Diddy Kong Pilot (2003)

Diddy Kong Pilot
The default title screen, associated with Team Kong
Developer	Rare
Publisher	N/A
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance
Genre	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer (accessible when linked; glitched)

Diddy Kong Pilot is the name of a canceled Game Boy Advance racing title starring Diddy Kong and other Donkey Kong characters racing against each other in Planes. This iteration was entirely redone from the original Diddy Kong Pilot developed around 2001 before being finalized as Banjo-Pilot, which released in 2005.

History

No information regarding this iteration of Diddy Kong Pilot was publicly known until October 3, 2011, when a former Rare employee, with the pseudonym "Transparentjinjo", posted a gameplay video on YouTube. According to its title, the game's build date was "February 19, 2003", approximately 5 months prior to Microsoft trademarking "Banjo-Pilot". About a month later, the game leaked onto an unrelated Rare fansite.

Gameplay

Gameplay of Funky racing in the Steamy Swoop course

Diddy Kong Pilot has a few modes, including the Grand Prix-type mode "Cups", a Time Trial mode which has no default scores, or even the Cranky Challenge mode, in which the player's goal is to obtain six coins placed around the course while beating Cranky in a race. The multiplayer option is crossed out and cannot be accessed. Diddy Kong Pilot features three different teams: Team Kong (consisting of Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Donkey Kong, and Funky), Team Kritter (consisting of Kritter, Klap Trap, Klump, and K. Rool), and Team Cranky, whose only member is Cranky Kong; the character select consists of all slots, and for Team Cranky, Cranky even appears in all four character slots. The player can unlock the Kremlings by finishing every cup, and Cranky if the player beats all the Cranky Challenges.

Gameplay progression is as follows:

1. Team Kong beats Team Krem in all four cups and boss fights, after which Cranky bets the player couldn't do it while playing as a Kremling.
2. Team Krem beats Team Kong in all four cups and boss fights, after which Cranky laments the fact that the Kremlings have earned the rights to claim the title screen as Kremling Pilot, showing a lava temple area.
3. Player beats all Cranky Challenges with any character, after which Cranky allows himself to be played.
4. Cranky beats Team Krem in all four cups and boss fights, claiming the title screen in his own name. The title screen is restyled to Cranky Kong Pilot, which shows a scenery of the open sea and Enguarde jumping out on occasion.

Aside from basic gameplay, few elements return directly from Diddy Kong Racing. T.T.'s voice is still used as the announcer despite him never visually appearing, and air-based Zippers reappear with the same design and functionality as before. Additionally, waiting to press the accelerator at the beginning of the race until the space between T.T.'s "Get ready" and "Go" results in a large speed boost.

The character flights on the title screen doesn't loop in this build. In Banjo-Pilot, either one or all characters take turns flying across the title screen.

The character selection is restricted to a specific difficulty in this build. Team Kong, Team Krem, and Team Cranky were replaced with Bottles GP, Grunty GP, and Endurance GP respectively in Banjo-Pilot.

Modes

Cups

Cups mode is divided between two sub-modes, Race and Boss.

Cups
Race	Boss

Race

The player needs to complete each of the four cups by first completing the four races to win a trophy, which allows them to fight the boss. Team Kong and Team Cranky have the same cups and tracks, while the tracks in Team Krem's cups are reversed and have different names. In each race, the player must place between first and fourth to qualify for the next race. Three retries are allotted if they fail to qualify, represented by flag icons on the retry screen. More retries can be earned by collecting all the KONG Letters in a course. At the end of a cup, the player must place third or higher overall. Otherwise, the player is simply returned to the cup select screen.

Trophies
The Bronze Cup	The Silver Cup	The Gold Cup	The Platinum Cup
Place third overall	Place second overall	Place first overall	Place first in every race

Boss

After placing in the top three positions in a cup, the player gets to dogfight the boss, which is the character the cup is named for. Each take place above the clouds over the ocean, a vast forest, or the "Speedy Show" course. The fights alternate between having the player shoot at the boss from behind while avoiding their weapons, and having the player in front of the boss while avoiding their bullets. In both segments, item barrels appear and can be used by the player. Each cup's boss in the order they appear in the menu is more powerful and aggressive than the previous one, with four named difficulty levels shared by each team; however, the Kong bosses fought while playing as Team Krem are in general more dangerous than when the Kremlings are faced while playing as Team Krem, and when fighting the Kremlings as Team Cranky, they have their original behavior, but are much more durable. Each boss character has their own weapon which they drop in a chain behind them, making it dangerous to pursue them directly much of the time. After one of the participants loses all their health, a brief scene shows the winner shooting down the loser; unlike gameplay, this is shown from the side.

Time Trial

In Time Trial, the player can set their own high score on any track, including the reverse Kremling versions, with any character. Zippers and target balloons are present in this mode as in Cups, though barrels and the items within are not.

Cranky Challenge

In Cranky Challenge, the player must race Cranky Kong while collecting six coins he has hidden around the tracks. There is a Cranky Challenge for each of the 16 Team Kong courses, and they can be performed by any character.

Options menu

The options menu has six selectable options, most of which are related to debugging: "Language", "Sound", "Secret", "Multiplayer Weapons", "Ghost", and "Clear Scores". The Language option is highly unfinished, and is shown to have four other options, aside from English: French, Spanish, German, and Italian. The only text translated into German are the options from the title screen and options menu. The other languages use the same, default English text for a placeholder.

Despite having no relevance to sound, the Sound option redirects the player to an incomplete initials menu. After entering three characters, the rotating character input goes to the number 5. If the player presses while the number is highlighted, they are sent back to the options menu.

The Secret option unlocks everything in the game. The Multiplayer Weapons option shows a replay of the cutscene from the most recent defeat in a dogfight match. Despite its title, the Ghost mode has no relevance to Time Trial ghosts, and instead displays the victory photo of a team. The team displayed in the photo corresponds to the current title screen. The last option is Clear Scores, which erases all of the game data.

Teams and characters

Team Kong - Beginner

Main article: Team Kong

The victory screen for Team Kong

This team consists of four of the Kongs: Diddy, Dixie, Funky, and Donkey. Every member of Team Kong is playable since the start. They are the main rivals of Team Krem. Prior to starting a cup, Cranky passive-aggressively encourages the player to win against the Kremlings.

In Banjo-Pilot, Team Kong was replaced with Bottles GP.

Name	Characters screen mugshot	Characters screen sprite	Dogfight icon	Stats	Banjo-Pilot counterpart*
Diddy Kong				Speed: Accel.: Weight:	Kazooie
Dixie Kong				Speed: Accel.: Weight:	Jinjo
Funky Kong				Speed: Accel.: Weight:	Banjo
Donkey Kong				Speed: Accel.: Weight:	Bottles

Team Krem - Intermediate

Main article: Team Krem

Character select screen of Team Kremling

Team Krem consists of four of the Kremlings: Kritter, Klap Trap, Klump, and K. Rool. The whole team is unlocked when the Kongs win against them in every cup and dogfight challenge. After the player beats every cup and wins against all four Kongs in dogfights while playing as a Kremling, the title screen and the selection menus are reskinned from the original jungle theme to have a Kremling theme. The title screen reads "Kremling Pilot", and it takes place in a ruins area with lava. The options and selection menus are replaced with a scaly red and yellow background. Before starting a cup as a Kremling, Cranky talks in a disgruntled manner toward them.

In Banjo-Pilot, Team Krem was replaced with Grunty GP.

Name	Characters screen mugshot	Characters screen sprite	Dogfight icon	Stats	Banjo-Pilot counterpart*
Kritter				Speed: Accel.: Weight:	Jolly Roger
Klap Trap				Speed: Accel.: Weight:	Humba Wumba
Klump				Speed: Accel.: Weight:	Klungo
K. Rool				Speed: Accel.: Weight:	Gruntilda

Team Cranky - Expert

Main article: Team Cranky

Character select screen of Team Cranky

Cranky is the only member of Team Cranky, the only team specifically named after another character. Team Cranky can be unlocked after the player beats every Cranky challenge in 1st place with all coins collected. Despite Cranky being the only team member, Team Cranky still has its own character select screen, which oddly features four identical slots to select Cranky.

After the player beats every cup and wins against all four Kremlings in dogfights while playing as Cranky, the Cranky Kong Pilot title screen is unlocked, which shows a cobwebbed, wooden logo of "Cranky Kong Pilot", and shows an ocean in the background scenery. From the title screen, Enguarde occasionally jumps out of the water. The options and selection menu show construction girders from the Donkey Kong arcade game. At this point, the game is complete, and Cranky Kong informs the player that it seems like the "end of an era," possibly referencing Rare's time with the Donkey Kong franchise coming to an end.

In Banjo-Pilot, Team Cranky was replaced with Endurance GP.

Name	Characters screen mugshot	Characters screen sprite	Dogfight icon	Stats	Banjo-Pilot counterpart
Cranky				Speed: Accel.: Weight:	Mumbo Jumbo (plane) Bottles (stats and storyline)

Items

General items and objects

Name and image	Description	Banjo-Pilot counterpart
Barrel	Barrels give usable items when broken.	Honeycomb
Bullet	The planes' main weapon, used by default when the player has no barrel items. They are used most extensively in dogfights.	Bullet
Coin	Six of these are found in each of the Cranky Challenges. To succeed, all must be collected and Cranky beaten in a race.	Jiggy
KONG Letters	Collectibles that grant an extra retry if collected entirely.	Musical Notes
Target Balloon	A single Target Balloon appears on each track, floating out of the way when approached. If it is successfully shot, it spawns the respectively colored Zipper for a short period, though it does not respawn until the next race.	Glowbo
Zipper	Zippers boost speed for a short period, boosting extra if the player releases the acceleration before hitting them. The special pink Zippers spawn chains of them in a row if gone through with the final leading to a faster and longer "Monkey Power" boost, and the special yellow ones activate a "Monkey Madness" effect that autopilots the player to the finish line.	Zipper "Go Glowbo Go"

Barrel items

Name and image	Description	Banjo-Pilot counterpart
Pink Buzz	Homes onto the nearest opponent. They are either featured alone or in a set of three.	Fire Egg
Blue Buzz	Homes in on the pilot in first place like a Spiny Shell, but can be escaped with a Zinger item or a zipper boost.	Saucer of Peril
Rambi	Grants temporary invincibility to everything except hazards such as trees, like a Star from the Mario Kart series.	Gold Feather
TNT Barrel	Boosts the user while damaging other pilots nearby. In a boss fight, the boss is automatically damaged if the player uses it, regardless of positioning.	Turbo Trainer
Wrench Barrel	Strikes other racers with lightning and makes them dizzy, or damages the opponent during a boss fight. CPU opponents cannot use this item.	Mingy Jongo
Zinger	Can be dropped behind by racers as an obstacle for other racers to crash into. They may fly in place, up and down, left or right, or wind around a small area.	Ice Egg

Courses

Race courses

All race courses have three laps, regardless of mode.

Team Kong and Team Cranky

Cups	Map	Description	Banjo-Pilot counterpart
Klap Trap Kup	Steamy Swoop	A jungle-themed stage with Donkey Kong's Treehouse in the background.	Honeycomb Cup	Spiral Mountain
	Plain Pursuit	A flats-themed stage where Expresso makes a cameo.		Jinxy's Dunes
	Chilly Length	An ice-themed stage with orcas and a ship in the background.		Freezeezy Peak
	Magma Spurt	A temple-themed stage with golden K. Rool statues in the background.		Hailfire Peaks
Kritter Kup	Shore Strife	A beach-themed stage with DK Isle in the background. Enguardes make a cameo appearance.	Jiggy Cup	Treasure Trove Cove
	Jungle Jostle	A more complex rendition of Steamy Swoop.		Clanker's River
	Temple Heat	A dark temple-themed stage with large amounts of lava.		Grunty Industries
	Wild Wilderness	A more complex rendition of Plain Pursuit with Expressos of varying sizes as obstacles.		Gobi's Valley
Klump Kup	Frosty Feud	A basic ice-themed stage with lines of slowing rocks and a lighthouse in the background.	Beehive Cup	Freezing Furnace
	Vine Rush	A dark jungle-themed stage with many tree obstacles.		Mayahem Temple
	Speedy Show	A variation of Magma Spurt with a large Kritter-like dragon in the lava.		Steamy Vents
	Reef Encounter	A more complex rendition of Shore Strife with beach tent obstacles.		Jolly Roger's Lagoon
K. Rool Kup	Lava Dispute	A variation of Temple Heat.	Feather Cup	Witchyworld
	Frantic Beach	A sunset beach-themed stage.		Breegull Beach
	Prairie Dash	An even more complex rendition of Plain Pursuit.		Terrydactyland
	Icy Passage	A more complex rendition of Chilly Length with many tight turns.		Cauldron Keep

Team Krem

The courses in Team Krem's cups are the same as those in Team Kong's, albeit with a different name.

Cup	Map	Banjo-Pilot counterpart
Dixie Cup	Monkey Rift	Pumpkin Cup	Spiral Mountain R
	Plateau Patrol		Jinxy's Dunes R
	Artic[sic] Rumble		Freezeezy Peak R
	Ember Trouble		Hailfire Peaks R
Diddy Cup	Rapid Sands	Cauldron Cup	Treasure Trove Cove R
	Simian Fields		Clanker's River R
	Cinder Slam		Grunty Industries R
	Savannah Air		Gobi's Valley R
Funky Cup	Snow Business	Skull Cup	Freezing Furnace R
	Gibbons Gate		Mayahem Temple R
	Fiery Divide		Steamy Vents R
	Monkey Bay		Jolly Roger's Lagoon R
Donkey Cup	Sanctum Shoot	Broomstick Cup	Witchyworld R
	Coastal Chaos		Breegull Beach R
	Sunset Shindig		Terrydactyland R
	Tundra Trouble		Cauldron Keep R

Boss courses

	Boss Bop		Boss Bash		Boss Brawl		Boss Bother
Boss
Weapon

Battle courses

Icon	Name	Banjo-Pilot counterpart
	Jungle Jig	Mumbo's Mountain
	Sunset Scrap	Temple Tussle
	Ice Escapades	Arctic Blast
	Beach Brawl	Rusty Bucket Bay

Audio

Chris Seavor provided the voice of all playable characters (Diddy, Dixie, Funky, Donkey, Klap Trap, Kritter, Klump, K. Rool, and Cranky), while Dean Smith served as the announcer, using the exact same voice as T.T. All of the voices were recorded in late 2002 and were placeholders, later being replaced by voices from Banjo-Kazooie in Banjo-Pilot. All of the music from this build was reused in Banjo-Pilot with the addition of a few music tracks, while "Monkey Madness!" was replaced by "Go Glowbo Go!"

Glitches

A glitch found from the background

Diddy Kong Pilot went considerably far in development, although it remains somewhat unpolished. The most notable bug is the continuous loop of a loud sound effect, which occurs when the player goes through a zipper just before a Buzz crashes into them. Another bug always shows a "22" in the top-left corner of the Options menu. All of these glitches were fixed in Banjo-Pilot.

Quotes

Main article: List of Diddy Kong Pilot (2003) quotes

Cranky

• "Before we start, lets^[sic] get a few things straight... you are racing for the pride of Team Kong, don't let us down... I did not suffer those interminable amounts of monotonous gameplay for you to blow it all now. Each cup is made up of four races... If you win that then you need to go head to head against a Kremling to show them who is boss.. Look out for the Target Balloons... shoot them and a secret boost will appear... fly through it and something special will happen.. Think you can handle it? I very much doubt it." - when beginning a cup race the first time
• "C'mon, that was terrible, you're letting the whole team down... You need to finish in the top four places if you are going to qualify for the next race.." - after losing a race
• "Pathetic! I've never seen such bad flying! Head for the barrels and use the weapons... That should make it easy... even for someone as terrible as you.." - after losing a second race
• "Having trouble are we? If you collect all of the KONG letters then you get an extra retry... The way you are flying, you're going to need it." - after losing a third race
• "Pah! That was awful... Shameful... you can't let them get the better of you... Get back out there and show them what you're made of" - after losing a boss fight
• "That wasn't too difficult was it? Get on and race the rest of them, nothing is going to happen until you beat all four..." - after beating a Kremling boss

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Diddy Kong Pilot (2003).

• 

  The title screen associated with Team Kremling

• 

  The title screen associated with Team Cranky

• 

  The character select screen for Team Kong

• 

  Team Kremling's victory screen

• 

  Team Cranky's victory screen

Trivia

• A spelling error appears when the player loses at a boss fight: the text reads "YOU LOOSE" instead of "YOU LOSE".
• All playable characters have voiced dialogue. Klump notably sounds like his cartoon counterpart, though the other characters sound quite different from theirs.
• The generic Kritter in the game bears far more resemblance to Krunch than a typical Kritter. He also speaks in a Southern accent.
• In the Cups mode, the point spread matches those of the first three Mario Kart games; Mario Kart: Super Circuit was the most recent Mario Kart game as of the prototype build. In Banjo-Pilot, the point spread was changed to match that of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, which was released after the Diddy Kong Pilot prototype, and was the most recent Mario Kart game as of the final release.