Diddy Kong Racing Walkthrough

You should be able to see the first coin from the starting line, just after the bunch of bananas.
Make sure to pass through it just like you would a balloon and you’ll collect it!
An audio cue will mean that the coin was successfully collected, as well the coin graphic to the left of your racer will display how many coins you have grabbed/have yet to grab.

Keep in mind that since Ancient Lake is a novice course the coins aren’t hidden very well…
This being the case you should be able to spot Coin 2, 3 and 4 following one another up ahead in the center of the track.
Future courses will definitely challenge you more in terms of coin hiding, so much so that might actually have to use this guide!

Coin number 5 should be up ahead just after you pass your first zipper on the track!
It might be a good plan to postpone that zipper ride to collect the coin though!

As you round the lake, you’ll spot a giant dinosaur patrolling the area. You’ll find the 7th Silver Coin in the middle of its path; you’ll need to do your best to collect the coin whilst avoid the Dinosaurs footfalls!

Could these get any easier? You’ll find the final 8th Coin between the 2 bananas as you approach the finish line!

< DINO DOMAIN >

After you’ve returned to the main lobby, you’ll notice that the door to Ancient Lake now has 2 balloons instead of a number.
This means that you’ve beaten the Silver Coin Challenge and you won’t have to race on that course again, think of it as an inflatable checkmark.
Right than, let’s go into Fossil Canyon with the 7 on the door!

< FOSSIL CANYON SILVER COINS >

Shortly after you start the race and continue down the track, you should spot Coin 1 on the center of the track to the right of the zipper. Steer toward it and it should be a piece of cake to nab!

After the first zipper, you’ll come to your first left turn in the track. Stick to the left side of the track and you’ll be able to collect Coin 2 as you turn.

Coin 3 is on the left side of the track after you complete the turn above, and just before you enter the oasis area, stay centered and collect!

This ones gonna take a little skill and a lot of luck! As you clear the oasis using the zipper to jet across, you’ll spot Coin 4 on the other side of the water. You should be able to aim your racer right at the coin and collect it!
Or if that’s not your style, you can always avoid the zipper and follow everyone else around the long way and simply drive off the track to your left and collect it that way!

Here’s one you might just miss steering!
As you complete the last section of the temple turn sharply right toward the zipper that will jet you out of the temple.
If you’ve angled off right, you should wind up collecting Coin 5!

After you escape the ‘Temple of Doom’ by zipper, stay centered and you’ll manage to pick up Coin 6 just before you enter the valley below!

Stay on the upperside of the track to your right and you’ll collect Coin 7 just before you come across the balloon patch ahead. After you collect Coin 7, drive off the upperside to the lowerside, you’ll find out why in a minute!

If you’ve stayed to the lower portion of the valley after Coin 7, you should spot Coin 8 just as you pass underneath the log! Collect that sucker and make your way back to the finish!

Collect the all the coins and you’ll have conquered the canyon. They’re set up easily enough so you can get them on one lap, but their positions are a little awkward so you’re likely to pass right by instead of collecting them.

< DINO DOMAIN >

Congratulations on winning your 10th golden balloon! From here on out you’ll notice the Silver Coin Challenges in Dino Domain will become increasingly difficult and the task of collecting as well as finishing before everyone else will become quite the chore indeed! Drive into the Jungle Falls door and get ready for an increased challenge!

< JUNGLE FALLS SILVER COINS >

What a tease! You’ll find Coin 1 directly under your nose before you even start the race.
Instinct will tell you to slam on the gas and steer right sharply to grab it, but that will only send you into the water on the other side and if not than it will seriously waste your time.
The best option for this coin is to drive right by and collect it on the second or final lap when you pass over the finish line. Make sure not to fall in!

Coin number 2 is located much farther ahead than Coin 1. After you take the first zipper you should see a pool of water to your left.
Continue along this pool to collect Coin 2 which will be just on the shore.

As you climb the hill after Coin 2 you’ll notice that Coin 3 is directly left of the bridge.
DO NOT drive at full speed to attempt to collect the coin. The coin is dangerously close to the edge of the water like a trap!
There are a number of ways to do this, ranging from simply braking to extremely skilled manuvers.
Personally, I would simply approach the coin at a steady pace, brake when you collect it and reposition yourself back onto the bridge.

Here’s an easy one!
As you climb onto the bridge Coin 4 will be directly centered ahead, nothing to it.

After you collect Coin 4 on the bridge, you should easily spot Coin 5 just ahead before the tunnel. Be careful not to run headlong into the edges of the tunnel!

Coin 6 is pretty crafty, it’s located just after you leave the tunnel and pass by the stone structures. Stick to the left and you’ll spot it just as you pass the second stone.

Hungry for more? You’ll have to become someones dinner before you collect this coin! Nothing to worry about however, you’ll find Coin 7 inside the mouth of the fossil up ahead.
Aim correctly and you’ll even get a zipper out of it!

After you take a ride down some dino spine, you’ll spot Coin 8 up against the wall ahead.
Easy does it on the turning or you’ll eat some wall.
Grab Coin 1 if you haven’t already!

This track could take a couple retries, especially the bridge section itself. Jungle Falls will teach you how to manage your coin collecting and spread it out, remember, you don’t have to grab all the coins in one lap. It might even be inefficient for you to do so later in the game. Once you grab all 8 coins and finish first, you’ll earn your next Golden Balloon.

< DINO DOMAIN >

With our only option available being Hot Top Volcano, we should drive right in and prepare for the last Silver Coin Challenge in Dino Domain. After we’ve completed this race, than we’ll be put up against Tricky for a Rematch!
Don’t let the heat get to you!

< HOT TOP VOLCANO SILVER COINS >

Coin 1 is located in the left tunnel leading into the magma after you start the race.

After you pass through the tunnel to the magma, refrain from entering the crevice shortcut, instead stay to the left and you should see Coin 2 just up ahead!

Coin 3 is located ontop of the hill you must fly over after you collect Coin 2. Be sure to stay centered so you don’t miss it!

Coin 4 is ontop of the arc you come across after you pass over the hill. Make sure that you line yourself up just right and Coin 4 is yours!

After you pull off a long hard bank to the left, you should be able to see Coin 5 floating in the doorway. This coin is hard to miss, in fact it’s probably more of a challenge to miss it.

After you emerge in the final room, avoid the giant dinosaur and stick to the right.
If you’ve done this you should spot a zipper with Coin 6 inside. Collect it for a boost and a coin!

Stay centered when you collect Coin 6 as you go through the first zipper and you should be able to collect Coin 7 in the second zipper!

After you cross the finish line, you’ll probably be wondering where the final 8th coin is.
This is one of the ‘hidden coins’ you’ll find throughout your Silver Coin collecting, which means that its not as obvious to where it is than just staying in the center of the track the whole time.
After you cross the line, head toward the large rocky object to your right.

Once you get to the rock, go around to the other side by flying to the right.
If you’ve done this correctly you should see the final 8th coin hidden behind this rock.
Sneaky sneaky!

After you collect all 8 coins, make sure to stay in first place and cross the finish line after the you finish the laps. Get ready for a rematch!

< DINO DOMAIN >

This time Trickys race is a lot harder; he is twice as fast as last time, there are many more obstacles to avoid and there is no zipper in the shortcut.
The giant rock formations placed on the sides of the tracks are pillars, stay on Trickys tail and you shouldn’t have to worry about them, but lag behind and his giant footsteps will cause them to fall over blocking the path. Boulders will also travel down the mountain to hinder your progress, so keep an eye out for both. If you do get hit with a pillar or boulder it will work in the same effect as being smushed by Tricky, so watch out! Tricky will also slow down near the end just like last time.
Collect any balloon that will put you firmly in first and you should do alright, though this one could take a lot of retrys!

< TRICKY'S MOUNTAIN >

The first problem you’ll face right from the get go is the newest addition to Trickys Mountain: The pillars!
There are 5 in total leading up the mountain on either side near the beginning, so try your best to avoid a flattened future by getting a blue boost from the start! Though it won’t last for long, it will give you the upperhand for a little while.

Here’s what happens if you let a pillar cross your path.
If this happens you’ll have to go on either side just to squeeze through. At this point however there is little chance of success so it might just be quicker to restart the whole race and hope for better luck the next time!

Like last time, you’ll find the boulder rolling down the path as you go to turn the forth instance just after you pass the first 3 pillars. Remember to stick to the left side of the wall.

Just as you turn the corner away from the boulder you’ll spot pillar 4 on the left side of the wall. Avoid crashing into it and avoid it when it tries to crash into you! You should be able to escape this pillar without much effort since Tricky won’t be close enough to topple it over yet.

It looks like Tricky has felt the need to keep all the balloons in the same positions as last time! What a guy!
You’ll find the blue balloon after the 4th pillar on the corner.

After you’ve blasted up the next section you’ll come to a spot where the mountain appears to slope upwards.
From here you’ll be able to locate the last pillar to the right of the track.
Since you’ve left Tricky in the dust thanks to that last blue balloon you should have no problem with this one.

Make sure you stick to the left side of the track as you continue upwards, otherwise you’re likely to miss the next blue balloon!
Use it carefully so you don’t jet off the edge.

Last time you had the option to take a shortcut through the mountain hidden by the bushes, but if you try it this time you’ll find that the zipper has been taken away!

Not only will you suffer from the inability to retain your initial speed, but you’ll risk the chance of Tricky beating you around the side of the mountain! Talk about cheating out a cheater!

Instead, ignore the bushes altogether and you’ll be in great shape to pick up your next blue balloon! Stay on the left side of the track when it dips down.
The boulder shouldn’t give you any trouble if you duck under into the dip.
Remember to aim your boost carefully!

Go ’round the bend once more and you’ll find your final blue balloon.
Try not to bump into the archway as you collect it, also staying on the track would be a good plan!

This is Fire Mountain! The objective in this challenge is to hatch three eggs in your nest before your three opposing racers.
The first one to complete the challenge will be awarded a quarter piece of the illusive T.T Amulet!
We will need the entire T.T amulet to progress later in the game.

< HOW TO PLAY: FIRE MOUNTAIN >

As you start the challenge you’ll have to navigate your racer to the center of the Fire Mountain to the giant magma filled crater.
Inside the crater you’ll find three identical pink eggs.
If you scoop down low enough to an egg your racer will pick it up and store it behind them.
If you press Z your racer will drop the egg at any given point to which it will respawn back in the center magma crater.

After you’ve successfully scooped up your egg and have it tailing behind you, you’ll need to locate your ‘nest’.
Your nest is identified by one of the four color coded pillars in each corner of the map. Your nest will have a large photograph of the racer you are currently using placed above the pillar.
In this instance I am using Banjo for the Fire Mountain Challenge, so I must locate the pillar with the Banjo photograph above it.

Once you’ve located your nest, you must drop the egg you have acquired in the colored area underneath your photograph.
If you have successfully dropped your egg in your nest, you should notice a flashing egg icon underneath your racers status at the top of the screen.
The egg will continue to flash for a period of time until it ‘hatches’.
However, when you drop your egg into your nest you leave it vulnerable to any other racer to snatch it up and bring it to their nest!

If a racer does steal your egg while it is flashing you’ll notice the tiny egg icon at the top of the screen disappear! You can use these icons to identify which racers have collected eggs and which have had their eggs stolen. Once your egg icon has stopped flashing and has turned into a solid image, it will have hatched in your nest. After an egg has been hatched it cannot be picked up or stolen by any racer. If you are able to ‘hatch’ three eggs in your nest before the other racers than you’ll have won the T.T Challenge!

In order to find more eggs to bring back to your nest, you’ll have to either return to the center of the magma crater to find a respawned egg inside, or fly over to your opposing racers nests’ and steal their flashing eggs!
You’ll have to make sure you keep an eye on your rivals nests to ensure they don’t gather up three eggs first.
You’ll only have a short while before an opponents flashing egg turns solid, so be sure to stay on the ball!

You’ll find plenty of red and yellow balloons you can use to attack or defend your eggs as you carry them back to your nest.
If you wind up hitting a racer with a red balloon while they are carrying an egg, they will end up dropping the egg below.
You’ll find the egg they were just carrying back in the center magma crater.

It can be quite the battlefield in Fire Mountain as you dogfight your fellow racers to steal their eggs and hatch yours first!
Make sure you keep a close watch of the egg icons on the top of the screen and sabotage anyone who happens to collect more eggs than yourself.
If all goes right you should hatch all three of your eggs first, to which you will win the T.T Challenge!

After you’ve defeated all of your fellow racers, the Genie will make an extra special trip to reward you with an extra special trinket…
We have 3 more of these prizes to collect, which means that when we collect all of the pieces from the other T.T Challenges we should have the whole T.T AMULET!
After you’ve finished admiring the quarter piece of the T.T Amulet, we’ll let the cutscene end as we continue on the last stretch of completing Dino Domain with the Trophy Race!

Wow, we’re making progress! We should have 12 Golden Balloons, 1/4 of the Wizpig Amulet, 1/4 of the T.T Amulet and 1 T.T Challenge Door Key.
But what are those 4 figures in between the keys and the amulets that we haven’t collected yet?

Those are TROPHIES, and they can only be obtained after you complete the Trophy Race, which Tricky has kindly oppened for us! Let’s leave T.T now and enter the Trophy Race. The entrance to the Trophy Race should be just between Hot Top Volcano and Fossil Canyon, let’s go in the Trophy room.
Here you should see an empty display case in the center of the room, as with anything in Diddy Kong Racing, ramming into anything at full speed will make something happen.
Lets smash our racer into the front of the case until the option pops up to enter the race, and then do so.

< HOW TO PLAY: TROPHY RACE >

The Dino Domain Trophy Race is all of the races of Dino Domain put back to back to race in.
You’ll have to try your best in each race in order to achieve the highest score to win.
The higher you place in each race, the higher your score will be in the end. The score is measured as followed:

1st Place: 9 Pts.
2nd Place: 7 Pts.
3rd Place: 5 Pts.
4th Place: 3 Pts.
5th Place: 1 Pt.
6th Place or Worse: 0 Pts.

Though you don’t have to place first for every race, you still want to keep your score high enough to come above everyone else. Even if you fail the trophy race, you can still retry until you get the illusive Wizpig Trophy!
After you’ve beaten everyone else, your Wizpig Trophy will be placed in the once empty display case.

If your final ending standing puts you in 2nd Place Overall you’ll be awarded with a Second Place Silver Taj Trophy instead.
As long as you keep your position above 4th place you’ll always have a trophy inside the case, if you place anything below you’ll have to try again to fill the case.
Unfortunately for us, only a Wizpig Trophy will do, so even if we place 2nd overall we’ll have to redo the entire trophy race!

If your overall standing is 3rd place you’ll be rewarded a Third Place Bronze T.T Trophy.
You’ll have to do better than that I’m afraid, you can re-do the trophy race at any time.
If you place overall 3rd the first attempt and 1st the second attempt, the trophy will reflect the 1st place win instead.
Keep trying until you land that First Place Wizpig Trophy! It is vital to your progress later on in the game!

< DINO DOMAIN >

< TIMBER ISLAND >

Once you leave Dino Domain, Taj will poof in front of your vehicle in a puff of smoke!
Wow, it looks like Taj has heard of your success in Dino Domain, and now he wants to have a little race with you!
We might as well have a friendly competition, there’s a Golden Balloon in the end of it after all…
Press A to begin the race!

Upon accepting, he’ll teleport you to the center of the island where the island will become the racetrack itself!
You’ll only have to follow the N64 flags floating around the track, once you’ve followed the flags in a complete circuit you’ll advance to the next lap.
At the start, get a blue boost and head toward the right to the log.

Once you’ve gotten inside the log its just a simple matter of following the path on the right to the outside.
If Taj manages to pass you during the circuit, it shouldn’t be too much trouble to pass him and regain your rightful place.
Keep on the path of the red flags!

Here we come to the exit!
It’s possible to power slide the entire circuit, but I would avoid doing so unless you’re extremely good at it, one wrong move could give Taj the opportunity to pass you.
The flag’s positions will always stay constant, so you’ll just have to follow the same path on the second and third lap.

Though it doesn’t matter if you pass directly through the flags or not, you must stay close enough to the flags or else the race will end as you’ve ‘taken the wrong route’.
If you notice, our Wizpig face in the distance looks a little more fleshed out than usual. Thats because every time you collect a quarter piece of the Wizpig Amulet another quarter face will flesh out…

And we’ll just come through our makeshift finish line as represented by driving between the two trees to advance to our second lap!
Just remember to keep following the flags and keep that accelerator down and Taj will be a pushover.

After you complete your third lap ahead of Taj you’ll have successfully beaten his challenge, which means we’re in store for a prize!
After Taj humbly accepts defeat, he’ll reward us with our 13th golden balloon! Let’s snatch that sucker up and get ready to go to our next world!

Let’s drive back to Taj’s pad and honk for him. Once he’s arrived we’ll switch our car for a plane.
Return to the game and turn your view towards the right until you see a snowy log above the track we just raced on.
Let’s use our plane to fly into the cave and come out the other side.
Once you’ve emerged from the log you should see a giant balloon door with the number 2 on the front.
Let’s enter our next world: Snowflake Mountain!

Just like last time we’re going to find the T.T Challenge Key before we start racing.
Luckily you won’t need a shovel to search the snow, but you will have to do some offroading in the slush.
Locate the Snowball Valley race door with 6 balloons and enter inside!

< SNOWBALL VALLEY >

You won’t have to drive far to find Snowflake Mountain’s key, in fact you’ll be able to locate it from the starting line!
After you gain control of your character after the race has begun face the left of the track and you’ll see a little bit of fence sticking out over the snow.

Drive toward the fenced area by driving over the hill to the left of the starting line. This shouldn’t take you too long before you’ve reached the fence overlooking the valley.
From here just turn right after you’ve bumped into the fence and you’ll spot the second key inside a tiny frozen alcove dug into the side of the mountain.
Just drive into the alcove with the key inside and collect it.
Just as the last time, we’ll press the START button and choose RETURN TO LOBBY.

And that’s that, you’ve just unlocked the second T.T Challenge: Icicle Pyramid, arguably the best of the 4 challenges!
We’ll have to leave this challenge ignored for now however, as the courses around Snowflake Mountain still need beating!

After you view the cutscene your racer will be booted back into Snowflake Mountain.
Instead of going back into Snowball Valley, let’s drive into Everfrost Peak indicated by the 2 on the balloon door.

< EVERFROST PEAK >

From the start get a blue boost as always.
You’ll need to take an immediate left shortly after.
If you stick to the left side of the track you’ll spot a blue balloon wedged between the wall and an evergreen.
Snag it up and blast yourself ahead to the plane zipper just in front of you.
Navigate around the C curve to the left and you’ll spot an grey archway. Whether you choose to go under or over the arch is up to you, just keep a lookout for the blue and red balloons ahead between the evergreens.
Aim your craft downward to scoop up a balloon and navigate straight into the cave ahead and take a left farther into the cave.
You should spot a plane zipper on the right side of the cave on the lower portion, take it and exit the cave to the right.
You’ll spot a fork in the path next, with a red balloon on the left path and a blue balloon on the right path.
Take the right path and pick up the blue balloon, turn right to the next snow archway.
Go under the archway this time to use the car zipper to your advantage, just make sure you’ve flown your plane low enough.
After the next patch of balloons you’ll spot the final plane zipper to the left. Take it and you’ll be launched back to the finish line.
Repeat two more times and you’ll be the first one out of the cold!

< SNOWFLAKE MOUNTAIN >

Once again Taj will hand deliver our next balloon, bringing us up to 14!
You’ll find that the Snowflake Mountain races put up much more of a fight than the previous worlds. This seems to be a re-occuring theme in the Diddy Kong Racing universe.
With Everfrost Peak out the way, let’s enter our next door: Walrus Cove at 3 Golden Balloons.

< WALRUS COVE >

Start things right with a blue boost! From here you’ll find your racer blasted into the cave ahead.
Make your way to the cave exit and you should see a bunch of balloons ahead.
The blue balloons are on the outside, so stick to the right edge of the track and use the balloon to get to the Ice Loop-De-Loop!
You’ll notice that as you get onto the ice loop your racer will have a continuous red boost following you up the loop.
The game will take over whenever you ride one of these loops, so you won’t have to worry about holding down the A button as you ride up.
It is a good idea to keep it help down however as you’ll be back in control when you leave the loop.
As you leave the loop, you’ll have to turn a sharp right to avoid hitting the left wall.

You’ll find a blue balloon in the middle of the path as you exit the cave, so keep on the lookout!
Turn right after the blue balloon and you’ll find yourself on a track that goes right through the middle of the loop-de-loop. If you stay to your right you’ll grab a zipper! There’s another zipper just after on the left side, so if you manage to hit the right zipper and transverse to the left you’ll get double the speed!
Turn to the left into the cave after you’ve hit the zippers.
Stick to the left side of the cave wall and you’ll be rewarded with a zipper at the cave exit.
Turn to the right after you exit and you’ll see another grouping of balloons, this time the 2 blue balloons are in the center so make sure you stay in the middle of the path.
After you pass the balloons you’ll have to pull off a giant C curve to the left, afterwards you’ll be led to the ice floats!
If you keep your speed and balance you should be fine when it comes to riding the ice floats.
If you fall off into the water though, you’ll be bounced back onto the track until you get back on solid ground, so be careful!
You’ll spot a fork in the track ahead of you, take the left path if you’d like the shorter route.
Though you’ll be awarded with the zipper on the left path, it’s much slimmer than the right, so you’ll have to aim your racer just right to ensure you don’t wind up in the slush.
After you’ve taken the left path, just turn around left across the finish line!
Repeat this hectic hail ride two more times and the golden balloon will be yours!

< SNOWFLAKE MOUNTAIN >

Well, we’re halfway there! At 15 balloons we’re in really good shape in Snowflake Mountain.
Just two more races to go until we face the next boss in charge of this monstrous mountain!
Our next race is in Snowball Valley at 6 golden balloons.
Drive in and get ready for a wild ride!

< SNOWBALL VALLEY >

We got the key last time in this level, now it’s time to race in it!
Start off as always with a blue boost!
Immediatly you’ll see a fork in the path, splitting it up between a left path and a right path.
The left path is the quickest, so turn to the left.
You’ll spot a blue balloon just before you enter the tiny ice tunnel, so grab it and save it.
Inside the tunnel you’ll see another blue balloon ahead in the middle of the tunnel, grab it and save it as well.
You should have a blue balloon double power-up at this point.
Finish the tunnel and turn sharply to the right.
Once you’ve located the exit indicated by the archway, use the powerup now or take the zipper to the right to blast yourself into the ‘valley’ portion of the level.
Now you’ll know why they call this place ‘Snowball Valley’. As you ride toward the igloo at the far end, giant snowballs will come bounding over the hill at the top and roll downward to the entrance. Eventually the snowballs will cross over eachother and start the process over again.
You’ll need to use your racing skills to avoid a flattened future!
After you’ve avoided the giant snowballs, continue into the igloo ahead and turn left inside.
Keep on the left side of the igloo and you’ll find a zipper.
Take the zipper and turn sharply right into a C Curve that leads to the finish line!
Use this strategy for the remaining 2 laps and Snowball Valley will be no more!

< SNOWFLAKE MOUNTAIN >

16 Golden Balloons it is!
After we’ve returned once again to Snowflake Mountain we have just one more race to go until we get to face off against the boss, and then its Silver Coin or bust.
Let’s take this moment to enter the final door: Frosty Village at 9 golden balloons.
Get ready for a race you won’t soon forget anytime soon!

< FROSTY VILLAGE >

Start off with a blue boost at the starting line and blast ahead of the competition!
As you tear down the path, turn right into a bunch of balloons, the balloon in the middle is blue, grab it and save it.
Stick to the center of the path in order to take the zipper that will blast you down the hill toward the moonlit village.
Use the blue balloon when you’re in mid-air to get double the speed, watch out for the houses as you descend!
As you land take an immediate right into the cave between the two evergreens.
Hug the left wall as you turn left and you’ll catch a zipper at the corner.
Finish the C Curve until you exit the cave and travel into the city streets.
Stick to the right and you’ll catch another zipper that launches you up the road.
Continue down the road and stick to the left to catch another zipper.
You should be able to see another cave entrance ahead as you finish the streets, enter the cave and turn left.
Stick to the left wall and you’ll catch a zipper that will blast you past the waterfall to your right.
Turn right as you reach the end and you’ll manage to catch a final zipper if you stick to the right wall. The boost will blast you to the finish line, completing the lap.
Repeat for 2 more laps to have Frosty Village beaten!

< SNOWFLAKE MOUNTAIN >

After you’ve beaten Frosty Village, Taj will award you with your 17th balloon!
That means that you’ve beaten all of the tracks in Snowflake Mountain, congrats!
Of course this moment of victory will be shortlived as your racer finds themselves in front of a now unlocked boss door!
Drive on in, its time to show the bosses that we’re not going to be pushed around!

Bluey the Walrus is to face you once you’ve beaten all the courses Snowflake Mountain has to offer!
Much like his prehistoric partner, Bluey’s course is aimed on getting to a set destination rather than lapping a racecourse 3 times.
Instead of climbing a mountain however, you’ll slip and slide down a steep slalom racing Bluey to the base of the mountain in hovercraft, the first one to cross the finish line at the bottom is declared the winner!
Bluey is a lot more difficult than Tricky, and he won’t be afraid to run you over if he thinks you’re getting too ahead of yourself.

As if Bluey’s daunting figure behind you wasn’t enough, the perilous path down the mountain is filled with claustrophobic caves, rolling hills and even trees which will hinder your progress!
Once you reach the finish line, Bluey will activate the Silver Coin Challenge mode in Snowflake Mountain.

< BLUEY'S SLALOM >

Bluey the walrus is surprisingly easy in one crucial move.
If you execute a blue boost at the start of the race you’ll blast right in front of Bluey without any chance for him to catch up. If you don’t bump into anything on the way down or let go of the A button you’ll win for sure!

After you begin your slide down the slalom try your best to stay centered and avoid the 2 trees in the middle of the path.
Keep driving straight ahead toward the giant head of Bluey and enter the tiny ice cavern below.

The cave is fairly easy to maneuver, just avoid full stopping into the sides and you should manage to glide right through if you keep that A button held down. About halfway through the tunnel you’ll come to a sharp right hand turn, remember to use the R button and you’ll be set.

At the very end of the tunnel you’ll notice a Blue Balloon hovering right above the track as you approach the next area.
You can manage to get this balloon if you press R to bounce the hovercraft at just the right time.
Use it to blast yourself over the hills ahead.

As you blast out of the cavern you’ll have to brave the rolling hills of snow dotted with trees to make it to the next area.
At the end of the path you’ll need to pull a sharp turn to the left and stay to the left to pick up another Blue Balloon and use it to enter the valley portion of the track.

The valley shouldn’t give you much trouble in terms of slowing you down.
Just try to grab the Blue Balloon in the center of the beginning of the track and use it to make short work of the hill ahead.
Bluey shouldn’t be any hassle at this point. Carefully slide down the hill ahead.

Get ready for the second and final cave portion!
As you slide down the hill you’ll notice an entrance underneath the decorative Candy Canes.
Avoid the walls and head on in!

Continue down a short way into the ice tunnel and you’ll come to a quick turn to the right that turns into a C Curve.
Keep going down the cavern and you’ll spot an exit turning to the left.
Exit the cavern and you’ll be lead into the final portion of the track; the hill to the finish.

Cruise down the hill and stick near the right side of the track. About halfway down you’ll spot the last Blue Balloon, take it and blast down to the finish line.
Mind the trees and cross the line, Bluey shouldn’t meet the line for some time.

You should be able to spot Coin 1 just in front of the starting line to the right of the the first evergreen.
Manage to outmaneuver the crowd of racers and this coin should be a breeze to collect!

Coin 2 isn’t too far away! You’ll find it just to the left of the first aerial zipper in the race.
Unfortunatly, using the zipper will make collecting the coin impossible, so you’ll have to ditch the zipper if you want to collect the coin instead.
Flying just to the left instead of using it will get you coin 2.

After you collect Coin 2, stick to the right side of the track and you’ll see a snowy island after the first turn.
On the island you’ll find a magnet balloon and 2 coins in a row!
Mind the tree and try collecting both Coin 3 and 4, as well as the balloon to catch you back up to the other racers.
Talk about a two for one deal!

Coin 5 one should be right out in the open!
After you collect Coins 3 and 4, you should be able to spot the grey archway that will lead you into the cave ahead.
Coin 5 is just above the archway, simply pull up to collect it without any trouble.

Coin 6 is located at the very end of the cave portion floating in the middle of the door way.
Just stay centered as you prepare to exit and you’ll collect it!

Ohh, this one is going to be interesting!
You’ll find both Coin 7 and Coin 8 parellel to eachother at the final archway section.
Coin 7 will be floating above the archway and Coin 8 below.
Theres a number of ways to tackle this challenge, the easiest being collecting only one and coming back for the other during your next lap.
The more difficult solution would be to collect Coin 7 on top first, and immediately executing a frontflip loop by pressing and holding R twice and pushing down on the analog stick until your flip collects Coin 8.
You should only attempt solution 2 if you’re a loop-de-loop master, as one wrong move could be enough to lose your position!

This course should test your strategy skills, especially with the 7th and 8th Coin.
Complete the 3 laps and collect all 8 coins and you’ll have Everfrost Peak beaten!
Moving on…

< SNOWFLAKE MOUNTAIN >

After you’ve received your 18th Golden Balloon you’ll be booted back to the Snowflake Mountain lobby. After the next race you’ll really notice an increased challenge in the Silver Coin collecting.
Just like Everfrost Peak, the silver coins will tend to be in 2 places at once, meaning you’ll have to plan the routes more logically.

< WALRUS COVE SILVER COINS >

This one is crazy obvious.
After you’ve begun the race and approach the ice loop-de-loop you’ll spot Coin 1 spinning in the center of the path.
Grab that sucker and take a wild ride on the ice loop!

Keep your eyes peeled after you get off the ice loop, as Coin 2 is resting against the left cave wall ahead.
Hug the left wall as you get off and you should be set.

This one might be a problem if you take the corner too fast from the zippers before it.
If you need the speed, than take the first zipper on your right and ignore the one on the left so you can turn correctly and collect Coin 3.

As you exit the final cave, try your best to stay on the right side of the cave wall. If you manage this correctly, you’ll spot Coin 4 just ahead on the right side of the wall.

After you collect Coin 4 you should spot a heavy right turn up ahead.
In the middle of the turn are a cluster of blue and yellow balloons.
Make sure you pass through the center and you’ll be able to grab Coin 5 located on the other side.

This ones a doozy!
You’ll spot Coin 6 on the right hand shore up after the turn.
If you can manage to collect it without giving your racer the taste of an evergreen the better your odds will be of placing first.
In order to get the next two coins you’ll have to choose to go left or right in the fork up ahead.
Choose quickly!

If you chose the path to the right you’ll need to pick up Coin 7 which is set up much like Coin 6 on the right side of the shore.
It’s set up ridiculously close to another evergreen, your also at high chance of jumping into the ice as well!
Make sure you leave lots of space between the competition!
Remember to get Coin 8 on the next lap!

If you chose the path to the left you’ll need to pick up Coin 8. You’ll notice a zipper just after the rainbow balloon. Take the zipper and stay centered, you should be able to collect Coin 8 which is right in the middle of the path.
Remember to get Coin 7 on the next lap if you haven’t already!

This race could take a couple retries in order to execute the plan completely, but the end result will guarentee you get the race done with time to spare!
Make sure you follow the plan for Coin 7 and 8 or your liable to finish with a coin missing.
Complete your last catch-up lap and finish 1st!

< SNOWFLAKE MOUNTAIN >

19 Golden Balloons!
After your booted back out, you’ll notice we only have 2 more doors to go before we have our rematch against Bluey the Walrus.
However, the last two doors will be the hardest yet! Let’s get ready to give it our all and drive right into Snowball Valley.
Bring extra patience!

< SNOWBALL VALLEY SILVER COINS >

After you begin the race, you should spot Coin 1 just before the fork in the path. Collect it by staying in the center and continue down the right path ahead.

As you slip and slide along the ice platform, stay toward the left side of the wall to collect Coin 2.

After you drop down to the valley portion below, keep your eyes peeled on the right side of the screen.
You should be able to see Coin 3 hugging the right wall.
Go for it and avoid the zipper coming up the hill.

If you’ve avoided the zipper you should have no problem getting this next coin.
Coin 4 is conveniently placed between the two yellow balloons in the doorway.
Stay in the center of the path and you should manage it without any problems!

This one can be a little tricky…
As you enter the valley with the rolling snowballs you’ll spot Coin 5 on the left side and Coin 6 on the right side.
Pick one and collect it, you’ll have to collect the next one on the next lap.

After you exit the igloo avoid the zipper and continue down the path.
You should spot Coin 7 on the left side of the track just before the finish line!
Collect it and head onto the next lap!

As you come up to the fork in the road the second time, take a left instead.
You should see Coin 8 inside the tiny tunnel. Grab it and don’t forget to collect the coin you missed in the valley!

To put it bluntly, Snowball Valleys Silver Coin Challenge is going to drive you up the wall! Your probably going to play this course over many, many times until you get the hang of it. It might come to a point where you need to develop a new strategy as well!
Whatever the case may be, collect 8 coins, place 1st, curse at television set and carry on!

< SNOWFLAKE MOUNTAIN >

At 20 Balloons we’re near halfway done the game! Congratulations!
However in order to get our next golden balloon we’ll have to beat the Frosty Village Silver Coin Challenge, the most difficult in Snowflake Mountain.
That’s right, if you thought Snowball Valley was difficult, just wait until you get a taste of Frosty Village…

< FROSTY VILLAGE SILVER COINS >

Enough teasing with the coins at the start of the race!
You can grab Coin 1 by skidding off to the left as soon as the race begins.

As you begin your descent down the hill to the houses below, you’ll be able to barely see Coin 2 under the left arch and Coin 3 under the right arch. Both coins are on opposite sides of the area.
I recommend picking up Coin 2 on the left as it will put you in a better position to pick up the next coin.

As you approach the houses you’ll spot Coin 4 in between the first two houses in front of an evergreen.
Stay along the left hand side and grabbing it should be a piece of cake!

Continue into the cave and turn right, as you take the zipper you should be able to redirect yourself toward Coin 5 hugging the left wall.
If you find this too challenging, than skip the zipper so you have more reaction time!

As you make your way out into the snowy roads, you’ll spot Coin 6 on the lefthand shoulder.
Stick to the left, pick it up and enter the cave!

After you exit the cave you’ll see a zipper pointed straight at Coin 7 straight ahead! Make sure you stay centered so you can collect it and move on!

As you approach the finish line you’ll spot Coin 8 on the left hand side of the shore. Slide to the left and try to head too far out to sea. Grab it and finish the lap.
Don’t forget to grab Coin 3 or 4 in your next lap.

This race will not only test your patience, but also your driving skill! Practice makes perfect and this race pretty much expects you to be, so keep on trying until you collect all 8 coins and finish 1st. Then it’s time to have another race with a familiar face…

< SNOWFLAKE MOUNTAIN >

After you’ve collected all of the silver coins and place first Taj will swoop down on the track with glee awarding you with your 21st balloon! Congratulations! But before you have time to celebrate you’ll find yourself hurled back to Snowflake Mountain where your racer will approach the Boss Door and wait to drive inside!

This time Bluey is going to be much more of a challenge, racing you even faster than before!
You’ll have more perils to avoid this time, mostly additional snowballs near the ending.
Along with these new changes comes the removal of some of the vital balloons from around the track, yikes!
You’ve got your work cut out for you this time, Bluey isn’t going to be a pushover like last time.
Beat Bluey this time to receive the second piece of the Wizpig Amulet!

< BLUEY'S SLALOM >

This time Bluey has gotten much faster, even a blue boost won’t put you ahead of him!
You’ll have to continue onward down the slalom behind Bluey until you approach the cave ahead as before.
Make sure to avoid the trees on your way.

After you begin your slide down the slalom try your best to stay centered and avoid the 2 trees in the middle of the path.
Keep driving straight ahead toward the giant head of Bluey and enter the tiny ice cavern below.

After you complete the cavern, you’ll come to the exit to find that the blue balloon from the first race is no longer hanging in the air at the exit!
You’ll need to carry on without any boost from the cavern unfortunately.

Here’s a balloon you might easily miss!
At the end of the path you’ll need to pull a sharp turn to the left and stay to the left to pick up another Blue Balloon and use it to enter the valley portion of the track.

Looks like Bluey has taken a page from Tricky’s book! If you look on either side of the valley you’ll see 2 giant snow boulders to your right and 1 to your left. If you’re not careful these giant snow balls will roll onto the track and squish your racer flat!
It would be a good plan to grab the blue balloon at the beginning of the valley path to boost past this portion.

As you approach the final cavern portion with the candy canes, you’ll have to avoid a final snowball that comes bounding down onto the track.
You may able to squeeze through, but Bluey will be unable to, slowing down significantly as he approaches the cave due to the snowball, which gives you a perfect chance to dart out ahead!

You should be able to retain 1st position in the cave, though Bluey won’t be too far behind! Keep that finger on the A button will you!

As you emerge from the tiny ice tunnel, you’ll have to avoid the trees near the finish line as usual.
Unfortunately, Bluey has also removed the final blue balloon that was in the middle of the hill last time.
You’ll have to do without I’m afraid, and there isn’t a time where your desire for a blue balloon will reach a high such as this, as Bluey should be right on your tail!
Keep the finish line in sight and push your racer to the limit! With any luck you will have thwarted Bluey the Walrus a second time!

After Bluey has shaken loose the trance put on him by Wizpig, he will reward you with the second quarter section of the Wizpig Amulet, giving us a complete top half from our two quarters so far!
Only half way to go now, let’s bid Bluey farewell and head back to Snowflake Mountain.

This is Icicle Pyramid! The objective in this challenge is to eliminate the other three racers around the battle map before they have the chance to exterminate you!
Icicle Pyramid is comprised of three floors: a basement, midsection and a top floor.
You’ll have to navigate through each floor as you avoid attacks thrown against you, and create havoc all of your own.
If you manage to survive this T.T Challenge you’ll be rewarded with the second quarter piece of the T.T Amulet.

< HOW TO PLAY: ICICLE PYRAMID >

As you start the challenge you’ll notice that the top of the screen houses 4 pictures of your racer and the opposing racers you’ll be matched up against.
Underneath these pictures you’ll notice a Yellow Banana icon X 8.
This system counts as your ‘health’ on this course, if your banana’s deplete to X 0, you will be eliminated.
Each time you take damage from a red, yellow or green balloon, you’ll lose 2 bananas from your health.
Get hit 4 times and you’ll be eliminated!
Since you start off on the middle floor, you should be able to snatch a red balloon ahead and blast the racer coming at you from the opposite side!

You’ll spend most of your time around Icicle Pyramid chasing your enemies, hiding from oncoming attacks and bulking up your weaponry to its secondary form.
One of the most popular places to hide is on the bottom floor around the perimeter.
You’ll be able to travel along the outside of the map inside a convenient snow tunnel.
The tunnel connects back up to the main map in 4 instances and houses 2 green and red balloons in each corner.

On the bottom floor you’ll find a single red balloon in the middle of the map, as well as 4 tunnels leading off into the snow tunnel surrounding Icicle Pyramid.
You can use the ramps provided in this section to access the area on the second floor.

You can reach the 3rd floor of Icicle Pyramid if you drive up the C Curve on either side of the second floor.
At the top you’ll find 2 red balloons in each corner which you can grab to form a power-up.
You can discover which floor your enemies are currently driving on by glancing at the map.
If your opponents icon on the map is small, they are on the bottom floor.
If it is normal size, they are on the middle floor, and if the icon is larger than usual they are on the top floor.

Be sure to keep a close watch on your own banana ‘health’ as well as the health of your enemies.
The less enemies you have remaining when it comes time to seek and destroy the better.
Whether you choose to stick to a offensive or defensive strategy the less enemies left in your way will help you place first.
Be sure to lay a sufficient number of mines or oil slicks to slip up the competition and always back yourself up with a rocket or two!

Remember to eliminate your enemies before they have the opportunity to wipe you off the map!
The red balloon power-up should be the most sought-after weapon in Icicle Pyramid as the aimless feature allows you to fire an attack without the worry of perfect accuracy, it also makes for a great get-away as well!
You’ll hardly have time to stop and think in this challenge course!

The sound of seeking rockets will be ringing in your ears by the end of it all, but all your hard work in the hectic atmosphere should pay off in the long run.
Make sure you are the last player remaining in Icicle Pyramid and you should be able to make it in first place without a problem, and you’ll win the second consecutive T.T Challenge!

After you’ve defeated all of your fellow racers, the Genie will make an extra special trip to reward you with an extra special trinket…
We have 2 more of these prizes to collect, which means that when we collect all of the pieces from the other T.T Challenges we should have the whole T.T AMULET!
After you’ve finished admiring the quarter piece of the T.T Amulet, we’ll let the cutscene end as we continue on the last stretch of completing Snowflake Mountain with the Trophy Race!

The Snowflake Mountain Trophy Race is setup exactly like the Dino Domain Trophy Race:
You’ll have to try your best in each race in order to achieve the highest score to win.
The higher you place in each race, the higher your score will be in the end. The score is still measured as followed:

1st Place: 9 Pts.
2nd Place: 7 Pts.
3rd Place: 5 Pts.
4th Place: 3 Pts.
5th Place: 1 Pt.
6th Place or Worse: 0 Pts.

Remember, though you don’t have to place first for every race, you still want to keep your score high enough to come above everyone else. Even if you fail the trophy race, you can still retry until you get the illusive Wizpig Trophy!
After you’ve beaten everyone else, your Wizpig Trophy will be placed in the once empty display case.

< SNOWFLAKE MOUNTAIN >

Once you’ve received your First Place Gold Wizpig Trophy you’ll have done everything there is to do in Snowflake Mountain! Congrats! If you talk to T.T you can see that your collectable items in your STATUS is exactly 2/4 complete! Let’s say our goodbyes to the frozen tundra as we exit back onto the nice warm island through the EXIT Door and continue onward to save Timber Island!

When you reappear outside of Snowflake Mountain, Taj will want to challenge you to yet another race, this time you’ll be riding inside a hovercraft.
Taj may be fast on his magic carpet, but he should be no match for your hovercraft!

< TIMBER ISLAND >

Once you start the race you’ll notice we’re not on the line between the trees anymore.
Instead we’ll treat the river underneath the Wizpig head as our makeshift track.
As you begin the race be sure to acquire a blue boost and speed underneath the Dino Domain Bridge and towards the waterfall.
Follow the way the flags guide you and you should be able to make it into a secret cavern located behind it.

Try not to bump into any walls inside the caverns and keep following the flags, eventually you’ll come out just outside the Snowflake Mountain area. Follow the chilly river to the right and follow the track to the next entrance.
Get ready for a big drop!

As you leave the snowy world behind your racer will take a flying leap into the river straight ahead, yeehaw!
You’ll have to continue down this stretch until you meet up with the log.
Get ready for another splash down and turn to the right facing the shore at the lighthouse.

Almost done now, we’ll just have to ride the waves and follow the flags back toward the shore.
Once you’ve reached the shore line you’ll have to turn to the right up the hill in order to get back to the main island.
Careful as you go around the bend though, there’s a very high chance you’ll crash into the area around the entrance if you take it too fast!

Instead of redirecting yourself back to the shore, navigate through the water and keep close to the Wipig head, you’ll have to stay this course to complete the lap.
Let’s take a look at our Wizpig head for a second.
Looks like Wizpig hasn’t shaved in a while…that’s because we’ve yet to get the other two pieces of the Wizpig Amulet, after we’ve done that we’ll get to see the face in full form.
Complete the two remaining laps to complete Taj’s challenge.

Once you’ve beaten Taj in your hovercraft he’ll wade out in the water in order to reward us with our next golden balloon!
This one should bring the total up to 22, which means we’ve only got 1 more Taj challenge to go!
After we’ve collected our golden balloon we’ll be ready to find the next level: Sherbet Island!

Remember that rock formation out in the middle of the sea that you passed in hovercraft when you were doing the Taj challenge?
That’s where we’ll find Sherbet Island.
For a little recap just navigate your hovercraft to the lighthouse and you’ll see the 10 balloon door just to the left in the middle of the ocean.
Let’s enter inside the balloon door and get ready for a wet and wild ride!

This time the third T.T Challenge Key is hidden really well, and its more than likely you won’t be able to find it without some help.
Locate the Crescent Island race door with 11 balloons and enter inside!

< CRESCENT ISLAND >

After you begin the race, you’ll have to stick to the leftmost part of the track. Once you come up to the fork in the road take the left route that leads along the shore with a zipper.

Instead of following the shoreline back onto the main track, you’ll notice a vast ocean just to the left of your racer. Up ahead you’ll spot an archway that connects to a rather round piece of the island out to sea.
Using your car, drive out the water and approach the cylindrical chunk of land.

If you drive around the island in the water, you should manage to spot an alcove harboring the third Key.
With some careful cruising you should manage to drive into the half submerged alcove and collect the Key inside.
Once you collect the key press the START button and choose RETURN TO LOBBY.

Here we go! You’ve just unlocked the third T.T Challenge: Darkwater Beach, a waterlogged version of Icicle Pyramid!
We’ll ignore Darkwater Beach for now and continue on to beating the other races around Sherbet Island.
Just one more Key to go now and we’ll have unlocked every T.T Challenge.

< SHERBET ISLAND >

After we’ve dragged our car out of the water, we’ll pop back into the lobby of Sherbet Island.
From here we’ll have to get used to driving around in our first hovercraft-only course: Whale Bay!
Let’s drive into Whale Bay at 10 golden balloons and get ready to ride some wicked waves!

< WHALE BAY >

From the start after getting your blue boost you’ll spot a hovercraft zipper just to the right of your screen.
If you master the hovercraft controls you should be able to catch the zipper as you burst past the competition!
As you come to your first turn to the left, you’ll spot a long row of balloons.
The blue balloon is the closest to the tree away from the turn, grab it and use it to blast yourself around the rest of the corner.
Stick to the right side of the track after the turn and you’ll spot the next hovercraft zipper.
Take it and aim yourself toward the giant ship on the left.
Here’s where this race gets really tricky!
If you time it right you should be able to see a purple whale rise up from the water just behind the ship.
Position yourself right and you’ll manage to use the whale as a ramp and propel yourself up to the top of the ship!
From here you’ve taken the biggest shortcut in Sherbet Island!
Just complete the remainder of the ship and jump off to your left, you should have no trouble beating everyone else at this point.
Continue down the path to your left and you’ll reach the final hovercraft zipper, take it to the finish line.
Cross over the line to the right so you can take the first hovercraft zipper again for the next lap.
Follow the above for the next two laps and you should get the golden balloon for the bay!

< SHERBET ISLAND >

After a flying visit from Taj we’ll be given our first Ancient Lake balloon, bring up our grande total to 23!
We’ll take a break from hovercrafting at the moment and take the car for a spin across the sunny beaches of Cresent Island!
Be wary though, though the beach may seem like a beacon for relaxation I can assure you there will be no time to smell the salt air on this racecourse!

< CRESCENT ISLAND >

Just as every race we’ve done and every race we will do, start the race off with a blue boost!
Remember where we went to get the Sherbet Island key?
We’re going to repeat that scenario and stick to the left side of the fork to access the shore area.
As soon as you embark on the shore you’ll see the first zipper, take it and turn to the right.
As you climb the hill after the archway you’ll spot zipper number 2!
Take zipper 2 and head toward the fenced area to the left.
Follow the fence and you’ll find another zipper just before the right turn ahead.
As you make your way down the sandy hill, you’ll spot a giant ship blocking your path!
You’ll need to embark on the ramp leading on the dock of the ship and turn to the left into the hull of the ship.

Follow the tunnel to the otherside of the ship and head toward the cave ahead.
If you stick to the left side of the cavern you’ll find a final zipper leading to the finish line.
Turn a quick right and you should be able to squeeze between the rock and complete the lap.
Repeat for the remaining 2 laps and you’ll have conquered the crescent!

< SHERBET ISLAND >

Sherbet Island is pretty well rounded, we’ve only had to use the hovercraft in one instance, and we’ll only have to use it again once more in our second to last race: Pirate Lagoon!
Let’s enter the 13 golden balloon door and get surfing!

< PIRATE LAGOON >

Start things off right in the lagoon with a blue boost!
The boost should carry you through the cavern portion and put you straight into the dunes!
You have the option of either grabbing a blue balloon to your right or taking the zipper to your left.
Whichever you choose to take you forward, you’ll have to be ready to turn to your right on a dime!
Once we’re around the large grey rock you’ll spot a zipper directly ahead of your racer.
Take the zipper to the castle cavern ahead.
If you stick to the right side of the entrance you’ll pick up a blue balloon to carry you through the cavern heading left.
Turn right as the cavern exits and you’ll find yet another zipper leading you to a C Curve.
Come around the stranded ship balancing on the rock and you’ll see a zipper before a tiny ramp over the rock wall.
If you choose to take this route it will shave off excess time spent turning around the long rock.
Turn to your left after the boost and you’ll find the finish line to the second lap!
Complete the remaining two laps and you’ll plunder the golden balloon from this track in no time!

< SHERBET ISLAND >

25 golden balloons means that we’re nearly done with completing every race in Sherbet Island.
Our last venture will be inside the mysterious caverns in Treasure Caves.
Locate the 16 golden balloon door for Treasure Caves and get ready for one of the more easier races in Diddy Kong Racing.

< TREASURE CAVES >

From the start let’s nail a blue boost to blast ourselves ahead of the competition!
If you veer off to the right side of the track you should be able to nab the first zipper that’ll take you to the cave entrance up ahead.
Before you continue down the hill ahead, you should grab a blue balloon from the collection in the entrance.
Make sure you turn to the left to stay on track and use the blue balloon to boost yourself ahead.
If you stay in the center of the track as you veer to the left you should nail a second zipper leading you into the giant cave ahead. Be careful not to crash into the entrance as you enter the cave.
As you follow the thinning path surrounded by eerie green mist and a large pool of water, you should be able to catch the 3rd zipper just on the left of the thin path.
Careful not to fall into the water as the zipper knocks you ahead to the next cave.
As you come into the lighted portion of the cave after the pool, you should spot a final zipper on the right side of the cavern that will rocket you towards the finish line to the left.
Cross over the finish line and complete the lap.
Repeat for the remaining 2 laps and Treasure Caves should be an absolute breeze.

< SHERBET ISLAND >

After you’ve beaten Treasure Caves, Taj will award you with your 26th balloon!
That means that you’ve beaten all of the tracks in Sherbet Island, congrats!
Of course this moment of victory will be shortlived as your racer finds themselves in front of a now unlocked boss door!
Drive on in, its time to show the bosses that we’re not going to be pushed around!

Prove yourself around Sherbet Island and you’ll have to face off against this terror of the deep…
Bubbler the Octopus has his race set up a little differently than the previous bosses; instead of simply beating him to a destination you’ll have to lap around the finish line 3 times just like the other races.
While you’re suited up in hovercraft you’ll have to race Bubbler around his tiny island cove, be on your toes though; this isn’t a careful cruise!
Bubbler will continuously lay mines in the water as he swims ahead which would greatly cripple your progress if you are to bump into them!
If you manage to avoid these proximity problems and get ahead of Bubbler you should be fine, just keep up your speed for all 3 laps.

< BUBBLER'S BAY >

Even if you start off with a blue boost, Bubbler will still pull ahead of you!
There is a slight chance that you can pass Bubbler from the get go if you stick to the left side of the coast.
However, you’ll need to look out for any mines that Bubbler will leave in his wave.

After you pass the tiny island with the red balloon on it, you’ll see a log in the water.
If you hit the log on your way by, it will swing back and cripple your progress.
Steer to your right and grab the Blue Balloon under the grey archway.

As the mine laying continues, Bubbler will head toward a cave.
On the right side of the cave you should spot a Blue Balloon just outside the entrance.
When you approach the balloon you’ll see another log front of the cave entrance.
Do what you can to avoid being waterlogged and enter the cave!

Stay to the left side of the corner ahead and you’ll be rewarded a Red Balloon. Aim correctly and you’ll have a chance to slow Bubbler down, or perhaps even overtake him!
Avoid the mines set in the cave and turn to the left.

As you continue to the left you’ll see a small island holding a blue balloon which you can snag and use to get ahead! Watch out for the floating log ahead!

Continue under the next grey arc and you’ll find yourself just behind the finish line.
If Bubbler is still in front of you you can use the Red Balloon on the island to your right and combo it up with the Red Balloon to your left to take him out!

Just repeat the steps above for each lap and you should have Bubbler bruised, battered and beaten!
Develop a system you can work with and give it your all, you should place 1st in no time!
After you beat Bubbler, he’ll unlock the Silver Coin Challenge for Sherbet Island!
After you’re sent back to the lobby drive into Whale Bay to start off the Silver Coin Challenges!

< WHALE BAY >

You’ll be able to spot Coin 1 right at the start.
Start off with a blue boost and veer to the right, if you aim correctly you should manage to get a zipper boost as well!

On your first turn to the left you’ll spot Coin 2 and 3 hugging the shore.
Stick to the sandy borders and you should be able to pluck them out of the water!

This track is rather forgiving as it places some coins in zippers, meaning you won’t have to avoid some speed to collect a coin. This rule will change later, so make the most of it now.
You’ll find Coin 4 inside the hovercraft zipper leading to ship.

Coin 5 is located just to the right of the whale you ride up on to the ship.
Unfortunately you can’t ride up this time if you want to collect the rest of the coins!

As you ride under the overhanging rock instead of on top of the ship, you’ll find Coin 6 spinning on a rock poking out of the water. Grab that thing and head for the next zipper!

As you head onward to the finish you’ll find Coin 7 stuck in the middle of the last zipper.
Grab the coin and take the zipper!

Here’s one that’s out in the open!
As you head over to the finish line you’ll spot Coin 8 just innocently smack dab in the middle of the water.
Grab it and move onto the next lap!

Though not as difficult as some of the other coin challenges, Whale Bay will get you used to collecting coins in the hovercraft! A first for Diddy and his pals thus far!
Finish all 3 laps and finish 1st with all of the coins yet again to progress further into Sherbet Island…

< SHERBET ISLAND >

After you’ve returned to the main lobby, you’ll only have to move one door down to door 18: Crescent Island. Lets get inside and find some coins in the sand! You won’t even have to bring a metal detector!

< CRESCENT ISLAND >

As you start off veer to the left and drive toward the area where you found the T.T Key in the water. Coin 1 will be sitting on the first zipper.
Snag it and continue down the path.

As you come to the end of the path mentioned in the first coin, you’ll spot Coin 2 spinning in the archway to the next area. Grab it and get ready to turn right for the next Coin.

You’ll find Coin 3 along the right side of the wall of the next section with the waterfall.
Time it accurately and you should be able to snag it as you come off of the shore.

Coin 4 is on the sand to the left near the pirate ship you have to climb up onto.
Pull off some wicked turning and you should be able to collect Coin 4 without banging into the ramp onto the ship!

Just as you follow the ramp up and go to turn left into the tunnel of the ship, you’ll spot another ramp leading to a higher spot of the ship.
Take this second ramp and you’ll collect Coin 5 as you fall through the open trapdoor into the ships tunnel!

As you get off the ship you’ll spot Coin 6 on the far left entrance to the cave. This will completely disrupt your position, so make sure you have plenty of space to execute a sharp turn before the others catch up!

Stick to the right side of the cave as you approach the finish line and you’ll see Coin 7 in the shorter alternate route.
Take the shorter route, collect the Coin and turn right to the finish line.

As you enter your next lap take the right route into the cave instead of following the shore line with the key.
At the end of the cave you’ll find Coin 8 hugging the right wall.
Grab it and you’ll have collected them all!

Just because the coins are listed in order doesn’t mean you have collect them in that order, mind.
You may find it easier to save certain coins for the next lap to build up some speed.
Find a strategy that works for you and go with it!
Collect all 8 in any order you see fit and finish 1st!

< SHERBET ISLAND >

We’re half way done now with only 2 races left to finish in Sherbet Island!
To be perfectly honest you’ll find Treasure Caves almost as easy as Ancient Lake, Pirate Lagoon is another story altogether unfortunately…
Let’s enter door 20 to Pirate Lagoon and get crackin’!

< PIRATE LAGOON >

After you begin the race you’ll be able to spot Coin 1 on the left side of the track before the hovercraft zipper.
Nab it and avoid the zipper if you want to collect Coin 2 on this lap!

Just after the first hovercraft zipper to the right is Coin 2. You will be able to grab it if you intentionally miss the zipper, otherwise it’ll be harder to grab if you’re racer is soaring through the air.

Coin 3 is easy enough to spot, it’s just on the corner of the first turn to the right you make on the grey wall.
Stay centered and you’ll be able to catch it.

This one is waaay off course!
Just before you move into the cavern inside the castle you’ll spot Coin 4 on the right side of the wall in the open area.
You’ll lose a lot of time going for this one, so make sure you collect it when you’re ahead. The second lap might not be a bad idea either.

After the brief cavern inside the castle walls, you’ll be put back outside to the rocks again.
Stick to the left side of the rocks by the crashed pirate ship and you’ll spot Coin 5!

Just as you collect Coin 5 and begin to pull a C curve around the shipwreck you’ll spot Coin 6 hugging the shores.
You’ll have to head off the path for this one, so make sure you do so when you have the time to waste!

You’ll spot Coin 7 on the right side of the rock across from the zipper that pushes you over to the finish line.
Grabbing this coin will deny you access to the shortcut, so spend your time wisely.

And lastly just as you approach the finish line you’ll spot Coin 8 on the left side of the grey rock. Just keep to the left and it shouldn’t cause you any trouble.

Grab all 8 coins and place 1st and you’ll have it made!
If you found the hovercraft too awkward for collecting coins you’re not alone. Have no fear however, you’ll only have to use the hovercraft in one more coin collecting race, and it’s not in Sherbet Island!

< SHERBET ISLAND >

We’ll be at 29 golden balloons now with only 1 more race to go until we hit 30!
Beating this next race will also mean we’ll have our rematch against Ol’ Bubbler!
Let’s get to it, drive through Treasure Caves and get ready for an easy race!

< TREASURE CAVES >

Right in front of your nose!
You won’t even have to turn when you collect Coin 1! Possibly the easiest coin in the game and all you’ll have to do is accelerate!
Next!

After you’ve collected Coin 1, veer off to the right side of the track and you’ll be in the path of Coin 2.
Collect it and head up the hill!

This one can be tricky if you’re not ready for it. After you climb the hill and begin your descent you’ll spot Coin 3 to the right of the track between some trees and Coin 4 just after the zipper ahead.
Grab coin 3 as you ride down on the right and take the zipper to collect Coin 4.

Turn left into the cave and you’ll come across your final 4 coins.
Coin 5 is located on the right side of the track after the zipper and Coin 6 is on the left side shortly after.
It is possible to collect both at once, but it’s also an option to collect either Coin 5 or 6 and get the one you missed on your next lap.

Lastly, you’ll find Coin 7 and 8 on opposite sides of the cavern exit doorway. You can’t collect both in the same lap without doing yourself some time delay, so collect one and get the next one on the next lap!

And that’s it! Nothing to it!
Make sure you remember to grab the coins you miss intentionally and you’ll be fine! Place 1st and get ready for a showdown with our tentacled tyrant!

< SHERBET ISLAND >

After you’ve collected all of the Silver Coins and place first Taj will swoop down on the track with glee awarding you with your 30th balloon! Congratulations! But before you have time to celebrate you’ll find yourself hurled back to Sherbet Island where your racer will approach the Boss Door and wait to drive inside!

hey don’t call him ‘Bubbler’ for nothing!
In fact, Bubbler has decided to up the challenge as this time he’ll lay giant bubbles behind him instead of mines.
These bubbles will mess you up, so don’t get caught inside one or you’ll be forced to restart the race over again!
Just burst Bubblers bubble a second time to recieve the third piece of the illusive Wizpig Amulet!

< BUBBLER'S BAY >

To put it Bluntly, Bubbler is hard this time round!
Many will argue he’s put all 8 legs in gear for the race, others argue that its the anguish that burns within him from the last race.
Whatever the case may be, we’ve got to tie up the tentacles on this titanic tyrant!
Though a blue boost will be your best bet, you’ll have to watch out for the multiple amount of bubbles he leaves behind!

Not only will you have to avoid the log as you approach the arch, but you’ll have to avoid the bubbles that Bubbler has precariously placed underneath.
Either steer through the center or the left wall to avoid getting sucked in!
Bubbler should be fairly ahead at this point, its fine for now.

Since it would waste too much of your valuable racing time going for the blue balloon on the right side of the cave entrance, instead stay to the left and enter the cave ahead that way instead.
Watch out for the bubbles ahead and get ready to do some really sharp turning!

Once inside the cave you’ll have to grab your first red balloon on the very corner dangerously next to a bubble!
This balloon is vital to your success so you might want to practice turning precisely enough to grab it without any interference from a big bubble.
Once you grab it, save it and continue down the tunnel.

Make sure you save that balloon for the future! As you approach the cave exit you’ll see that Bubbler has laid 3 bubbles right in your path!
No worries however, as the bubble in the middle will pop just as you approach it, making you a perfect last minute shortcut!
If you think you’d rather not risk it, you can always just follow the left side of the cave and just miss the leftmost bubble.

After you complete the C Curve just before the finish line you’ll spot a second red balloon on the island to the right after the grey arch.
You should now have a double red power-up balloon. Don’t fire it just yet, we still have one more balloon to collect.
After you’ve grabbed the second red balloon steer your hovercraft to the left island before the finish line.

Get on the final island just before the finish line and you’ll collect your final 3rd red balloon power-up, giving you the 10 missile power-up!
Make sure you get close enough to Bubbler, but just far enough to avoid any bubbles coming your way.
Once you get Bubbler on a nice straight angle at a nice steady pace, you’re ready for the next step…

As Diddy would say, ‘GO APE!’.
Frantically slam that Z Trigger and feed Bubbler an arseful of missiles!
In response Bubbler will blast up high into the sky with each hit, giving you more than enough time and space to pass right from underneath him!
At this point the race is yours, the bubbles will slowly disappear from the last lap, and without Bubbler ahead of you to make new ones you have nothing to fear!
Eventually you’ll leave Bubbler choking on your exhaust!

Make sure you give no reason for Bubbler to catch up to you, even bumping into a wall for example, for if he does manage to pass you he’ll start laying bubbles again, which will mean all your hard work will be put to waste if you get trapped!
Keep that thumb firmly on the A button, and clean the corners with the R shoulder and you’ll be fine.
Cross the finish line first and Bubbler will be finished!

After Bubbler has shaken loose the trance put on him by Wizpig and bandaged his tentacles from the missile frenzy, he will reward you with the third quarter section of the Wizpig Amulet, leaving us only one more quarter section we need to collect before we are pitted against the big pig upstairs!
Let’s see Bubbler off and return to Sherbet Island!

Once we’ve returned to the Sherbet Island lobby we can begin work on the third T.T Challenge!
The door to the challenge is a breeze to find this time, it’s located on the wall between Bubbler’s boss door and Whale Bay, you can’t miss it!
Once you find it, it’s time to drive in and get ready for a flurry of furry animals armed to the teeth!

This is Darkwater Beach! The objective in this challenge is very similar to Icicle Pyramid, you must eliminate the three opposing racers before they have the chance to eliminate you!
The last one left standing at the end of it all will be awarded the third quarter piece of the illusive T.T Amulet!
We will need the entire T.T amulet to progress later in the game.

< HOW TO PLAY: DARKWATER BEACH >

You’ll find yourself in an immediate throwback of Deja vu to Icicle Pyramid as soon as you begin Darkwater Beach.
The formula is very much the same in that your health is represented by a total of 8 bananas that deplete by 2 each time you take damage.
Once your health reaches zero you’ll be removed from Darkwater Beach, so you’ll be careful to keep a close watch on your health to avoid losing the challenge.

Unlike Icicle Pyramid however, Darkwater Beach is a level playing field, you’ll have little area to escape once a racer has you sighted, which makes the gameplay a little more challenging.
You’ll have to take extra precautions to ensure you’re not in the line of fire on such a flat course.
Any stray rocket could have you losing 2 precious units of your health.

You’ll find plenty of places throughout Darkwater Beach to hide and explore while avoiding oncoming attacks from your fellow racers.
You’ll find two identical bridges on either side of Darkwater Beach, which you can use to keep a close watch of the playing field.
The radar on the bottom right corner of the screen will truly come in use for this T.T Challenge.

If you explore the areas around the bridge you’ll discover a hidden cavern dug through the center.
You may use this cavern to avoid fire from your enemies, just keep a close watch on either end of the cave.
You’ll find a yellow balloon inside the right cavern, and a green balloon inside the left.
You’ll have to master the choppy sea around the beach as well as avoid the spinning logs which will throw you off course!

It can be quite the difficult task in Darkwater Beach as you keep yourself ship shape and blast your enemies clear out of the choppy waters.
Make sure you keep a close watch of your health on the top of the screen so that you’re constantly aware who’s still playing and who has sunken to the chilling depths of Darkwater Beach…
If all goes right you should be the only racer remaining at the end, to which you will win the T.T Challenge!

Once you’ve dominated the competition a third time round, Taj will make yet another wayward trip along the choppy waters on his magic carpet to reward you with the third quarter piece of the T.T Amulet!
We need to collect only 1 last quarter piece to complete the whole T.T AMULET!
After you’ve finished admiring the near-finished T.T Amulet, we’ll let the cutscene end as we continue on the last stretch of completing Sherbet Island with the Trophy Race!

The same rules apply on the Sherbet Island Trophy Race as every other trophy race:
You’ll have to try your best in each race in order to achieve the highest score to win.
The higher you place in each race, the higher your score will be in the end. The score is still measured as followed:

1st Place: 9 Pts.
2nd Place: 7 Pts.
3rd Place: 5 Pts.
4th Place: 3 Pts.
5th Place: 1 Pt.
6th Place or Worse: 0 Pts.

Remember, though you don’t have to place first for every race, you still want to keep your score high enough to come above everyone else. Even if you fail the trophy race, you can still retry until you get the illusive Wizpig Trophy!
After you’ve beaten everyone else, your Wizpig Trophy will be placed in the once empty display case.

< SHERBET ISLAND >

< DRAGON FOREST >

Once you exit the world door after beating everything there is to do, Taj will greet you outside for yet another race!
Fortunately, this will be our last race with Taj, so he won’t bother us anymore after we beat the next world!
Without further ado, let’s press A and race Taj in our plane!

Let’s start off the race on the right foot and get a blue boost right off!
We’ll have to follow the red flags up toward the snow covered log that leads us to Snowflake Mountain.
Taj will be quick on his carpet once it’s airborne, so try your best to maintain your position so he doesn’t cut in front.

Once you emerge on the other side of the log you’ll need to veer right towards the low entrance that we passed in the hovercraft last race.
Watch out for that tree and be sure not to smack ’round the edges or Taj will come screaming around the corner and have you beat.
Though there’s a very good chance of regaining your position eventually, it’s just an easier experience altogether if you avoid hurling your racer into nearby scenery.

Just as in the hovercraft race beforehand, we’ll continue down the straight after the low entrance, however we’ll have to avoid the log by flying under it this time.
Once you’ve passed under the log simply turn to your right toward the lighthouse and carry on.

Right, this part is usually the most difficult for most players.
As you head up to the beach, you’re going to have to turn a sharp right towards the entrance by the sign to get back to the center of the island.
The most difficult part in doing this is that the corner is really sharp, meaning you’ll more than likely crash your racer trying to squeeze through the entrance.
Instead, you should try turning briefly to the left as you get to the shore to gain some perspective and than turn right with R to angle it off.

And with that task out of the way we’ll have completed the hardest part of the race.
After you pass through the entrance you’ll find yourself back in the main part of the island.
Let’s take a moment to check out our Wizpig head on the left side of the screen.
Wow, it almost looks like its about to come alive doesn’t it?
Navigate your racer to the finish line between the two trees up ahead and finish the remaining two laps!

Once you’ve beaten Taj at his own game he’ll meet you back at the finish line as soon as you finish.
After informing you that his challenges have ended he’ll reward your superior racing skill with another golden balloon bringing our grande total to 31!
After you’ve collected your balloon let’s find the final world to unlocking Wizpig!

Our last world to find is a tough one indeed! Unlike the other levels before, Dragon Forest isn’t out in the open for you to find from afar, though it is very close to Taj.
You can either choose to stay in your plane or honk for Taj and get the hovercraft, completely your choice.
Once you’ve made your selection, let’s get on Taj’s pad and face the Wizpig Face.
From this point (If you’ve been following the guide accordingly) the face should be almost complete missing only a single quarter section.
Pay close attention to the waterfalls surrounding the head.
We want to check out the waterfall to the left, closest to the beach, so lets travel over and inspect it.

If you’ve approached the correct waterfall you should see a tiny alcove which climbs upwards, we should follow this hill upward to a door with the number 16 on it.
Seeing as we have 31 Balloons at this point, the 16 should be no trouble at all!
Let’s enter the final door to the last level: Dragon Forest!

We’re nearly done yet, just one more T.T Challenge Key to find in Dragon Forest and we’ll have collected the entire set in the game!
However, don’t expect this Key to be a walk in the woods…
This final key will test both your racing skill and timing on the track.
Locate the Boulder Canyon race door with 20 balloons and enter inside!

< BOULDER CANYON >

You won’t come near the final key until you approach the castle with the drawbridge crossing over the water.
Once you reach this drawbridge, cross over until you reach the collection of balloons and a lone hanging bell.
From here, turn your hovercraft around so you are facing the drawbridge as depicted in the image.
You should spot a large balcony of sorts above the bridge on the opposite side, that’s where we need to go to grab the Key.

You’ll need to collect 3 blue balloons in succession to upgrade to a purple boost. In one swift motion you have to drive through the bell and ring it, causing the drawbridge to rise in front of you and than use your boost to cross the rising drawbridge.

If you’ve done this correctly your racer will have reached the balcony where you should see a spinning T.T Challenge Key in plain view in the center of the slope.
You’ll need to be careful collecting this key, as the slope will cause your racer to drop down below if you don’t keep your thumb on the accelerator.
If you do fall however you can get back to the balcony by ringing the bell and boosting up again.
Once you have the Key collected, press START and choose RETURN TO LOBBY.

And that’s it! You’ve collected all of the T.T Challenge Keys in Diddy Kong Racing, congratulations!
You’ve just unlocked the final T.T Challenge: Smokey Castle!
We’ll ignore the calls of the castle and continue onto beating the other races around Dragon Forest.

After we’ve left Boulder Canyon, we’ll be ready to begin racing around Dragon Forest and beating the tracks to get to the boss.
Don’t go at it half hearted however, the tracks around Dragon Forest are unlike anything you’ve ever seen before!
Let’s get a taste of this place and enter golden balloon door 16, Windmill Plains!

< WINDMILL PLAINS >

Start off the race with a Blue Boost as always.
From here you can either choose to aim to your left under the windmill to get a zipper, or you can stay straight on the path to get blue balloon.
Either way you’ll find a second zipper under the next windmill.
Turn right into the next area filled with water and be sure to grab the plane zipper to blast through quicker.
Fly low into the tiny crevice ahead and be sure to C Curve to the right.
Exit the cavern and catch the zipper leading to windmill up the path ahead, be careful that you don’t bump into the edges of the windmill doorway!
Turn to the left after you blast through and navigate through the large stretch of water filled area and turn a sharp left.
Catch a zipper in the center of this area to the right of a waterfall to blast yourself ahead to the dirt high wall area.
Take a C Curve to the right through the dirt high walls to get to the final area ahead.
Stick to the left in this area and you’ll get a final zipper that will blast you to the last low cavern ahead.
Turn right in the cavern to exit to the finish line!
Repeat for the remaining laps and you’ll walk away golden balloon 32!

< DRAGON FOREST >

Now it’s time for a challenge!
After we’ve arrived back into the Dragon Forest lobby, we can continue onto one of the more difficult tracks in Diddy Kong Racing: the illusive Greenwood Village!
This track will test you both mentally and physically so get ready!
After you locate the next golden balloon door at 17 we can continue onward to Greenwood Village!

< GREENWOOD VILLAGE >

Let’s start things off right with a nice Blue Boost! You’ll have to continue down the path and turn left into the town square as identified by the well in the center.
Stay to the left side of the track and you’ll catch a zipper into the town square.
If you drive into the the well in the center of the town, you will spot a opening at the bottom.
If you drive into the well you will drop down into a shortcut that will cut your time drastically!
This is rather difficult to pull off on the fly, so you might want to instead try the alternate route.
To achieve this route, instead continue right into the walled area and left after the collection of balloons.
As you continue down the walled area you’ll need to turn right once more up the hill to the next area.
After the hill you’ll come into a forested area.

You’ll need to turn left into a C Curve and continue down the log tunnel and turn left until you spot a zipper at the bottom.
Take the zipper ahead to the next area, stick to the right fence and you’ll enter the next log area.
Turn right when you are inside this log to reach the city streets.
Turn a sharp left on these streets and you’ll see a zipper up ahead on the left side of the track that will lead you farther up the track.
Turn left after you take the zipper and you’ll wind back at the finish line.
If you stick to the left just before the first set of arches you’ll manage to catch the final zipper to the finish line!
Repeat the remaining laps and you’ll finish Greenwood Village for good!

< DRAGON FOREST >

Now that the worst course is out of the way, we can begin work on the next course!
It’s time for some fun amongst rapids, waterfalls and choppy waters! Let’s enter the only hovercraft course in Dragon Forest, Boulder Canyon.
You can locate the Boulder Canyon door at 20 golden balloons.
Enter inside and get ready for some seasick action!

< BOULDER CANYON >

As always, use a blue boost to get away from the competition!
From here you need to turn right down the river and avoid the two logs ahead, they’ll act the same as the logs in Bubbler’s lair.
Stick to the right of the track to grab a blue balloon.
Head down the log slope ahead and you’ll be able to grab 2 more blue balloons on the right side of the track, avoid the green balloon in between these 2 balloons.
When you come to the pool of water, avoid the log here as well and continue right into the next area and a quick turn left will bring you to the drawbridge and into the castle.
If you stick to the left side of the bridge and you’ll catch a blue balloon and pass through the hanging bell.
Just as we captured the key from this bell last time, we can use this to raise the bridge and stop the competition from passing the bridge, forcing them to go around the longer route.
Stick to the center of the path and you’ll catch a zipper blasting you up the path, turn right when you land on the floor above.
If you stick to the left as you land, you’ll catch another zipper that will lead you up ahead into the sewage area.
Stick to the left yet again and you’ll catch a hovercraft zipper to lead you through the murky tunnel.
When you turn left at the end of the tunnel you’ll spot a fork in the road with overhanging chains.
Taking the right sewer path will lead you outside quicker, but the left path will lead you farther up the course.
Take the left path and turn to the right as you exit and you’ll be ejected back onto the path. Avoid the 2 logs ahead and catch the zipper on the left side after the archway ahead.
Turn left after you blast over the log in the pool to make your way back to the finish line.

< DRAGON FOREST >

They’ve really saved the best for last in Dragon Forest!
Haunted Woods is the easiest course merely from how short it is.
You’ll need to master your driving skills when it comes to maintaining a fast track record.
A lap can be completed in a little under 30 seconds!
Get ready for a fast paced race as we enter the most horrifying course in Diddy Kong Racing!

< HAUNTED WOODS >

From the start let’s nail another blue boost.
Turn a sharp right after the boost to make your way into the center of the town.
You’ll need to avoid the fountain dug into the middle of the city, stick to the left side and continue into the castle ahead.
Turn right and stick to the left to snatch a zipper!
If you turn left at the end of the path and stick to the right you’ll catch yet another zipper to the next forested area.
Inside the forested area you’ll need to complete the C Curve around the giant tree and you’ll come up to a new area with a bridge leading ahead.
Stick to the center of the bridge when you cross over so you don’t fall into the water below on either side!
On either side of the bridge you’ll spot two zippers that you can use to blast into the next area.

Turn to the left inside the cavern ahead followed by a quick right to wind up back at the finish.
If you stick to the right side of the cavern you’ll find a zipper that will blast you right across the finish line!
Complete 2 more laps and rocket over the finish line for the grand finale!

< DRAGON FOREST >

After you’ve beaten Haunted Woods, Taj will award you with your 39th balloon!
That means that you’ve beaten all of the tracks in Dragon Forest, congrats!
Of course this moment of victory will be short-lived as your racer finds themselves in front of a now unlocked boss door!
Drive on in, its time to show the bosses that we’re not going to be pushed around!

Smokey the dragon isn’t just hard, he’s a cheater too!
You’ll find that as the announcer shouts ‘Get Ready’ Smokey will already be running out ahead!
Smokeys track is set up much like Bubblers in which you’ll have to race around his domain 3 times like the other races.
Smokey won’t let you ahead so easily however as he leaves behind floating gas attacks from his scaly nostrils.
If you hit any of these with your plane you’ll crash from a spin out, so do your best to avoid them altogether!
You’ll need to master precise plane controls to avoid all the obstacles in the caves you’ll fly through.
Once you defeat Smokey he’ll activate the Silver Coin Challenge mode in Dragon Forest and wait for the final rematch.

< SMOKEY'S CAVERNS >

As previously stated, Smokey will take off early into the race as the announcer shouts ‘Get Ready’.
Since Smokey already has the upperhand you’ll have to get a blue boost to catch up!
Though the boost won’t put you ahead of Smokey, you’ll manage to stay close enough so you won’t be left behind!
Enter the cave and continue onward!

There’s lots of hazards to avoid in the cave! You’ll need to be on the lookout for the bursts of gas attacks Smokey leaves behind in mid-air as well as the stalagmites that make flying through the narrow twisted caverns just a little more challenging.
You’ll find two Red Balloons located in the first cave portion, but you shouldn’t need them if we want to beat Smokey using speed.

After you spot the second Red Balloon, turn left and you’ll enter an open area with a windmill. To the left of the windmill Smokey will land down another puff of gas, so you’ll have to go through the center of the windmill in order to grab a Blue Balloon.
You’ll need to make sure you go low enough to avoid being butchered by the spinning blades.
After you grab the Balloon, save it and turn to the left.

As you enter the archway stick to the left and you’ll manage to avoid another puff of smoke.
If you follow the fence going around the left you’ll eventually see a second Blue Balloon in the trees.
Don’t use it either, save it up with the previous to a Blue Boost combo.

Smokey should be fairly ahead of you as he enters the cave. There’s a third Blue Balloon near the end of the cave to the right wedged between the wall and a stalagmite. You should only go for this one if you’re sure you won’t crash trying.
If not, just complete the C curve and you’ll find another Blue Balloon in the next area.

You should be able to spot the final Blue Balloon in between two trees to your left. Grab it and make your way past the next archway which will lead you back to the starting line. If you’ve followed the instructions thus far you should have a fully loaded purple boost!

As soon as you enter the area with the finish line, use your boost!
You should be blasted right ahead of Smokey! Make sure you keep control of your racer so you don’t smack into a wall from the sheer power of the full boost.
Continue into the cave and repeat the steps over again.

The purple boost will be your saving grace so as long as you collect 3 every lap and burst toward the finish line than Smokey shouldn’t cause you any trouble.
After you beat Smokey, he’ll unlock the Silver Coin Challenge for Dragon Forest!

< WINDMILL PLAINS >

Coin 1 is to your left inside the first windmill, you’ll be able to see it from the starting line.
You could attempt to get a blue boost and maneuver inside the windmill through great difficulty, or just try to catch it next lap. It’s up to you!

You’ll find Coin 2 inside the second windmill ahead in the middle of the path. Grab the coin and fly under the windmill blades successfully.

After the hill you’ll notice a few patches of water and a path leading to a low cavern. Coin 3 is located in this area between two trees along the path.

As you fly through the low cavern you’ll spot Coin 4 along the left wall with the turn.
Make sure you avoid the wall using the R button so you don’t crash trying to collect the coin!

Uh-oh, this ones a doozy!
After you exit the cavern after collecting Coin 4 you’ll come up to a zipper that will blast you through the center of the windmill which holds Coin 5 inside! Be careful not to bump into the edges of the windmill doorway!

This was the first silver coin I thought of as I was contemplating making a Silver Coin portion of the guide. I literally spent hours searching the whole of Windmill Plains for this coin and I don’t want anyone else to suffer for it here.
You’ll find Coin 6 behind the waterfall to your left after you blast through the windmill.You’ll have to maneuver to an exact science to collect Coin 5 without wiping out!

After you leave the water filled area you’ll enter a dirt pathway with high walls. Stay extremely close to the right wall about mid-way off the ground and you’ll hopefully bump into Coin 7. If not, just come back the next lap.

The final 8th Coin is located in the area after the dirt high walls.
As you enter the area you’ll see a plane zipper that will blast you into the cavern ahead!
DO NOT take the zipper, instead veer to the left avoiding the zipper toward the hay bale with eyes and you’ll spot Coin 8 right beside it.

Windmill Plains will require absolute control to beat it, so practice and memorize each location and you should be fine. Collect all coins and finish 1st.

< DRAGON FOREST >

After you’ve returned to the main lobby, you’ll only have to move one door down to door 36: Green Wood Village. This will be the most difficult Silver Coin Challenge you’ll face yet. Better spare some time for this one, this could take a while…

< GREENWOOD VILLAGE >

You won’t find any coins until you enter the town, which is indicated by the well in the middle.
Once you arrive in town, you’ll find Coin 1 to the left of the well in front of one of the houses.
You shouldn’t collect this until you make some serious distance between your opponents or this coin will mess you up. Hard.

Coin 2 is just before you enter the tunnel leading to the forest area. You’ll spot it on the right side of the doorway, you’ll have to pull off some tight button mashing to collect the coin without crashing.

The 3rd Coin is inside the tunnel on the left side of the wall where the well drain exits. Stick to the left after you come across the bunch of balloons and you should be able to snag it.

Climb the hill into the area with the tree branches and you’ll spot Coin 4 along the left hand turn. You should be able to pull off a power slide and collect it.

As you approach the log that brings you out into the next section of forest, you’ll see Coin 5 along the left side of the track. Be careful how you collect it, as its positioned in front of the log edge.

This coin is going to mess you up for sure no matter how you try to pull it off!
In the forested area with the picket fence you’ll see that the log has two entrances; the first is taken by following the fence to the exit, and the second is by stopping after you enter the area and turning to your left, you’ll see the second entrance beside the tree.
Coin 6 is located in the second entrance, which will mean you have to brake as you enter this area, turn left and enter the tunnel to collect the coin. Hopefully you don’t suffer too much from this crucial coin.

Coin 7 is in the first log entrance when you follow the picket fence normally. Just stick to the fence and it shouldn’t be a problem.

Lastly, Coin 8 can be collected after you travel through the log and into the town streets once again.
You’ll be able to spot Coin 8 the moment you exit the log as it will be directly in front of you.
Mind the elevated sidewalk as you collect it!

If you manage to beat Green Wood Village on Silver Coin you don’t only deserve a golden balloon, but you should also get a free car, your own energy drink and a statue.
Even as I made this guide, the best I was able to accomplish was a split second win that displayed as 2nd, but came up as 1st because Banjo stuck out his nose too far over the finish line or something.
Green Wood Village is arguably the most difficult of all the Silver Coin Challenges in the whole of Diddy Kong Racing.
Get used to retrying the race while you can still remember what a victory scene looks like.

< DRAGON FOREST >

If you’ve beaten Green Wood Village this century, congratulations! You’ll get to continue onward to collect the coins in Boulder Canyon!
Though not near as hard as Green Wood Village, Boulder Canyon will suit you up in the final hovercraft collection in the game.

< BOULDER CANYON >

You’ll be able to spot both Coin 1 and 2 as you make your way to the first rapid hill.
Coin 1 will be located on the right side of the track next to the red balloon and Coin 2 will be centered in the middle of the water rapids at the top.
Collect both Coins on any lap to generate a wicked combo!

As you make your way to the bottom of the rapids you’ll notice Coin 3 on the other end of the pool next to a log.
If you manage to beat the crowd to this location than you’ll have no problem picking up Coin 3, but if they arrive while you’re trying to collect the coin, they’ll send the log spinning which will knock your racer back!

Continue upwards to the castle and you’ll find Coin 4 on a zipper just after the drawbridge, use it to boost yourself ahead of the competition.

Navigate through the castle hall to the water area and you’ll find Coin 5 in the hovercraft zipper to your left.
Take both the coin and the zipper if you can to stay ahead.

As you approach the fork in the path ahead, choose the path to your left.
Inside you’ll find Coin 6 in the middle of the drain.

Talk about a two for one!
You’ll find Coin 7 just at the end of the drain in front of Coin 6.
Collect both and leap back onto the track, turning right.

Near the final section you’ll spot a zipper that will take you over the large gap ahead.
Under the archway before the zipper is Coin 8, which you can grab with the zipper to make for a victorious leap!

Make sure you collect the coins precisely and don’t bog behind the competition and you should be fine.
Score 1st place with all of the coins and you’ll be that much closer to facing Smokey a second time!

< DRAGON FOREST >

At long last we’ve arrived at the final race in Dragon Forest: Haunted Woods!
Surprisingly it won’t be anywhere as difficult as Green Wood Village was previous.
Because the track is so short however, you’ll have to collect quickly and race simultaneously so that the other racers don’t get too far ahead.
Drive into Haunted Woods and get ready for some scares! Tell me, have you ever collected silver coins in the pale moonlight?

< HAUNTED WOODS >

As you start off the race, turn to your right and you’ll spot Coin 1 directly in front of the fountain.
Careful you don’t fall in!
Coin 2 should be just around the left portion of the fountain.

As you continue into the castle ahead, you’ll find Coin 3 on the right side of the wall, just a little bit ahead of the zipper on the left.

As you collect Coin 3 and turn left to the next part of the track, you’ll spot Coin 4 in the middle of this area. Collect it and stick to the left side of the following segment.

You’ll find Coin 5 on the left side of the track surrounded by the giant tree.
Collect it and keep sticking to the left.

If you’ve stuck to the left, Coin 6 should have come directly after Coin 5.
After you collect both coins, head toward the bridge ahead.

As you get onto the bridge, steer to the right at the end and you’ll pick up Coin 7 followed by a zipper!

You’ll find Coin 8 on the right side of the fountain in the first area where Coin 1 and 2 were.
Because it would be inefficient to attempt to grab coins opposite to each other, you should go for Coin 8 on your next lap.

Haunted Woods should be pretty simple and it won’t be long until you’ve constructed a solid route of collection.
Make sure you collect every coin and place 1st, than it’s off to slay the dragon!

< DRAGON FOREST >

After you’ve collected all of the silver coins and place first Taj will swoop down on the track with glee awarding you with your 39th balloon! Congratulations! But before you have time to celebrate you’ll find yourself hurled back to Dragon Forest where your racer will approach the Boss Door and wait to drive inside!

It looks like Smokey hasn’t learned his lesson on cheating from last time and will still start running before you’re allowed to.
Nevertheless, Smokey will now lay down double the smoke meaning that you’ll have to avoid twice the trouble!
Some smoke will even stay on the track for all 3 laps, meaning you’ll have to look out for it even if you pass Smokey.
Watch out for low caves, tight squeezes, crevices and crannies and you should be able to swipe away a win to which Smokey will reward you with the final piece of the illusive Wizpig Amulet!

< SMOKEY'S CAVERNS >

Right than, even a Blue Boost won’t put you ahead of Smokey as he’ll already have raced out across the finish line before you have a chance to move!
After you boost ahead, be sure to avoid the hazards inside the cave and avoid bumping into Smokey’s noxious fumes!

Smokey is going to take some heavy maneuvering to beat in the cave portion, you’ll need to master both speed and turning into order to avoid a fiery fate!
In the upcoming passage you’ll need to turn briefly left followed by a quick right to enter the windmill portion again.
Let’s avoid any red balloons we meet around the caverns.

Smokey has blocked off the area to the left of the windmill with 2 fireballs instead of 1, but it shouldn’t cause us any trouble if we stick to the plan…
Just like last time we’re going to have to duck down and travel under the windmill, doing so will earn us our first blue balloon. we are going to save this balloon, so don’t use it!

Take a sharp turn to the left after you fly under the windmill to enter the tiny alcove. This time the smoke will stay, so keep that in mind when you come back to this location in the future.
Last time we followed the fence to the left to get our second blue balloon, however Smokey has removed the vital item this time, the cad!
Instead, let’s turn right into the cave ahead.

Once you reach the halfway point inside the cave you’ll spot your second blue balloon to the right wedged between the wall and a stalagmite. Make sure you avoid Smokey’s puffs when you collect it!

After we grab the second Blue Balloon we’ll complete the second C Curve and you’ll find the final blue balloon on the left side of the track between two trees in the next sections.
Avoid the trees and collect the 3rd blue balloon.
Make sure you don’t hit Smokey’s flames he leaves under the arch!

Save the balloon as you enter the final portion with the finish line and use it when you can see the line clearly in view. This should put you ahead of Smokey, and if not it will if you use this strategy for the remaining laps.
Smokey is quite the same as Bubbler in the sense that if you overtake his position most of his traps he lays behind won’t be able to affect you.
Getting all 3 power-ups is extremely vital each lap, add that to staying airborne for most of the duration and you’ll put out Smokey’s flame in no time flat!

After you’ve extinguished Smokey for good, he’ll reward you with the final piece of the Wizpig Amulet! Congratulations, we’re now worthy of facing Wizpig in a final showdown!
Keep your pants on however, we’ve still have the rest of Dragon Forest to complete!
Let’s wave a final goodbye to Smokey and return to Dragon Forest.

Once we’ve returned to the Dragon Forest lobby we’ll need to locate the T.T Challenge door to access our next T.T Challenge: Smokey Castle!
Fortunately for us, the door isn’t too far away. If you’ll look just to the right of the boss door you should spot a giant branchless tree with a red arrow over the top of the opening.
Let’s drive into the tree and down the slope shall we?
When you’ve reached the mossy flooring in the base of the tree you’ll spot the final T.T Challenge door ahead.
Let’s drive in and complete the last T.T Challenge!

This is Smokey Castle! The objective in this challenge is to collect 10 of the scattered bananas around Smokey Castle and bring them back up to your chest inside the castle walls.
The first one to fill their chest will be awarded the final quarter piece of the illusive T.T Amulet!
We will find out the amulets’ true purpose after we win this challenge…

< HOW TO PLAY: SMOKEY CASTLE >

As you start the challenge you’ll find yourself in front of your appropriate chest in one of the four corners at the top of the castle.
From here you’ll need to navigate down the slope (or just drive off the end) to the lower level of the castle.
Once you’ve dropped to the bottom, you’re free to explore inside the castle and around the courtyard.
As you explore the areas around Smokey Castle you’ll spot hordes of yellow bananas scattered around the courtyard just like a racetrack.

In order to beat this challenge we’ll have to collect these bananas and bring them back into the castle.
However, unlike in any other race, you may only collect 2 bananas at a time, after you’ve reached two you may not collect any more.
After you’ve reached full capacity, make your way back into the castle and locate your ramp that has been color coded blue.
After you climb this ramp you’ll find a photograph of your character over top of a wooden chest.

If you approach your chest close enough, you’ll see your collected yellow bananas fly out of your character and into the chest.
At the top of the screen you’ll see a measurement icon which will keep track of how many bananas each player has stored in their respective chests.
The icon will count upwards in increments of 2 until the meter is successfully filled.
Once the chest is filled with 10 yellow bananas the challenge will finish.

Don’t forget that your opponents are also trying to fill their chests as well, and they would prefer if they won the challenge instead.
Though there is enough yellow bananas to go around, your opponents won’t want to let you take your portion!
You can identify your enemies chests in the other corners of the castle, color coded red, yellow and green.

Around the castle and in the courtyard you’ll also find many balloons just ripe for the taking!
So what interest does this serve for our current banana collecting mission?
If you cause any damage to your enemies after they’ve picked up any bananas up off the track, they’ll drop their current collection of bananas behind them in turn.
You can than pick up these bananas before they have the chance to, and bring them back to your own chest!

These rules still apply to you however, so make sure to avoid any hits that deplete you of your collection.
If you are hit, make sure that you collect the dropped bananas before your opponent does so they don’t benefit from your hard searching.
Keep a close watch on your opponent’s progress on the measurement icon at the top of the screen.
If anything, you could seek out a rival who is doing well and delay them from adding more to their collection by blasting them out of the sky as they try to collect!

It can be quite the battlefield in Smokey Castle as you battle with your buddies over a bountiful bunch of bananas!
Make sure you keep a close watch of the measurement icons on the top of the screen and sabotage anyone who happens to collect more bananas than yourself.
If all goes right you should bring 10 bananas to your chest first, to which you will win the final T.T Challenge!

Once you’ve filled your chest with ripe fruit, Taj will make his last trip across the castle walls on his magic carpet to reward you with the final piece of the T.T Amulet!
Congratulations! Now that we’ve completed the entire T.T Amulet we can use it to unlock the T.T Door!
We’ll find out all about that after we beat Wizpig…
After you’ve finished admiring the completed T.T Amulet, we’ll let the cutscene end as we continue on the last stretch of completing Dragon Forest with the Trophy Race!

The same rules apply on the Dragon Forest Trophy Race as every other trophy race:
You’ll have to try your best in each race in order to achieve the highest score to win.
The higher you place in each race, the higher your score will be in the end. The score is still measured as followed:

1st Place: 9 Pts.
2nd Place: 7 Pts.
3rd Place: 5 Pts.
4th Place: 3 Pts.
5th Place: 1 Pt.
6th Place or Worse: 0 Pts.

Remember, though you don’t have to place first for every race, you still want to keep your score high enough to come above everyone else. Even if you fail the trophy race, you can still retry until you get the illusive Wizpig Trophy!
After you’ve beaten everyone else, your Wizpig Trophy will be placed in the once empty display case.

< DRAGON FOREST >

CHAPTER 6-2: THE SHOWDOWN WITH WIZPIG – BOSS RACE

Now that we’ve collected all of the pieces of the Wizpig Amulet our full fleshed Wizpig face has opened its maw, granting us access to the final Wizpig Race!
Wizpigs mouth will remain open for the remaining duration of the game, so if you don’t succeed in beating him the first time you can always fly back in and try again, or if you ever want a rematch after cleaning his clock.
That said, you’ll need to transform your vehicle into a plane if it isn’t already so that you can get up to the open mouth.
After a final farewell with Taj, we’ll fly our airplane into Wizpigs mouth like some sort of metaphoric baby food, let’s do this!

Its raining, its pouring, the track is slick and Wizpig is on your tail!
Wizpig doesn’t have a vehicle that will fit him, and instead he’ll jog around the track 3 times.
Usually this wouldn’t be a problem, but it looks as if the hogs been working out and you’ll actually have a challenge against your engine.
Aside from squashing you flat if he runs you over, he’s also capable of running you off the track and into the water which will completely screw up your chances of winning.

Aside from all the doom and gloom that will hinder your progress, the zippers littered around the track are what are going to scrape away a win…that and the racing talent you’ve acquired from all the races hopefully…
The final track is flooded by the constant rainfall, meaning that the zippers will be your ticket to a safe blast over top. Miss the zipper however and you’ll be forced to spend a few seconds bogging down in the surf, which could be the break Wizpig needs to outrun you!
In total there are exactly 6 zippers around the circular track that you’ll have to make a concerted effort to hit them all!
Here are the 6 essential zippers you’ll have to zip right across:

< ZIPPER 1 >

As always, let’s aim for a blue starting boost.
Avoid Wizpigs tree trunk like legs and hightail it to the bridge. After making a quick right, you’ll approach a log passing over a stream.
You’ll need to keep a watchful eye for Wizpig so he doesn’t push you off, if you do fall into the stream you have very little odds of recovering.
Stay to the right of the log crossing over the stream, and you should find the zipper just as you get off.
Don’t steer too far to the left as you boost off, its best to stay to the right so that you don’t fall into the water awaiting you after the hill.

< ZIPPER 2 >

Manuver your way around the trees ahead and make your way to zipper 2.
Remember to keep a constant watch for Wizpig, and to aim at getting a green boost for every zipper.
Zipper 2 is located on the edge of the path just a bit farther ahead from our last one.
Be sure that you aim your racer to the right as you hit the zipper, or you’ll be trapped in the water!
Compared to the other water traps, this one is most likely the worst of them all.
The wall is much too high at the end of the pool, meaning you’ll have to back up with your car until you reach a plot of land with such a low degree in slope that you’ll be able to latch onto and pull your racer out of the drink. At that point however Wizpig will already be miles ahead of you, laughing as he nears the finish line…

< ZIPPER 3 >

After you plunge down the hill, stick to the left hand side of the track and you’ll find another zipper capable of shooting you across the body of water that lay ahead.
You should be at the halfway point now, and if you’ve hit every zipper prior with green boost than Wizpig should seem miles behind you choking on your exhaust.
Be sure that you angle your self to the center after you burst over the top of the hill, otherwise your likely to plop down into the sea.
Who didn’t see that one coming?

< ZIPPER 4 >

Almost back to the starting line now, if you manage to stay away from the flooded areas you should be able to fend yourself off for two more laps!
These last 2 zippers are crucial to your success, hit them both in time and you won’t even touch the water seperating them.
Not only will they save you time, but if used right will put you in a definite lead!
The first zipper is right in the center of the path, so you shouldn’t have to distort your racers steering to hit this one at all. Just aim your racer to the left after you hit it so you can catch the next one.

< ZIPPER 5 >

Whoa, double zippers! Be sure to aim back to the right after you hit this zipper so you make the most of it while it lasts!
With twice the propulsion power, this is the point where most players can easily turn the tables if Wizpig is ahead by a tiny margin.
There’s only 1 more zipper to hit now, and you should be clear for a easy win if you hit the zippers every lap.
This zipper also signals the end of the dreaded water section; after you boost across the fifth zipper you won’t have to worry about getting waterlogged until you reach the finish line!
Which brings us to our final zipper up ahead…

< ZIPPER 6 >

Our final zipper leads us right back to the finish line and onto our next lap.
If you nail this zipper just right than it should give you a very easy lead regardless of racing position.
This zipper has been able to pull a win from sheer luck from many racers, this zipper is perfect if you happen to find yourself in a photo finish scenario and you just need a little bump ahead!
After you hit the zipper it’s optimal to stay close to the wall to shave off extra time spend turning, just watch out for the stray tree as you come flying over the hill or all your hard work will be wasted.

< THE END! >

Each lap will play out the same so just remember to try to hit every zipper in your path, stay out of the flooded sections and watch out for Wizpig sneaking up behind.
Repeat these tactics for 2 more laps and you should be able to come in 1st Place!
Congratulations! Continue to the aftermath section after you’ve beaten Wizpig for a bitter sweet victory scene!