Donkey Kong Country is a 1994 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . The game centers on Donkey Kong and his friend Diddy Kong, who are on a quest to recover Donkey Kong's stolen banana hoard from King K. Rool and the Kremlings. Following an aggressive marketing campaign, Donkey Kong Country received critical acclaim and sold more than nine million copies worldwide, making it the third-best-selling SNES game. It is considered one of the best video games of all time. The game worlds in Donkey Kong Country are themed to resemble ecosystems— jungle, factory, underwater, mountains, treetops, caves, mines, and ruins— that are shared with many levels in that world.