Necky Nutmare

Level Details

Game	Donkey Kong Country GBC
World name	Chimp Caverns GBC
Level name	Necky Nutmare
Previous level	Misty Mine GBC
Next level	Loopy Lights GBC

The GBC's unique level features Armys, gray Krushas, crawlspaces, and a bunch of Neckys. There are also 5 DK barrels, the most of any level in the game.

Any%

• Since camera locking does not work against Mini-Necky, the only way to get through the crawlspaces without taking damage is to wait for him to fire, then jump over the nut.
• If you happen to have DK in front for whatever reason, he can just keep rolling at 0:05 and plow through the Army, assuming you get the ledge extend.
• At 0:13 it's possible to roll under the rope, but jumping off it is faster. Landing past the Mini-Necky below sets you up to roll and reroll through the next Necky.
• The DK barrel at 0:19 is used to block the bullet from the next Necky, allowing you to pass through the crawlspace immediately. The barrel is automatically thrown once you jump into the crawlspace. This strat doesn't work for DK - the barrel will go into the ceiling - but he can stand at the entrance of the crawlspace and throw the barrel into the bullet. This strat turns out to be exactly on pace with just doing the crawlspace normally, but it's cool and possibly slightly easier to optimize.
• There isn't a clearly optimal way to spend available resources (stamina and the stored extended roll) after the star barrel. In the video, both are spent immediately, which means there is a risk of dead rolling. If you don't have the roll pattern through the rest of the level memorized exactly, it's probably safer to hold on to stamina to avoid the risk of dead rolling.
• After jumping over the Krusha at 0:36, land close to him to get a ledge extend on the next roll. You can carry this roll through the Army but it will be slow due to natural speed decay. Instead, it's slightly faster to jump and get a fresh roll close to the Army, then save the extended roll to cross the next platform.
• Going over the moving platforms above is only a few tenths of a second faster than taking the blast barrel below. Yes, there is a blast barrel below the N which shoots you to the right and clears this section (shown in the "safe" video below). If you take the blast barrel, you also won't be able to roll through the first Army.
• You can't roll up the middle stair at 0:44 but you can roll up the first and last ones.
• It's fine to bounce the Mini-Necky at 0:45, but jumping clear over is slightly faster.
• Get gravity glitch during the jump over the Krusha in order to roll under the Neckys across the pit. Without gravity glitch, you will fall. If you choose to bounce the Neckys, you can make it with only the second one (demonstrated in the "safe" video).
• Quickly recovering stamina and rolling twice into the goal is slightly faster than jumping between the two rolls.

87%

• Just one bonus and a stickerbook here.
• The bonus entry from the left is very difficult, but it saves about 2 seconds. Gravity glitch is not necessary, but it helps a little. You must roll from the flat part of the platform, it does not work with a sloped roll, and the curvy edge of the platform is quite large. You have to roll as far as possible and jump within a few frames of speed lock ending. If you miss, you can still go the "normal" way shown below without losing too much time.
• This bonus can actually be a bit difficult to lose immediately, if you go for the first "D" after the "correct" one it's easy to hit the blue Krochead while the carousel is still expanding. The easiest way to lose optimally is to run right a bit and go for the "I" or the following "D". It's also possible to grab one of the letters from the left side.
• The Mini-Necky guarding the stickerbook is quite a nuissance, it's very easy to take damage if you just go directly towards him. It's safer to either slow down a little or use the barrel as a shield (shown below).

87% (Safe)

• This video shows a few safer/alternative strats, applicable to both categories.
• The second fastest way to get into the bonus is by landing on the small ledge to the left of the drum. Be careful because the spawning Army can easily intercept your roll and bounce you back. After landing on this ledge, holding right into the drum will cause you to shake and become airborne every other frame, which frequently eats jump inputs. To prevent this, it helps to release right before jumping. You need to jump up to the drum before heading over to the bonus. Try to avoid the banana.
• No barrel shield strat through the crawlspace, for comparison.
• Barrel shield strat at 0:31 for the stickerbook.
• Barrel cannon strat under the N at 0:50.
• Slightly different roll pattern at 1:00.
• Going over the Neckys at 1:04, bouncing only on the second one. This is the fastest way to go over (under is faster), but for an even safer strat you can bounce the first and third Neckys.