50 Lives Cheat Code in Donkey Kong Country (SNES, Switch)

Nintendo’s 2D platforming classic Donkey Kong Country is arriving for the Nintendo Switch, and with it will come a new generation of gamers getting decimated by Rareware’s deceptively difficult platformer masquerading as a children’s game. While the DKC series has had many iterations, there is still a considerable consensus that the original entry in the series remains infallible. Fans of the original Donkey Kong Country have even uncovered a lot of the game’s development secrets over the years as people continue to marvel over the quality of the game decades later. Donkey Kong Country is an obvious choice for a port to the Nintendo Switch’s SNES roster.

However, as previously mentioned, Donkey Kong Country is a platformer that, in no way, attempts to hold the player’s hand. Upon its release to the SNES in 1994, players were met with beautiful 16-bit renderings of their favorite video game apes set to a perfect soundtrack. But it was quickly discovered that this game was more than just a shiny new entry into the burgeoning 2D platformer genre – it was filled with precise jumps, challenging mechanics (some say gimmicks), and punishing enemies. Thankfully, Rareware was kind enough to implement a few helpful cheat codes (a beautiful mechanic of a bygone era) that would help players conquer this romp to reclaim Donkey Kong’s banana hoard. Here is how players can enable arguably the most useful cheat code in Donkey Kong Country, the code to get an extra 50 lives (you’re going to need them).

How and Where to Activate the 50 Lives Cheat Code in Donkey Kong Country

Players need to enter the cheat code to get an extra 50 lives before loading into their save file. Upon navigating to the Game Select screen, players should then hover over the “Erase File” option – it will rapidly blink to indicate it’s selected. Then, players need to enter the word BARRAL on their controller while hovering on “Erase File.” This is done by entering the following: B, A, Right, Right, A, and Left. Then, once loading into their save file of choice, players should notice their stock of extra lives has gone up by an additional 50. This cheat code can be crucial for players to make their way through the game smoothly, as a Game Over in Donkey Kong Country can be brutal, often setting players back multiple levels to the last save point they passed on the overworld map.

With any luck, an extra 50 lives should help players conquer the perils Donkey Kong Island presents to them. The original Donkey Kong Country is a game that will forever go down as one of the greats in gaming history. Nintendo’s decision to bring it to the Switch Online platform means more people will get to experience this excellent game who may not have been able to otherwise. With any luck, Nintendo will continue to announce retro titles coming to Switch Online in the Nintendo Direct rumored for this month.

Donkey Kong Country is available for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and the Nintendo Switch.

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