after unlocking new characters: many early-world bananas are deliberately unreachable on the first visit.
Unlock all five Kongs
Diddy: in Jungle Japes, DK collects the banana outside the cage and shoots the three coconut targets. Tiny: in Angry Aztec’s first temple, Diddy completes the KONG letter puzzle. Lanky: DK frees him inside the Llama Temple after opening its route. Chunky: in Frantic Factory, Lanky climbs the pipe using OrangStand and presses the switch that opens Chunky’s cage.
Donkey Kong
Baboon Blast comes from Cranky in Jungle Japes for three coins. Strong Kong is available in Angry Aztec for five. Gorilla Grab is sold in Frantic Factory for seven. DK uses the Coconut Shooter and Bongo Blast. Strong Kong drains crystal coconuts, so enter its barrel with enough for the whole hazard crossing.
Diddy Kong
Chimpy Charge is sold in Jungle Japes for three coins, Rocketbarrel Boost in Angry Aztec for five and Simian Spring in Frantic Factory for seven. Diddy uses Peanut Popguns and Guitar Gazump. Rocketbarrel flight consumes crystal coconuts; land near a barrel before fuel becomes critical.
Lanky Kong
OrangStand is available in Angry Aztec for three coins, Baboon Balloon in Frantic Factory for five and OrangSprint in Crystal Caves for seven. Lanky uses the Grape Shooter and Trombone Tremor. Use OrangStand on slippery ramps, Balloon on Lanky pads and Sprint for timed ground routes.
Tiny Kong
Mini Monkey is sold in Angry Aztec for three coins, Pony Tail Twirl in Frantic Factory for five and Monkeyport in Crystal Caves for seven. Tiny uses the Feather Bow and Saxophone Slam. Mini Monkey accesses small tunnels; Monkeyport works on its matching pads and is essential for late hub and castle tasks.
Chunky Kong
Hunky Chunky and Primate Punch are sold in Frantic Factory for three and five coins. Gorilla Gone is sold in Crystal Caves for seven. Chunky uses the Pineapple Launcher and Triangle Trample. Punch breaks marked barriers, Hunky Chunky moves giant obstacles and Gorilla Gone reveals certain hidden paths and switches.
Shared upgrades
Cranky gives the green Simian Slam after training. Buy the blue Super Simian Slam in Fungi Forest for five coins and the red Super Duper Simian Slam in Creepy Castle for seven; these upgrades apply to the group. Funky sells ammunition and weapon upgrades, while Candy improves instruments and health. Buy these before late-world revisits so that you do not mistake an unpressable switch for a broken puzzle.
Camera and rainbow coins
As Tiny, enter Banana Fairy Island using Mini Monkey and speak to the fairy. The camera photographs the twenty fairies; the shockwave can uncover marked dirt mounds. A rainbow coin awards five coins to each Kong. Collect it with whichever Kong reaches it, rather than making five separate visits.