Manic Mincers GBC

Level Details

Game	Donkey Kong Country GBC
World name	Chimp Caverns GBC
Level name	Manic Mincers
Previous level	Tanked Up Trouble GBC
Next level	Misty Mine GBC

This is an extremely precise cave level with several viable route options.

Any% (DK)

• Thanks to his ability to roll through Krushas, the DK route is theoretically optimal, but all of the Kong routes are within <1 second of each other. The true time difference will come from precision in the rest of the movement - the time difference between the routes is mostly negligible.
• Don't roll immediately at the start of the level - run forward a bit before rolling through the Gnawty so the roll extends to the first Mincer.
• Make sure to get far enough to the right before rolling in order to hit the second Gnawty.
• DK has to wait slightly longer than Diddy to make the jump under the Mincer without taking damage.
• Rolling from the left edge of the Rambi platform causes the roll to end at the right edge, setting up a buffered reroll between the Mincers. Do a small, late jump to clear the gap. This jump is more difficult with DK.
• DK can squeeze through the gap at 0:12 by briefly slowing down (jumping early out of the roll) and doing a small roll-jump through. Slowing down a little more and waiting for the Mincer to move up can make this jump a lot easier.
• You may have a stored extended roll you can spend immediately after.
• Make sure to hit at least one of the Gnawtys to get another extended roll, which will be saved for the Krusha.
• Any roll pattern can be used across the blank platforms including burning stamina, but don't spend the extended roll. It's possible to camera lock the Mincer at 0:22, but reversing will reset the extended roll. The only way to get the camera lock without losing the extended roll is by turning around, then pressing right and B on the same frame.
• Position yourself to roll towards the Krusha with the roll ending (and extending) immediately before colliding with him. After rolling through the Krusha, carry the boosted and freshly extended roll as far as possible.
• Jumping between the Mincers at 0:27 lands you in an ideal position to roll off the next platform and ledge extend before going through the next Krusha.
• At 0:30, release B for a few frames before rolling. Hold B to use the newly acquired extended roll through the Mincer triangle, then buffer another roll.
• One more Krusha roll at 0:45. After this roll you can swap Diddy in immediately, or keep DK in front and use him as a shield for the next few precise obstacles.
• The camera lock at 0:49 is very aggressive, the jump is extremely precise and must be carefully memorized.
• The tire jump at 0:55 is very janky and should be done carefully if you have only one Kong.
• Get Diddy in front before exiting the level if he isn't already, or swap him in at the start of Misty Mine.

Any% (Diddy)

• Since most players are probably more comfortable playing Diddy, this route is more natural. Some obstacles are easier to clear with Diddy, and he has several tricks to keep pace with DK.
• Diddy can jump earlier to make it under the Mincer at 0:05. The roll between the Mincers at 0:07 is also easier.
• Diddy can be more aggressive at 0:11 and roll directly up to the mincer gap with the O and jump through. This jump is very precise - like before, slowing down just a little makes it much easier.
• Diddy does not need the stored extended roll from the Gnawtys at 0:15 so he can camera lock through the Mincer at 0:21 instead.
• It's not really possible to jump over the Krusha at 0:25 so you have to backboost off him instead.
• Diddy can barely make the fast cycle through the Mincer triangle. Set up the ledge extend at 0:28 the same as before, then do a big jump over the Krusha and roll immediately. The down slope can cause inconsistent results when the roll ends - if you're airborne on the end frame you'll ledge extend which is fine, but if you're grounded on the end frame and then airborne on the next frame it will cause a buffered reroll to fail. Therefore the most consistent way through this obstacle is to repress B manually after the roll ends instead of buffering a reroll.
• The blind jump through the Mincers at 0:51 is easier with Diddy since he's smaller, but taking damage puts DK in front meaning you have to swap back to Diddy later.

Any% (Hybrid)

• This route uses Diddy for the first half of the level, saving the extended roll at 0:18, then swapping in DK for the Krusha rolls in the second half of the level. This route basically invests 1 second in extra character switching (0.5 seconds per swap, 3 swaps instead of 1), but most if not all of this time is saved back by each character being faster in their respective sections. The hybrid route may offer the most practical benefits given that the movement is a little easier with each character in the part he plays, and taking damage loses less time since it can be treated as an early swap.
• Just like the DK route, it's possible to camera lock the Mincer at 0:22 but in order to do this while still saving the extended roll requires pressing right and B on the same frame.
• Damage boosting through the Mincer at 0:22 saves about half a second over waiting on it so this is a viable IL strat, but in a full-game run the time will be lost later on since you will eventually need to get another DK barrel, and there's no convenient floating barrel before Diddy is needed again.
• Similarly, damage boosting on the first Mincer at 0:39 and using I-frames to roll through the second is about 0.2 seconds faster, but this time is lost back eventually since the game will force you to take a DK barrel at the boss.
• Overall, it's probably best to be familiar with both Kongs in this level.

Any% (Rambi)

• Rambi is only about 2-3 seconds slower, and his movement is still difficult, but the fact he allows you to take an extra hit makes this route a viable "safe" option.
• There's no reason to keep DK in front for this route, so you can just swap back to Diddy at the end of Dumb Drum like normal.
• Rambi will need to use his buck as a double-jump to clear the Mincers at 0:08 and 0:13. This really takes some practice to get used to. Waiting longer causes the Mincers to go higher, making both of these jumps easier.
• Rambi is faster on the ground than in the air, so landing quickly is the goal for the small jumps over the Mincers at 0:15.
• A camera manipulation is used at 0:23 to bypass the spinning Mincer, for this you want to turn around while standing on the sloped part of the ground and give the camera a moment to scroll all the way to the left. Rambi's hurtbox is really big so if this is sloppy the Mincer can catch up behind you and deal damage.
• When you jump between the Mincers at 0:30 you can hold A to get gravity glitch, then buck over the gap and bounce off the Krusha. This is slighly faster than jumping since Rambi is considered to be running the entire time.
• The Mincer triangle is actually not equilateral - the first two Mincers are closer together than the other pairs. It's possible to make the fast cycle and run through the smaller first gap, but it's extremely difficult to not take damage.
• Damage boost on the first Mincer at 0:42, then use the I-frames to roll through the second Mincer. This is Rambi's main time save, mitigating some of the time he loses across the rest of the level.
• Just finish out the level as normal with Diddy.

87%

• All the previous route comparisons are mostly valid for the 87% category - The Kong routes are all about equal and the Rambi route is a couple seconds slower.
• At 0:29 it's slightly faster to throw the barrel from midair and snipe the bonus entry, but be careful because the Krusha is huge and he likes to eat barrels.
• After exiting the first bonus, the Mincer triangle lines up well to simply run through. You do need to briefly release right in the middle of the obstacle to not go too fast.
• If you take Rambi, damage boosting at 0:42 like in any% is still about half a second faster than keeping him, even though he can be used to unlock the last bonus.
• The Mincer room is required in this game.
• After breaking open the last bonus you can swap to Diddy for free during the bonus reveal jingle.